Who Is Jerry Lynn Burns & Where Is He Now? 2025 Update & Background
Jerry Lynn Burns is the man convicted of murdering 18-year-old high school senior Michelle Martinko in 1979, a case that went unsolved for nearly four decades. Born on December 23, 1953, Burns was 25 years old at the time of the crime. At the time of his arrest in 2018, he was a longtime resident of Manchester, Iowa, and operated a powder coating business. He had also worked for John Deere and previously co-owned a truck stop. Those who knew him described him as quiet and unremarkable—a seemingly ordinary businessman and family man.
He had been married to Patricia Burns, who died by suicide in 2008. They had children together. His arrest stunned the community, including his own family, many of whom initially believed the charges must be a mistake. There was no known personal connection between Burns and Martinko, and he had no prior criminal history.
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Arrest and Trial
Burns was identified as the suspect through investigative genetic genealogy. After police built a partial DNA profile from blood found on Martinko’s clothing, they entered the data into GEDmatch, a public DNA database. From there, they tracked down a distant relative and constructed a family tree, narrowing it down to three brothers. Burns’ DNA was covertly collected from a straw he used at a restaurant and was a match to the crime scene.
Burns was arrested on December 19, 2018—exactly 39 years after Martinko’s murder—and charged with first-degree murder. During his trial in February 2020, the prosecution’s case relied heavily on DNA evidence. While Burns denied knowing Martinko, he offered no explanation for why his blood was found on her clothing. After a brief jury deliberation, he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Where He Is Now
As of December 2025, Jerry Lynn Burns is serving a life sentence at the Anamosa State Penitentiary in Iowa. In August 2020, his request for a new trial was denied, and in March 2023, the Iowa Supreme Court upheld his conviction. He has no possibility of release and remains incarcerated.
His conviction closed one of the most high-profile cold cases in Iowa’s history. Although he never confessed to the crime, and offered no motive, the overwhelming DNA evidence linked him directly to the murder of Michelle Martinko.
