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By Emily Blackwood December 21, 2025
people.com
Michelle Martinko ; Jerry Burns.Credit :
Cedar Rapids Police Dept. ; AP/Shutterstock
Michelle Martinko was found stabbed to death in her car outside a local mall in December 1979. After ruling out those who knew her, the Cedar Rapids Police Department started to suspect that the 18-year-old Iowa teen had been stabbed 29 times by a stranger. She was not robbed, despite having $186 on her, and was not sexually assaulted.
"She was nervous about going out to the mall by herself," her friend, Tracy Price, told CBS's 48 Hours in December 2023. "She had told someone that she felt like she was being followed."
Michelle Martinko Was Stabbed 29 Times — Then Her Case Went Cold. Here's How Police Caught Her Killer 40 Years Later
Michelle Martinko was murdered in 1979. Here's everything to know about how police solved the Michelle Martinko's 40-year-old cold case and who killed the teen.
Michelle Martinko ; Jerry Burns.Credit :
Cedar Rapids Police Dept. ; AP/Shutterstock
- ''Michelle Martinko was found stabbed to death outside a mall in Iowa in December 1979
- The teen's case went cold for decades until new DNA evidence was discovered in 2006
- Police arrested Jerry Burns for Martinko's murder in 2018, and he was later sentenced to life in prison
Michelle Martinko was found stabbed to death in her car outside a local mall in December 1979. After ruling out those who knew her, the Cedar Rapids Police Department started to suspect that the 18-year-old Iowa teen had been stabbed 29 times by a stranger. She was not robbed, despite having $186 on her, and was not sexually assaulted.
"She was nervous about going out to the mall by herself," her friend, Tracy Price, told CBS's 48 Hours in December 2023. "She had told someone that she felt like she was being followed."
