On March 31, 2023 The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Jerry Lynn Burns in the 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko. The PDF of the opinion is here. “In a 5-2 decision, the majority found police followed the law in obtaining Burns’ DNA from an abandoned drinking straw, and did not violate his rights […]
Iowa
The Ethics of Forensic Genealogy part 4
In part 4 of my series on Forensic Genealogy, we look at what is happening in Iowa. The Iowa Supreme Court, in a 4-3 split, decided on June 18, 2021, to ban police from searching the people’s uncollected trash without a warrant. In doing so they outlawed a decades old investigative technique. The Justices said […]
Life sentence in Michelle Martinko murder
Today, we close the case of Michelle Martinko. Jerry Lynn Burns received the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was ordered to pay victim restitution of $150’000 to the estate of Michelle Marie Martinko or her heirs. The defense is seeking a restitution hearing on a later date. Burns […]
Is the use of genetic testing constitutional?
Genetic testing is what finally brought the case of Michelle Marie Martinko in court. Jerry Lynn Burns (66) was found guilty of Michelle’s 1979 murder based on genetic testing of DNA. He is awaiting his sentencing hearing. It will be the mandatory life sentence. In the meantime, his attorney, Leon Spies, is working on the […]
Guilty verdict in Martinko Trial
Today were the closing arguments for the prosecution and the defense in the 1979 murder case of Michelle Marie Martinko. The order was as follows: First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks gave his closing arguments. The defense attorney Leon Spies, gave his for his client Jerry Burns. After that, the state got the change […]
Michelle Martinko Trial Feb 20, 2020
The defense rests in the Michelle Martinko murder trial. I was stunned but here it is: “After just one witness, attorneys defending a man accused of killing a Cedar Rapids teen more than 40 years ago have finished presenting evidence. Burns said he will not testify during the trial.” The defense started and finished within […]
Michelle Martinko Trial: update through Feb 19, 2020
Michelle Martinko trial updates Feb 18 – 19, 2020: Feb 18: Two points to take away: 1: DNA We learn that a senior DNA lab analyst at Bode Technology examined the following pieces of evidence: blood taken from the gear shift from the Martinko Family car and the mouth swab taken from Jerry Burns. Her […]
Michelle Martinko Trial: Update through Feb 17, 2020
Four points of interest in the Michelle Martinko trial: 1: Male DNA profile found at the crime scene led police to believe the suspect cut himself during the attack. Authorities composed lists of suspects to contact for cheek (buccal) swaps. These men included ex-boyfriends. From the entire list (not sure of the total number of […]
Martinko murder trial update Feb 13, 2020
A brief overview in the Michelle Martinko murder trial update Feb 13, 2020 with information taken from various newspapers. Jury selection: nine women and six men were selected from a pool of over 100 potential jurors. Three will serve as alternates. The State: represented by the following prosecutors: First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks […]
Michelle Martinko Murder Trial
The Michelle Martinko murder trial started today with jury selections. Two important rulings to note: 1: Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover ruled that the prosecution may use the DNA evidence obtained from a discarded straw. Police got that straw after Burns left it behind in a Manchester (Iowa) restaurant. Remember that Burns’ DNA was […]
Michelle Martinko: background information
Jerry Lynn Burns is facing first-degree murder charges for the Dec 20, 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko. He is held at the Linn County Jail (Iowa). Burns Burns has his own company Advanced Coating Concepts in Delaware County, Iowa. It is a powder-coating shop but they are also a Hustler turf equipment dealer. Burns was […]
Arrest in 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko
Michelle Martinko was found dead on Dec. 20, 1979. She was repeatedly stabbed most notably in her face and chest. Police discovered her body in the family Buick in the parking lot of the Westdale Mall, Cedar rapids, Iowa. Police said there was no sign of a sexual assault, but she had wounds that indicated […]
Suspect composite in case of Michelle Martinko
The Cedar Rapids Police Department can now show the public the suspect composite in the cold case of Michelle Martinko (18) who was murdered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Dec. 19, 1979. Michelle Martinko was found dead around 4am on Dec. 20, 1979. She was repeatedly stabbed most notably in her face and chest. Police […]
Remembering Michelle Martinko
Remembering Michelle Martinko who was found murdered around 4am on December 20, 1979 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The police discovered her body in the parking lot of the Westdale Mall. The Kennedy High School senior had been stabbed to death in the family Buick. Michelle Martinko was repeatedly stabbed most notably in her face and […]
Lisa Peak – Julie Benning – Valerie Klossowsky
Lisa Peak – Julie Benning – Valerie Klossowsky is a guest post written for DCC by Jody Ewing, the blogger behind Iowa Cold Cases. I was contacted a while ago by a reader, Tom, who alerted me to Lisa’s case. After an Internet search, Jody and I decided to work on this together and see […]
Help the Cedar Rapids Police
Help the Cedar Rapids Police to get in touch with an anonymous person who contacted the Linn County Crime Stoppers about Michelle Martinko‘s cold case. The Public Safety Communications Coordinator Greg M. Buelow contacted me with the following message: “The Cedar Rapids Police Department is requesting additional assistance from a Linn County Crime Stoppers tipster who provided investigators […]
The Grahlman murders
The Case of the Month for April 2014: the Grahlman murders from April 5, 2003. I read about the Grahlman arson/double homicide case on Jody Ewing’s Iowa Cold Cases. Please read the circumstances of the crime there. No need to repeat Jody here. After I read the overview, many questions popped up in my mind and […]
Case of the Month: Paula Oberbroeckling
Case of the Month: Paula Oberbroeckling (Feb 25, 1952 – July 11, 1970). Paula disappeared on July 11, 1970, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She was 18 years old and dreamed of becoming a model. She had borrowed her roommate’s car to go off on an unspecified errand. Her roommate’s car was found parked in a no parking zone […]
Sum it up! #5
In this Sum it up I’d like to draw your attention to four websites or blogs that have kept me busy reading all week. The first one is “the Civil Rights Cold Case Project.” On this site you can find information about cases related to the Civil Rights Era and some you will recognize since […]