His father confirmed his alibi that they were doing construction work together, putting an addition on the house of friends Tom and Kathy Holschwander, at the time of Joanns disappearance. 2023 Warner Bros. Lieutenant Christopher Coble and Sergeant Suzanne Pearson would later testify that Patricia cried and apologized to 18-month-old Nicole, telling the baby, Im sorry for doing this to you and lamenting to the officers that she would never see little Nicole again. Sundays special is the first of at least two Morrison is working on with Investigation Discovery, who he says have given me unlimited freedom to look into cases that interest me.. The Ex Files: Directed by Rob Rosen. He said, "The only possible thing that would make any sense is to claim that the hair that was tested wasn't the hair of the case, it was somehow, some other extraneous hair that got in there. Forensic Files didnt mention it, but the hairs were actually brown at the top and the rest dyed blond, according to the show Autopsy Six: A Fatal Attraction. Two-Part Special Premieres Sunday, March 5 at 8/7c; Features Exclusive First-Ever Interview with Inmate Patricia Rorrer (Silver Spring, Md.) Just recently, however, that hope was dashed when the court denied her appeal. This is an incendiary case that continues to provoke passion on both sides, said Morrison. They allege that the North Carolina resident stealthily drove 500 miles to Pennsylvania and killed out of a sense of deadly indignation. Investigators initially keyed in on Katrinaks husband, Andrew, whod told police he thought someone broke into his house, cut the telephone line and abducted his wife and son. A nail that does. She is sitting in Muncey Women's Correctional Facility for over 23 years now for something. ", Neely said, "If there were no hair roots when this hair went to the FBI, where did a hair with a hair root come from?". Neely has filed a petition for post conviction relief for Rorrer because he says critical evidence in the case doesn't add up. Patricias phone bill showed no record of a call to Catasauqua that day, but police noticed she didnt make any calls at all from her house in North Carolina that day either suggesting she could have been out of state and used a pay phone to dial up the Katrinaks. Testimony from Walter Blalock contradicted Patricias claim that she never had a gun. Other loyal friends and associates attested to Patricias kindness toward horses and devotion to her daughter, whom she took along as she worked in stables. And Andrews explanation of how the intruder got in through the basement door seemed contrived, according to Grube, who gave an interview to Wrong Man, a 2020 true-crime docuseries from the Starz network, which produced two episodes called The Hang Up about the Rorrer case. The media love the femme fatale., FBI lab blunder. 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Why did they refuse to investigate a hair found in the victims right hand? Joann Katrinaks car was later found next door in the parking lot of a local tavern. Shes attracted the help of writer Tammy Mal (full name Tammy Malinowski OReilly), author of Convenient Suspect, a book about the case. When she stood trial that same year, she maintained her innocence and alleged that she and Andrew Katrinak had continued to stay in touch as good friends, so she wouldnt do anything to hurt him. DNA from that and a cigarette butt linked Patricia to the offense. If you know anything about their case, please call or text the "In Pursuit with John Walsh" hotline: 833-378-7783 (3-PURSUE). The authorities charged her with two counts of murder. Why was no root noted on the hairs found in Joanns car until, Why does the FBIs own report state that the hairs found in Joanns car. Walmart woe. Mostly cloudy, brisk, and unseasonably cool with a few scattered showers. Sharon Scott is the President and General Manager. More dry than wet overall, but still cool and unsettled. Medical examiners determined Katrinak had been beaten and shot. Everything from compromised crime scenes and contaminated evidence, to suspects who were never cleared, witness statements that were withheld from the defense, and crucial evidence that was simply dismissed and ignored has cast doubt on Rorrers guilt and led to a number of unanswered questions. However, prosecutors contended that Patricia attacked Joann and Alex because she wanted to reconcile with her ex, and his wife had hung up the phone on her when shed called in December 1994. Family members found Joanns tan Toyota sitting vacant in the parking lot of McCartys, a nearby bar. Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. The case rocked Pennsylvanias Lehigh Valley and resulted in the conviction of Patricia Rorrer, now 53, the ex-girlfriend of Katrinaks husband. On December 12, 1994, Joann answered a phone call from a woman shed never met, Patricia Rorrer, her husbands onetime girlfriend. After six hours of deliberations, in March 1998, a jury found Patricia guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of kidnapping. Two-Part Special Premieres Sunday, March 5 at 8/7c; Features Exclusive First-Ever Interview with Inmate Patricia Rorrer . She currently has an appeal pending in Pennsylvania Superior Court. Are other banks to follow? Katrinak's husband's ex-girlfriend was convicted of the crime, but now there's a possibility the case could be reopened. Flaw in reasoning. Pal stays true. In 1994, a mother, Joann Katrinak, and her baby disappeared and their bodies were later found in Heidelberg Township. Suzanne Pearson fabricated quotes from Patricia including her claim that Patricia said, Im going to the electric chair upon her arrest because a conviction would boost Pearsons career. The Irish-Italian girl had full, fluffy dark hair, olive skin, and a pretty face. stream At 10:30 p.m., Andrew reported his wife missing. Contained in Superior Courts 22-page opinion are a minimum of 24 factual errors; many of which are extremely serious. (Disclaimer: Im not a big fan of eyewitnesses who come forward years after the fact, but its possible). Charles Robert, the 3-month-old son she had with Gary Gabard, died of sudden infant death syndrome; Patricia found him blue in his crib. DNA testing showed that Patricia could not be excluded as the source of the hairs and according to the prosecution that, combined with circumstantial evidence, was enough to convict her. Shes just extremely happy with Andy, her brother, Michael OConnor, told the media. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Both bodies were found four months later along a rural trail close to where Rorrer used to ride horses. After relocating to Pennsylvania, Patricia met the 6-foot-2-inch Andrew in a restaurant. Is the wrong person serving a pair of life sentences for the 1994 kidnapping and killing of Pennsylvania mother Joann Katrinak and her 3-month-old son, Alex? <> Plus, two men, her babys father and his friend, testified they saw Patricia at the line-dancing club the night of the homicide. Ex-boyfriend Walter Blalock said that Patricia wanted him to be more like Andrew. <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Barry Grube, one of the few, if not only, police officers sympathetic to Patricias cause, noted that Andrew didnt seem particularly frantic while authorities searched desperately for his wife and son. Back in March of 2017, Investigation Discovery ran Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates which questioned the conviction of Patricia Rorrer for the brutal double murders of Joann Katrinak and her infant son, Alex. Back in March of 2017, Investigation Discovery ran Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates which questioned the conviction of Patricia Rorrer for the brutal double murders of Joann Katrinak and her infant son, Alex. And Patricia wasnt all edges. The police report misspells his name (Troutman) and doesnt include his address, suggesting authorities didnt want anyone to track him down, according to Patricias side. A hair sample that helped put Patricia Rorrer behind bars for life could be the key to set her free. Now retired, he declined ForensicFilesNow.coms invitation to spar directly with Patricia via a podcast. Patricias accusers theorized that she resented Joanns domestic bliss with the tall, athletic Andrew Katrinak. About Investigation Discovery Why would somebody tell you, theyre going to fry me, if they didnt do it? Jarrett told Wrong Man. 1 0 obj Error! Rorrer has long maintained her innocence, insisting shes has been framed. Rorrer and Andrew broke off their . 728 views. It showed her usually all-brown hair haphazardly highlighted blond. With Chris Anderson, Fatima Silva. Morrison did speak with Rorrer about the case, but cameras were barred from the prison. http://starz.tv/FB She was a real estate agent, a salesperson, and an equestrian, but she also had a rap sheet that included a 12-month probation sentence for shoplifting from a North Carolina Walmart. The couple moved into Andrews sturdy brick house at 740 Front Street in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. A few eyewitnesses who didnt testify at her initial trial also back her statements of being in North Carolina on that fateful day, but nothing has been proven. Tragedy also touched Patricias life. Plus, he had only a minimal life insurance policy on Joann and he passed polygraphs, according to The FBI Files: Family Secrets. 2 0 obj Later, they both worked 12-hour graveyard shifts at a textile factory. Patricias marriage fell apart, and she returned to Pennsylvania, where she fell in love with Andrew Andy Katrinak after meeting him at a restaurant. 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Unbloody vehicle. The article also notes that most inmates earn around 19 cent an hour at their jobs and must pay $5 each time they need medical attention or medicine. That's according to Craig Neely, who worked on the case for years as the defense attorney. What Happened To High School Senior Erica Fraysure? Joanns car was later found next door in the parking lot of a local tavern. With an appeal pending in Pennsylvania Superior Court that includes allegations of a frame-up, coercion by the District Attorneys office, misidentification of a witness and evidence tampering all of which the state vehemently denies veteran journalist and Dateline NBC correspondent Keith Morrison revisits the crimes in an all-new special MURDER IN LEHIGH VALLEY: KEITH MORRISON INVESTIGATES. Back in 1994, a mother, Joann Katrinak, and her baby disappeared and their bodies were later found in Heidelberg Township. b-zl(c=v78s#^#C OMm:Dcm=gG?Ig]h}[2?LF| gy$)3{l;,/q-zB]/W#w OKwabn;__`0T=VIa".%ze(tIB\TnJH0 9E4=aZA Meanwhile, the case of the missing mother and baby turned into colossal news across the U.S. and internationally. For more information, visit: http://www.peacockproductions.tv/. Patricia Lynne Rorrer made for a good suspect. $8.99/mo. Yet, everything changed when they lost their 3-month-old son to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Further, an early FBI report said the hairs found in the car had no roots which contain the DNA suggesting an evidence switcheroo. One of our nations fastest growing cable networks, ID delivers the highest-quality programming to more than 85 million U.S. households and is available in both high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD). But did the police arrest the right person? Theres also the matter of a woman who suddenly remembered she saw Joann with another man at a Food Mart store five days after the disappearance. Police identified the pair as Joann and Alex Katrinak. Our Mission. At 17, Patricia dropped out of high school and married landscaper Gary Gabard. She just stayed in touch with everybody, Kathy Barber said in her interview on NBCs Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Reports in 2017. Katrinak's husband's ex-girlfriend was convicted of the crime, but now there's a possibility the case could be reopened. Investigators theorized that this action angered Patricia into a jealous rage that ended with abduction and murder. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Donna Fisher/Allentown Morning Call/TNS via Getty, Arrests Made in Connection with Deadly Druggings at N.Y.C. However, as profiled on IDs Deadly Women: Green-Eyed Monsters, Joanns husbands ex-girlfriend, Patricia Rorrer, was eventually identified as their perpetrator. She is as effective at telling a story today as she was back then. In April 1995, the family buried Joann and Alex in a single bronze casket after a funeral mass at a Bethlehem church. After Joann Katrinak, the wife of Patricia's former flame, turned up dead along . No show. Tammy Mal is a true-crime writer whos written for True Detective Magazine and Absolute Crime Publishing. Combination locks. Documentary, Drama 2020-2020. 'Wrong Man" is a six-episode series from acclaimed award-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost Trilogy) that examines cases of inmates who have been incarcerated for decades and claim they're innocent. The Innocence Project has declined to take her case. If Patricia drove it back from the murder scene after she shot Joann and then beat her to death, luminal would have lit up the interior. Traupman claimed that when he reported the dispute, trooper Robert V. Egan III got mad and practically kicked him out of his office. Kenneth Clair, a homeless black man, is convicted and sentenced to death for the brutal murder of a babysitter in 1984. Will There Finally Be Justice For Megan McDonald? I was like OK, maybe she was tired, you know with a new baby. Prosecutors offered Patricia a plea deal that would take the death penalty off the table, but she declined. I most definitely will not personally afford Patricia a platform, Michael said in an email to ForensicFilesNow.com She had her chance to answer my questions and tell her story in court over 20 years ago. Three days later, Joann had plans to pick up her mother-in-law, Veronica Katrinak, to go Christmas shopping. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Chris and Fatima investigate the case in search of the truth. Gay Bars, 1 Suspect Still at Large, Cold Cases Heat Up: How Advances in DNA Technology Are Helping to Bring Justice for Victims. Gabby Petitos fianc and person of interest in her fatal strangulation disappeared in mid-September after saying he was going for a hike. Patricia was living back in North Carolina when the double murders occurred, yet investigators questioned her nonetheless. Patricia Lynne Rorrer made for a good suspect. How can this happen? When Andy Katrinak comes home to find his wife and infant son gone, he summons the police and tells them he believes they have been abducted, and he suspects his ex-girlfriend Patty Rorrer might be involved. 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This case will live with you for a while after you have seen the story, because it is one that has stuck with me., The show which debuts March 5 at both 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. They noted houses near the murder scene would have heard a gunshot in December, when no farm equipment is making noise, and question why the murderer didnt just kill Joann inside her house instead of risking being seen in public in her car. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Therefore, when Andrew revealed that his ex once worked in a barn near the site of his wife and sons bodies, she became a suspect. She had a suitcase packed, Devine said. Meticulous primping. The state made a case fueled by circumstantial evidence and public outrage over the deaths of a modern-day madonna and child. 3 0 obj Her brother returned home but she never did. Georgia Teen Vanished In South Carolina, Search Continues For North Carolina Girl, 11, Whose Parents Didnt Report Her Missing For Weeks, Where Is Ella Goodie? Trash-talking ex. Those who knew Joann pointed out that she didnt like to drive in reverse and would have never parked that way. Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand Up, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. (McIntyre said that Egan ignored Traupman because he was a nut who said that the man he saw arguing with the woman in a car was Hispanic but wearing a fake mustache and a toupee. On closer inspection, he saw it was the body of a woman. Police slowly built a case against Patricia. It is one of those completely addictive tales where theres so much that just points in both directions, Morrison tells PEOPLE. Mike McIntyre was the first assistant district attorney in Lehigh County during the case and says he's surprised Rorrer is making another attempt to get out of prison. 'Wrong Man" is a six-episode series from acclaimed award-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost Trilogy) that examines cases of inmates who have been incarcerated for decades and claim they're innocent. . His favorite rattle, shaped like a phone, lay near the crime scene. Great catch. (Silver Spring, Md.) The case against Rorrer relied heavily on six hairs recovered from Joann Katrinaks car as well as two strands that were found where the bodies had been dumped. On Instagram, I found a post for a two-part Win at All Costs podcast featuring journalism professor Bill Mousheys interviews with Patricia Rorrer from prison in December 2019. Read more: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. Patricia Lynne Rorrer. ), The Wrong Man investigators Ira Todd and Joe Kennedy have some theories of their own. Incriminating words. After Patricia and Andrew broke up in 1990, she moved back to North Carolina but the two remained in touch through sporadic visits and phone calls. Since that time, Rorrer has held out hope that Pennsylvanias Superior Court would grant her a hearing to examine the new evidence that has come to light in her case. Joann and Alex Katrinak both vanished in 1994. Investigation Discovery (ID) is the leading mystery-and-suspense network on television. If you have any information on this missing mystery, please contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department directly: 573-335-6621. Then 31 years old, she had lived a rocky existence. While baby Alexs cause of death has never been determined, Joann had been severely beaten and shot. Patricia seemed like the girl next door but all of a sudden, something snapped, Katrinak later told Wrong Man investigators. And dance instructor William Jarrett couldnt remember whether she attended his dance class at the club the night of Joanns disappearance. Peacock Productions reaches more than 300 million people worldwide every year across broadcast, cable, syndication, and emerging platforms with its award-winning specials and series. Louisiana Woman Disappeared After Giving Somebody A Ride. During Patricias hours-long turn in the witness chair, Michael McIntyre grilled her relentlessly. Joann Katrinaks Killer Still Has Innocence Advocates(A Woman Scorned, Forensic Files). She was always looking for a fight, Gary Gabard told the Morning Call, which noted that he was a head shorter than Patricia. She asked to speak with Andrew, who was home during the call; Joann refused. Andrew described his existence with Joanne and Alex as a little Camelot., Ex-spouse off list. Rorrer and Andrew broke off their relationship in 1990, but they remained in regular contact even as Rorrer moved 800 miles away. Not gender neutral. Shes extremely, extremely happy with the baby. Neely said once state police started to focus on Rorrer as a potential suspect, they went to North Carolina where she was living and they obtained a sample of her hair to compare to the ones found at the scene. Patricia L. Rorrer was taken into custody from the Linwood home she shared with her boyfriend and 1-year-old daughter on June 24, 1997. $Hm$5c&BRIb)iRsSI(*b|(:b|(*Plxt%|:J'i6. At the trial, prosecutor Michael McIntyre alleged that Patricia remained obsessed with Andrew Katrinak long after their breakup despite testimony that shed had many boyfriends and live-in lovers to occupy her bandwidth. PATRICIA RORRER, : : Petitioner : v. : CIVIL ACTION NUMBER 19-01398 : WENDY K. NICHOLAS, : : Respondents : MOTION FOR DISCOVERY AND CONSOLIDATED MEMORANDUM OF LAW . The state police dropped him as a suspect. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Is to get Patricia a fair trial that will prove her innocence, and give justice to Joann and Alex who died a horrific death. And she would just call out of the blue., According to the Free Patricia Rorrer page on Facebook:I called him to let him know that I was going to the USA finals for a horse show. Her friends say she was railroaded by the system and they want Ch Read allPatricia Rorrer is serving a life sentence, convicted of driving 500 miles to kill her ex-boyfriend's new wife and his baby. Weak wages. As for an epilogue on ex-flame Andrew Katrinak, he has moved to Colorado and kept a low profile since the trial ended. App of the Day: Poolsuite FM, What the Tech? 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ID has joined forces with Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison to revisit a 1994 double-murder that rattled Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. They returned with a guilty verdict and a sentence of two life terms. So lets get going on the recap of the Forensic Files episode A Woman Scorned, along with extra information drawn from internet research: Joann Marie OConnor was born on Oct. 11, 1968, the youngest of Sarah and David OConnors four children. They even lived together for about two years before parting ways for good. Andrew told investigators that the unpleasant phone call between Joann and Patricia happened just three days before his wifes disappearance. This all started because Rorrer filed under the Freedom of Information Act for records from the FBI. I cant lose them, he told the media. %Ll-{Xjd>=ktWeO]g&7y1i8|il_s= The Worldwide Womens Criminal Justice Networks website also points to a bombshell: In 2015, the Justice Department acknowledged that most of the team members from an FBI microscopic hair comparison unit gave prosecutors flawed data from 1980 to 2000 that could have unjustly contributed to a number convictions including Patricia Rorrers. You might think such a thing couldnt happen, but thats exactly what did happen in the Rorrer case. Angry that Joann hung up on her, she stalked her for three days, then broke into her basement and cut the phone line, put a gun to Joanns head as she was placing Alex in the car, and forced her to drive to the rural area. Patricia L. Rorrer was taken into custody from the Linwood home she shared with her boyfriend and 1-year-old daughter on June 24, 1997. She was a 23-year-old beauty just coming out of a bad marriage, and he a handsome and successful business owner 14 years her senior. My husband passed away of a broken heart, Sarah OConnor said on the Montel Williams Show in 2001. Nailed? But thats just some of the ammo on Team Patricias battleship. The person responsible, needs to be punished. These are but a brief sampling of the many errors and inaccuracies contained in Superior Courts opinion. He said, "Frankly, I was appalled at what I saw. Its definitely getting rougher every day, Andrew told the Morning Call.
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