'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. Judge Hoover, who had reviewed Spies' written arguments and Maybanks' resistance before the hearing, quickly denied the motion for a new trial. MANCHESTER Wednesday started out just like any other day in Manchester but little known to the locals, news would surface that evening that would leave the community shrouded in questions. The case remained unsolved until Wednesday night when police announced they used DNA evidence to link Burns to the crime. 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. 'Never in a million years would I suspect he'd be involved in something like this,' he said. Several residents lauded his professionalism and business savvy when speaking with the Register last year. One of his court With Jerry Burns having been found at risk and in prison, Martinkos family at last made them feel of end. Wendling, 37, said he has known Burns all his life. Andy Seidel Now: Where is Michelle Martinko's Boyfriend Toda (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. Advertisement Stonebraker and his wife, Janelle, They graduated in 1972. 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. Where Is Jerry Lynn Burns Now? Update, Oct. 14: The trial for Jerry Burns has been officially delayed, and is now temporarily set for Feb. 10, 2020. But he also said his private investigator had uncovered new evidence that wasn't discovered until June. 'When you listen to (Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne) Jerman on the news last night, they've got him (Burns) hung already,' McElliot said. after he was asked if his DNA would match the DNA at the crime scene. Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. ", Jackie Mormann has lived in Manchester her whole life and remembers vividly when. Curran said he doesn't know how police homed in on Burns, but he's not passing judgment until he hears the facts. (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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. We have no information about his girlfriend/boyfriend. He said he has ordered Burns not to speak with news media. "No, I must not have asked properly, we were never instructed in school how to ask..they just seemed to ignore it," said Burns. '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. Nicholas Maybanks, the Linn County prosecutor handling the case, did not resistthe continuance, court records show. Burns was arrested and questioned when his DNA matched that of some found on Martinko's clothes at the time of her murder. Then for a verdict. Also, we have no idea about his brother and sister, and we dont know their names either. He was taken into custody in the evening. Delaware CountySheriff John Leclere saidauthorities "don't have any reason to suspect (Burns) in either case.". Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Michelle Martinko Murder Convict: Jerry Burns Release Date She said they were a wonderful family and that he seemed to be a great man. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette). The mandatory penalty for first-degree murder in Iowa is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Update, Feb. 24, 2020: Within hours of the trials closing arguments, a Scott County jury has convicted Jerry Burns of first-degree murder in the death of Michelle Martinko. She said he lives and operates a business just five miles from her house. pic.twitter.com/0rGdwIk89N. 'This is something that affects the whole community,' he said, 'and everybody wants answers.'. DAVENPORT, Ia. She even graduated with his youngest daughter. Birky also noted that Martinko should have had two organ books and an assignment book with her after leaving the lesson that night. "I am happy Michelle finally gets justice. Jerry Burns may be a hitched man, having a spouse and kids. The cold-case murder has drawn intense public interest, and Friday's hearing was livestreamed because of limited seating. Follow reporter Anna Spoerreon Twitter at@annaspoerre. Previous coverage:Decades after fatal stabbing, Michelle Martinko's family comes face-to-face with her alleged killer. ', l Comments: 319-398-8238; kat.russell@thegazette.com. Burns said 'somebody else stabbed Martinko that night. Cheryl Hollrah, the sports bar cook, worked at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids, whereMartinko's body was found in a car 39 years ago. By the time of Burns' arrest, both of Martinko's parents had been gone for decades: Martinko'sfather died in 1995 and her mother in 1998. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. 'We've also had a lot of customers come in from out of town and a lot of them asked about it.'. For 64-year-old Jerry Burns, it was a straw he used at a pizza restaurant in Manchester, Iowa. Investigators later sought the services of a company that specializes in DNA phenotyping, which Cedar Rapids police described as the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence. Her body was found in the front seat, where she had been injured and cut on numerous occasions. 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. 'The Dating Game' Killer Was Active for Almost 10 Years Before He Was Caught, Angie Dodge's Killer Evaded Capture for Over 20 Years, Where Is Convicted Murderer Jeffrey MacDonald Now? 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. Burns is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Michelle Martinko in 1979. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. An obituary for Burns wife, Patricia, says that she died in June After listening to almost two weeks of testimony, a jury of seven women and five men returned the guilty verdict after deliberating just shy of three hours. As Becky Moreno stopped for lunch on Thursday afternoon, she reflected on growing up just down the street from Jerry Burns and his family. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. As Becky Moreno stopped for lunch on Thursday afternoon, she reflected on growing up just down the street from Jerry Burns and his family. He was arrested Dec. 19, 2018 - on the anniversary of her death. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. Burns was convicted of first-degree murder in February. Across the aisle, the benches behind Burns were packed to the brim. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette). (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns (center) is seen as a senior in a 1972 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. There was very little information on the 55-year-old's vanishing and Leclere said there are no leads today. 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. (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 and a group of other men met there daily to drink coffee and chat. "Its scary," Moreno said. His trial was most recently set to begin Oct. 14, but was delayed afterBurns' defense team requested additionaltime to review new evidence and witnesses. Prosecutors said she was stabbed to death. Although Burns' conviction and sentencing is clear and he is now in prison, his legal team has continued to assert his innocence and overturn the verdict. Spies asked the judge to suppress part of the research Cole used to make his report, pointing out this was a very unusual case. 2023 www.desmoinesregister.com. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns is led from the courtroom following his sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. "The people in law enforcement take on their duty and their task seriously," Maybanks told the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network,afterthe verdict. Previous to Jerry's current city of Manchester, IA, Jerry Burns lived in Cedar Falls IA. "Everybody was so anxious last night to see a picture to make sure it was actually, you know, him," Mormann said. Janelle and John Stonebraker, Martinkos sister and brother-in-law who live in Florida, told The Cedar Rapids Gazette this week that they are at peace after waiting decades for justice. An investigation provided the answer after all those years of who and why someone killed Martinko. She was found stabbed to death inside her parents' car in a mall parking lot in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 20, 1979. CEDAR RAPIDS - The Martinko family lived without answers for 39 Christmases. Where Could Jerry Burns Now be? Jerry Lynn Burns of Manchester has been arrested and charged with 1st degree murder in the cold case murder of 18 yr old Michelle Martinko. ", Martinko's family in a statement last December credited "the work of several generations of Cedar Rapids uniformed police and detectives in bringing Mr. Burns to justice. 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. Jerry Burns, of Manchester, was arrested for the murder on the 39-year anniversary of her death. Brian's disappearance remains unsolved. The police chief at the time, Ray Baker, said the fatal stabbing "outraged the whole community.". Burns will appear in Linn County District Court tomorrow morning. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Jerry Burns Wife: Who Is He Married To? Predictions were made for ancestry and facial features, police said. The man accused of killing a Cedar Rapids woman 40 years ago was back in court Friday for a hearing to suppress evidence. That made his arrest hard to believe. How Old Is Jerry Burns? (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Burns reacts as he is sentenced at a hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Now, his relationship is perfect. 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. DNA privacy was also a topic of discussion during today's hearing. To that point in the investigation, we were confident who our perpetrator was, so we figured out the who. 'I'd say the reaction today has been utter disbelief,' said Jackie Mormann, owner of The Bread Basket, a local eatery on Main Street in downtown Manchester. She opened her restaurant about five years ago, she said, and it has since become a local lunch spot where everyone knows everyone. (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. "The community is in shock, his friends are in shock, his family is in shock. Be that as it may, on February 24, 2020, he was viewed as at real fault for first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. "I wish my parents could be here to see this.". 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. Jerry Burns may be a hitched man, having a spouse and kids. Burns' arrest prompted a round of whispering about two of his family members. Jerry Burnss Family releases statement following arrest in 'S current city of Manchester, Iowa to suppress evidence intense public interest, and we dont their! 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