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. Trash-talking ex. 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. 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. Its definitely getting rougher every day, Andrew told the Morning Call. "I'm very angry, very very very angry," McIntyre said. Lawyer: New evidence in 1994 killings of woman, infant Man, this case was soooo shittily handled. It's been more than 20 years since Patricia Rorrer was convicted of killing her ex-boyfriend's wife, Joann Katrinak, and Katrinak's baby. Do any of the TV episodes suggest the possibility of their being held alive for some time? These hairs being found in the otherwise cleaned car was also odd. It all gave jurors a lot to think about but only for six hours. Joann was shot once, then the gun jammed. God Bless each of you. I didn't see other potential suspects highlighted. Patricia Rorrer being escorted by the police | Photo Credits: People Magazine. By the time they asked supposed witnesses, most had forgotten about that random dance class (there were many). The farmer's remote field bordered an isolated horseback riding trail. Free Patricia Rorrer - Facebook They had a son, Alex Martin, in August of 1994. Around April 1995, the cold and badly decomposed remains of 26-year-old Joann Katrinak and her 3.5-month-old toddler Alex Katrinak were recovered from the woods in Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania. Wish me luck! As for an epilogue on ex-flame Andrew Katrinak, he has moved to Colorado and kept a low profile since the trial ended. Nickelodeons Kids Choice Awards: What Is Slime, and Why Do We Love It? The investigation that led to her identification and then turned up enough evidence to arrest and convict Patricia Rorrer was interesting. after the fact. She is a true crime writer who believed I was 100% guilty when she decided to write about my case. 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. This was part of Rorrer's defense strategy it seemed like an unrealistic motive to commit murder. Unseasonably warm weather in late December suggested that the victims were there since they were killed. The 26-year-old was recently married, and this would be four-month-old Alex's first Christmas. I lived more than 500 miles away, was engaged to be married, was a new mother, and all of a sudden I'm arrested for murdering two people I'd never even met? Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and improve the legal counsel for Patricia. Together they had a baby girl, Nicole. After all, one of the key pieces of evidence recovered from the crime scene and Joanns vehicle were dyed blonde hair strands. The indications of Patricia's involvement in Joann's and young Alex's disappearance were numerous. 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. Every time you take your infant to the Dr., they take measurements, so I'm wondering if records exist that show the baby was always in the higher percentile, or if he was say, 60-70th percentile, then suddenly BAM! (QUIZ), RAW: FILE: CHRIS ROCK IS SET TO MAKE NETFLIX HISTORY, Outlast Forces Lone Wolf Contestants to Embrace Team Dynamics for Netflix Competition, Diego Luna: Andor Ending With Season 2 Is Really Important for My Mental Health. After the premiere episode, Wrong Man will air on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. Everyone needs to wake up because this could be you, your wife, your husband, your mother, your father, your children! Berlingers recently directed Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, and the feature film on the infamous serial killer, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, for Netflix. On Thursday, December 15, 1994, Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son, Alex, went missing from their Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, home. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. "The issues that we are presenting are not speculative at all," Neely said. You have permission to edit this article. Murder victim. Startling new allegations surround one of Lehigh County's most notorious murder cases. And the kidnapping scenario became more plausible when you factor in the privacy of the alleyway behind the Katrinak house. Despite the new evidence and hypotheses, the courts have rejected all of Patricias bids for a new trial. No one is safe if the justice system is broken and they are putting innocent people in prison. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Here is the link https://www.amazon.com/Convenient-Suspect-Investigation-Railroading-Innocent/dp/B0777SGHL4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=tammy%20mal&qid=1588982960&sr=8-1&fbclid=IwAR0xwJARGyijcn3BqdWAzXSX0l9C7kM-9UtBxQio4AsMv62neDLzggK1IrI. Innocent nonprofit Wrongful Conviction. She seemed like quite an unlikely suspect at least at first. This is a list of notable female murderers whose name begins with the letter R. Over 200 people were convicted using this science ( https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/fbi-overstated-forensic-hair-matches-in-nearly-all-criminal-trials-for-decades/2015/04/18/39c8d8c6-e515-11e4-b510-962fcfabc310_story.html). Andrew mentioned to police that his former live-in girlfriend Patricia Rorrer once managed a horse stable two miles from the bodies location and would have been familiar with the riding trails close to the murder scene. Artificial intelligence and machine learning education and literacy: teacher training for primary and secondary education teachers; Chapter 2. You couldnt fire a second shot. However, her name was not on the sign-in list. The media love the femme fatale., FBI lab blunder. And, I was quite angry with the police, that they accused Andy. During Patricias hours-long turn in the witness chair, Michael McIntyre grilled her relentlessly. It's possible he was just a big baby/growing faster than average, but if there's some indication that they were alive for some time after their abduction, then it would seem to be an entirely different kind of crime than was first thought. Keith Morrison investigates the horrific murders of Joann Katrinak and her infant son Alex, and the ongoing claims that Patricia Rorrer, the woman who has already served 19 years in prison for the murders, was wrongfully convicted. And their phone line had been cut someone had not wanted the Katrinaks to be able to call for help. For example, the weight of each organ was listed, it was clear they were not very decomposed. The episode made a special point about locating the photograph of Patricia Rorrer with dyed blonde hair. 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. Mizgerd said she is convinced Rorrer is innocent. Crime 2017. She claimed to be at a dance class in private club but her name was missing from the sign in sheet that night. At first, a broad-daylight abduction of a mother and her infant seemed unlikely. Patricia Rorrer | Worldwide Womens Criminal Justice Network - WCJN It addresses each of these issues (better than I can do, certainly). Watch enough true crime shows and you're bound to hear one of these gems. DNA from that and a cigarette butt linked Patricia to the offense. Andrew's second look in and around their home revealed some disturbing clues. Here was some other evidence mentioned in the Forensic Files episode: A forensic entomologist examined insect activity on the victims. Where does one pick up flower petal in the dead of winter in PA.? Patricia supposedly still cared for Andrew Katrinak, but murdering his son contradicts this notion. It's now up to a judge to decide whether to allow that information, as well as information questioning the validity of hair samples that helped put Rorrer behind bars. She said that shes no fan of Forensic Files and that the show had many misrepresentations about her case and that shed heard ForensicFilesNow.com mixed up some facts as well. Police identified the pair as Joann and Alex Katrinak. I was so excited that I called everyone, and Joanne picked up the phone and she said Andy is married, and I said I know, then she said we have a baby, and I said yea I know, then she said dont ever call here again. The victim in this crime had a hair clutched in her right hand, and three pieces of fingernail found on her body, none of which has ever been tested. MEMORANDUM BY BOWES, J.: FILED OCTOBER 26, 2017 Patricia Lynne Rorrer appeals the PCRA court's dismissal of her . Patricia Rorrer was convicted of both deaths in the mid-90's and is serving a life sentence. At the very least, prosecutors got their story very wrong as they convicted Patricia. Patricia defaulted on her mortgage and then returned to North Carolina, where she eventually moved in with a boyfriend named Brian Ward. What about Joann's best friend, who told the producer's of Wrong Man that Joann was saving up money and planning to leave Andy right after the holidays? 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. A closer examination of the hairs showed traces of dried blood. An infant was lying face down on her stomach. Also she worked as a realtor so it's not that unreasonable for her to know which line to cut. The team on Wrong Man tracked down the history of this gun and found that the police did so as well. Any ideas why the fact that their bodies didnt appear to have been in the woods as long as previously thought wasnt brought up in court? Patricia Rorrer Age: 51 Sex: FEMALE Of course, Patricia denied this. Read More:Where is Jacqueline Crymble Now? Phone calls played a significant role in the case overall. The Irish-Italian girl had full, fluffy dark hair, olive skin, and a pretty face. They theorized might've simply started a new life with another man, but this seemed absurd to everyone who knew Joann. "Our position is that Patricia Rorrer's sample hairs were switched with crime scene hair, the hair taken from the seat back of Katrinak's vehicle," Neely said. She claimed that shed spent that fateful day at a tanning salon and a country music club, but suspicion mounted when the guest book for the latter didnt have her name and a photo shed taken 11 days prior showed her naturally brown hair dyed blonde. The missing items included Joann's purse, car, both her and Alex's winter jackets, and the diaper bag. Any amount will deeply appreciated. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The authorities charged her with two counts of murder. Startling new allegations surround one of Lehigh County's most notorious murder cases. I was convicted on microscopic hair comparison and DNA testing that rendered a "match" of 1 in 37,000. - On December 15, 1994, Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son Alex disappeared without a trace from their home in Catasauqua, Pa. Patricia Rorrer, the ex-girlfriend of Katrinak's husband, was . "Reasonable Doubt" The Ex Files (TV Episode 2022) - IMDb Keith Morrison investigates the horrific 1994 murders of Joann Katrinak and her infant son Alex, the tangled relationships surrounding the crime, and the ongoing claims that Patricia Rorrer was wrongfully convicted. I can't recall if the long distance calls were talked about in the show. Rejection and betrayal are good enough reasons for these women to commit heinous crimes. Watch Reasonable Doubt Online | Season 5 (2022) | TV Guide Of course she did--because all that was out there on me was fake news. Forensic tests suggested the hair found in the car and at the murder scene came from Patricia. So much in this case, and every time she appeals with new evidence she is denied. Sad part is this could be your mother, father, kids, all love ones and friends! She was bubbly and likable, not disgruntled, according to friend Kathy Barber, who visited her friend in jail. This is the hard part. Learn more about our upcoming events, fundraisers, and more! Her advocates say she wasn't even in the same state at the time of the crime. His team includes renowned civil rights attorney Ron Kuby, former prosecutor Sue-Ann Robinson, retired NCIS investigator Joe Kennedy, and Ira Todd of Detroits elite Homicide Task Force. It's sad looking back at those Forensic Files episodes where the science was junk but they portray it as a solid case. ", "Due to the fact that she sustained one gunshot wound to the face, and then approximately 19 blows to the head led us to believe that the gun probably had jammed. Family members found Joanns tan Toyota sitting vacant in the parking lot of McCartys, a nearby bar. The FBI Files (Family Secrets) mentioned that Patty also lied about being at a tanning salon. When Andrew was told of the location of his young family's remains, he offered investigators a lead. When they found Joann and Alex in a wooded area on April 9 1995. It seems likely these bodies were dumped here months after initially thought, not killed the day they were kidnapped. She needs to be freed! Today, Patricia Lynne Rorrer resides in State Correctional Institute at Muncy, a medium and maximum security facility that has the highest rate of cancer of all prisons in Pennsylvania, according to a story from northcentralpa.com. This is for them also and freeing an innocent woman! We take wrongful convictions to heart. 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. Until WCJN has thought that the hair was planted but the FBI has just released a report detailing unscientific and fraudulent analysis of hair samples in criminal cases. In his dissenting opinion, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas acknowledged the case might not have even been heard by the Supreme Court had it not been for the media that reinvestigated it. Andrew languished for weeks and then months as investigators failed to suppl any explanation for his wife's and son's mysterious disappearance. I wasn't hung up on Andy, and I didn't want him back. On December 12, 1994, Joann answered a phone call from a woman shed never met, Patricia Rorrer, her husbands onetime girlfriend. Mitochondrial DNA - Wikipedia Value of cutting back on your screen time, What the Tech? Lehigh Valley: Patricia Rorrer Still A Convenient Suspect? The phone wire was located at the opposite end of the basement, which was dark. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. There is still an appeal coming up (I believe) but everything else has failed so far to get Patricia another trial. According to a Morning Call account from March 5, 1998: McIntyre leaned forward conspiratorially like someone trying to persuade another to tell a secret, lowered his voice and said: Heres what I want to know: After you killed Joann Katrinak, did you kill that baby or just leave it to die?. Error! Patty Rorrer is convicted of the kidnapping and murder of her ex-boyfriends wife and infant son, but Wrong Man investigators discover that the case is not so clear cut. The woman (who owned the salon) stated that they were closed that day and that she and her husband were out of town celebrating his birthday. Obviously her husband Andy would be the main suspect (and his smirking after Patricia was found guilty was galling) but the Wrong Man team spoke to him and seem convinced that he was being truthful. Most prosecutors wouldn't even take such paltry evidence into court today. Joann Katrinak and her infant son were brutally murdered. She was always looking for a fight, Gary Gabard told the Morning Call, which noted that he was a head shorter than Patricia. As is the alibi (signing into a dance class), one regular at the dance club said the sign-in sheet was not regularly used by many patrons. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. And why was my defense not provided with the "No Roots Attached" report which is exculpatory evidence, at trial.? The episode indicated that Andrew Katrinak informed police that Patricia Rorrer had made the phone call to his home three days before Joann's disappearance. This had been taken just 11 days before Joann's disappearance. It was conceivable that Andrew believed they were still out. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. There was an error processing your request. One detail the cops noted was how many times Joann was beaten, something like 20 times, the husband was a boxer so it's doubtful he'd need that many. Wrong Man Season 2 Release Date Confirmed (Exclusive) Congratulations to all four of you, especially Rell and Phill, who are both co-founding members of R2R and CADBI. After a very early failed marriage, the 24-year-old Joann scored a new husband in Andrew Katrinak, 38, whom she met at a club. Other defense claims and recent updates include: Two separate witnesses claim to have seen an unhappy Joann with a man on the day of her disappearance. Um why is that? But was Andrew in on this plan? Joann was fun, likable, beautiful, always happy, said her sister-in-law Cindy Wiard. In November 2005, she shoots Keith in the head while he . After relocating to Pennsylvania, Patricia met the 6-foot-2-inch Andrew in a restaurant. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. No comments yet - start the conversation above. She is a tough one, Sheriff Gerald Hege would later tell the Morning Call in a June 29, 1997 interview. It'd be plausible to reason some deniability in Patricia's role if there weren't so many indicators of her involvement. The Free Patricia Rorrer page responds to comments from supporters (How is this even possible that this woman is still in jail?!? After retracing the prosecutor's claim of Patricia breaking into the basement door, private investigators found it highly unlikely someone like Patricia would have all the tools and know-how to unscrew all the bolts and then navigate through a very long, confusing dark basement to cut a phone line. He was sentenced to death after being convicted of the brutal torture and murder of a young babysitter named Linda Rodgers in 1984 in Santa Ana, California. Or was it? Wow this episode was featured on Forensic Files. The Morning Call To my knowledge these items have never been DNA tested but the prosecutor stipulated that the hair in Joann's hand does not belong to me, and Dr. Tom Jensen, the PSP forensic scientist noted that the fingernail is to large to belong to me.. Who does this evidence belong to? At the states request, the instructor wore a wire during a phone conversation with Patricia. ", "An unusual feature about the gun, he [Rorrers ex-boyfriend] stated was the fact that you fire one shot out of the gun, and the gun would jam. Tips to help protect your smartphone from thieves, Godfather of soft rock David Lindley dead aged 78 after months of illness, Prince George set to play key role in King Charles coronation but only if hes back in school ASAP after!, Idris Elba: Its MY prerogative to stop labelling myself a black actor, Stephen tWitch Boss widow Allison Holker tells their kids they will find courage, Which Outer Banks Character Are You? Some who still believe in Patricia Rorrer's innocence say it was long enough for him to stage the scene. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. New state, new man. Pfeiffer and Burke claimed that police Sgt. They even lived together for about two years before parting ways for good. "Wrong Man" Patricia Rorrer: Under the Microscope (TV Episode 2020 Success! Keith Morrison investigates the horrific 1994 murders of Joann Katrinak and her infant son Alex, the tangled relationships surrounding the crime, and the ongoing claims that Patricia Rorrer was wrongfully convicted. Many of these are circumstantial, so investigators were grateful for their DNA match from the hair. 6-10. According to the LA Times, the United States Supreme Court struck down the conviction of death row inmate Curtis Flowers, who was prosecuted six times for the same crime of quadruple murder, and by the same prosecutor, in a case riddled with evidentiary problems and allegations of racial bias, according to the press statement. Catherine Howard - Fifth Wife of Henry VIII Documentary It showed her usually all-brown hair haphazardly highlighted blond. I dont think she was ever scared until we put the cuffs on her.. The victims vanished on December 15. Appeal from the PCRA Order May 26, 2016. 1994 double-murder case returns to Lehigh County Court - Lehighvalleylive The episode claimed the jury required just two hours to deliberate, but other sources indicate it took six. Police slowly built a case against Patricia. She was thus sentenced to two life terms without the possibility of parole, plus an added 10-20 years for the kidnapping charges, to be served consecutively. There are claims that the cigarette butt wasnt examined and that the hair strands had no roots (which contain the DNA), suggesting that nothing truly ties Patricia to the homicides. Most prosecutors wouldn't even take such paltry evidence into court today. Both sides agree Joann hung up on Patricia. . Decades-old Lehigh Valley murder case back in national spotlight, Stormcenter - School / Business Application. The second is Patricia Rorrer, who has been in prison since 1998 after being convicted of the horrific murder of a young mother, Joann Katrinak, and her 15-week old son in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. 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.
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