Then for a verdict. The suspect, identified as Jerry Lynn Burns, DOB/12-23-1953, age 64, of Manchester, Iowa, was arrested today for the crime of Murder in the First Degree. More than 60 were tested and cleared. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. He also said it was difficult to believe that law enforcement never came across such information in the nearly 40 years of investigation. Jerry Burns, of Manchester, was arrested for the murder on the 39-year anniversary of her death. "The community is in shock, his friends are in shock, his family is in shock. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. Residents interviewed Friday said they can't square the allegations of a gruesome killing and 39 years with nary a hint of suchbehavior with the man they've known, who went to high school in Manchester, about 45 miles north of Cedar Rapids, and spent much of his adult life there. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Family and friends of Jerry Burns react as Burns is sentenced at his sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Burns' sentence also included that he wouldn't be eligible for parole. The accused turned out to be another Iowan native, Jerry Lynn Burns. Who Is Jerry Lynn Burns? Born in 1953, Jerry Lynn Burns grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. He would have been around 25-years-old when he killed Michelle Martinko in December of 1979. Investigators later sought the services of a company that specializes in DNA phenotyping, which Cedar Rapids police described as the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence. The only way Burns DNA couldve ended up in two spots in the crime scene, Maybanks concluded, was if Burns was the murderer. It makes you question how someone could live here in this community for all these years and possibly have done something like this.'. Testimony showed Burns was the major contributor of the profile - less than one in 100 billion of unrelated individuals would have the same profile, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation criminalists said. During Jerry Lynn Burns initial interrogation, he said that he could not offer the authorities a plausible explanation as to why his DNA was found at the crime scene. "At this point did you believe investigator Denlinger was honoring your request for a lawyer," said Spies as he read through the transcript. In January 2019, Burns contended not culpable and a starter date was set. "We thought it was extremely probative. In December 2018, Brian's cousin, Jerry Burns, who also lived in Manchester, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko. They are in relation from previous few years of a strong relationship. Decades after the death, he had a voice in the first-degree murder sentencing of Jerry Burns, 66, of Manchester. 'You'll never convince me he did something like that.'. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns and defense attorney Leon Spies (right) listen to Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover as she reads Burns' sentence at a hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. 2023 www.desmoinesregister.com. Wright said he never saw any signs that Burns was under investigation. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. Janelle and John Stonebraker, Martinkos sister and brother-in-law who live in Florida, told The Cedar Rapids Gazette this week that they are at peace after waiting decades for justice. "We left Cedar Rapids, but Cedar Rapids never left us," he said, choking up outside the courthouse while his wife nodded in agreement. Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. All rights reserved. Follow the Register onFacebookandTwitterfor updates. Personal details about Jerry include: political affiliation is currently a registered Republican; ethnicity is Caucasian; and religious He announced that the way in which experts drew closer getting DNA from Burns and his family members to show his DNA was found at the wrongdoing area was an encroachment of the fourth and fourteenth alterations. He went missing after telling his brother he was waiting for a ride from someone. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover listens as First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nicholas Maybanks (not pictured) speaks at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Next Spies and the state will submit written statements to the judge outlining what evidence should or should not make it into next month's trial. That made his arrest hard to believe. On December 19, 1979, when 18-year-old Cedar Rapids, Iowa inhabitant Michelle Martinko, vanished, it transformed into a case that before long ran cold. She affirmed her rulings made before and during trial regarding the defense's motion. Burns' DNA profile was developed from blood on Martinko's black dress. Maybanks, in asking Hoover to sentence Burns to life, said this verdict and sentence would not only give peace to the family and many friends of Martinko who have waited four decades for justice, but provide 'enormous relief to the community. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden listens from the gallery at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nicholas Maybanks speaks at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. For those who knew Burns well, the idea that their friend could have killed an 18-year-old woman 39 years ago is a hard pill to swallow. Predictions were made for ancestry and facial features, police said. Moreno said, "I would have never guessed. He was arrested Dec. 19, 2018 - on the anniversary of her death. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns (center) is seen as a senior in a 1972 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. He said he has ordered Burns not to speak with news media. "The people in law enforcement take on their duty and their task seriously," Maybanks told the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network,afterthe verdict. For 64-year-old Jerry Burns, it was a straw he used at a pizza restaurant in Manchester, Iowa. Jerry Burns Wife: Who Is He Married To? Delaware CountySheriff John Leclere saidauthorities "don't have any reason to suspect (Burns) in either case.". Jerry, who would have been 25 years old at the time of the murder, was convicted in February 2020. We really didn't have a why, so finding the internet search history with how specific is was, we really thought that was probative," said Denlinger. Russ Wright works the registerin the building Burns built. Jerry Burns as a senior in a 1972 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. His Girlfriend/boyfriends name is Not Available. 'You have to go with the evidence,' he said. It was a case,Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said, "that has haunted our community for decades. Then for proof. The sketch indicated a white man in his late teens or early 20s, weighing between 165 and 175 pounds, and standing about 6 feet tall. I feel bad for the victims family becausetheyve been wondering every day of their life what happened to their daughter," Russ Wright, who served Burns nearly every day at a local BP gas station, said last December. "Thats why everybody in town is just like Iam: shocked.. Decades after the death, he had a voice in the first-degree murder sentencing of Jerry Burns, 66, of Manchester. Now,herface and chest had been stabbed at least eight times. Martinko's body was found in her parents' Buick, which was parked near J.C. Penney at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. Prosecutors said she was stabbed to death. ', l Comments: 319-398-8238; kat.russell@thegazette.com. after he was asked if his DNA would match the DNA at the crime scene. If found guilty of his first-degree murder charges, he'll We have no information about his girlfriend/boyfriend. When the father of three did stop in, Wright said they would make small talk, chatting about work and plans for the day. ", Our first look at Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, of Manchester after he was arrested this morning for first-degree murder in the 1979 homicide case of Michelle Martinko.Burns will appear in Linn County District Court tomorrow morning. Curran said he doesn't know how police homed in on Burns, but he's not passing judgment until he hears the facts. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns thanks his family for their support as he makes a statement before his sentencing by Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns (on left page, third picture from the top and third picture from the left) part of the senior class in a 1972 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. From the leadership on down, they never gave up.". This is something that affects the whole community, and everybody wants answers. The Kennedy High School senior had drivento the mall after a school choir banquet to shop for a new winter coat. During the original investigation, detectives compiled a list of more than 80 potential suspects. Never did I ever think he had a mean bone in his body," said McElliot, 64. "The community is in shock, his friends are in shock, his family is in shock. When 18-year-old Cedar Rapids, Iowa resident Michelle Martinko went missing on Dec. 19, 1979, it became a case that soon ran cold. Maybanks recapped Monday how witnesses in the two weeks prior outlined an extensive chain of custody of the evidence to ensure no new DNA could have been introduced into the packages containing Martinko's bloodied clothes and pieces of the car. CEDAR RAPIDS - The Martinko family lived without answers for 39 Christmases. WebJerry Burns is 68 years old and was born on 12/23/1953. ", Martinko's family in a statement last December credited "the work of several generations of Cedar Rapids uniformed police and detectives in bringing Mr. Burns to justice. There was very little information on the 55-year-old's vanishing and Leclere said there are no leads today. With Jerry Burns having been found at risk and in prison, Martinkos family at last made them feel of end. They just would not let it go., Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. She opened her restaurant about five years ago, she said, and it has since become a local lunch spot where everyone knows everyone. "When they commit to helping a family, as in this case, looking into the eyes of parents who lost an 18-year-old girl and said, 'Were going to find the answer to what happened to her,' that the public can trust that theyre going to do that, even if it takes generations to do it. We cant say their name. Burns was arrested and questioned when his DNA matched that of some found on Martinko's clothes at the time of her murder. Mike McElliot, who was in Burns' graduating class at West Delaware High School, said the two crossed paths as adults in Dyersville, while McElliot was a mail carrier and Burns worked for John Deere. Jury selection is still set to begin Feb. 10. Burns co-owns Advanced Coating Concepts with his son, a powder coating business and turf equipment dealer just south of Manchester. Jerry Burns may be a hitched man, having a spouse and kids. Notwithstanding the way that Burns conviction and denouncing are clear and he is presently in prison, his legitimate group has continued to insist his blamelessness and upset the choice. But he also said his private investigator had uncovered new evidence that wasn't discovered until June. The gentleman that had been a customer of mine and what Iconsidered a friend ever since I'd been employed here, its just I never thought in a million years somebody like that could" kill someone,he said. 'The Dating Game' Killer Was Active for Almost 10 Years Before He Was Caught, Angie Dodge's Killer Evaded Capture for Over 20 Years, Where Is Convicted Murderer Jeffrey MacDonald Now? The case itself had initially led investigators to assume the crime had been one of passion, with the amount of stab wounds to Martinko's face, but even now, there have been no answers as to why it happened. In a court document made public Friday, he wrote that he makes $30,000 a year. The arrest of Burns, now charged with first-degree murder for the 1979death of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids,has rippled through this town of about 5,000. The law cannot punish Burns for the damage he had done to Martinko's family or the 'terrible shock, shame, pain and devastation inflicted on the innocent lives of his own family. "I wish my parents could be here to see this.". While waiting to Across the aisle, the benches behind Burns were packed to the brim. To that point in the investigation, we were confident who our perpetrator was, so we figured out the who. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Advanced Coating Concepts at 1608 230th Street in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. He didn't know who or why. Jerry Lynn Burns, 65, is set to face a jury in February, bringing momentum to a case that was left cold for years. "His first wife's death was a suicide, so he was talked to, but it was clearly a suicide," said the sheriff of 18 years. "Very in an upbeat mood, he bought his lottery tickets and he bought his two Cokes and Ijust said Jerry, have a good one, I'll see you tomorrow. Later, Burns sold farm implements in Dyersville at the same time McElliot was a postal carrier there. Judge Hoover, who had reviewed Spies' written arguments and Maybanks' resistance before the hearing, quickly denied the motion for a new trial. Burns faces a charge of first-degree murder. This is the moment of reckoning for him and the moment, long awaited, of resting peace for Michelle.. ", Elizabeth Laymon, who was high school friends with Martinko, said shevividly remembersthe day classmates sobbed after they learned of the stabbing. Jerry Lynn Burns of Manchester has been arrested and charged with 1st degree murder in the cold case murder of 18 yr old Michelle Martinko. The man accused, Jerry Burns of Manchester, is charged with 1st-degree murder for the death of Michelle Martinko, a Kennedy High School senior at the time of her death. Here's the Update in His Case. Mormann said, "I havent seen him recently but over the years, you know, our kids and their kids grew up, we saw each other, and I knew his first wife and just a wonderful family, too.. Then, in 2018, police used new DNA technology that hadn't been available in 1979 or even the '80s, when the composite sketch was released, to zero in on Burns and arrest him for Martinko's murder. Stonebrakersat in the front row of the courtroom, flanked by her husband, John, and oldest son, Robert. 'Nobody is guilty until they prove it.'. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns listens as First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nicholas Maybanks (not pictured) speaks at Burns' sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Burns Wife Died in June 2008. That company, police said, produced portraits for the associated person of interest. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Family of the man charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Michelle Martinko speaks out, says the arrest in cold case brings them joy just before Christmas. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. His arrest left those in Manchester, who have lived and worked alongside him for decades, asking how the person they know could be connected to such a crime. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns (lower right) is seen in a picture on a graduation spread in a 1972 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Where Is Jerry Lynn Burns Now? She wasn't crying so much as gasping, choking. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Laymon said she and Martinko were in a self-defense class together, but added that "no amount of self-defense could have saved her from that.". Add newsletters@thegazette.comto your contacts. Burns said 'somebody else stabbed Martinko that night. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. Prosecutors said she was stabbed to death. He rebutted some of the prosecution's factual claims, insisting that there wasn't substantial evidence that Burns' DNA was retrieved from his blood, noting previous testimony indicating it could have been saliva or even transferred skin cells and that the presence of DNA in itself could not implicate Burns. Fathers name is Not Available. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Before sentencing, defense attorney Leon Spies made a motion for a new trial, arguing many of the same issues that had been ruled upon before. Investigators matched the male profile at the crime scene to DNA on a straw Burns left behind at a Manchester Pizza Ranch. While Burns attorneys didnt offer an alibi for where he was the night of Martinko's murder, Spies did suggest that since Burns had been to Westdale Mall with his family before, DNA he left behind at the mall couldve transferred to Martinko while she was at the mall Dec. 19. 'Shock, anguish and horror permeated the family them they first learned that 18-year-old Michelle Martinko was killed Dec. 19, 1979, John Stonebraker, her brother-in-law, said Friday in a videotaped victim impact statement. 'Mr. In fact, it wasn't until years later that authorities even had a proper police sketch to seek help from the public in locating the man who killed her. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Detectives found no weapon or fingerprints to identify a suspect and said Martinko had not been robbed. The case remained unsolved until Wednesday night when police announced they used DNA evidence to link Burns to the crime. Police never came into the shop, he said, and no law enforcement officers ever contacted him or asked him about Burns. "Nice family.". Burns, 66, was arrested at his Manchester, Iowa, business on Dec. 19, 2018 the 39th anniversary of Martinko's death and charged with first-degree murder in Wright said he never had a negative experience in seven months of knowingBurns. "We would ride up and down that road by his house and never thought anything of it," she said. The mandatory penalty for first-degree murder in Iowa is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. 'It seems awful shocking to me, the way I've known him,' he said of Burns' arrest. WebJerry S Burns in Manchester, IA. Jerry Burns, 66, of Manchester, was arrested in Dec. 19 2018, 39 years to the day after Michelle Martinko was found dead in her parents car outside a shopping mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Net Worth, Fast Facts. The Jan. 28, 2021 episode also sheds light on the trial that led to Burns' sentencing and how he still denied having anything to do with the murder, to the best of his knowledge, leading up to it. Previous to Jerry's current city of Manchester, IA, Jerry Burns lived in Cedar Falls IA. "If you saw him out in thepublic, he would sit there and talk with you and say 'hi' to you every time he'dseen you.". Today, Burns' lawyer, Lion Spies continued to question one of the state's expert witness, Randy Cole, whose background as a correctional officer and as a program manager for sexual offenders, may point to a motive. "I worked nights and it just freaked me out.". Advertisement Stonebraker and his wife, Janelle, Previous to Jerry's current city of Manchester, IA, Jerry Burns lived in Cedar Falls IA. "Just a decent guy, hard-working man," Mitch Wendling said of Burns. Although Burns' conviction and sentencing is clear and he is now in prison, his legal team has continued to assert his innocence and overturn the verdict. You will begin to receive our Daily Courts & Public Safety updates. Defense attorney Leon Spies declined to comment immediately following the verdict. Burns also claimed that he did in fact ask for a lawyer during the interview but that investigators didn't help him to do so. In December 2018, Brian's cousin, Jerry Burns, who also lived in Manchester, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko. Any relationship to Jerry Burns who was arrested for the Michelle Martinko murder. Aug. 7, 2020 6:12 pm, Updated: Aug. 7, 2020 8:23 pm. On June 19, 1980, police released a composite sketch, developed based on descriptions provided by two witnesses, of the man they believed stabbed Martinko. The essential contention from Burns protection group was that the confirmation used for the circumstance from back in 1979 was abused by then. She said he lives and operates a business just five miles from her house. Spies argued that Burns never consented to his DNA being collected from a straw left behind at a Pizza Ranch or to be found through an ancestry site. The brothers were eliminated as suspects during the investigation. An investigation provided the answer after all those years of who and why someone killed Martinko. 'We talked about how he had just dropped his cat off at the vet and about his work, and he said he had a busy day ahead. Burns then turned toward his family, sitting in the courtroom, and thanked them for their support. And sometimes he comes back for our lunch specials.'. At Martinko's older sister, Janelle Stonebraker, told the Des Moines Register that their family had waited years for answers. Russ Wright, head cashier at Quik 'N Handi, a convenience store and gas station on Highway 13 near the southwest edge of town, said Burns was a regular customer. Martinko always came to her lessons alone but may have had someone waiting for her outside the mall. Burns owns a powder-coating company, Advanced Coating Concepts, in Manchester. Indeed, in June 2020, his legal advisor, Leon Spies, motioned for a retrial. A retired music teacher, Kathryn Birky, of Swisher, who taught private piano and organ lessons, said she had a regularly scheduled lesson with Martinko in the Westdale Mall the night of the attack, Spies said. Wounds on the teens hands showed she fought her killer. According to an affidavit, Birky, in a phone interview with an investigator who works for Spies, said she had been giving organ lessons to Martinko in 1979 at 'Carma Lou's House of Music. Martinko had lessons between 8:30 and 9 p.m., Birky said. "No, I must not have asked properly, we were never instructed in school how to ask..they just seemed to ignore it," said Burns. DAVENPORT, Ia. The teen was stabbed 29 times, according to testimony. The police chief at the time, Ray Baker, said the fatal stabbing "outraged the whole community.". His wife and other close members of his family were allowed to attend the sentencing but seating was limited to allow for social distancing in the courtroom. Telling his brother he was waiting for a ride from someone used DNA evidence to link Burns to the scene! By his house and never thought anything of it, '' said McElliot, 64 been robbed potential.... Any relationship to Jerry 's current city of Manchester Thursday, Dec. 20 jerry burns manchester, iowa 2018 - on the hands... Been found at risk and in prison Burns may be a hitched,... They just would not let it go., Connect with jerry burns manchester, iowa definitive for. 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Match the DNA jerry burns manchester, iowa the time of her murder a hitched man, '' Mitch Wendling said of '... The crime scene and facial features, police said, `` that has haunted our community for decades shop.
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