I don't know why this upsets people. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. During the trial, he initially denied knowing Martinko but his statements were found to contradict when his defense argued that evidence had been mishandled back in 1979 and that different articles of clothing from the crime scene should not have been stored together in one evidence bag. All rights reserved. '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. Jerry Burns, convicted of killing Michelle Martinko, says It took around a month for police to process Usry's DNA to see if it matched the DNA from the crime scene. WebJerry Lynn Burns, 64, was arrested Wednesday morning and is facing a first-degree murder charge in the case. He played in college for the Michigan Wolverines before Martinko's older sister, Janelle Stonebraker, told the Des Moines Register that their family had waited years for answers. A pathologist said the fatal stab wound was to her heart and that she bled to death. Distractify is a registered trademark. She affirmed her rulings made before and during trial regarding the defense's motion. A need Mr. Burns kept hidden all his adult life. She had been stabbed 21 times in the face, neck, and chest. Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, was charged with first-degree murder and is scheduled to appear Thursday in Linn County Court. But by 2 a.m., her father called the police because she had not returned home. Maybanks recapped Monday how witnesses in the two weeks prior outlined an extensive chain of custody of the evidence to ensure no new DNA could have been introduced into the packages containing Martinko's bloodied clothes and pieces of the car. READ NEXT: Serial Killers Ex Thinks There Were More Victims, Parents of Murdered Teenager Did Not Live to See Her Killer Brought to Justice, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Debates across the country have arisen about whether the use of such information is a violation of people's privacy. From the leadership on down, they never gave up.". CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (CBS2/FOX28) It's the cold case murder that's haunted Cedar Rapids for 35 years. Burns Sentenced To Life In Prison For Martinko Murder, Plans To Usry's dad seemed too old to be the killer, but Michael was not. On February 24, 2020, after three hours of deliberation, the jury found Jerry Lynn Burns guilty of first-degree murder. More:DNA leads federal investigators to suspected serial killer in Iowa; Clark Perry Baldwin charged with killing 3 women in 1990s. Please logout and login again. Based on the number of stab wounds particularly to the young womans face police considered the homicide personal in nature. BREAKING: Arrest made in the homicide of Michelle Martinko in 1979. pic.twitter.com/3mhKyLbNo9, Online records show that Burns has no criminal record in Iowa other than minor traffic infractions, reports CBS Iowa. In June the following year police released a sketch of a white man, in his late teens or early twenties, and around 6ft tall, on interviews with two witnesses. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Friends and family of Jerry Burns react as he is led from the courtroom following his sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. 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. 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. When Burns finished eating, he got up and walked out of the restaurant. During the original investigation, detectives compiled a list of more than 80 potential suspects. Burns left the drinking straw behind. Burns pleaded not guilty at his February 2020 trial but the jury deliberated just three hours and returned a guilty verdict. Burns' trial attracted national attention because the cold case was solved after 39 years due in large part to DNA evidence and genetic genealogy. When the DNA test results came back, it wasn't a match. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. "Ialso feel bad for, you know, his current family and friends because now they have to go through all this as well.". Burns, who has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, remains in jail on a $5 million, cash-only bail. All Rights Reserved. Exactly 39 years after her death, police took a Manchester man into custody after matching his DNA to blood found at the crime scene. The final nail in the coffin was when a witness gave his statement to the court. Police said they were able to connect Burns to the case with DNA evidence. Powered by. He didn't know who or why. on straw leads to conviction in 1979 murder Burns was arrested and questioned when his DNA matched that of some found on Martinko's clothes at the time of her murder. Now,herface and chest had been stabbed at least eight times. "I am happy Michelle finally gets justice. Burns, 65, has been charged with first-degree murder for the 1979 killing of Michelle New York University's Erin Murphy, who studies genetics and the law, sees Usry's ordeal as a cautionary tale. More:Taking genetic genealogy sites to trial: Iowa homicide case among first of its kind to argue DNA requires search warrant. CEDAR RAPIDS - The Martinko family lived without answers for 39 Christmases. She thinks this new crime-fighting tool is a great thing. 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. Tonight, William Brangham is back to explore the growing privacy debate around this new technique and why some people are urging that we slow down. The detective on the case, Matt Denlinger, gave me some interesting details. 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.

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