Despite being known as a professional, Burns arrest got people talking about his family. The man charged with killing Michelle Martinko 39 years ago is not a suspect in the death of his wife or disappearance of his cousin, according to investigators. Lighthouse: The Dark Being, a group of 43 people. I hope you enjoy it!! He was sentenced to life on August 7 without the possibility of parole. Jerry Lynn Burns will raise two . The organizations filing the brief contend that the collection of Mr. Burn's DNA without a warrant from a discarded straw he used at a restaurant violated the Fourth Amendment, and article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution. The detective looked through the case files and found what he thought to be the murderer's blood. KWQC On May 29, 2020, Burns' attorneys filed a motion asking for a new trial, claiming his constitutional and . FILE - In a Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020 file photo, Jerry Burns enters the courtroom during the continuation of a suppression hearing for evidence in the case of Burns of Manchester at the Linn County . He had worked for John Deere and co-owned a truck stop. Burns repeatedly said he didn't know how his DNA was found at the crime scene. Place of rest will be in the Dickson County Memorial Gardens. She had goals for herself, things she wanted to do with her life, and she would write them down and achieve them., I dont know if Ill ever get over this, Mrs. Martinko added. Burns stated that DNA evidence had been mishandled in 1979 in one instance, but denied ever being present on the night of the murder in another. ), Press J to jump to the feed. Jerry Lynn Burns, 65, is set to face a jury in February, bringing momentum to a case that was left cold for years. When the detectives first investigated this case, they thought of the homicide as being personal in nature - based on the 10 stab wounds . Denlinger had found the needle in the haystack. At long last, in 2018, Jerry Lynn was caught and blamed for the teen's manslaughter and, in spite of the fact that it had been a very long time after the wrongdoing, the once cool case is right now a subject of discussion on A&E's executioner cases. Ken and Don were not a match but Jerry Burns' DNA was a match, to an almost perfect scientific certainty. Dave Franzman, a longtime reporter at ABC Cedar Rapids affiliate KCRG, Michelle Martinko's high school friend, Elizabeth Laymon, told The Des Moines Register. His ex-wife, Patricia, committed suicide in 2008, and his cousin Brian Burns astonishingly disappeared. Court is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.. [31] The defense argued that DNA evidence had been mishandled,[31] and that different articles of clothing from the scene should not have been stored together in one evidence bag. Burns, charged with first-degree murder in the cold case stabbing of Martinko, is asking the court to toss out DNA and other evidence because they were obtained without a warrant and represented violations of privacy and other rights. Jerry Burns' mugshot and a family photo of Michelle Martinko. "Hmm, strange," Burns responded when Cedar Rapids Police Investigator Matthew Denlinger told him he was a suspect for Martinko's death. William Brangham: Turns out the murderer was a distant, distant relative of Jennings. [32] Prosecutors also played a video of a police interview of Burns, in which he denied being at the crime scene on the night of Martinko's murder, and could not explain how his DNA had been found at the scene. Burns' defense team objected to the wording of one of the prosecution's questions, which they claimed implied unequivocally that Burns' blood had been at the scene. Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, was apprehended and charged with first-degree murder after authorities matched his DNA with blood samples found on the Martinko family car's gear shift knob. . The case had remained a mystery for 39 years until police say new DNA genealogy technology identified Burns' DNA at the scene. Hernando . Denlinger said he intentionally chose that day to interview Burns because it was the anniversary of Martinko's death. Family and friends of Jerry Burns are seated in the courtroom at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Michelle Marie Martinko Find-A-Grave: Michelle Marie Martinko Iowa Cold Cases: Michelle Marie Martinko Michelle Martinko stories 40 years later: What we know about Michelle Martinko and the arrest that re-opened the cold case Jury seated in Jerry Burns murder trial Michelle Martinko murder case evidence photos Iowa Teen Was Fatally Stabbed in Mall Parking Lot [15], On the evening of December 19, 1979, Martinko attended a banquet for the Kennedy Concert Choir at the Sheraton Inn in Cedar Rapids. Denlinger said they went to Burns' business, Advanced Powder Coating Concepts in Manchester, and he agreed to talk with them. The Realm, a group of 34 people. Denlinger interviewed Burns at his business. GEDmatch returned one person who shared DNA markers with the suspect in Martinko's murder, and it determined her to be likely the killer's second cousin once removed. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. After her parents reported her missing at 2 a.m., police discovered the teen's body in her vehicle about four hours later. 1, 2023 9:40 am7h ago, Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 5:22 pm23h ago, Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 5:19 pm23h ago, Jeff Linder High School Basketball 21m ago21m ago. Police found impressions from rubber gloves inside and outside the car, indicating that the assailant had likely planned his attack and hoped to escape unidentified. It showed that she was a distant relative of the person whose DNA was found at the crime scene a second cousin once removed. The majority of the search activity and history on Burns' computer was sexually graphic and more 'deviant in nature, said Holst, who investigates sex crimes and internet crimes against children. Attorneys for Jerry Burns, convicted of the 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko, are continuing to fight DNA evidence they say the trial court erred in not supressing. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Science & criminal justice teamed up in 2018 to start cracking cold cases! Life legacy Wallace Jerry Huggins Funeral services will be Tuesday April 11, 2017 at 1 PM from the Chapel of the Taylor Funeral Home with Bro. Holst said that in reviewing Burns' computer, he found hundreds of searches and website visits - a pattern that happened several times a week. Burns is accused of murdering Michelle Martinko in 1979. Mason City police won't disclose whether or not they are now looking at Jerry Burns as a suspect in that case. KWQC Jerry Burns' mugshot and a family photo of Michelle Martinko. Offender records are public information pursuant to Section 904.601 (1)Iowa Code (1999). Investigators struggled over the years to connect DNA collected at the scene to a suspect. Definitely fascinating! Allison, who's being held on drug charges in Linn County, says the two played the card game pinochle often. Burns pleaded not guilty in 2019 and when his trial was supposed to begin in October of that year, his defense team requested additional time to review fresh pieces of evidence and gather witnesses. The 55 year-old Delaware County man was last seen on December 19, 2013 - 34 years to the day of Martinko's murder. In December 1979, Martinko, a high school senior who was on the twirling squad at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, went to the recently opened Westdale Mall after her choir banquet at school to buy a new winter coat. County, FL. She was unsure her information would be of any use because she had read that the murder happened between 10p.m. and midnight, and it was 2a.m. when she drove by. This narrowed down the possible suspects to three brothers - Ken, Don, and Jerry Burns. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, SpaceX launches new crew on flight to space station, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles due to turbulence, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Sneak peek: Murder at the Mall: The Michelle Martinko Case, Michelle Martinko, left, and Jodi Huisentruit. The images looked considerably different from the 1980 composite sketch and showed a man with blond hair and blue eyes. Now in his late 60s, Burns is currently behind bars and will stay there till he dies. [10][11] She was also a talented performer, joined the twirling squad as a sophomore, and performed in choirs and theater productions. She never had any school problems. [26] When the DNA sample was tested, it matched the blood sample found at the crime scene. A funeral service for Jerry Calvin Lynn, 78, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 16, 2022, at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2201 Airline Drive, Bossier City, Louisiana. Dave Franzman, a longtime reporter at ABC Cedar Rapids affiliate KCRG, even covered the case at the time of Michelle Martinko's killing. When the police executed a search warrant for Burns home and office, they found a computer search history that included blonde females, assault, rape, strangulation, murder, abuse and rape of a deceased individual, and cannibalism.. After reading about the Golden State Killer case in 2018, in which serial killer Joseph James DeAngelo was finally caught through a long trail of DNA, Denlinger had an epiphany: perhaps he could use that same new technique to solve the Martinko case. Jerry Lynn Burns was arrested in the 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko. A Felony. Subsequently he interviewed Jerry Burns, who denied knowing or ever meeting Michelle Martinko. jerry lynn burns defendant-appellant. At the time of arrest, Burns had his own power-coating company called Advanced Coating Concepts. Just before his arrest, Burns, unsolicited, mentioned the name of missing Iowa anchor Jodi Huisentruit as he was being questioned about the Martinko case. Feb. 1, 2019 | The Des Moines Register. Visitation will be held from 5 Jerry A. Burns, age 69, of Bryan, Texas went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, September 29, 2022 at 10:56 p.m. wife was deter mined to be a distant cousi n to many of the Subject's more . Jerry Burns. The murder was closely followed within her community, and the police received more than 200 tips in the weeks following her killing. [11] They described a white man in his late teens or early 20s, around six feet tall and weighing 165175 pounds, with brown eyes and curly brown hair. The sketch looked like a man in his 20s, weighing 165-175 pounds, and standing at around 6 feet. Michelle Martinko was an 18yr old student from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. So Denlinger drew up an elaborate genealogy chart going back to Brandy's great-great grandparents to sleuth out a trail that could lead to the killer's DNA. Hi! Sonny arrives at his restaurant and gives Dex, who is there, the night off. [2][16] At 2a.m., since Martinko had still not returned home, her father reported her missing. I like that it's just the facts and case without anyone trying (poorly) to be a comedian or talk about their own personal nonsense lol. Almost 40 years later, with the help of DNA Technology, the culprit was nabbed and justice was finally served to Martinko and her grieving family. Subscribe to the Public Safety newsletter. He previously co-owned a truck shop and worked for John Deere. [9][2], Police had few leads and appealed to the public for tips. Currently, in his late 60s, he is going to spend the rest of his days behind bars. He began working with Parabon NanoLabs, now a leading company helping police solve crimes through genetic tracing. He then contacted a member of a third branch, and a DNA test determined that they were first cousins with the killer. He was also ordered to pay $150,00 in restitution to Martinkos estate, according to KWWL. Derek Chauvin's ex-wife . Martinko then asked another acquaintance to go to the mall with her; that friend said yes at first but later changed her mind. The next day, she was found stabbed to death in the mall parking lot. 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