Bio

Martin C. Link was born on April 17, 1963. Link lived in Missouri and had connections to both St. Louis and southeast Missouri. Earlier in his life, he lived near the area where Elissa Self-Braun was taken. He had also spent time near the area where her body was later found.

Before Elissa’s murder, Link already had a serious criminal history. In 1983, he was convicted of kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl. He received a 20-year prison sentence for that crime but was released on parole in 1989.

By January 1991, Link was living in South St. Louis, not far from the area where Elissa disappeared. Around the time of the crime, he was staying at motels outside St. Louis and driving a stolen Ford Tempo. That vehicle later became important in the investigation because physical evidence was found inside it.

Murder Story

On the morning of January 11, 1991, 11-year-old Elissa Self-Braun left her home in South St. Louis, Missouri. She was walking to her school bus stop before 6:30 a.m. Elissa attended Enright Classical Junior Academy, a school for gifted children. Elissa never arrived at school. Later that morning, the school contacted her parents to say she was absent. Her parents searched for her and then contacted police.

Four days later, on January 15, 1991, Elissa’s body was found near the St. Francis River in Wayne County, Missouri. The location was more than 100 miles south of St. Louis. Her body was discovered near a recreation area along the river. An autopsy showed that Elissa had been sexually assaulted and killed by ligature strangulation. Marks on her neck showed that a cord or similar object had been used to strangle her. Her boots were found near the body, but several of her belongings were missing.

On January 26, 1991, police tried to stop Martin Link during a traffic stop. He did not stop and led officers on a high-speed chase. The chase ended when he crashed the stolen Ford Tempo he was driving into a utility pole. He was arrested after the crash. Inside the vehicle, officers found a jar of petroleum jelly. Link’s fingerprints were on the jar, and small flecks of blood were found inside the jelly. DNA testing later connected Link to sperm cells found on Elissa’s body. Testing also connected Elissa to blood found in the petroleum jelly jar.

Other evidence also connected the car to the case. Fibers found on the front passenger seat of the vehicle were consistent with fibers from Elissa’s sweater. Clay found underneath the car was similar to clay from the area near the St. Francis River. Damage under the vehicle was also consistent with contact from rocks in the area where Elissa’s body was found. Link was tried in St. Louis for kidnapping, forcible rape, and first-degree murder. The jury found him guilty. During sentencing, the jury recommended the death penalty, and Link was sentenced to death for the murder. He also received prison sentences for the kidnapping and rape convictions.

Link appealed his conviction and sentence for many years. The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed the judgment, and later federal appeals also failed. His final challenges did not stop the execution.

Martin C. Link was executed by lethal injection shortly after midnight on February 9, 2011, at the state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri.