Bio

Jerry Mark was born in 1943 in Iowa. He grew up in a farming family with two brothers. His father managed a family farm where they raised corn and soybeans. The Mark family’s life revolved around farming, and their home was a large farmhouse that had been in the family for generations.

As a young man, Jerry showed a strong interest in education. He eventually went to college and graduated from law school. After completing his studies, he became involved in the Peace Corps, working in Brazil. Jerry was known to have progressive views and was part of the counterculture movement, which was particularly vibrant in the 1960s and 70s.

In the years that followed, Jerry moved to Berkeley, California, where he continued to embrace a lifestyle consistent with his beliefs. He lived with a girlfriend in a community that was active in social and political movements. While in California, Jerry continued to have a complicated relationship with his family, particularly with his younger brother, Leslie.

The relationship between the brothers was marked by tension, especially regarding family matters. This tension was largely focused on the management and inheritance of the family farm that Leslie had taken over from their father. The family dynamics became even more complicated as their father’s health declined.

By 1975, Jerry Mark’s life had taken many turns. He had traveled across the country and was living a lifestyle that was vastly different from his brother's, who remained in Iowa to manage the farm with his young family. 

Murder Story

On November 1, 1975, four members of the Mark family were shot to death in their home in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The victims were Leslie Mark, his wife Jorjean, and their two children, Julie and Jeff. Leslie's brother, Jerry Mark, was later convicted of the murders. The motive behind the crime was believed to be a dispute over the inheritance of the family farm.

On that fateful night, between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., the family was killed while they slept. Authorities reported that Jerry Mark drove from California to Iowa to commit the murders and returned to California after the crime. This was allegedly prompted by tensions regarding the family farm, which had recently been passed down to Leslie and Jorjean.

At the trial, the prosecution presented various pieces of evidence, including forensic findings. They argued that Jerry Mark purchased bullets in California that matched the ones found at the crime scene. Eyewitness testimony placed him in locations near Cedar Falls shortly before the murders were committed.

Jerry Mark's defense maintained his innocence. He claimed that he was nowhere near the farm when the murders took place. After being convicted in 1976, he received four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Since then, he has made numerous attempts to appeal his conviction, arguing that his trial was unfair due to the suppression of exculpatory evidence.

Over the years, there have been developments in forensic science that further complicated the evidence against him. DNA testing conducted years later excluded Jerry Mark from saliva found on cigarette butts at the crime scene. This evidence was critical in questioning the forensic conclusions presented at his trial.

While Jerry Mark remains incarcerated, he continues to fight for a new trial or his release based on claims that he was wrongfully convicted due to the alleged mishandling of evidence during his original trial. The case has gone through various appeals and legal challenges, drawing significant attention and highlighting the complexities of justice in this particular instance.