WebJerry Burns in Manchester, IA. Authorities say they were able to match Burns with DNA at the crime scene. From the leadership on down, they never gave up.". 151 crash involving semi and car, Operation Overnight: website company creates free sites for non-profits in 24 hours, UPDATE: Operation Quickfind canceled Missing 9-year-old Marion girl found safe, Trial for Cedar Rapids teen accused of killing parents set for February 2022, Cedar Rapids pools holding special swims his summer, Driver sustains minor injuries in rollover crash. It wasn't a basketball game that brought a packed house at Blue Collar Sports Bar to a hush. 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. Burns owns a powder-coating company, Advanced Coating Concepts, in Manchester. Martinkowas found dead in her parents' Buickin the parking lot of Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids early on the morning of Dec. 20, 1979, curled onto the passenger seat floorboard, stabbed multiple times and bloodied from the wounds she sustained," first assistant Linn County attorney Nick Maybanks previously told jurors. Burns is disabled and didnt own a vehicle, possess a drivers license or have a cell phone. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. When the news broke Wednesday evening, Mormann said people in Manchester were calling each other, and waiting anxiously to learn more. However,l the state pointed out that Burns' never reached out to his family to ask for DNA privacy or to avoid using public online databases such as GEDmatch. Delaware CountySheriff John Leclere saidauthorities "don't have any reason to suspect (Burns) in either case.". You will begin to receive our Daily Courts & Public Safety updates. 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. 28, 2022 3:07 pm245d ago, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Jan. 21, 2021 2:38 pm768d ago, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 6:39 pm13h ago, Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 5:22 pm14h ago, Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 5:19 pm14h ago, Jeff Linder High School Basketball Feb. 28, 2023 10:50 pm9h ago, High School Basketball Feb. 28, 2023 10:30 pm9h ago, High School Basketball Feb. 28, 2023 10:37 pm9h ago. Also, we have no idea about his brother and sister, and we dont know their names either. 'It's kind of rocked our world,' she said. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Burns maintained his innocence in pretrial hearings and throughout the trial, but the jury took only three hours to reach a verdict after hearing DNA evidence. She wasn't crying so much as gasping, choking. Burns was convicted of first-degree murder in February. After turning to GEDmatch, a commercial genetic genealogy site, investigators narrowed their suspects to three brothers, all in Iowa. "She finally got justice. Maybanks said it's likely nobody will ever know why Burns committed the crime. Predictions were made for ancestry and facial features, police said. The Gazette is Iowas independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage. Tyler Davis can be reached attjdavis@registermedia.comor on Twitter@TDavisDMR. Add newsletters@thegazette.comto your contacts. "Just a decent guy, hard-working man," Mitch Wendling said of Burns. Age Explored Jerry Burns present age is 67 years, as he was born somewhere near 1954, in Manchester, Iowa. 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. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. ', l Comments: 319-398-8238; kat.russell@thegazette.com. "I am thrilled for her sister, Janelle, and wish her parents were alive to see this," Laymon said. She said he lives and operates a business just five miles from her house. for the murder of Michelle Martinko 39 years later. WebView Jerry D Burns results in Manchester, IA including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Cedar Rapids Police announced the arrest of Manchester resident Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, Wednesday night in connection with the 39-year-old murder of Kennedy High School senior Michelle Martinko. Judge Hoover, who had reviewed Spies' written arguments and Maybanks' resistance before the hearing, quickly denied the motion for a new trial. To that point in the investigation, we were confident who our perpetrator was, so we figured out the who. 18-year-old Michelle Martinko was killed Dec. 19, 1979, Subscribe to the Public Safety newsletter, Caleb McCullough, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau. 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. He didn't know who or why. In September 1986, the Iowa Supreme Court rejected claims made byMartinko's father that the shopping center was negligent because it did not provide "reasonable security" for his daughter, the Register reported at the time. Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Sep. 12, 2021 10:48 am534d ago, Gage Miskimen Health Care and Medicine Jul. 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. 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. Instead, it was a Thursday evening news update. "We thought it was extremely probative. Using newer technology, Cedar Rapids police last yearcreated profiles fromDNA procured from case evidence in 2006. At long last, in 2018, Jerry Lynn was caught and blamed for the teens 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&Es executioner cases. "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," she said. "Ialso feel bad for, you know, his current family and friends because now they have to go through all this as well. WebView Jerry Burns results in Marion, IA including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Decades after the death, he had a voice in the first-degree murder sentencing of Jerry Burns, 66, of Manchester. She was stabbed and killed 39 yrs ago today in the Westdale Mall parking lot. The profile found a hit with DNA from Brandy Jennings, a distant cousin, in the GEDmatch database, which is public. Jerry Burns may be a hitched man, having a spouse and kids. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. You have no idea whats goin on," Mormann said. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), A page introduces the section of the 1972 West Delaware High School year book with a picture of every senior, including Jerry Burns, as seen at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Jerry Lynn Burns (born December 23, 1953 [13]) was 25 years old when he killed Michelle Martinko in December 1979. He grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. He lived in Manchester at the time of his arrest in 2020 and owned a powder coating business in the city. Staff writer Erin Jordan contributed to this story. ", 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.". 'He was in here (Wednesday) morning,' Wright said. Burns was convicted of MANCHESTER, Ia. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Cedar Rapids Police Investigator Matt Denlinger listens as First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nicholas Maybanks (out of frame) speaks at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Reporter covering state and federal courts. It lies in a 'deeply selfish, lifelong personal need. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Advanced Coating Concepts at 1608 230th Street in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Cedar Rapids police then used DNA genetic genealogical research to narrow the profile "down to a specific pool of suspects, which included Burns, according to a criminal complaint. Martinko's body was found in her parents' Buick, which was parked near J.C. Penney at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. 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. Burns will appear in Linn County District Court tomorrow morning. ", 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. Then for proof. DNA privacy was also a topic of discussion during today's hearing. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Also, we have no information about his son and daughter. (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. 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. He also said it was difficult to believe that law enforcement never came across such information in the nearly 40 years of investigation. But we are trying hard to collect all the information about him and will update you soon. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), 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. When he left I told him 'Have a good day Jerry, I'll see you tomorrow. Martinko, who was 18, was found stabbed to death in her family's Buick in the early morning hours of Dec. 20, 1979, in the parking lot of Westdale Mall. Wounds on the teens hands showed she fought her killer. ', Authorities said they questioned Burns at his workplace later the day. The music books either were dropped somewhere police didn't searched or the killer disposed of them, he said. He said he has ordered Burns not to speak with news media. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. Stonebrakersat in the front row of the courtroom, flanked by her husband, John, and oldest son, Robert. But he also said his private investigator had uncovered new evidence that wasn't discovered until June. pic.twitter.com/0rGdwIk89N. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KWWL) -- On the third day of a hearing to suppress evidence in the cold case killing of Michelle Martinko, the man accused of the brutal crime took the witness stand, speaking publicly for the first time. 'The community can be very proud of its law enforcement, and for the tremendous comfort and support area residents have extended to our family over the thirty-nine years since Michelle's death. A pathologist said the fatal stab wound was to her heart and that she bled to death. Jerry Lynn Burns and defense attorney Leon Spies (right) listen as First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nicholas Maybanks (not pictured) makes arguments on behalf of the state at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Iowa community tries to reconcile a cold case arrest and its long history with a neighbor, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The brothers were eliminated as suspects during the investigation. 'Janelle and I are very pleased and grateful for the work of several generations of Cedar Rapids uniformed police and detectives in bringing Mr. Burns to justice,' John Stonebraker said in a statement to The Gazette. On Thursday, other people in town said they were shocked, stunned or astounded by the news. In June 2020, his attorney, Leon Spies, motioned for a retrial. "Ialso feel bad for, you know, his current family and friends because now they have to go through all this as well.". She even graduated with his youngest daughter. 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. His family and friends remained seated after Martinkos family left the courtroom. While waiting to Some who knew Burns well are having a hard time believing he was arrested. WebJerry Burns is 68 years old and was born on 12/23/1953. 'You'll never convince me he did something like that.'. 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. That company, police said, produced portraits for the associated person of interest. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. (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. 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. A need Mr. Burns kept hidden all his adult life. They just would not let it go., Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Hiscousin, Brian Burns, vanished Dec. 19, 2013 exactly 34 years after Martinko was killed. 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. Burns co-owns Advanced Coating Concepts with his son, a powder coating business and turf equipment dealer just south of Manchester. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. (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. He was taken into custody in the evening. 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. Burns, who would have been 25 at the time of Martinko's death, said he could not offer a "plausible explanation" forwhy his DNA was found at the crime scene, authorities said at the time of his arrest. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Spies, in his motion, said evidence of a regularly scheduled music lesson gives credence to the possibility that her attacker was familiar with her routine. 'All of my customers today have been talking about (Burns' arrest) and how shocking it was,' Mormann told The Gazette Thursday. During an interview with the Des Moines Register, Laymon called the arrest "amazing" news and said she was relieved. ", People of Manchester 'would have never guessed' Burns' arrest for Martinko murder, Iowa Republicans move forward bills to limit bathroom access for transgender students, Heroic Iowa sisters credited with saving two kids who fell through ice, Student walkouts planned statewide in protest of proposed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette). '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. Which is Public GEDmatch, a distant cousin, in Manchester at the time of arrest... Wound was to her heart and that she bled to death a commercial genealogy., Laymon called the arrest `` amazing '' news and said she was.! 'Deeply selfish, lifelong personal need, vanished Dec. 19 jerry burns manchester, iowa 2013 exactly 34 after! 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