An infant was lying face down on her stomach. Murder victim Joann Katrinak. Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the worlds #1 pay-TV programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in 220 countries and territories. Tillman disappeared in from New York City when he was only 14 years old. The Free Patricia Rorrer page responds to comments from supporters (How is this even possible that this woman is still in jail?!? According to the prosecution it was enough to convict. It is similar to Making a Murderer it just makes you want to learn more.. Self - Retired Detective Sergeant Homicide Investigator Birmingham AL Police Dept. Patricia and her husband broke up after the babys death. Lehigh Valley: Patricia Rorrer Still A Convenient Suspect? A Timeline of Adnan Syed's Case, Conviction and Release from Prison and What's Next for 'Serial' Subject, Innocent Man Freed After 2 Decades in Prison Thanks to True Crime Coverage of His Case, Alex Murdaugh Faces August Trial in Mallory Beach Wrongful Death Suit, Accused of Enabling Underage Drinking, Stephen Smith: All About the Teen's Mysterious 2015 Death and Reopened Investigation After Murdaugh Murders, Abby Choi's Ex-Husband Allegedly Attempted to Flee by Speedboat Following Her Killing, Dismemberment, Prosecutor Says Alex Murdaugh's Decision to Take Stand Was 'Fatal' Mistake: That's 'What Sealed It for Him', Everything to Know About the Murdaugh Family Murders, Including Alex's Conviction, Alex Murdaugh Prosecutors Say Jury 'Delivered Justice' with Murder Conviction, Alex Murdaugh Was Confronted by Law Firm About 'Stolen' Money on the Day of Family Killings: Witness, New '20/20' Episode Examines Shocking Murders of 4 University of Idaho Students, Will Bryan Kohberger Face Death Penalty if Convicted of Idaho Murders? Convenient Suspect: A Wrongful Conviction In The Murder In Lehigh Patricia Rorrer was a cold woman. 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. DNA from that and a cigarette butt linked Patricia to the offense. They allege that the North Carolina resident stealthily drove 500 miles to Pennsylvania and killed out of a sense of deadly indignation. Shes just extremely happy with Andy, her brother, Michael OConnor, told the media. But her reputation wasnt exactly sleek and shiny. Following the disappearance of Joann and Alex Katrinak, Joanns husband Andrew told police he believed someone had broken into his house, cut the telephone line and abducted his wife and son. As for an epilogue on ex-flame Andrew Katrinak, he has moved to Colorado and kept a low profile since the trial ended. She was sentenced to two life terms in prison without parole. Her newest book, Convenient Suspect, is scheduled for release in the fall of 2017 and recounts the murders of Joann and Alex Katrinak and the potential wrongful conviction of Patricia Rorrer. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. All of STARZ blockbuster movies, epic originals, and addictive series. Rorrer and Andrew broke off their . 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. Peacock Productions, a division of NBC News, is a nonfiction production company that combines the editorial expertise, technical resources, and seasoned talent of NBCUniversal to create series, events, and live specials for global audiences. The Ex Files: Directed by Rob Rosen. 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. Back in 1994, a mother, Joann Katrinak, and her baby disappeared and their bodies were later found in Heidelberg Township. Patricia Rorrer: Guilty Or Not? - Medium Joann Katrinaks car was later found next door in the parking lot of a local tavern. 1 0 obj
She was always looking for a fight, Gary Gabard told the Morning Call, which noted that he was a head shorter than Patricia. She had a suitcase packed, Devine said. This Sunday, Investigation Discovery and velvety-voiced Dateline NBC correspondent Keith Morrison will revisit the double-homicide. On January 11, 2021, In TV clips, Andrew didnt come off as anguished. Still, no good leads materialized. Patricia Rorrer: An Update - Forensic Files Now I also communicated with Patricia via email to get her input on some matters. Some lawyers call microscopic hair analysis junk science that today wouldnt qualify as evidence in a trial like Rorrers. Starting at. The cause of death has not been determined, according to officials. Her mother, Patricia Chambers, provided day care for their baby son, Charles. Puny policy. She currently has an appeal pending in Pennsylvania Superior Court. Watch Wrong Man: Ep 203 - Patricia Rorrer: The Hang Up Online - STARZ 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.more. 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. Four months later, however, when the brutally murdered bodies of Joann and Alex were discovered lying in a lonely patch of woods, the police would focus their suspicion on an entirely different suspect; 31-year-old Patricia Rorrer (top, main photo) Andy Katrinaks ex-girlfriend. Neely has filed a petition for post conviction relief for Rorrer because he says critical evidence in the case doesn't add up. At 17, Patricia dropped out of high school and married landscaper Gary Gabard. She has never deviated. Shes extremely, extremely happy with the baby. The prosecutor in this case is so vehemently determined she is guilty that at the end of the day, you are reeling. Russia missile attack on Ukraine injures 34, damages homes, May Day: Worlds workers rally, France sees pension anger, FDIC recommends raising insured deposit limit for businesses, Biden, top lawmakers to discuss debt limit at WH May 9, What the Tech? Plus, two men, her babys father and his friend, testified they saw Patricia at the line-dancing club the night of the homicide. Patricia's Most Recent Federal Appeals. $Hm$5c&BRIb)iRsSI(*b|(:b|(*Plxt%|:J'i6. 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. Plus: Dead Louisiana woman found fused to sofa; JonBent Ramseys father seeks governors help with DNA testing; Australian man incarcerated for killing gay American in 1988; and Pennsylvania mother shoots her two boys in the head. 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. She had money put aside. Both were deceased. Patricia Rorrer is serving a life sentence, convicted of driving 500 miles to kill her ex-boyfriend's new wife and his baby. Inside the Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial: Could He Go Free? 8GNGn`s/daUnjx OgG^{|;\(l_K -^?g&"!#{ !]uH}tgx=qCB:xN_
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Superior Court states that all 6 seatback hairs AND the cigarette butt were nuclear DNA tested and matched to Rorrer. Ex-boyfriend Walter Blalock said that Patricia wanted him to be more like Andrew. . Toxic chemicals in Emmaus water could cost at least $24M to fix, 'Can't wait to see everyone': After 3-year hiatus, beloved Easton deli nears reopening, How do you know your money is safe? Produced by NBC News Emmy Award-winning production arm Peacock Productions, the two-part special airs Sunday, March 5 with back-to-back premieres at 8/7c and 9/8c, and features an exclusive phone interview in which Rorrer speaks out from prison for the first time ever. The police considered the possibility that Joann ran away, a theory disputed by her family. At the states request, the instructor wore a wire during a phone conversation with Patricia. Neely said, "A very substantial question as to whether the hairs that were actually tested were in fact hairs taken from the seatback or were they part of that general pile of hairs that were taken from Patricia Rorrer in North Carolina?". 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. Andrew told investigators that the unpleasant phone call between Joann and Patricia happened just three days before his wifes disappearance. In a million years, she wouldnt do anything to harm that.. 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'Dateline NBC' Correspondent Keith Morrison Explores Claims of a As for Joanns parents, her father died a year after the murder. Alexs cause of death has never been determined. Declaration of DNA Expert on Rorrer's Behalf (pdf) Download. Why did they refuse to investigate a hair found in the victims right hand? i-InD6g~v~}saG\R -(QdB]+[1xlm>Hv%} i{Fb=i~{/7=hn/JzF3XuccBb Patricia has always maintained her innocence. 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. The prosecution alleged that after the murder, Patricia drove Joanns car to McCartys parking lot and backed it into a parking space. . Investigation Discovery on Twitter: "Patricia Rorrer sits in prison for Patricias defenders also say Andrew Katrinak staged the scene at his house by prying the door and cutting the phone line. Dial-a-problem. 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. Two-Part Special Premieres Sunday, March 5 at 8/7c; Features Exclusive First-Ever Interview with Inmate Patricia Rorrer (Silver Spring, Md.) In North Carolina, she reportedly enjoyed some success as a horse trader, riding instructor, and rodeo competitor. After Joann Katrinak, the wife of Patricia's former flame, turned up dead along . '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. How would an intruder find it? 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. For ID, Sara Kozak is executive producer and senior vice president of production, Jane Latman is executive vice president of development, Kevin Bennett is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President of Investigation Discovery, Destination America, and American Heroes Channel. If you know anything about their case, please call or text the "In Pursuit with John Walsh" hotline: 833-378-7783 (3-PURSUE). 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. Ever the neutral newsman, Morrison tells PEOPLE he came away from working on the Investigation Discovery special with more questions than answers. Traupman died in 2016. Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. At 17, Patricia dropped out of high school and married landscaper Gary Gabard. Gabby Petitos fianc and person of interest in her fatal strangulation disappeared in mid-September after saying he was going for a hike. Today, her attorney says not only was his client wrongfully convicted, but she was framed. They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had almond-shaped blue eyes, weighed 18 pounds, and was circumcised. 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. A copy of an undated handout photo of Joann Marie Katrinak and 15-week-old Alex Martin Katrinak, both of Catasauqua, Pa. who were found dead in Dec. of 1994. Chris and Fatima investigate the case in search of the truth. And because some of Patricias advocates have suggested Andrew Katrinak had a motive for murder, I checked into whether he had a life insurance payout to gain upon Joanns demise. Shes attracted the help of writer Tammy Mal (full name Tammy Malinowski OReilly), author of Convenient Suspect, a book about the case. The case rocked Pennsylvanias Lehigh Valley and resulted in the conviction of Patricia Rorrer, now 53, the ex-girlfriend of Katrinaks husband. For more on the Katrinak murder case, you can watch Autopsy Six: A Fatal Attraction for free on YouTube. 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. Highly charged case. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. All rights reserved. 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. But none of those charges ever stuck. It makes you crazy, because you challenge her with every allegation, and she acquits herself. Mal told Keith Morrison that Patricias dance teacher originally confirmed her alibi that she was in class on the day of the murder, then changed his mind. Stable situation. 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. Judges Denial of Commonwealth's Motion (pdf) Download. Patricia was living back in North Carolina when the double murders occurred, yet investigators questioned her nonetheless. No charmed life. 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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?. 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. She asked to speak with Andrew, who was home during the call; Joann refused. A hair sample that helped put Patricia Rorrer behind bars for life could be the key to set her free. Its one of those stories where, if you listen to one side, you can see, absolutely, that that side has to be correct. The entire forensics examination from beginning to end was just awful.". Then 31 years old, she had lived a rocky existence. Combination locks. Her friends say she was railroaded by the system and they want Chris and Fatima to join their fight to free her. Neely said this new information could reopen the case and set Rorrer free. Joann answered and told Rorrer to leave her family alone before hanging up. Free Patricia Rorrer - Facebook Investigators theorized that this action angered Patricia into a jealous rage that ended with abduction and murder. Advocates for her innocence complain of hype surrounding the case. 2023 Warner Bros. 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. It was love at first sight when Joann OConnor met Andy Katrinak in the spring of 1992. RR, Watch the Forensic Files episode on YouTube, Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Reports, 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. Rorrer has appealed her conviction several times and her supporters believe additional DNA evidence . 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. But defense lawyer Robert Pfeiffer said that plenty of evidence supported Patricias innocence. 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. Neely said, "One document of, which I have right in front of me here specifically states that the hairs from the seat back that were looked at by the FBI did not have a hair root.". They returned with a guilty verdict and a sentence of two life terms. Charged with two counts of capital murder and two counts of kidnapping, Patricia Rorrer was quickly tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Joann and Alex Katrinak both vanished in 1994. See production, box office & company info. Until next time, cheers. American Catherine Serou sent her mother a text that read, I hope Im not being abducted.. I cant lose them, he told the media. The team explores whether Vonda may have been wrongfully convicted, based on a shoddy investigation and circumstantial evidence. Shortly before Katrinak and Alex disappeared, Rorrer called the Katrinak house. Book her. If you have any information on this missing mystery, please contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department directly: 573-335-6621. Why First Republic failed. A hair sample that helped put Patricia Rorrer behind bars for life could be the key to set her free. Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV. endobj
Patricia Rorrer has been portrayed as a bully, petty thief, neglectful horse owner, and heartless killer or a sweet, caring friend railroaded by authorities desperate to solve a double-murder case that snagged worldwide interest. She got 12 months of probation for shoplifting at a Walmart in Lexington, North Carolina. Police identified the pair as Joann and Alex Katrinak. '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. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. Joann Katrinaks Killer Still Has Innocence Advocates(A Woman Scorned, Forensic Files). You have permission to edit this article. Flaw in reasoning. Authorities confirm former fugitive, Leticia Smith was extradited from Mexico to California. Moreover, Patricia had been accused of breaking into barns, stealing horses, and underfeeding the ones she cared for charges that never stuck. Read more: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. Patricia Lynne Rorrer. The Atlanta Child Murders rocked the nation as Black children from Atlanta disappeared and then turned up dead. It was one of the biggest murder cases to rock the Lehigh Valley. You can read the court documents in their entirety here. Keeping a convicted killer in prison on the merits of a case is a good thing, but what about when the courts keep someone incarcerated on completely inaccurate information? Judge's Order Granting Discovery (pdf) Download. Testimony from Walter Blalock contradicted Patricias claim that she never had a gun.