I cant lose them, he told the media. See Patricia Rorrer full list of movies and tv shows from their career. Died along with his mother, Joann, as a victim of his father's jealous ex-girlfriend, Patricia Rorrer. Success! Morrison was 16 weeks pregnant when her lifeless body was found beaten beyond recognition and dumped along a remote country road, reads the statement. At 17, Patricia dropped out of high school and married landscaper Gary Gabard. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Another thing never presented at trial was the fact that they found flower petals in the soles of Joann's shoes,. Hello guys! For one thing, her mother never asked Sandra Ireland to hide the gun, and she retrieved it on the way home the next day she worked as a bus driver and couldnt take it with her to school. Share Memories & Support the Family. 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 wouldn't do anything to hurt him. Investigation Discovery is profiling the murder of Joann Katrinak and her infant son. Four months later, when their bodies were found in a lonely patch of woods, the police would launch a three-year investigation leading to the arrest of Patricia Lynne Rorrera young mother who had never met either victimas the monster responsible. (A good point. Patricia is and has been fighting that she is innocent from the very beginning. However, it seems this was only after the bodies of Joann and Alex were found on the remote horse trail. It is believed she may have received over 3,700 pills in less than a year. They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had "almond-shaped blue eyes," weighed 18 . Patricia Lynne Rorrer made for a good suspect. Police converged on the scene and soon realized it was not only the remains of Joann Katrinak, but sadly of Alex too. It's sad looking back at those Forensic Files episodes where the science was junk but they portray it as a solid case. And if nothing more, it certainly galvanized the law enforcement community and got us moving in the right direction. Trash-talking ex. A local murder case that made national headlines will be back in the national spotlight Sunday night. I watched the show the other night and watched some YouTube videos afterwards and there was interview footage of Joanns sister saying that Alex was a big healthy baby. He recalls that Patty also had an alibi. Thank God she decided to investigate these crimes on her own. Finally, prosecutors challenged Patricia's alibi. Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! FILED DECEMBER 13, 2013 Patricia Lynne Rorrer appeals from the order entered in the . More hairs there. Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. Right now she has no attorney and your generous donation will fund our mission. Deal refused. I am innocent of these crimes, and I should not have lost the best years of my life in a prison cell. Why would somebody tell you, theyre going to fry me, if they didnt do it? Jarrett told Wrong Man. Episode Info. 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. At 10:30 p.m., Andrew reported his wife missing. An exterior door to their basement had been wrenched open, the lock hasp's screws literally ripped from the wall. When Joann failed to arrive, her mother-in-law tried calling, but there was no answer at the Katrinak's. The second season will continue to uncover new theories and reveal startling new evidence that could prove that three new inmates are, in fact, not guilty, according to Starzs press statement. The six-episode documentary series examines the cases of three different inmates who are serving life sentences on murder convictions but who claim innocence. - 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 . Counsel for Patricia Rorrer, 52, . I think it would really require comparison with his pediatric medical records to determine if the head circumference is relevant. Please read her story. This explosive case is back in the spotlight, reopening old wounds and creating new ones. Great communicator. If I knew I was going to get caught, I never would have brought you into this world, the arresting officers testified they heard her say to Nicole. ", "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. After all, one of the key pieces of evidence recovered from the crime scene and Joanns vehicle were dyed blonde hair strands. Posted: June 22, 2022 Incriminating words. She is a tough one, Sheriff Gerald Hege would later tell the Morning Call in a June 29, 1997 interview. Those who knew Joann pointed out that she didnt like to drive in reverse and would have never parked that way. To commit the murders, Rorrer took her victims out to a location that was familiar and significant. Artificial intelligence and machine learning education and literacy: teacher training for primary and secondary education teachers; Chapter 2. I lived with Andrew Katrinak for approximately 5 years, and we ended our relationship as friends in 1989 when I moved to North Carolina.. We would speak 2 or 3 times a year. Rorrer was the ex-girlfriend of Joann's husband Andy but the ex-couple hadn't spoken for close to a year until they had a call one day in December, 1994. Despite the troubling evidence from Joann's car, detectives considered whether or not Joann had taken baby Alex and simply left. 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. There was an error processing your request. But "Wrong Man" investigators discover that there is . I can't recall if the long distance calls were talked about in the show. Mizgerd said she acts as Patricia Rorrer's spiritual advisor and often visits her in prison. McIntyre said he was accused of being the mastermind of a conspiracy to frame Rorrer. He framed this woman who has been in prison 23 years! Joe Berlingers documentary series Wrong Man shows what long form documentary journalism can achieve. 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. Testimony from Walter Blalock contradicted Patricias claim that she never had a gun. 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. Patricia was . In November 2005, she shoots Keith in the head while he . Appeal from the PCRA Order May 26, 2016. 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. Still, no good leads materialized. 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. But defense lawyer Robert Pfeiffer said that plenty of evidence supported Patricias innocence. As usual, Rebecca at Forensic Files Now has a thoroughly researched article about the Patricia Rorrer case and events since her conviction. Wrong Man investigators interrogated a confidential informant, the main witness against Evaristo Salas, and he recanted his testimony. Combination locks. Forensic tests suggested the hair found in the car and at the murder scene came from Patricia. On Thursday, December 15, 1994, Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son, Alex, went missing from their Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, home. Patricia Rorrer (right) is led to her hearing in Lehigh County Courthouse Wednesday morning, August 26, 1998 by a sheriff's deputy, at left. Patricia Rorrer's home phone record did not show her call to the Katrinak house three days prior to the kidnapping because she'd already made the trip to Pennsylvania to see Andrew. Um why is that? Error! They never looked into Andy who failed several lie detector tests, tampered with evidence. Regard a similar case where too much detail signaled investigators to look closer at their suspect in Bagging a Killer (s06e25). Episode 204 of Starz' Wrong Man winds up its coverage of the Rorrer/Katrinak case, but it leaves us with far more questions than answers. On Thursday, December 15, 1994, Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son, Alex, went missing from their Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, home. Conflicting versions. You have permission to edit this article. Starz announces premiere date for Joe Berlinger's Wrong Man Season 2. Joann Katrinak and her infant son were brutally murdered. The episode claimed the jury required just two hours to deliberate, but other sources indicate it took six. I was able to email with Patricia via the PrisonConnect platform around Christmastime. When it was only able to fire once, Rorrer had to resort to bludgeoning her victim. Well, that really caught our attention of course.". Today, Rorrer's attorney says not only is his client innocent, but she was framed. Wow this episode was featured on Forensic Files. Patricia had won a prize at an out-of-state horse-riding competition less than two weeks before the murders, and she allowed herself to be photographed. She was the devoted wife of the late Alvin Haymon Rorrer. Select "match all" to require all fields. When Andrew was told of the location of his young family's remains, he offered investigators a lead. God Bless each of you. In 1995 DNA testing was brand new. Oscar-nominated and Emmywinning director Berlinger (Paradise Lost, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes), a leading voice in non-fiction film and television for over two decades, returns to keep checks on the criminal justice system. Joseph Kocevar: Criminal Investigator, - Maj. Robert Werts: Homicide Investigator, Dr. Elizabeth Murray, Forensic Anthropologist, Brad Jackson was able to describe what his daughter Valiree was wearing, Jason Funk's role in Katie Froeschle's murder, Patricia Rorrer has repeatedly appealed for a retrial and exoneration, thoroughly researched article about the Patricia Rorrer case, Earl Bramblett murder of entire Hodges family, Darryl Kuehl take over murder of Paul Gruber, "the police actually said that, Oh, she probably ran away with someone. In a million years, Joann would never, never have run away. July 16, 1932 - September 10, 2020, Dr. Edward E. "Gene" Rorrer, Sr. passed away on September 10, 2020 in Abingdon, Virg. Or identify other people in their lives who might have benefited from either the Katrinak's deaths or disappearance? Ex-boyfriend Walter Blalock said that Patricia wanted him to be more like Andrew. When their bodies were found four months later, police sought the clues to find their killer. Success! I was convicted on the basis of a DNA match made to the root of one (1) hair found in Joann's car. A hidden FBI report found a couple years ago showed that police were unsure if there were roots on the found hairs. The main one of course was committing murder of a young woman and her infant son over an argument. INMATE INFORMATION. No show. While the police are still investigating the murder of your wife and child? Great catch. It's shocking to think that Patricia Rorrer, being a mother, could end the life of an infant. How about the phone line being cut? And the kidnapping scenario became more plausible when you factor in the privacy of the alleyway behind the Katrinak house. . And the fact that Patricia called Andrew even after he married someone else didnt mean she was still carrying a torch for him, according to one of her friends. Damning for Patricia was that this field was only a couple miles from a horse farm that she used to have access to. (Media sources vary as to whether she actually worked at the stable or just rented a stall there for her own horse.). Please take the time to read my story. Dance defense. 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. The media love the femme fatale., FBI lab blunder. In June of 2016 Patricia Rorrer's petition for a new trial was been thrown out. Ive seen the forensics files episode a few times and Im shocked at how it could be so wrong! Meanwhile, the case of the missing mother and baby turned into colossal news across the U.S. and internationally. And it certainly didn't make me mad enough to jump in my car, drive 500 miles one way and kill two people I'd never met--one an infant child. Donna Fisher/Allentown Morning Call/TNS via Getty Image. 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, https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/murder/convenient-suspect-a-wrongful-conviction-in-the-murder-in-lehigh-valley. Rorrer has appealed her conviction several times and her supporters believe additional DNA evidence . After one bullet didnt kill Joann, the gun locked up, so Patricia had to beat her to death, according to the prosecution. Family members found Joanns tan Toyota sitting vacant in the parking lot of McCartys, a nearby bar. Patricia Rorrer is imprisoned for murdering her ex-boyfriend's wife and baby out of spite. Andrew's involvement in the latter theory was dismissed when his alibi checked out. 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? [1] The mitochondria, and thus mitochondrial DNA, are passed exclusively from mother to offspring through the egg cell. (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. 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. This explosive case is back in the spotlight, reopening old wounds and creating new ones. Weak wages. An ex-boyfriend of Patricia knew she owned a distinct .22 caliber pistol and knew of its tendency to jam, but Rorrer could only deny owning such a weapon. I was like OK, maybe she was tired, you know with a new baby. The show is broadcast on truTV, narrated by Peter Thomas, and produced by Medstar Television, in association with truTV Original Productions.It has broadcast 406 episodes since its debut on TLC in 1996 as Medical Detectives. The killer was Patricia Rorrer, the jealous ex-girlfriend of Joann's husband, Andrew. Please watch the show Wrong Man which also found new evidence that supports my innocence. 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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Irelands husband buried it in the yard because he didnt feel comfortable with a firearm inside, she said. Lawyer: New evidence in 1994 killings of woman, infant, Patricia Rorrer serving life sentence for killing Joann Katrinak, 3-month-old son, Stormcenter - School / Business Application. What would a crime show be without them? Police identified the pair as Joann and Alex Katrinak. 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. Image credit: Episode screen capture from, - Sarah OConnor: Joann Katrinaks Mother, - Det. 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. I found it necessary to document each time an episode featured one of these. Joann was shot once, then the gun jammed. In 2015, I discovered an FBI report that states the hair used to convict me had "No Roots Attached." Rachael Ray Ending After 17 Seasons: Its Time for Me to Move On. Patricia Rorrer was convicted of both deaths in the mid-90's and is serving a life sentence. During that call, Joann apparently grabbed the phone and told Patricia never to phone her husband again. Search is on. Thank God she decided to investigate these crimes on her own. 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. Patricia was wrongfully convicted and we will show you how! The two-hour special, called Murder in the Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates, will premiere at 8 p.m. and air again at 11 p.m. Sunday night. An early childhood introd Documentary, Drama 2020-2020. 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. Joann had been shot in the face and badly beaten. 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. Patricia defaulted on her mortgage and then returned to North Carolina, where she eventually moved in with a boyfriend named Brian Ward. ", "Everything is outrageous," he said. They moved into her house in Salisbury County, staying together for about two years. Also Rorrer had a history of run-ins with the law, including being charged with breaking and entering. ", "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. He is the TV Editor at Entertainment. In addition to her . Patricia Rorrer's Story. Prosecutor hiding something? By the time they asked supposed witnesses, most had forgotten about that random dance class (there were many). $4.99/mo. Prosecutor pounds away. Traupman died in 2016. And because of the gun jamming, the assailant had to resort to blunt object and beat her about the head. Born on January 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania, Patricia Rorrer spent most of her life going back and forth between the Keystone State and North Carolina. If Rorrer used to live in the area, then I expect any place in the county was probably within a couple of miles of someplace she used to have access to. FBI didn't follow up on Patricia's alibi for months (6 months?) One on one? I'm not sure to what extent it was brought up in the original trial. She just stayed in touch with everybody, Kathy Barber said in her interview on NBCs Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Reports in 2017. Wouldn't he have tried to call his mother recall it was with her Joann had planned to go Christmas shopping. But based on his body/head size and the lack of decomposition of the bodies, it seems likely they had been alive for quite some time after being kidnapped. Criminal Division at No (s): CP-39-CR-0002176-1997 BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., BOWES AND SHOGAN, J. She was born on July 27, 1942, in Henry County, Va., to Edward Rorrer and Susie Morrison Rorrer. Both sides agree Joann hung up on Patricia. Where are the missing 4 hairs? 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. 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. 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. A young mother and her infant son suddenly went missing just before Christmas in 1994. Tragedy also touched Patricias life. Supposedly it was the relationship to this trail and Patricia's managing of the Silver Shadow Farms horse stable just a mile away that first brought Rorrer to detectives' attention. Detective Barry Grube found it odd that Andrew fixed the severed phone line before police examined it in essence tampering with evidence. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. It was later believed that his recollection was keen, since he'd been the one to dress her posthumously. There was also a 2017 Dateline Keith Morrison episode which covered some of these facts. Exactly one week after Joann and Alex went missing, the FBI interviewed me at my mother's house. So much in this case, and every time she appeals with new evidence she is denied. 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. They broke up in 1993. An expert will be allowed to examine evidence from the 1994 . Rorrer is incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution Muncy, a prison for women in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania. So, this pointed to a theory that Joann had either left on her own or encountered foul play within her home. Culture Editor Tony Sokol cut his teeth on the wire services and also wrote and produced New York CitysVampyr Theatreand the rock operaAssassiNation: We Killed JFK. She did buy a .22 before. A young mother and her infant son suddenly went missing just before Christmas in 1994. I know I did not commit these murders and they need to get justice for Joann and Alex too. Select "match any" to find at least one field. Tribute Archive Most prosecutors wouldn't even take such paltry evidence into court today. 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