Trial set for man accused of killing Iowa student in 1979

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A trial date has been set for a man accused of killing an Iowa high school student almost 40 years ago.

Cedar Rapids station KCRG reports that trial for 65-year-old Jerry Burns, of Manchester, has been set for Oct. 14 in Linn County.

Burns has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. Police arrested him Dec. 19, 39 years to the day after 18-year-old Michelle Martinko was killed. Her body was found the next day inside her family's car at a Cedar Rapids mall. She had been stabbed in the face and chest.

Police say investigators matched a blood sample from the crime scene with a sample taken from Burns.___

Information from: KCRG-TV, http://www.kcrg.com