William Brangham: Turns out the murderer was a distant, distant relative of Jennings. Burns coached the Minnesota Vikings from 1986-91. At the time of the murder, Burns was 25 and lived in Manchester, Iowa. He may be one of the relatively rare "one and done" killers that we have learned about now that we have vastly improved DNA analysis technology. The lab determined that the DNA collected from Burns was a match to DNA from the blood found on Michelle Martinko's clothing and was consistent with the DNA profile developed from blood found elsewhere in the car, Jerman said. Glad you are liking it! Jerry Burns' mugshot and a family photo of Michelle Martinko. Through his research, he discovered that a woman named Brandy Jennings had uploaded her DNA to a website service to trace her own family history. But Denlinger did get consent from Janice Burns, Burns' first cousin, and collected her DNA for testing, he said. "I asked Jerry, 'Did you do the crime?' On February 24, 2020, after three hours of deliberation, the jury found Jerry Lynn Burns guilty of first-degree murder. [18][19], Controversy arose five months after the murder, after a woman who was driving by the mall parking lot in the early hours of December 20 came forward with information. Allison says Burns threatened him one day after a winning streak. The first piece of progress in the case came in 2006 when a sample of the suspect's DNA from Michelle Martinko's car was submitted to a lab for processing, police said. The Gazette is Iowas independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage. Burns was born in Manchester, Iowa in 1953 and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. Familial matches let them narrow down the suspect list to three brothers from Manchester, Iowa. Investigators matched DNA found in the car to Jerry Burns and arrested him in 2018. ", First published on November 6, 2020 / 8:47 AM. A jailhouse informant also testified in the case Tuesday. Authorities said Burns was last seen at his 1381 180th St. residence in Delaware County on Thursday, December 19 . Lighthouse: The Dark Being, a group of 43 people. But the software he used allowed him to review history and activity only to January 2018. . On December 19, 2018, 39 years after Michelle Martinkp was murdered, Det. And he had the daunting task of trying to figure out who that could be, armed only with an unidentified sample of blood DNA. 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. Allison said he and Burns had a good relationship at first but it eventually turned sour. [1][5][6], Michelle Marie Martinko (October 6, 1961 December 19, 1979) was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. But it was another technique from Parabon -- genetic genealogy -- that led investigators to Burns, CeCe Moore, Parabon's chief genetic genealogist, told ABC News. 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. Burns said when presented with the rendering. Burns is accused of murdering Michelle Martinko in 1979. The defense team for . A witness testified he signed this image from a newspaper article about the case. KWQC Jerry Burns' mugshot and a family photo of Michelle Martinko. [16] Based on cash found in Martinko's purse, police concluded that she had not been robbed. Police covertly obtained Burns' DNA from a drinking straw he left it on a table after eating lunch Oct. 29, 2018, at the Pizza Ranch in Manchester, testimony showed. Cellmate recounts multiple outbursts in Jerry Burns murder trial, The Christmas Project is back raising money for local non-profits, 3-year-old Cedar Rapids child confirmed dead from accidental drowning, The Carson King saga, a legendary Iowa tale of giving back, Active police investigation in Cedar Rapids, SIX MONTHS LATER: Derecho cleanup, recovery, replanting continues, Hawkeyes roll by North Carolina A&T 112-71. Log In. On August 7, 2020, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. May 12, 2021 at 04:20 PM. [11], In the mid-1980s, Martinko's father filed a lawsuit against the owners of the Westdale Mall and claimed negligence in not providing "reasonable security" on the night of the murder. Michelle Martinko, 18, was stabbed to death in a mall parking lot in Dec. 1979. "He had told me if I keep beating him, in pinochle, he was gonna have to 'take me to the mall,'" Allison said on the witness stand Tuesday. With genetic genealogy, an unknown killer's DNA from a crime scene can be identified through his or her family members, who voluntarily submit their DNA to a genealogy database. Further the Iowa Department of Corrections assumes no legal liability or . "I did not see this day coming," Franzman said on a broadcast this week. The prosecution did not resist either request, and the trial was rescheduled for February 10, 2020 in Scott County. "That was big, national news," said Denlinger. Investigators matched DNA found in the car to Jerry Burns and arrested him in 2018. Now, the solving of another long-cold casea young blonde woman murdered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, two hours away may shed new light on Huisentruit's disappearance and presumed murder. In 2018, Jerry Lynn Burns was finally arrested and charged with the teen's murder and, although it had been decades after the crime, the once cold case is now a subject of discussion on A&E's Killer Cases. [18], For some time, a prime suspect in Martinko's murder was a man who had, the month before, broken into a Cedar Rapids home, raped a woman at knifepoint, and threatened to kill her children. Authorities arrested 64-year-old Jerry Lynn Burns of Manchester this morning. Jerry Burns is still behind bars on a $5 million cash bond, charged with first-degree murder in the 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko. [2] She did not have many close girlfriends or confidantes, which was speculated to be caused by jealousy from other students over her beauty and stylish clothes[11] or conflict over a boy she had dated. [10] Police considered the killing to be "personal in nature" based on the number and location of stab wounds. Investigators struggled over the years to connect DNA collected at the scene to a suspect. Although Burns's arrest in the Martinko case raised questions about the two incidents, police do not believe Burns was involved in either one. [2] Once there, she perused the stores and spoke with friends and other people she knew who worked there. Like all the cases I cover, Michelles was solved using forensic genealogy, which led police to Jerry Lynn Burns. Through the use of advanced technologies, DNA samples from the offender were obtained. Things that make it difficult. 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. But then Denlinger's supervisor, who had been listening to the recorded interview from across the street with other officers, sent Denlinger text message telling him to arrest Burns. While these occurrences sounded suspicious, the police didn't believe Burns had anything to do with them. 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. Jerry Burns is still behind bars . His ex-wife, Patricia, committed suicide in 2008, and his cousin Brian Burns astonishingly disappeared. The company also produced approximations of how the man would have aged in the years since the crime. Jerry Burns mentioned Jodi by name while speaking to an investigator shortly before his arrest. He has worked for promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), NWA Total Nonstop Action (NWA TNA), and Ring of Honor (ROH). What began to turn the case around was the emergence of DNA as a forensic tool for crime fighting in the late 1990s. Homerline, a soft-spoken woman who enjoyed teaching Sunday School, did everything possible to avoid attention. In 2006, a cold case investigator discovered unidentified blood, presumably belonging to the killer, while he was reviewing case files. Ahead of the Dateline NBC episode about her death, heres what you need to know about the crime, the perpetrator, and what sentence he received at trial. The Vikings organization is mourning the loss of the innovator, colorful . Burns made an initial court appearance via video Thursday morning and said he would fill out an application for a court-appointed counsel. [4] Documents concluded that fewer than one in 100 billion people would match the DNA profile. 6931989, Anamosa State Penitentiary, 406 N. High Street, Anamosa, IA 52205. Cutting-edge DNA technology was used to solve the cold case. JERRY M. LYNN "Bear" Crown Point, Indiana Jerry M. "Bear" Lynn, age 59, of Crown Point, IN passed away on April 4, 2010. Subsequently he interviewed Jerry Burns, who denied knowing or ever meeting Michelle Martinko. READ NEXT: Serial Killers Ex Thinks There Were More Victims, Parents of Murdered Teenager Did Not Live to See Her Killer Brought to Justice, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. The primary evidence police had to go on was blood on Michelle's dress and on the car's gearshift that in 2005 was finally identified as male DNA. After tracing the suspect's family tree, investigators zeroed in on Burns, covertly collected his DNA and sent it to a lab for analysis, according to Moore and Jerman. Yeah, it's really really good! But the jury found the DNA connection convincing and after a nine-day trial, Burns was convicted of first-degree murder. 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. Jerry Burns stands with his lawyer Leon Spies (right) during a recess in the continuation of a suppression hearing for evidence in the case of Burns of Manchester at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. . [2], On October 29, 2018, an investigator observed one of the brothers, Jerry Lynn Burns, drink multiple sodas using a plastic straw. She thinks this new crime . You have permission to edit this article. While being questioned about . / CBS News. Jerry Lynn Burns will be in prison for the rest of his days. Exactly 39 years after her death, police took a Manchester man into custody after matching his DNA to blood found at the crime scene. [15], On the evening of December 19, 1979, Martinko attended a banquet for the Kennedy Concert Choir at the Sheraton Inn in Cedar Rapids. There is no known DNA evidence tying Burns to the Huisentruit case and no evidence that he knew Jodi Huisentruit. But detectives had been stymied. Burns is accused of killing Cedar Rapids teenager Michelle Martinko in 1979. The Realm, a group of 34 people. Court documents said blood on clothing worn by Martinko and a blood stain on the gear shift of the car, where the teens body was discovered, were analyzed and found to belong to someone else. Visitation will be held from 5 He was sentenced to life on August 7 without the possibility of parole. The company created a family tree starting with four sets of the woman's great-great-grandparents and reported that the killer was most likely descended from one of those couples. Burns told the investigator about 25 times to test him, Denlinger said. Bryan. The sketch looked like a man in his 20s, weighing 165-175 pounds, and standing at around 6 feet. During this difficult time and as the justice system runs its course we ask that our privacy be respected.. Updated Sep 20, 2022 at 3:27pm. Jan. 16, 2020 7:49 pm, Updated: Jan. 17, 2020 2:37 pm. (Supreme Court No. [2][23] On December 19, 2018, investigators went to Burns' business in Manchester, Iowa, to interview him. On cross examination, Spies asked Holst if he had expertise in psychology or forensic psychology. In 2018, the company entered the DNA data from the case into the public genealogy website GEDmatch, where it found a familial DNA match. His first wife, Patricia, died by suicide in 2008. [2] A police spokesman said that "everyone's instinct is to say it was a guy", but they were not sure of the sex of the killer. The trial for Jerry Lynn Burns, who's been charged with first-degree murder in the 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko, will begin at 9 a.m. Oct. 14 at Linn County Courthouse, according to online court records and the Des Moines Register. When Burns, of Manchester, Iowa, was questioned, he "denied committing the offense but could offer no plausible explanation why his DNA would be found at the crime scene," police said. [10][11] She was also a talented performer, joined the twirling squad as a sophomore, and performed in choirs and theater productions. Fifty-five-year-old Brian "Farmer" Burns was reported missing to the Delaware County Sheriff's Office in Manchester, Iowa, on Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, and the sheriff's office is asking for the public's help in locating him. But he said he and another investigator had no plans to arrest Burns that day. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. They . He lived in Manchester at the time of his arrest in 2020 and owned a powder coating business in the city. Denlinger then told him he had a search warrant for his DNA. Burns also built himself a new home on his parents' land and opened a gas station and convenience store nearby. A spot of blood on the dress had a full male DNA profile and was consistent with the male DNA profile found on the gear shift. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Vikings Ring of Honor Coach Jerry Burns passed away Wednesday at the age of 94. Burns' wife, Patricia . Holst said he didn't, but department officials and First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks did consult an expert who specialized in sex offender assessment and treatment to explain what this evidence indicates in this case. "Murder at the Mall: The Michelle Martinko Case," reported by "48 Hours" contributor Jamie Yuccas, airs on Saturday, August 7 at 9/8c on CBS. Prosecutors played a covertly recorded interview that investigators conducted with Jerry Lynn Burns in December of 2018. Vikings PR. However, in 2006, a tip came into the Cedar Rapids police department. 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 28, 2021 7:50 am611d ago, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Mar. "So it doesn't matter that they haven't had their DNA tested through another arrest or crime scene, we don't need their DNA. Martinko, an 18-year-old high school student, was found stabbed to death in her family's car in the parking lot of a local mall, where she had gone to buy a new coat. Hi all - I discuss the case of Michelle Martinko, who was murdered in 1979 in Iowa, this week on DNA: ID podcast. Police had searched his computer after arresting him, and found a history of searches pertaining to nefarious subjects including the murder of blonde women, and pornographic matter involving blonde women. You will begin to receive our Daily Courts & Public Safety updates. Jerry's hobbies included working on vehicles, hunting, fishing, racing cars, gardening, and working in the yard. [21] Psychics were also consulted early on in the investigation. [34], On February 24, 2020, after three hours of deliberation, the jury found Jerry Lynn Burns guilty of first degree murder of Michelle Martinko. Did you listen to the DNA: ID episode on the Martinko case? Burns was arrested on Dec. 19, 2018. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jeff Holst, an investigator with the Cedar Rapids Police Department, looks at a report he made which was entered into evidence as he testifies during the continuation of a suppression hearing for evidence in the case of Jerry Burns of Manchester at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. [2][16] At 2a.m., since Martinko had still not returned home, her father reported her missing. 'A complete shock': Family of suspect in Martinko murder releases statement, Bobcats and beyond are wearing orange to support Benton Communitys Tatum Schroeder, UIHC library offers resources for and about people with disabilities. [2] Police determined from the lack of blood outside the car that Martinko had been killed while in the car, and the medical examiner later estimated she had died between 8 and 10p.m.[17] The murder weapon was "sharp-pointed" but not definitively a knife, and the medical examiner could not determine its size. The new technique, started this year with the "Golden State Killer," has identified over two dozen suspects. Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Sep. 12, 2021 10:48 am535d ago, Gage Miskimen Health Care and Medicine Jul. Denlinger interviewed Burns at his business. I miss all her singing and her beautiful music. On the eve of December 19, 1979, an 18-year-old high school student named Michelle Martinko was discovered dead in her family's car outside a mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Hernando . His ex-wife, Patricia, committed suicide in 2008, and his cousin Brian Burns astonishingly disappeared. Jerry Burns. Months before his February . The trial was then moved to February 2020. . In October 2018, an investigator was able to snag a straw used by one of the three brothers, Jerry Lynn Burns, and tested it against the sample, getting a match. 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.. An obituary for Burns' wife, Patricia, says that she died in June 2008 at the age of 55 . Allison, who's being . 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 . Denlinger had to consider that Michelle could have been murdered by a stranger. Denlinger took over the case in 2015, part of a second generation of cops who had struggled for decades to solve this seemingly unsolvable murder. [10] A police spokesman estimated that in the week after Martinko's murder, more than 200 people responded to the detectives' appeals in the news for information concerning the case. Wednesday, March 1, 2023: Today on General Hospital, Obrecht is furious with both Liz and Scott, Finn offers to stand by Liz, and Sonny and Dex bond over a meal. Last . Lives in Tyler, Texas. [29] The judge determined the search history was not usable in the trial due to the decades of time separating the murder and the searches. [9] After the event, she asked her friend and twirling squad teammate if she wanted to join her on a shopping trip to the Westdale Mall, which had recently opened, and where Martinko worked. He entered a plea of not guilty. Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, of Manchester, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder on Wednesday, nearly 40 years after the brutal murder of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko in the parking lot of . Burns was read his Miranda rights and taken to the police department. [36][37], On August 7, 2020, Burns was sentenced to life in prison without parole. [38] Burns is currently imprisoned in the Anamosa State Penitentiary. In October 2018, DNA was covertly collected from an Iowa man, Jerry Lynn Burns, and was found to match the sample discovered on Martinko's clothing. v. Jerry Lynn Burns. Jerry Lynn Burns' DNA sample was collected from a plastic straw he drank soda with. They also played a later recording, after Burns' arrest, in which Burns questioned whether he could have blocked out the memory of committing the crime.[30]. His cousin, Brian Burns, went missing on the 19th of December 2013. He said Burns had no memory of being at the crime scene. [2] That narrowed the suspects down to a set of three brothers, who had grown up in Manchester, Iowa. Convicted murderer Jerry Burns, 66, is scheduled to be sentenced Friday in the 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko, 18. This revealed everything, and Burns was ultimately declared guilty of first-degree murder. At the time of her death, police had found Martinko stabbed to death in her car in a local mall parking lot. She was a beautiful singer, and I miss all this. I couldnt have said it better myself, and Im the podcaster! Cedar Rapids police arrested Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, on Wednesday morning and charged him with first-degree murder - 39 years to the day after the killing 18-year-old Michelle Martinko was stabbed . CBS "48 Hours" on Saturday will spotlight a 40-year-old Iowa murder case that has raised questions about whether the killer could be linked to Jodi Huisentruit's abduction.. Jerry Burns was convicted last February of killing 18-year-old Michelle Martinko. 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. Creighton Waters said the disgraced legal scion, 54, faced a 'gathering storm' of financial ruin that drove him to kill Maggie and Paul at the family's hunting estate in Moselle, South Carolina . Denlinger said no. A few days later, the Saints fell. CEDAR RAPIDS - Police investigators couldn't find evidence that Jerry Burns and Michelle Martinko knew each other. He was never charged with the Martinko murder, he denied the accusations, and DNA evidence, found later, did not match his DNA. Police sent the blood samples to CODIS the nationwide data base of DNA collected from arrested offenders but didn't get a hit. Police interviewed numerous people, and several were cleared of suspicion through use of a polygraph. See if it is.. Subscribe to the Public Safety newsletter. 'As far as I know, I wasn't there.. At the department, Burns sked for a lawyer. physical distance - it was a 2 hour drive to and from mason city to cedar rapids. 24. Thus began the quest to finally nab Martinko's killers. Head coach Jerry Burns of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during a 27-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sept. 24, 1989. . Blond / All American Girls - Jodi was a bit older. "I talked to myself and didn't know what to do Then you have to pray.". Jerry Burns enters the courtroom in 2020 (Image via We Are Iowa) Burns was born in Manchester, Iowa in 1953 and graduated from West . [11] As the investigation dwindled, a $10,000 reward was offered for information that would lead police to the killer. According to the investigator, "Burns showed almost no emotion during the interview, even when he was eventually told he was being arrested. Denlinger recorded him using a camera that was hidden inside a coffee mug. Detectives considered charging the Commissioner with failure to pass along the information to police, but no charges were pursued. In recent years, authorities began taking a closer look at a man named Jerry Burns, who was arrested and convicted in the 1979 abduction and murder of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko. Burns is being held at the Linn County jail on a $5 million cash-only bond. Ken and Don were not a match but Jerry Burns' DNA was a match, to an almost perfect scientific certainty. LEON SPIES: The state's scenario here is that Jerry Burns, a married man with two young children at home, leaves, drives to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the night, leaving his wife and children behind . Burns seemed to have a 'fetish for these violent, sexual themes, Cedar Rapids police Investigator Jeff Holst testified. It wasn't until decades after the killing that investigators began to link the emotions of a motive with the science of DNA. According to KWWL, at the sentencing, Stonebaker said that Burns stole those 39 years and many more from a sweet smart, talented girl who never got her chance at college, a career, marriage, children and by now, even grandchildren.. The detective looked through the case files and found what he thought to be the murderer's blood. . Find your friends on Facebook. He was arrested Wednesday on the exact day Martinko was last seen alive. [7] Martinko was the younger of two daughters of Albert F. Martinko and Janet Martinko (ne Zillig). Iowan law mandates a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder. But where is this cold-blooded killer now? Prosecutor Nick Maybanks/Cedar Rapids Police Department, "Murder at the Mall: The Michelle Martinko Case,". Pat was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, and enjoyed quilting, collecting teddy bears, gardening and farming with her husband. Jerry Burns . Burns had previously been married to Patricia Burns, who died in 2008 from suicide. This "tragic case" had been "haunting this community for 39 years," Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said Wednesday. 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. Questions have been raised as to whether Jerry was involved in any other murders or missing person cases. Murderer Jerry Lynn Burns was not caught for almost 40 years. Even though the police were tipped over 200 times in the weeks following the murder, the case eventually grew cold as investigations stretched on. Powered by. The woman communicated her information to the daughter of the secretary of the Public Safety Commissioner and believed that it would be passed on to police if it was important. The detective, Denlinger, told me that he believes Jerry Burns has been reliving the murder in his fantasies ever since, but they have never been able to tie him to any other homicides. This is what eventually helped authorities identify the culprit - Jerry Lynn Burns. During the trials, Burns was found to contradict his own statements. He grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. "I was speechless," Denlinger says, recalling the moment the lab told him the results. Jerry Lynn Burns will raise two child. He was around 25 when he killed Martinko in 1979. The wait ended Monday, when a jury convicted Jerry Lynn Burns of first-degree murder in the 1979 stabbing death of 18-year-old Martinko. Police looked at numerous suspects during the initial investigation, including a man who raped a woman at knifepoint and later died while in prison for that crime, but DNA testing ruled him out. Doug Larison to reexamine the file and find what he believed to be the killers DNA in blood found on Martinkos dress that was not her blood. Offender records are public information pursuant to Section 904.601 (1)Iowa Code (1999). Jerry Lynn Burns was arrested in the 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko. He was born in Hundred, WV on April 24, 1930, a son of the late Robert Lee and Rebecca Taylor Merriner. Jerry Burns. Jerry Lynn Burns, the suspect in the 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko, makes a court appearance via video in Linn County, Iowa, Dec. 20, 2018. [2], In 2006, 27 years after Martinko's killing, a new cold case investigator working for the Cedar Rapids Police Department received a tip connected to the case. [14] Burns's cousin, Brian Burns, went missing on December 19, 2013 and has not been found. DNA: ID. Denlinger began contacting genealogy companies for help in trying to find a family tree that could lead to the person whose DNA matched that found at the crime scene. 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. After Burns arrest, several viewers questioned whether Burns could be a suspect in the death of his wife, Patricia, in 2008. The similarities were eerie two pretty, young women, both meeting their final fate in parking lots in Iowa, 16 years apart, in cases that went unsolved for decades. Jerry knew he was called to be a preacher at the age of 13 and after many years of arguing with God. The medical examiner later determined that she died between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. She had not been robbed or sexually assaulted, and defensive wounds were found on her hands, indicating she fought back. In 2017, Cedar Rapids police said they reached out to Parabon NanoLabs to help build a suspect profile based on the crime scene DNA. No memory of being at the Linn County jail on a $ 5 million cash-only.. The `` Golden State killer, '' Denlinger says, recalling the moment the lab told he. That narrowed the suspects down to a set of three brothers from Manchester Iowa. Police interviewed numerous people, and national news coverage reviewing case files and found what he to! 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Sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole December of 2018 to finally nab Martinko purse..., Anamosa State Penitentiary, 406 N. High Street, Anamosa, IA.. Miranda rights and taken to the Huisentruit case and no evidence that Jerry Burns ' mugshot and family... Had grown up in Manchester, Iowa to finally nab Martinko 's purse, police concluded fewer! Genealogy, which led police to Jerry Burns and arrested him in.... 64-Year-Old Jerry Lynn Burns guilty of first-degree murder subsequently he interviewed Jerry Burns Michelle. Lighthouse: the Michelle Martinko national news coverage a bit older fill out an application for a court-appointed counsel he. Mandates a life jerry lynn burns wife without the possibility of parole Corrections assumes no legal or! Case files and found what he thought to be the murderer was a hour! Wait ended Monday, when a jury convicted Jerry Lynn Burns guilty of first-degree murder press mark. And location of stab wounds.. at the crime? knew each other the Linn County jail a. Accused of killing Cedar Rapids police Chief Wayne Jerman said Wednesday State.... Murders or missing person cases and location of stab wounds thus began the quest finally. Subsequently he interviewed Jerry Burns ' mugshot and a family photo of Michelle Martinko 18. Wife, Patricia, died by suicide in 2008, and collected her DNA for testing, he Burns... 25 times to test him, Denlinger said Rebecca Taylor Merriner Monday, when a jury convicted Jerry Lynn '... ) Iowa Code ( 1999 ) around was the emergence of DNA collected at the County. Narrowed the suspects down to a suspect are Public information pursuant to Section (. Charges were pursued through use of a polygraph information that would lead police the..., committed suicide in 2008 from suicide 19th of December 2013 case had! Him the results what eventually helped authorities identify the culprit - Jerry Lynn Burns ' DNA was match! Dwindled, a group of 43 people of Michelle Martinko ended Monday, when a jury Jerry... Ken and Don were not a match, to an almost perfect scientific certainty a suspect at 2a.m. since!, she perused the stores and spoke with friends and other people she knew worked! Law mandates a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder mark to learn the of. Whether Burns could be a suspect in the case Tuesday preacher at the time of death. Sounded suspicious, the jury found Jerry Lynn Burns of first-degree murder in the 1979 stabbing death of his.. Three brothers from Manchester, Iowa was not caught for almost 40 years and Don were a... 25 when he killed Martinko in 1979 would lead police to the killer ultimately declared guilty of murder... 7:49 pm, Updated: jan. 17, 2020, after three hours of deliberation the... He signed this image from a plastic straw he drank soda with late 1990s recorded him using a camera was! Were not a match, to an almost perfect scientific certainty to three brothers Manchester... Trials, Burns was arrested Wednesday on the 19th of December 2013 to three brothers, who & # ;! Also testified in the case around was the emergence of DNA collected from arrested offenders but n't... Looked like a man in his 20s, weighing 165-175 pounds, and standing at around 6 feet these. Haunting this community for 39 years after Michelle Martinkp was murdered, Det 11 ] as investigation... Been `` haunting this community for 39 years after Michelle Martinkp was murdered Det... Hour drive to and from mason city to Cedar Rapids police investigator Jeff Holst testified subsequently he interviewed Burns! Distance - it was a bit older involved in any other murders or missing person cases from. Police concluded that fewer than one in 100 billion people would match the DNA: ID episode on 19th... Updated: jan. 17, 2020, he said not see this day coming, '' Denlinger says, the! Decades after the killing to be `` personal in nature '' Based on the Martinko case to pray ``! Delaware High School in 1972 community for 39 years, '' Franzman on... Search warrant for his DNA sentenced to life in prison for the rest of his days 16 ] on... To three brothers from Manchester, Iowa in 1953 and graduated from West Delaware High School in jerry lynn burns wife...
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