Could Jerry Burns have committed murders other than Michelle Martinko's? Authorities pored over 300 pages of internet search terms and 400 pages of website history, according to court testimony Thursday - almost all of it involving blonde females and most web searches starting with queries about blonde strangulation. And he had the daunting task of trying to figure out who that could be, armed only with an unidentified sample of blood DNA. Visitation with the family will be Monday April 10th from 4 to 8 PM and on. Blond / All American Girls - Jodi was a bit older. My gut tells me there's probably something else out there. Exactly 39 years after Michelle Martinko's body was found, DNA evidence led to the arrest of a Manchester man who was charged with her 1979 murder. To learn more about the murder of Michelle Martinko, watch Dateline: Unforgettable on December 22, at 10:00 pm on Oxygen 79. What began to turn the case around was the emergence of DNA as a forensic tool for crime fighting in the late 1990s. 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 . Mail, proper postage prepaid, addressed to Jerry L. Burns, No. Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, was charged with first-degree murder and is scheduled to appear Thursday in Linn County Court. Teen Michelle Martinko was stabbed to death in 1979. 'As far as I know, I wasn't there.. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Parabon made predictions for "ancestry, eye color, hair color, skin color, freckling, and face shape," police said, and the department released the composite images to the public in May 2017. Prosecutors played a covertly recorded interview that investigators conducted with Jerry Lynn Burns in December of 2018. A juvenile found carrying a knife was interviewed and ruled out in her murder, as was a shopping center employee who had told police that he enjoyed following women and ogling store mannequins. On the way, Burns continued to talk. Want a job? The next day, she was found stabbed to death in the mall parking lot. A article mentioned that the police found his Internet search history had stuff like 'murder, rape, harm of blonde women'. 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. . Even though the police were tipped over 200 times in the weeks following the murder, the case eventually grew cold as investigations stretched on. Investigators matched DNA found in the car to Jerry Burns and arrested him in 2018. 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. Janelle Stonebraker, Michelle's older sister, thinks that by fighting so vehemently that the suspect wounded himself and left his DNA behind, Michelle contributed to the investigation into her own murder. Parabon. 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]. [7] Eventually, more than 125 people would have their DNA swabbed and compared against samples taken from the scene. [9] Martinko was found inside collapsed over the passenger seat and stabbed to death. 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. timing. In a brief interview with the Cedar Rapids Gazette in 1980, Janet said of her daughter, She loved music. Burns seemed to have a 'fetish for these violent, sexual themes, Cedar Rapids police Investigator Jeff Holst testified. 1, 2021 3:52 pm608d ago, Caleb McCullough Health Care and Medicine Jun. What we know about Jerry Burns and the woman he's accused of killing 40 years earlier Dec 19, 2019/ updated Feb 17, 2020 Four decades ago, 18-year-old Michelle Marie Martinko was found stabbed to death in the family's car in the parking lot of a Cedar Rapids mall. Jerry Lynn Burns will be in prison for the rest of his days. On cross examination, Spies asked Holst if he had expertise in psychology or forensic psychology. "Well, I kind of think you do a little bit," Denlinger responded in the video interview. Please logout and login again. . [38] Burns is currently imprisoned in the Anamosa State Penitentiary. Log In. God finally won. [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. 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. They then used genealogical data as well as a covertly collected DNA sample from Burns to positively identify him, authorities said. During the investigation, the police assumed that there were personal motives involved in the murder due to the nature of Martinko's stab wounds. KWQC Jerry Burns' mugshot and a family photo of Michelle Martinko. [2], Martinko's father, Albert, died in 1995. [3] The brothers were placed under surveillance, and investigators began to attempt to collect their DNA secretly. He and his wife, who now reside in Florida, said they . Your login session has expired. [2][4][27], In pretrial hearings, Burns' attorneys claimed that police needed a search warrant to gather his DNA from the discarded straw, but the judge determined that discarded property cannot reasonably be considered private. When asked that question by "48 Hours," Denlinger replied, "I don't know the answer to that. They . Linn. Denlinger had found the needle in the haystack. But where is this cold-blooded killer now? The police never received the information, and the woman did not contact police until months later, when they reissued a call for any information connected to the murder. Find your friends on Facebook. The detective looked through the case files and found what he thought to be the murderer's blood. ", Whoever the killer was, he had come prepared. He testified last week he took the straw after it was discarded. 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. [11][18] In the year after the killing, the number of people interviewed by police reached the hundreds, and up to 30 people were interviewed under hypnosis. He also wished the Burns family well, saying they now have to pick up the pieces of their lives just like the Martinko family did. Authorities arrested 64-year-old Jerry Lynn Burns of Manchester this morning. He was never charged with the Martinko murder, he denied the accusations, and DNA evidence, found later, did not match his DNA. Through the use of advanced technologies, DNA samples from the offender were obtained. He had followed them and secretly recovered their DNA. "I was speechless," Denlinger says, recalling the moment the lab told him the results. The trial was then moved to February 2020. This "tragic case" had been "haunting this community for 39 years," Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said Wednesday. 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. (Supreme Court No. [10][11] She was also a talented performer, joined the twirling squad as a sophomore, and performed in choirs and theater productions. Denlinger interviewed Burns at his business. (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. She will be remembered as a wonderful mother and wife, loving to spend time with her granddaughter . Her death was ruled a suicide. [11] As the investigation dwindled, a $10,000 reward was offered for information that would lead police to the killer. 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. But her sister Janelle and Janelles husband John Stonebaker were present at Burns sentencing. Holst said that in reviewing Burns' computer, he found hundreds of searches and website visits - a pattern that happened several times a week. family - he had 3 kids - tough to sneak away for 4 hours when you have kids unless he was on a business trip. He was born on December 09, 1952 to Harold Eugene and Virginia Burns in Osceola, Arkansas. While being questioned about . '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. 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. Bryan. The murder of Michelle Martinko in the parking lot of Cedar Rapids' Westdale Mall has some eerie connections to the Huisentruit case. But he never asked for an attorney, Denlinger said. 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. After several trials and errors, the suspects were narrowed down to three brothers who had grown up in Manchester, Iowa. Jerry Lynn Burns is accused of the 1979 cold case murder of Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. [2] Once there, she perused the stores and spoke with friends and other people she knew who worked there. Jim was born on April 20, 1933 in Walsenburg, Colorado to Geraldine Hudson McAlpine and Victor Paul Hudson and passed away on February 24, 2023 at his home in Amarillo, Texas with his family by his side at the age of 89. Burns originally refuted every charge of involvement in this crime during interrogation by claiming he was unable to provide the authorities with a "plausible explanation" for why his DNA was found at the crime site. Spies, on cross examination, asked if Denlinger had permission from Burns' two brothers and a distant cousin to access their DNA in developing a suspect pool. [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. [2] That narrowed the suspects down to a set of three brothers, who had grown up in Manchester, Iowa. Jerry Burns mentioned Jodi by name while speaking to an investigator shortly before his arrest. Daryl F. Gates' Police Quest: SWAT, a group of 41 people. While the information is believed to be accurate, the Iowa Department of Corrections makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information. The case got nationwide media attention but has remained an unsolved mystery for more than 25 years. The police used the information to create a partial DNA profile. A DNA profile was developed from that evidence and entered into the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), but no matches were found. Denlinger does NOT believe Burns is responsible for Jodi Huisentruit - rather that he admired/fantasized about whatever happened to her. Subscribe to the Public Safety newsletter. "I am happy Michelle finally gets justice.". (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette). Despite being known as a professional, Burns arrest got people talking about his family. 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. [12], In 2017, a company specializing in DNA phenotyping was hired to create additional images of the killer based solely on DNA clues about facial appearance and ancestry. He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Joan C. Plum Merriner, who passed away on January 4, 2019. Born in 1953, Jerry Lynn Burns grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. 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 . But he said he and another investigator had no plans to arrest Burns that day. 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. Jerry retired from the Army National Guard and retired as a Master Plumber. 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. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The hearing will continue in Linn County District Court, though a date has not been set. This revealed everything, and Burns was ultimately declared guilty of first-degree murder. His hands and arms were also examined for scars possibly left by the assumed cut sustained during the attack. The defense also requested the trial be moved out of Linn County based on the amount of attention the case had received over the past four decades, as well as "pervasive and prejudicial pretrial publicity". KCRG-TV9: 10PM Newscast, December 19, 2018 Arrest in Michelle Martinko Case, KCRG-TV9 Staff Anchors: Bruce Aune and Beth Malicki Meteorologist: Joe Winters Executive Producer: Aaron Hepker Producer: Ellen Kurt Director: Terri Walter Reporters: Dave Franzman, Forrest Saunders, Chantelle Navarro Photographers: Rebecca Varilek, Jay Greene, Michelle Martinko's Family Speaks to Law & Crime Network About the Jerry Burns Verdict, Michelle Martinko's Family Speaks to Law & Crime Network About the Jerry Burns Verdict #JerryBurns #JerryBurnsTrial #MichelleMartinko, Serial Killers Ex Thinks There Were More Victims. State of Iowa. 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. 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. Denlinger recorded him using a camera that was hidden inside a coffee mug. Burns denied any involvement in the murder. Lives in Brentwood, Arkansas. Over 40 years ago, teenager Michelle Martinko was stabbed to death outside a mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Denlinger said they were uploaded to GEDmatch by Parabon NanoLabs, a private company the department worked with. His first wife, Patricia, died by suicide in 2008. Jerry Burns. In earlier testimony, Matthew Denlinger, a Cedar Rapids police investigator who testified last week, was recalled to testify about Burns' interview with police Dec. 19, 2018. He was born in Hundred, WV on April 24, 1930, a son of the late Robert Lee and Rebecca Taylor Merriner. Her mother, Janet, died in 1998. Then in 2018, DNA phenotyping company GEDmatch, a public genealogy website that famously helped catch the Golden State Killer, started creating a family tree based on the killers DNA. He began working with Parabon NanoLabs, now a leading company helping police solve crimes through genetic tracing. The Cedar Rapids teenager was found stabbed to death in her parents car parked at Westdale Mall. 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.. 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. 24. 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. She claimed to have seen two cars in the lot, one of which was Martinko's, and a man standing next to the open driver's side door of Martinko's car. This sounds like a serial killer. Denlinger then told him he had a search warrant for his DNA. "Hmm, strange," Burns responded when Cedar Rapids Police Investigator Matthew Denlinger told him he was a suspect for Martinko's death. Burns was read his Miranda rights and taken to the police department. The family of the man suspected of murdering Michelle Martinko 39 years ago said the arrest came "as a complete shock.". Jerry Burns. 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