They Waited 39 Years, Then Questioned Him on the Exact Anniversary

On December 19, 1979, eighteen-year-old Michelle Martinko went to Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to pick up a winter coat. She never came home. For 39 years, her murder went unsolved. Then a DNA lab, a public genealogy database and a straw left on a restaurant table led investigators to a 64-year-old business owner in a small town an hour away. On the 39th anniversary of her death, they walked into his office wearing a hidden camera. This is the story of how the case was solved, told through the real footage: the hidden-camera interview, the ride to jail, the jail camera, the trial and the sentencing hearing. It is told in memory of Michelle Martinko. ⚠️ This video discusses a real murder. It contains no graphic imagery, but viewer discretion is advised. CHAPTERS 0:00 December 19, 2018 1:39 The Mall 2:50 The File 4:39 The Face 5:39 The Straw 6:43 The Office 11:18 The Back Seat 12:35 Bunk Two 13:32 Scott County 15:45 The Sentence 17:26 Michelle SOURCES KCRG-TV9, The Gazette (Cedar Rapids), Iowa Public Radio, KWWL, KCCI, KMCH, KCTN, Law&Crime Network trial coverage, Iowa's News Now sentencing coverage, and the Iowa Supreme Court opinion in State of Iowa v. Jerry Lynn Burns (No. 20-1150, March 31, 2023). Status of the 2026 postconviction petition as reported through October 2026. PHOTO CREDITS Via Wikimedia Commons: Westdale Mall by Iowahwyman (CC BY-SA 3.0); 1972 Buick Electra by dave_7 (CC BY 2.0); Cedar Rapids by Farragutful (CC BY-SA 4.0); Linn County Courthouse by WeaponizingArchitecture (CC BY-SA 4.0); Manchester, Iowa by Kevin Schuchmann (CC BY-SA 3.0) and Mroeder75 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Scott County Courthouse by Ctjf83 (public domain) and Farragutful (CC BY-SA 3.0); Anamosa State Penitentiary by Kepper66 (CC BY-SA 3.0) and David Wilson (CC BY 2.0). Photos and video stills of Michelle Martinko and Jerry Burns, and footage from the police interview, transport video, jail video and court proceedings, are news, pool and public-record images used for commentary and identification (fair use). Family photos of Michelle are trial exhibits; they are shown in sepia because the courtroom screen they were filmed from distorted their colours. Video clips: Cedar Rapids Police hidden-camera interview and squad-car video (Dec 19, 2018), Linn County jail video (Jan 11, 2020), trial footage (Scott County, Feb 2020; via Law&Crime Network) and sentencing hearing (Aug 7, 2020; via Iowa's News Now), short excerpts used for commentary and news reporting (fair use). Stock footage: Pexels. Stock footage is labelled on screen and does not depict the real people or places. Maps, the timeline and the family tree are illustrations. The family tree is simplified and not the actual tree. Map locations are approximate. Map data: Natural Earth. Music: Pixabay (LemonMusicLab, Rockot, AtlasAudio, TopSecretMusicNetwork). Sound effects: original. Narration: AI voice. Clips labelled "ACTUAL FOOTAGE" are the real recordings. On-screen subtitles for the squad-car clip follow the court record where the audio is unclear. #TrueCrime #ColdCase