The judge is expected to make a final ruling on what evidence is admissible and if any will be suppressed sometime next week. Jerry, who would have been 25 years old at the time of the murder, was convicted in February 2020. 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. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns (lower right) 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. But Burns will 'forfeit his freedom forever and die alone. 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. Burns Wife Died in June 2008. 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. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. 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' DNA profile was developed from blood on Martinko's black dress. He built a new home on land his parents once farmed and constructed a gas station and convenience store near where he lived. Investigators then narrowed down family trees of great grandparents to a first cousin and then Burns and his two brothers. '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. Add newsletters@thegazette.comto your contacts. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. 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. In any case, not a lot about his family has been unveiled at this point, because of a few private matters. 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. She affirmed her rulings made before and during trial regarding the defense's motion. You will begin to receive our Daily Courts & Public Safety updates. Notwithstanding the way that Burns conviction and denouncing are clear and he is presently in prison, his legitimate group has continued to insist his blamelessness and upset the choice. For nearly 40 years, the family of slain high schooler Michelle Martinko waited for an arrest. At this moment, Burns, in any case, stays behind the bars. "You and Michelle will forever be in our thoughts, and we are eternally grateful for your support, trustand confidence over the many years.". The brothers were eliminated as suspects during the investigation. Burns also claimed that he did in fact ask for a lawyer during the interview but that investigators didn't help him to do so. 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' attorneys claimed the case has been surroundedby "pervasive and prejudicial pretrial publicity" and has been in the public eye for the past four decades,court filings show. In one of those profiles, authorities said there were fewer than one in 100 billion unrelated individuals who would have had the same profile. Jerman, Cedar Rapids' police chief, credited police and investigators who "showed tenacity and dedication" over the four decades it took to take the case to trial, and the Linn County Attorney's Office for its role in Burns' arrest and prosecution. 'You'll never convince me he did something like that.'. As the investigation slowed, a $10,000 reward was offered. Burns was arrested The Estimated Net worth is $80K USD $85k. 'From the leadership on down, they never gave up. (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. "Everybody was so anxious last night to see a picture to make sure it was actually, you know, him," Mormann said. District Associate Judge Casey D. Jones set Burns' bond at $5 million on Dec. 20, 2018. Both Mormann and Moreno say this a life lesson that you never truly know your neighbors. His trial was most recently set to begin Oct. 14, but was delayed afterBurns' defense team requested additionaltime to review new evidence and witnesses. He wasn't carrying any identification at the time of his disappearance, doesn't have a driver's license, and doesn't own a car or cellular phone, making him difficult to track. Day 3, Jerry Burns takes witness stand in Martinko hearing, Man accused of killing Michelle Martinko begins hearing to suppress evidence, Day 2 of hearing to suppress evidence in Michelle Martinko murder case, Linn Co. Sheriffs office investigating Hwy. Police found Martinko's body in her parents' tan 1972 Buick at Cedar Rapids Westdale Mall parking lot around 4 a.m. on Dec. 20, 1979. Very nice gal, you know, she was straight A student, you know, she was one we looked up to," Moreno remembered. after he was asked if his DNA would match the DNA at the crime scene. 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. (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. Investigatorssaid the man who stabbedMartinko cut his hand and left blood behindon her clothes and on the gear shift knob. Hundreds of people were interviewed and countless leads were followed, police said a year after the slaying. "This was a brutal, violent, horrendous crime," Linn County Assistant Attorney Mike Harris said at the time. 'We were in the same class, so I've known him almost 50 years,' McElliot said Thursday. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns listens as Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover (not pictured) speaks at his sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Update, Oct. 14: The trial for Jerry Burns has been officially delayed, and is now temporarily set for Feb. 10, 2020. Cole was asked to consult on the case to review Burns' internet search history from his confiscated computer which revealed deviant, violent pornography preferences, highlighted on day 2. Investigators said they arrested Burns after DNA taken from a restaurant straw he had used matched the crime scene DNA. Russ Wright works the registerin the building Burns built. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. Never did I ever think he had a mean bone in his body," said McElliot, 64. 'It's kind of rocked our world,' she said. A retired teacher, John Curran, of Manchester, said he knows Burns from Bob Stephen Motors, a Manchester car dealership where the men occasionally would see each other and talk. Anna Spoerre covers crime and courts for the Des Moines Register. Then for a verdict. Jerry Burns may be a hitched man, having a spouse and kids. Burns is being held at Linn County Jail on a $5 million cash bond. 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 Based on the number of stab wounds particularly to the young womans face police considered the homicide personal in nature. 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. Several residents lauded his professionalism and business savvy. In 2018, Jerry Lynn Burns was finally arrested and charged with the teen's murder and, although it had been decades after the crime, the once cold case is now a subject of discussion on A&E's Killer Cases. Donations are accepted but not expected; the site remains free-access to all. Next Spies and the state will submit written statements to the judge outlining what evidence should or should not make it into next month's trial. Prosecutors said she was stabbed to death. ", 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.". Family of the man charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Michelle Martinko speaks out, says the arrest in cold case brings them joy just before Christmas. 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. When he left I told him 'Have a good day Jerry, I'll see you tomorrow. Jerry Burns, of Manchester, was arrested for the murder on the 39-year anniversary of her death. Recalling telling investigators, "I don't know, test it." An analyst at the state crime lab said DNA from the straw matched blood found on Martinko's dress. (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. Likewise, Mike McElliot, of Ryan, who has known Burns since they were freshmen at West Delaware High School, said he finds the news impossible to believe. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. A face many patrons of the northeast Iowatavernknew was plastered on five flat screens: Jerry Burns. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns and defense attorney Leon Spies (right) listen to Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover as she reads Burns' sentence at a hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Where Is Jerry Lynn Burns Now? 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. Burns now owns Advanced Coating Concepts in Manchester, he said. "When the news came on last night, everybody just shut up and the bar was full," said Cheryl Hollrah, a cook at the bar. Stonebraker said he is sad for the Burns family and wanted to 'wish them well.. In high school, Burns ran track and was involved in FFA, McElliot said. Hiscousin, Brian Burns,vanished Dec. 19, 2013 exactly 34 years after Martinko was killed. ", "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," Janelle Stonebraker, Michelle Martinko's older sister, said after the verdict was read. Copyright 2023 Distractify. It wasn't a basketball game that brought a packed house at Blue Collar Sports Bar to a hush. Low 18F. Leclere said Burns was never considered a suspect in his cousin's missing-person investigation. Detectives found no weapon or fingerprints to identify a suspect and said Martinko had not been robbed. Some who knew Burns well are having a hard time believing he was arrested. Burns, 66, was arrested at his Manchester, Iowa, business on Dec. 19, 2018 the 39th anniversary of Martinko's death and charged with first-degree murder in That made his arrest hard to believe. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), 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. 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. He waited for her at the mall and apprehended her in the parking lot, according to the theory. Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Net Worth, Fast Facts. Delaware CountySheriff John Leclere saidauthorities "don't have any reason to suspect (Burns) in either case.". Decades after the death, he had a voice in the first-degree murder sentencing of Jerry Burns, 66, of Manchester. Investigators matched the male profile at the crime scene to DNA on a straw Burns left behind at a Manchester Pizza Ranch. Brian's disappearance remains unsolved. 'This is something that affects the whole community,' he said, 'and everybody wants answers.'. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. 'We've also had a lot of customers come in from out of town and a lot of them asked about it.'. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. "I am happy Michelle finally gets justice. 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. Hiscousin, Brian Burns, vanished Dec. 19, 2013 exactly 34 years after Martinko was killed. Now, his relationship is perfect. "She finally got justice. Wendling, 37, said he has known Burns all his life. MANCHESTER, Ia. 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. An obituary for Burns wife, Patricia, says that she died in June Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. CEDAR RAPIDS - The Martinko family lived without answers for 39 Christmases. Burns will appear in Linn County District Court tomorrow morning. He testified regarding statements made in his initial interview, saying he was trying to be corporative. DAVENPORT, Ia. Burns was arrested and questioned when his DNA matched that of some found on Martinko's clothes at the time of her murder. He said he has ordered Burns not to speak with news media. In June 2020, his attorney, Leon Spies, motioned for a retrial. We found 3 records for Jerry S Burns in Manchester, IA. Defense attorney Leon Spies declined to comment immediately following the verdict. In any case, not a lot about his family has been unveiled at this point, because of a few private matters. As Becky Moreno stopped for lunch on Thursday afternoon, she reflected on growing up just down the street from Jerry Burns and his family. "Just a decent guy, hard-working man," Mitch Wendling said of Burns. Follow reporter Anna Spoerreon Twitter at@annaspoerre. 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. WebView Jerry Burns results in Marion, IA including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. WebJerry S Burns in Manchester, IA. 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