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$5M bond set for man charged with 1979 Cedar Rapids killing

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December 20th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A $5 million bond has been set for a northeast Iowa man charged with murder in the 1979 killing of a Cedar Rapids high school student. A judge set the bond for 64-year-old Jerry Lynn Burns on Thursday during his initial appearance in Linn County District Court in Cedar Rapids.

Police arrested Burns, of Manchester, on Wednesday, charging him with first-degree murder 39 years to the day after the killing of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko. Her body was found early the next day inside her family’s car parked at a shopping mall. She had stab wounds to her face and chest.

Police say they matched a blood sample from the crime scene with a sample taken from the suspect.
The next court hearing is set for Dec. 28.