), And in another bombshell, Joanns good friend Karen Devine said Joann planned to leave Andrew after the holidays. Patricia Lynne Rorrer made for a good suspect. Patricia was convicted based on her head hairs being found in the victim's car. Since 4 months elapsed between her disappearance and the discovery of the bodies, the medical examiner could not verify whether or not a sexual assault took place. Of course, if this matter was related to the inflicting of (non-consensual) pain or worse, and/or minors, thats a different matter but thats not the impression given. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to . Four months later, investigators found the bodies of Joann Katrinak and her baby 15 miles away from the Katrinak home at the edge of a field. For nine hours on the witness stand, Rorrer denied having anything to do with the killing. While not promising to allow the tests, a judge says he will allow an expert to examine evidence from the deaths in 1994 of 26-year-old Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son, Alex. It was after that round of testing that Rorrer insisted the cigarette butt be tested for DNA, as she was convinced it would exonerate her. JUROR, DISCUSSING AFTER THE RORRER TRIAL THE FACTORS THAT LED TO HIS DECISION. Image credit: Episode screen capture from, - Sarah OConnor: Joann Katrinaks Mother, - Det. Andrew's involvement in the latter theory was dismissed when his alibi checked out. Along with Rorrer, Joann Katrinaks ex-husband, Michael Jack, and Andrew Katrinak were suspects for a time. In addition to the Facebook page, there are Reddit threads on her case. If I were to challenge all the so-called evidence in the comments, it would make for a very long read. ""She was cool," Hege said of the 33-year-old mother, about the same time Rorrer was being arraigned. But we just weren't making it as a couple. he asked her. Ive fought 10-plus years, hard, and may or may not win, Rorrer wrote in an October 2008 letter to the Innocence Institute of Point Park University. The state of the bodies suggested the victims had likely been killed the day very they were abducted. On Oct. 5, 2007, the District Attorney of Lehigh County agreed to allow the testing of the hair found in the Toyota at Orchid Cellmark Laboratories in Dallas. 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. Together they had a baby girl, Nicole. Conflicting versions. Andrew Joseph Katrinak, 68 - Drake, CO - Has Court or Arrest Records Having read this recent appeal document (worth a perusal its not too long), which seems to address the fundamental issues at stake, I see no merit in the claim of wrongful conviction, but rather a clutching at straws in the hope that some (spurious) claim may just cast sufficient doubt on the conviction. So tragic. It'd be plausible to reason some deniability in Patricia's role if there weren't so many indicators of her involvement. The guy was banging at the door and yelling open this door. And then, he yelled something like What do you mean its not my kid? Traupman said in a sworn statement. Andrew Katrinak reported missing his wife, Joanne and 3.5-month-old son, Alex, in December 1994. Tragedy also touched Patricias life. The township invested an additional $50,000 for new equipment for the playground in 2012. ", "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. Christmas was right around the corner, and the biggest shopping center in that tri-county area is the King of Prussia Mall, which is about 54 minutes away from Catasauqua and a stones throw from Fairleys home in Gulph Mills. Having said that, to simply answer your question why? Police and FBI being under pressure to solve this highly publicized case, it had already been two years before they arrested Rorrer and case had gone cold. The voice on the phone will be warm and friendly right up until you tell her which transcripts you want. The trio were all dark and striking. Until next time, cheers. So begins a case that features a missing wife, a missing baby, and the husband who gave news interviews repeatedly asking for the return of his wife and son. I dont think she was ever scared until we put the cuffs on her.. Those hairs would ultimately send Rorrer to prison for life, even though she claims she never was in the car, and the evidence collection and preservation practices have been attacked.The next day, Andrew Katrinak told police that a gut instinct made him think Rorrer was involved. Try to do some REAL digging into this case. Shes attracted the help of writer Tammy Mal (full name Tammy Malinowski OReilly), author of Convenient Suspect, a book about the case. 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. Possession/viewing of porn and sexual devices would condemn millions on the basis this is meant to! Is the system THAT rotten? A young mother and her infant son suddenly went missing just before Christmas in 1994. It's shocking to think that Patricia Rorrer, being a mother, could end the life of an infant. If you subscribe to Hulu and upgrade to Starz (theres a free one-week trial offer), you can stream the Wrong Man episodes about Patricia Rorrer. 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. His wife's Toyota Corolla wasn't parked in back of their house at 740 F Everything about that statement rings false, but it sure worked out for Officer Suzanne Pearson; she was promoted to Sergeant after sharing this bombshell confession with her superiors. Friends and family began looking for Joann and Alex. Brad Jackson was able to describe what his daughter Valiree was wearing in incredible detail, down to the color of her socks. Last weeks post told of two nice people with the bad luck to cross paths with a personable married couple who were thrill killers looking for prey. The final call in December 1994 ended with Joann Katrinak angrily telling her to stop calling, according to police. as she was convinced it would exonerate her. Without wishing to be pedantic, it cant be said what was in her mind, as though you can see her truth. All one can say is she thought/hoped it might (without there being any realistic basis implied that it would or should). Stable situation. "She had a reputation of, `You don't mess with me,'" Fonda Kay Eggers told a reporter for the Dispatch of Lexington, N.C. Eggers, a Humane Society investigator and distant relative of Rorrer, filed animal cruelty charges against Rorrer in 1994 after checking on Rorrer's horses. But Patricia had moved from Pennsylvania years ago, and she'd started her own family in North Carolina. 7 Unnerving Facts About the Lindberghs and the Kidnapping, The Lindbergh Kidnapping: Forensic Files Lost Episode, Dawn Fehring: A Missionary Dies Too Young, Daniel and Cynthia McDonnell: Good Cop, Bad Wife. 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. But if Rorrer was a genuine suspect, it's likely investigators would have attempted the mitochondrial DNA match on the hair anyway. I have the same profile but had no children. On closer inspection, he saw it was the body of a woman. Region. When police traveled to North Carolina to interview Patricia about the murders of Joann and Alex, she said that on the day of the homicides, she had visited a feed store, a tanning salon, and a country music club. They allege that she drove the victims to Heidelberg Township woods where they were murdered and abandoned. During Patricias hours-long turn in the witness chair, Michael McIntyre grilled her relentlessly. Are we to believe that Rorrer was still in such a rage 8 days later that she hopped into her van (with a bad universal joint), drove 500+ miles and killed a woman and baby she had never met, without anyone either seeing her in PA or missing her from NC? ; So after a stressful afternoon of kidnapping and murder, she decides to relax with a nice soothing cigarette right there at the crime scene. Overly cynical: you must know that more than a few perps have been caught this way stupid as it is. Its not clear whether Fairleys interest in vampires was part of D&D or a separate pastime. According to Pennsylvania State Police, Rorrer met Andrew Katrinak, the husband and father of the victims, in 1986. Then, despite her multiple alibis, she has an inexplicable five-day gap in this pattern. Nothing probative of innocence should be read into anything she offers viz DNA. Recall Jason Funk's role in Katie Froeschle's murder in Muffled Cries (s11e31) or the trail of evidence left by Earl Bramblett in Private Thoughts (s08e16). To commit the murders, Rorrer took her victims out to a location that was familiar and significant. Patricia demonstrated a habit of making almost daily, long-distance phone calls from her home in North Carolina. And fire hydrant of a man. 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. It certainly tugged at our heartstrings, you know, it brought a tear to my eye. ", "I can remember till this day, seeing that infant being lifted off the abdomen of his mother. Today, they are married and live in Colorado. 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?. The states theory was that this was a fatal attraction/cant let go motivated killing. No show. Another former boyfriend said she talked about Andrew frequently and liked to gaze at old photos of him. Joann Katrinak - Generation Why Podcast WHY? Rorrer was a slim, auburn-haired, 30-year-old photographer and horse enthusiast.Before he called police, family members canvassed nearby neighborhoods, driving around the suburban community of about 7,000 people near Allentown, Pa. Around midnight, Joann Katrinaks father found his daughters Toyota Corolla near a tavern down the street. This was where Joann regularly parked her car and became an even more likely crime scene when the evidence of the basement break-in was discovered. Then, in what has to be everyones favorite part of the episode, police noticed Fairley was wearing beige makeup on his face when they brought him in for questioning. "Investigators allege Rorrer "in a fit of irrational rage" drove from Linwood, N.C., to Catasauqua, to abduct Joann Katrinak and her baby, Alex, at gunpoint. It houses 2,114 inmates but has bed capacity for just 1,826. Shes far from dumb, but shes not exactly educated, either. I was like OK, maybe she was tired, you know with a new baby. Cop defends accused. They theorized might've simply started a new life with another man, but this seemed absurd to everyone who knew Joann. The autopsy indicated that Joann fought hard for her life. December 15th, 1994. They also found a photo of Patricia taken 11 days before the homicide. Unicorns and getting really buff can be equally fantastical. Please research the Katrinak case a little when you have some time. After Joann Katrinak, the wife of Patricia's former flame, turned up dead along with her infant son, prosecutors suspected Patricia. Patricia Rorrer (PA) SCI MuncyOE2170 Life Without ParoleDOB: January 24,1964. Patricia Rorrer: Guilty Or Not?. The FBI declared the strongest piece As for an epilogue on ex-flame Andrew Katrinak, he has moved to Colorado and kept a low profile since the trial ended. On Oct. 5, 2007, the District Attorney of Lehigh County agreed to allow the testing of the hair found in the Toyota at Orchid Cellmark Laboratories in Dallas. 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. The farmer's remote field bordered an isolated horseback riding trail. One on one? Andrew Katrinak said that Rorrercalled three days before his wife disappeared, but the phone records do not confirm this call.With little objection, prosecutors used the second FBI analysts description of the hair evidence to put Rorrer at the crime scene. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. memorial page for Joann Marie O'Connor Katrinak (11 Oct 1968-15 Dec 1994), Find a Grave . Joann Katrinaks Killer Still Has Innocence Advocates(A Woman Scorned, Forensic Files). He wanted to move to Colorado and she was against it.. Dedication. Patricia Rorrer Brutal Killing of Joanne Katrinak & Baby - FFF Her husband, Andrew, was surprised to not find his wife and child at home . Police found Lisasbody after Fairley agreed to disclose its location in exchange for a promise that they wouldnt pursue the death penalty. Patricia knew her gun tended to jam, but she used it anyway. And their phone line had been cut someone had not wanted the Katrinaks to be able to call for help. Leave a comment below, or contact us! But by all accounts, Rorrer only spoke to Andrew Katrinak once or twice a year. Men who murder are conventional, women are sensational, posits the Worldwide Womens Criminal Justice Network. 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. Police converged on the scene and soon realized it was not only the remains of Joann Katrinak, but sadly of Alex too. She also said that she was in North Carolina on the day of the abduction, where she was involved in a committed relationship with the father of her daughter. At 10:30 p.m., Andrew reported his wife missing. Court papers allege he asked the customer for sex in return for the drug. By: Robert S. In 1994, Joann Katrinak called her mother-in-law and made plans to go holiday shopping. Three days before she vanished, Mrs. Katrinak had angrily told Ms. Rorrer to stop calling her husband. The victims were the wife and son of Rorrer's ex-boyfriend, Andrew Katrinak.Lt. It also presented initial FBI reports which claim half of the hair evidence was destroyed during the DNA testing process and the other half was tainted and untestable. TENTH DISTRICT. Whether she suffocated him or left him to die of exposure, there's a special place in hell for someone who's able to live with themselves after such a heinous crime. The series was produced by Joe Berlinger, who made the Paradise Lost documentaries, which garnered actor Johnny Depps attention and ultimately helped free the West Memphis Three. Weak wages. USA. Police treated Joann's car as a potential crime scene, and their investigation turned up several blonde hairs on the head rest. Andrew Katrinak Obituary (2015) - Bethlehem, PA - Morning Call - Legacy.com Thanks for responding, Marcus. In March of 1998, a jury returned two guilty verdicts against Patricia Rorrer for murder, and two more for kidnapping. I watched both the prosecutor and the lead investigator on that case squirm when Datelines Keith Morrison posed some pretty tough questions, and their answers were less than satisfactory. Her husband, Andrew, was surprised to not find his wife and child at home after arriving there after work. The 5-foot-9-inch-tall Patricia was physically strong, no match for 5-foot-4-inch Joann. Here in UK juries are now being instructed to be satisfied that they are sure of guilt, with surety not being as high as certainty.