Murder of Michelle Martinko
How did a decades-old Christmas murder finally get solved?
4.4 (33)
51 mins
Discover how Michelle Martinko's unsolved murder haunted investigators for nearly forty years. Explore the DNA breakthrough that finally identified the man behind the killing.
Ep 1:
A Mall, A Murder, A Community Shattered
On a freezing December night in 1979, 18-year-old Michelle Martinko vanished from a Cedar Rapids mall parking lot, leaving behind a brutal crime scene and a community's shattered sense of safety.
Ep 2:
Suspicion Falls on the Innocent
As Cedar Rapids searched for answers, suspicion fell hard on two young men close to Michelle—while the real killer walked free for decades, and the case slowly went cold.
Ep 3:
DNA Wakes a Dead Case
Decades later, overlooked DNA evidence resurfaces, clearing longtime suspects and setting a new generation of detectives on a fresh, science-driven hunt for Michelle's true killer.
Ep 4:
A Face, A Family Tree, Three Brothers
A groundbreaking facial DNA composite and the Golden State Killer breakthrough lead investigators to a genealogy trail ending at three ordinary brothers in small-town Iowa.
Ep 5:
The Straw That Broke a Killer
Covert surveillance narrows in on Jerry Burns, culminating in a discarded straw, a shocking DNA match, and a chilling recorded confrontation exactly 39 years after the murder.
Ep 6:
Justice, DNA, and Unanswered Questions
Jerry Burns faces trial as DNA takes center stage, delivering a guilty verdict—while dark questions linger about other possible victims and lives forever altered by suspicion and grief.
Discussions (5)
Marshall
Level 4 · 2 mo agoDNA from GEDmatch cracked it
Richard
Level 5 · 2 mo agoThe part about Kurt Thomas still carrying guilt decades later hit hard. He couldn't have known there was a monster in that parking lot.
Westin
Level 2 · 2 mo agoJerry told his cellmate he WON💀
