Live: Michelle Martinko murder trial for suspect Jerry Burns, Day 8

Feb. 21, 2020 8:45 am, Updated: Feb. 21, 2020 2:01 pm

Day 8 of the trial continues Monday for Jerry Burns, charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of Michelle Martinko on Dec. 19, 1979. Police found the 18-year-old's body in her parents' Buick parked at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids.

Follow reporter Trish Mehaffey's live coverage from the courtroom. She'll provide updates in the chat below, where you also can ask questions and post comments (your posts are being moderated by Trish, so they may not appear immediately, but she will receive them).

• MORE ABOUT THE CASE: Key moments in the Michelle Martinko cold case investigation

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Michael Spence of Spence Forensic Resources in New Mexico addresses the state of the repackaged case evidence of Martinko's pantyhose and dress at the Scott County Courthouse in Davenport on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Spence, the defense's first witness into the Burns' trial, said the trace amounts of male DNA on Martinko's dress was not enough to determine that the attacker shed blood. (Pool photo by Olivia Sun/Des Moines Register)