Global InformationMurder of Michelle Martinko information
 Michelle Martinko | |
| Date | December 19, 1979 |
|---|---|
| Location | Westdale Mall, Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| Coordinates | 41°57′07″N 91°43′12″W / 41.952°N 91.720°W |
| Target | Michelle Martinko |
| Convicted | Jerry Lynn Burns |
| Verdict | Guilty of first degree murder |
| Sentence | Life imprisonment without parole[1] |
The murder of Michelle Martinko occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on December 19, 1979. It was a cold case until 2018, when familial DNA identified a suspect 39 years after the crime who was charged, tried and convicted of her murder.[2]
In 2006, a cold case investigator discovered unidentified blood, presumably belonging to the killer, while he was reviewing case files. A DNA profile was developed from that evidence and entered into the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), but no matches were found. In 2017, a company specializing in DNA phenotyping was hired to produce a new approximation of the killer's appearance based solely off the DNA sample. In 2018, the company entered the DNA data from the case into the public genealogy website GEDmatch, where it found a familial DNA match.
In October 2018, DNA was covertly collected from an Iowa man, Jerry Lynn Burns, and was found to match the sample discovered on Martinko's clothing.[2][3][4] Burns was arrested and, on February 24, 2020, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Martinko. On August 7, 2020, Burns was sentenced to life in prison without parole.[1][5][6]
- ^ a b Spoerre, Anna (February 24, 2020). "'This is Michelle's day': Jury convicts Iowa man of first-degree murder in 1979 slaying of Cedar Rapids teen". Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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:4was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Mehaffey, Trish (February 24, 2020). "Jerry Burns found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Michelle Martinko". The Gazette. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ "BREAKING: Jerry Burns, convicted of killing Michelle Martinko, officially sentenced to life in prison". KWWL. August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.