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. Heretrievedit after Burns left it behind, according to search warrants. It lies in a 'deeply selfish, lifelong personal need. Andy Seidel Now: Where is Michelle Martinko's Boyfriend Toda He and his wife, who now residein Florida,said they were gratefulfor the Cedar Rapids community's commitment to the case over the past 40 years. Martinko, a high school senior, was murdered in the parking lot of the Westdale Mall in 1979. On Thursday, other people in town said they were shocked, stunned or astounded by the news. ", In closing arguments Monday, Spies repeated a phrase from his opening arguments: "Genetic information tells us much about what we are, but not necessarily who we are or where we've been.". Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. He waited for her at the mall and apprehended her in the parking lot, according to the theory. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. "For Michelles family and friends, we know that the pain of losing a daughter, sister or friend will never go away," Jermansaid. His Girlfriend/boyfriends name is Not Available. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. 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. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. The judge is expected to make a final ruling on what evidence is admissible and if any will be suppressed sometime next week. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Within days ofMartinko's killing, police received more than 200 phone calls and letters from people who wanted to help, according to Des Moines Register archives. Burns will have the rest of his life to ask for forgiveness and beg for mercy on his soul, but if he doesn't, at least he won't get to block it out anymore. Wright said he never had a negative experience in seven months of knowingBurns. To that point in the investigation, we were confident who our perpetrator was, so we figured out the who. His mark on the world, and the sum of his life, will be a short notice, saying: Convicted Martinko murderer dies in prison,' Stonebraker bluntly said. Later, Burns sold farm implements in Dyersville at the same time McElliot was a postal carrier there. Over the last 39 years, shes seen Burns around town. Because this moment has finally come. Follow the Register onFacebookandTwitterfor updates. 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. The case remained unsolved until Wednesday night when police announced they used DNA evidence to link Burns to the crime. Michelle Martinko was viewed as wounded absurdly in her vehicle in the Westdale Mall parking structure. While waiting to '', But when Thursday morning came, Wright said he logged onto Facebook and saw the 'shocking news.'. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Burns then turned toward his family, sitting in the courtroom, and thanked them for their support. She was found stabbed to death inside her parents' car in a mall parking lot in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 20, 1979. More than 60 were tested and cleared. 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. She even graduated with his youngest daughter. The teen was stabbed 29 times, according to testimony. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover speaks at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Previous to Jerry's current city of Manchester, IA, Jerry Burns lived in Cedar Falls IA. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. In June 2020, his attorney, Leon Spies, motioned for a retrial. Honestly, it wasnt until years afterward that experts even had a real police sketch to search for help from people in general in observing the person who killed her. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns and defense attorney Leon Spies (right) listen to Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. "I am happy Michelle finally gets justice. 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. But we are sure that it is not available and his spouses name is not available. Investigators then narrowed down family trees of great grandparents to a first cousin and then Burns and his two brothers. ", 'Complete shock':Family of the man charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Michelle Martinko speaks out. Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. Spies asked the judge to suppress part of the research Cole used to make his report, pointing out this was a very unusual case. 'Nobody is guilty until they prove it.'. Wright said he never saw any signs that Burns was under investigation. Using newer technology, Cedar Rapids police last yearcreated profiles fromDNA procured from case evidence in 2006. As Becky Moreno stopped for lunch on Thursday afternoon, she reflected on growing up just down the street from Jerry Burns and his family. Investigators matched the male profile at the crime scene to DNA on a straw Burns left behind at a Manchester Pizza Ranch. Puro cash':Latinos are opening more small businesses than anyone else in the US, Julian Assange:Why he matters more than you think. 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. 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. DAVENPORT, Iowa It took more than four decades, but the man who brutally killed a Cedar Rapids high school student is poised to spend the rest of his life in jail. John Stonebraker said the three hours it took the jury to reach a verdict was indicative of the strength of the case. Jury selection is still set to begin Feb. 10. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. Wounds on the teens hands showed she fought her killer. Stonebrakersat in the front row of the courtroom, flanked by her husband, John, and oldest son, Robert. Leclere said Burns was never considered a suspect in his cousin's missing-person investigation. Investigatorssaid the man who stabbedMartinko cut his hand and left blood behindon her clothes and on the gear shift knob. ", "We don't exactly know the whys and some of the details, but we definitely know who did it, and that was terribly important to us," Janelle Stonebraker, Michelle Martinko's older sister, said after the verdict was read. "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. Anna Spoerre covers crime and courts for the Des Moines Register. Leads in the case resulted in dead ends until investigatorsused a genetic genealogy website to connect Burns' DNA to the crime scene. Burns' sentence also included that he wouldn't be eligible for parole. Update, Feb. 24, 2020: Within hours of the trials closing arguments, a Scott County jury has convicted Jerry Burns of first-degree murder in the death of Michelle Martinko. He previously co-owned a truck stop near town. In any case, not a lot about his family has been unveiled at this point, because of a few private matters. For 64-year-old Jerry Burns, it was a straw he used at a pizza restaurant in Manchester, Iowa. Predictions were made for ancestry and facial features, police said. Follow reporter Anna Spoerreon Twitter at@annaspoerre. The Estimated Net worth is $80K USD $85k. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns 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. Dec. 20, 2018 8:16 pm, Updated: Dec. 21, 2018 8:24 am. The Gazette is Iowas independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage. Burns was arrested 28, 2021 7:50 am610d ago, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 6:39 pm, Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 5:22 pm6h ago, Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 5:19 pm6h ago, Caleb McCullough, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau State Government Feb. 28, 2023 7:17 pm, State Government Feb. 28, 2023 6:04 pm5h ago, Jeff Linder High School Basketball 38m ago38m ago. Burns used to co-own a truck stop near town. It wasn't a basketball game that brought a packed house at Blue Collar Sports Bar to a hush. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns 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. Cole was asked to consult on the case to review Burns' internet search history from his confiscated computer which revealed deviant, violent pornography preferences, highlighted on day 2. 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. 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. After listening to almost two weeks of testimony, a jury of seven women and five men returned the guilty verdict after deliberating just shy of three hours. Burns is disabled and didnt own a vehicle, possess a drivers license or have a cell phone. The two had done business beforeWendling owns a body shop, Paint-N-Place, and Burns owns a powder-coating company, Advanced Coating Concepts. Prosecutors said she was stabbed to death. "I just cant imagine how you could live here all this time and carry on a normal life with that big secret," Mormann said. For nearly 40 years, the family of slain high schooler Michelle Martinko waited for an arrest. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Martinko's body was found in her parents' Buick, which was parked near J.C. Penney at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. "I wish my parents could be here to see this. Curran said he doesn't know how police homed in on Burns, but he's not passing judgment until he hears the facts. 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. "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. Jerry Burns Wife: Who Is He Married To? 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. In a court document made public Friday, he wrote that he makes $30,000 a year. Police found Martinko's body in her parents' tan 1972 Buick at Cedar Rapids Westdale Mall parking lot around 4 a.m. on Dec. 20, 1979. 'I was happy when I heard the case was solved, but it was a punch in the gut to hear it was someone from the community. Personal details about Jerry include: political affiliation is currently a registered Republican; ethnicity is Caucasian; and religious "I wish my parents could be here to see this.". Burns was convicted of first-degree murder in February. Denlinger again testified about the importance of Burns' porn preferences to the killing of Marinko. 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