He previously co-owned a truck stop near town. He was also ordered to pay $150,00 in restitution to Martinkos estate, according to KWWL. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns listens as Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover (not pictured) speaks at his sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Jerry Lynn Burns, who was charged in the case of Michelle Martinko, as explained on 'Killer Cases,' was found guilty of murder, so where is he now? Police said that they then retrieved a covert sample from Burns which was matched to blood from the scene of Martinkos murder. The state'suse of genetic testing to convict an Iowa man in a 40-year-old cold case was unconstitutional, according to a motion filed in Linn County court. READ NEXT: Serial Killers Ex Thinks There Were More Victims, Parents of Murdered Teenager Did Not Live to See Her Killer Brought to Justice, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Erin Murphy, New York University School of Law: You can change your phone number if someone starts harassing you. Archived Supreme Court Opinions Prior to 2017, Archived Court of Appeals Opinions from 1/10/2018 to 2/7/2018, Archived Court of Appeals Opinions from 2017 and Earlier, How to Become a Qualified Court Interpreter in Iowa, Information for Current Court Interpreters, State Court Administration Organizational Chart, Submission of CLE Programs by CLE Sponsors. Birky said she recalled Martinko was dressed up that night and said she came from a musical banquet, according to the affidavit. She can be contacted at aspoerre@dmreg.com, 515-284-8387or on Twitter at@annaspoerre. He waited for her at the mall and apprehended her in the parking lot, according to the theory. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover reads aloud a motion for a new trial filed by Burns at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Jerry Lynn Burns was arrested 39 years after killing Michelle Martinko (Image via Youtube) Jerry Lynn Burns was finally arrested in October 2018 for the "One of the areas that continues to tug at my heart," Cedar Rapids' police chief said during a press conference last December, "was (Martinko's sister) expressed how sad their parents passed away without knowing who killed their daughter, Michelle. Across the aisle, the benches behind Burns were packed to the brim. William Brangham shares a "cautionary tale" of how one person's DNA testing can have a wide impact. For some reason, people really get upset about serial killers, mass killers and serial rapists being caught. Jerry Lynn Burns murdered Michelle Martinko in 1979 (Images via Google) On the eve of December 19, 1979, an 18-year-old high school student named Michelle Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. More:DNA leads federal investigators to suspected serial killer in Iowa; Clark Perry Baldwin charged with killing 3 women in 1990s. But you can't cancel your genome. Jerry Lynn Burns was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1979 murder 18-year-old Michelle Martinko thanks to DNA he left on a straw after drinking a soda. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. "For Michelles family and friends, we know that the pain of losing a daughter, sister or friend will never go away," Jermansaid. The sample was put into a national computer database and was used to clear more than 70 of Martinkos acquaintances, according to NBC News. Chief Wayne Jerman announced that a suspect has been arrested in the 39-year old murder case involving Michelle Martinko. The music books either were dropped somewhere police didn't searched or the killer disposed of them, he said. More:Iowa community tries to reconcile a cold case arrest and its long history with a neighbor. Michelle Martinko - Jerry Burns appeal may Police chief believes DNA 'snapshots' were money Familial matches let them narrow down the suspect list to three brothers from Manchester, Iowa. on straw leads to conviction in 1979 murder WebJerome Monahan Burns (January 24, 1927 May 12, 2021) was an American college and professional football coach. Stills of news coverage comes from Fox 28 and KCRG. Michigan School Teachers Admit to Being Porn Stars on the Side. She had gone to the mall that night to get a coat her mother had put on layaway. 'A complete shock': Family of suspect in Martinko murder Murderer Jerry Lynn Burns was not caught for almost 40 years. 29, 2023 9:23 am1d ago, Crime and Courts Apr. The charge against Jerry comes as a complete shock to us and we are doing our best to carry on with our lives, the family said in the statement on Saturday. '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 victim was the younger of two daughters of Albert and Janet Martinko. ", "This is Michelles day," he added. Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news. It's also kind of it scares me, personally, because we see that it's being used for other purposes besides finding your uncle. 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. That decision essentially erases the genetic privacy of everyone else. But after authorities in California used GEDmatch to catch the Golden State Killer, Rogers began to slowly welcome police into the database. Burns pleaded not guilty at his February 2020 trial but the jury deliberated just three hours and returned a guilty verdict. The judge ordered a $5 million cash-only bond. In October 2018, Matthew Denlinger, a Cedar Rapids police investigator,saw Burns drink sodas out of a plastic glass with a clear straw. 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. He faces a first-degree murder charge after investigators say they found his blood at the crime scene. The reward for information leading to an arrest in Martinkos murder was $15,000. A woman in Washington was linked to the suspect, and authorities eventually zeroed in on Burns. In my case, it's used by the police to try to link me to a crime. But, months later, Jennings was shocked to learn that police had used her DNA information from that public Web site, and used a technique called genetic genealogy to identify the killer in a 40-year-old cold case in Iowa. Rogers initially built it so people like Brandy Jennings could use their DNA results to build out their family tree. (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. Michelle Martinko: Her murderer captured by Pizza Straw You can't edit your genome. Authorities believe Burns stabbed the Kennedy High School senior in the chest and face inside a car parked at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. From the leadership on down, they never gave up.". After turning to GEDmatch, a commercial genetic genealogy site, investigators narrowed their suspects to three brothers, all in Iowa. GUILTY - IA - Michelle Martinko, 18, stabbed to Jerry Burns sentenced to life for killing Michelle Martinko in 1979 Police suspected he'd been involved in the brutal 1996 rape and murder of an Idaho woman named Angie Dodge. On June 19, 1980, police released a composite sketch, developed based on descriptions provided by two witnesses, of the man they believed stabbed Martinko. She thinks this new crime-fighting tool is a great thing. She was stabbed and killed 39 yrs ago today in the Westdale Mall parking lot. "You and Michelle will forever be in our thoughts, and we are eternally grateful for your support, trustand confidence over the many years.". After her dad died, Brandy Jennings, like millions of Americans, used one of those DNA testing kits to learn more about him and other relatives. 2023 Iowa Judicial Branch. Cellmate recounts multiple outbursts in Jerry Burns At the time of her death, police had found Martinko stabbed to death in her car in a local mall parking lot. '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. You can do a lot of credit card cancellations if things get into the wrong hands. All rights reserved. The police then began procuring evidence secretly. "I wish my parents could be here to see this.". DNA Collected Without Warrant Challenged in You will begin to receive our Daily Courts & Public Safety updates. The preliminary hearing was on Dec 28, 2018. We need those people to come forward and give us that information so we can bring closure to this case and to Michelles family., In announcing Burns arrest, Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said, Last year, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Michelle Martinkos sister, Janelle, along with her husband, John Stonebraker. 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. Iowa community tries to reconcile a cold case arrest and its long history with a neighbor, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Burns has hired a very high profile attorney and has said he plans to appeal his conviction, which was very largely based on the DNA evidence. Jerry Lynn Burns was sentenced to live in prison Credit: Cedar Rapids Police Department. A need Mr. Burns kept hidden all his adult life. Jerry Lynn Burns is accused of the 1979 cold case murder of Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Burns owns a powder-coating company, Advanced Coating Concepts, in Manchester. Turns out the murderer was a distant, distant relative of Jennings. 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. 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 says, remember, Michael Usry never tested his own DNA. The Gazette has been informing Iowans with in-depth local news coverage and insightful analysis for 140 years.