Michelle Martinko, 18, was found stabbed 29 times in her car outside Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Dec. 20, 1979. The case went cold for decades until preserved blood evidence was reanalyzed and male DNA was identified. Genetic genealogy traced the DNA to Jerry Burns, who was arrested in 2018, convicted of first-degree murder in 2020, and sentenced to life without parole. An appeal claiming improper DNA collection was denied by the Iowa Supreme Court in March 2023.
How Michelle Martinko’s 1979 Murder Was Solved 40 Years Later — The DNA Breakthrough That Named Her Killer
Cedar Rapids Police Dept. ; AP/ShutterstockMichelle Martinko ; Jerry Burns.
On the night of Dec. 19, 1979, 18-year-old Michelle Martinko stopped at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to buy a new coat and never returned home. Around 4 a.m. the next morning her body was discovered in the passenger footwell of her family's parked car. The teen had been stabbed 29 times, including multiple wounds to the face and neck, and bore defensive cuts on her hands.
48 HoursMichelle Martinko.
Initial Investigation and Cold Case
Investigators found evidence suggesting the attacker had worn rubber gloves. Nothing was taken from Martinko; she still had $186 on her, and her autopsy showed no signs of sexual assault. Friends later said she had been nervous about going to the mall alone and felt as though someone might have been following her.
Cedar Rapids Police Department Michelle Martinko.
Police initially focused on people who knew Michelle, including an ex-boyfriend, but those leads produced alibis or no forensic links. By the mid-1980s the case had essentially gone cold as investigative momentum faded and evidence remained unexamined.
48 Hours'Murder at the Mall: The Michelle Martinko Case'.
Forensic Revival and Genetic Genealogy
Nearly three decades after the slaying, a cold-case detective discovered that blood scrapings taken from the car gear shift had been tested years earlier but were never fully pursued. Further laboratory analysis identified male DNA on the gear shift and on Martinko's dress.
48 HoursJerry Burns.
Advances in forensic science and the rise of genetic genealogy provided the next breakthrough. Detectives used public ancestry databases to trace the unknown DNA to a distant relative who had voluntarily uploaded a profile. That lead narrowed the search to three brothers in Iowa.
AP/ShutterstockJerry Burns.
Arrest, Trial, and Aftermath
After collecting DNA samples from all three men, investigators found an exact match: Jerry Burns. Authorities arrested Burns on Dec. 19, 2018, the 39th anniversary of Michelle's death. Burns, a local business owner, pleaded not guilty and maintained he had never met Michelle. Friends described him as reserved and said they found the allegations hard to believe.
In February 2020 a jury convicted Burns of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Martinko's family and supporters emphasized that her defensive wounds likely caused the assailant to bleed, producing the blood evidence that ultimately identified him. As John Stonebraker, Michelle's brother-in-law, put it, her injuries helped make her her own best witness.
Appeal and Current Status
Burns retained attorney Kathleen Zellner to challenge his conviction, arguing that investigators violated his constitutional rights by collecting his DNA from a straw he discarded at a pizza restaurant. The Iowa Supreme Court rejected the appeal in March 2023. Burns has been incarcerated at Anamosa State Penitentiary since his sentencing.
Case Significance: The investigation highlights how preserved physical evidence and modern genetic genealogy can reopen and resolve cases long thought unsolvable.
Sources for this report include court records and coverage from national news outlets and the television program 48 Hours.
