You have permission to edit this article. To that point in the investigation, we were confident who our perpetrator was, so we figured out the who. Later, Burns sold farm implements in Dyersville at the same time McElliot was a postal carrier there. Advertisement Stonebraker and his wife, Janelle, Burns is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 28. If found guilty of his first-degree murder charges, he'll 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. 'We talked about how he had just dropped his cat off at the vet and about his work, and he said he had a busy day ahead. Jerry Lynn Burns, 65, is set to face a jury in February, bringing momentum to a case that was left cold for years. Here's the Update in His Case. The cold-case murder has drawn intense public interest, and Friday's hearing was livestreamed because of limited seating. Before 6th Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover sentenced Burns to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Burns, who never showed any emotion during his trial in February, gave a short statement. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden listens from the gallery at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. 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. The suspect, identified as Jerry Lynn Burns, DOB/12-23-1953, age 64, of Manchester, Iowa, was arrested today for the crime of Murder in the First Degree. 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. Jerry Lynn Burns appeared in the Linn County Courthouse today for a preliminary hearing as his lawyer looked to get evidence against him suppressed ahead of the trail. In a court document made public Friday, he wrote that he makes $30,000 a year. DNA privacy was also a topic of discussion during today's hearing. At the time of her death, police had found Martinko stabbed to death in her car in a local mall parking lot. Burns said 'somebody else stabbed Martinko that night. Testimony showed Burns was the major contributor of the profile - less than one in 100 billion of unrelated individuals would have the same profile, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation criminalists said. Both Mormann and Moreno say this a life lesson that you never truly know your neighbors. Spies asserted that the way authorities went about obtaining DNA from Burns and his family members to prove his DNA was found at the crime scene was a violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. We found 3 records for Jerry S Burns in Manchester, IA. From the leadership on down, they never gave up.". The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. 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. "Everybody was so anxious last night to see a picture to make sure it was actually, you know, him," Mormann said. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. 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. "She finally got justice. Nicholas Maybanks, the Linn County prosecutor handling the case, did not resistthe continuance, court records show. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. "It's a small community; everybody kind of knows everybody," he said. Russ Wright, head cashier at Quik 'N Handi, a convenience store and gas station on Highway 13 near the southwest edge of town, said Burns was a regular customer. "But the world's a big place and we dont know anything about anybody. She was stabbed and killed 39 yrs ago today in the Westdale Mall parking lot. Previous to Jerry's current city of Manchester, IA, Jerry Burns lived in Cedar Falls IA. Wounds on the teens hands showed she fought her killer. McElliot said he felt bad for Burns as he listened to news accounts of Burns' arrest Wednesday. 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 as a senior in a 1972 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns and defense attorney Leon Spies (right) react as Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover reads Burns' sentence at a hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. "We would ride up and down that road by his house and never thought anything of it," she said. How Old Is Jerry Burns? WebView Jerry Burns results in Marion, IA including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Burns' trial attracted national attention because the cold case was solved after 39 years due in large part to DNA evidence and genetic genealogy. Prosecutors said she was stabbed to death. The Kennedy High School senior had drivento the mall after a school choir banquet to shop for a new winter coat. Burns now owns Advanced Coating Concepts in Manchester, he said. "The community is in shock, his friends are in shock, his family is in shock. Indeed, in June 2020, his legal advisor, Leon Spies, motioned for a retrial. Then for a verdict. 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. One of his court-appointed attorneys, Brian Sissel, said he could not comment on the case because he had just received it Friday. She said he lives and operates a business just five miles from her house. She opened her restaurant about five years ago, she said, and it has since become a local lunch spot where everyone knows everyone. Across the aisle, the benches behind Burns were packed to the brim. She had gone to the mall that night to get a coat her mother had put on layaway. "I am happy Michelle finally gets justice. Burns' wife, Patricia, died by suicide in 2008. The case itself had initially led investigators to assume the crime had been one of passion, with the amount of stab wounds to Martinko's face, but even now, there have been no answers as to why it happened. After the verdict was read and court was adjourned, they stood and embraced as Martinko's friends around them wept. In his statement, Stonebraker said he will never forget Janet Martinko calling them early Dec. 20, 1979, after she had identified the 'bloody, torn, broken body of her beautiful daughter. Where Is Jerry Lynn Burns Now? DAVENPORT, Ia. WebView Jerry D Burns results in Manchester, IA including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. The 42-year-old remembers serving Burns his final cup before he was detained. 'He was in here (Wednesday) morning,' Wright said. Age Explored Jerry Burns present age is 67 years, as he was born somewhere near 1954, in Manchester, Iowa. Mormann said she was 'born and raised' in Manchester. As Becky Moreno stopped for lunch on Thursday afternoon, she reflected on growing up just down the street from Jerry Burns and his family. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Jerry Burns looks toward First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks during a suppression hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids, Jan. 24. Jerry Burns may be a hitched man, having a spouse and kids. Chief Jerman said Wednesday night that Martinko's family now could take comfort in knowing a murder arrest had been made, and for Martinko's sister Janelle Stonebraker and her husband John Stonebraker, an arrest in the case was something to be grateful for. Burns was convicted of first-degree murder in February. 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. Burns' son, James Burns also briefly took the stand. The brothers were eliminated as suspects during the investigation. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. It makes you question how someone could live here in this community for all these years and possibly have done something like this.'. The police chief at the time, Ray Baker, said the fatal stabbing "outraged the whole community.". Wendling, 37, said he has known Burns all his life. He built a new home on land his parents once farmed and constructed a gas station and convenience store near where he lived. pic.twitter.com/0rGdwIk89N. "When the news came on last night, everybody just shut up and the bar was full," said Cheryl Hollrah, a cook at the bar. Tyler Davis can be reached attjdavis@registermedia.comor on Twitter@TDavisDMR. Burns was arrested and questioned when his DNA matched that of some found on Martinko's clothes at the time of her murder. Burns co-owns Advanced Coating Concepts with his son, a powder coating business and turf equipment dealer just south of Manchester. The investigator reported Birky said the lessons were once a week; although she wasn't sure which day of the week they were, she recalled the last lesson was the night Martinko was killed outside the mall. ", 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. Now, his relationship is perfect. Prosecutors said she was stabbed to death. If found guilty of his first-degree murder charges, he'll face life in prison. Burns' sentence also included that he wouldn't be eligible for parole. Burns' lawyer requested the hearing, attempting to get pieces of evidence involving his DNA and expert testimony thrown out ahead of the February trial and determine the admissibility of the evidence. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. 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. 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. Maybanks said it's likely nobody will ever know why Burns committed the crime. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns (right, third from top) as a junior in a 1971 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. She was found stabbed to death inside her parents' car in a mall parking lot in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 20, 1979. Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Net Worth, Fast Facts. MANCHESTER, Ia. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone. "I wish my parents could be here to see this.". '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. On the other side of the aisle sat several friends of Martinko. Jerry, who would have been 25 years old at the time of the murder, was convicted in February 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns thanks his family for their support as he 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. Follow reporter Anna Spoerreon Twitter at@annaspoerre. WebJerry Burns is 68 years old and was born on 12/23/1953. We have no more information about his spouse. An analyst at the state crime lab said DNA from the straw matched blood found on Martinko's dress. The only way Burns DNA couldve ended up in two spots in the crime scene, Maybanks concluded, was if Burns was the murderer. 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. "For Michelles family and friends, we know that the pain of losing a daughter, sister or friend will never go away," Jermansaid. 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. His arrest left those in Manchester, who have lived and worked alongside him for decades, asking how the person they know could be connected to such a crime. "We thought it was extremely probative. On June 19, 1980, police released a composite sketch, developed based on descriptions provided by two witnesses, of the man they believed stabbed Martinko. 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. (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 is disabled and didnt own a vehicle, possess a drivers license or have a cell phone. On Thursday, other people in town said they were shocked, stunned or astounded by the news. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette). 'You have to go with the evidence,' he said. When the news broke Wednesday evening, Mormann said people in Manchester were calling each other, and waiting anxiously to learn more. '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. On December 19, 1979, when 18-year-old Cedar Rapids, Iowa inhabitant Michelle Martinko, vanished, it transformed into a case that before long ran cold. Spies argued that Burns never consented to his DNA being collected from a straw left behind at a Pizza Ranch or to be found through an ancestry site. However, the state argued that Denlinger pointed out several times the decision was up to him and that Burns was free to make calls as needed. In fact, it wasn't until years later that authorities even had a proper police sketch to seek help from the public in locating the man who killed her. The sisters' parents died more than 20 years ago,Albert Martinko in 1995and his wife, Janet, in 1998. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Brian was last seen at his home in the 1300 block of 180th Street in Manchester, Iowa on December 19, 2013. At the time of his arrest, Burns had beenliving in Manchester, a town of about 5,000 people 45 minutes north of Cedar Rapids, for longer than Martinko's case had been cold. In June 2020, his family is in shock everybody, '' she said arrested on Wednesday and with... 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