It's as if she had left with young Alex as planned but then somehow simply vanished. It certainly tugged at our heartstrings, you know, it brought a tear to my eye. Decades-old Lehigh Valley murder case back in national spotlight - WFMZ.com Berlingers landmark HBO documentary Paradise Lost Trilogy helped lead to the release of the wrongfully convicted West Memphis Three after 18 years of incarceration. Crime 2017. Patricia Lynne Rorrer made for a good suspect. 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. Traupman died in 2016. Rachael Ray Ending After 17 Seasons: Its Time for Me to Move On. He wanted to move to Colorado and she was against it.. McIntyre said he was accused of being the mastermind of a conspiracy to frame Rorrer. Patricia, who moved from PA to North Carolina, made long distance calls from her home practically every day, except for the time period between December 11 and 16. By that time, we had both moved on and I had no romantic feelings for him. Patricias accusers theorized that she resented Joanns domestic bliss with the tall, athletic Andrew Katrinak. 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. I found it necessary to document each time an episode featured one of these. 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?. Find a typo or issue with the details of this case? In 2015, the type of hair DNA science used was finally admitted to be junk by the FBI and incorrect in 96% of cases. This state is corrupt as in every state! This explosive case is back in the spotlight, reopening old wounds and creating new ones. State police and the Philadelphia division of the FBI appealed to the public for leads. Image credit: Episode screen capture from, - Sarah OConnor: Joann Katrinaks Mother, - Det. 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. My kid has had 99th percentile head circumference since birth. Because when she did, she quickly began to realize that there was a lot more to the story than the public ever knew. They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had "almond-shaped blue eyes," weighed 18 . 'Dateline NBC' Correspondent Keith Morrison Explores Claims of a 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. Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files. . When their bodies were found four months later, police sought the clues to find their killer. The prosecution alleged that after the murder, Patricia drove Joanns car to McCartys parking lot and backed it into a parking space. Pal stays true. 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. The episode claimed the jury required just two hours to deliberate, but other sources indicate it took six. So now, lets find out everything there is to know about her, shall we? 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. Most prosecutors wouldn't even take such paltry evidence into court today. 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. Her husband Andrew's mother expected Joann to arrive quickly, since they only lived a few minutes away. 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. The main one of course was committing murder of a young woman and her infant son over an argument. How to do some spring cleaning on your smartphone, What the Tech? Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Keith Morrison Explores Claims of Wrongful Conviction in Investigation Prosecutors offered Patricia a plea deal that would take the death penalty off the table, but she declined. Most convictions were procured through microscopic hair comparison which has been debunked as junk science today. The judge didn't make a decision on the findings on Tuesday. Incriminating words. . Rorrer was tried and convicted in 1994 for the brutal killing of Katrinak and her three-month-old son. Wrong Man says she had normally signed in for her line dancing class but didn't on the day Joann and Alex disappeared. Dial-a-problem. 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. Meanwhile, the case of the missing mother and baby turned into colossal news across the U.S. and internationally. Patricia Rorrer being escorted by the police | Photo Credits: People Magazine. 1 talking about this. Joann had been shot once and then beaten over the head (presumably because the gun used only shot once). Patricia is and has been fighting that she is innocent from the very beginning. But none of those charges ever stuck. INMATE INFORMATION. Investigation Discovery is profiling the murder of Joann Katrinak and her infant son. God Bless each of you. 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. Hello guys! Mizgerd said she acts as Patricia Rorrer's spiritual advisor and often visits her in prison. The only eyewitness to the murder a five-year-old child told police officers that a white man did it, reads the statement. Patricias professional life included short-lived gigs as a Century 21 real estate agent and an Oldsmobile salesperson. Patricia was arrested in North Carolina in June of 1997. Rorrer Gets Life in Jail for Double Slaying * Jurors in The Katrinak Patricia Rorrer has been in prison since 1998, convicted of the horrific murder of a young mother, Joann Katrinak, and her 16-week old son, in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. She needs to be freed! He said that the gun had an unusual characteristic: the gun would jam after firing one shot. It would have to have been a different gun. 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. Previously on Wrong Man, we learned about the murder of Joann Katrinak and her baby.Were they murdered because Joann angrily hung the phone up on Patty Rorrer, the ex of Andy Katrinak? She intends to file a motion for a new trial. 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. Some lawyers call microscopic hair analysis junk science that today wouldnt qualify as evidence in a trial like Rorrers. New state, new man. Starz announces premiere date for Joe Berlinger's Wrong Man Season 2. After all, one of the key pieces of evidence recovered from the crime scene and Joanns vehicle were dyed blonde hair strands. The victims vanished on December 15. 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. The state police dropped him as a suspect. Some recurring themes in Forensic Files facinate me. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. 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. Documentary, Drama 2020-2020. An expert will be allowed to examine evidence from the 1994 . To really understand this case, you need to sit down and read this book called Convenient Suspect written by Tammy Mal. Please watch the show Wrong Man which also found new evidence that supports my innocence. 3126 EDA 2012 Appeal from the PCRA Order October 11, 2012 In the Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-39-CR-0002176-1997 BEFORE: BOWES, J., LAZARUS, J., and WECHT, J. They also found a photo of Patricia taken 11 days before the homicide. - 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 convicted of the murders and has maintained . As for the words exchanged on the call between the two big-haired women, Joann told Andrew that Patricia had used profanity; Patricia said it was the other way around. He recalls that Patty also had an alibi. On Thursday, December 15, 1994, Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son, Alex, went missing from their Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, home. 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. Detective Robert Werts stated Rorrer offered four or five alibis for the time of the incident. Another case is Patricia Rorrer, who has been in prison since 1998, convicted of the murder of a young mother and her 16-week old son in Pennsylvania. "I'm very angry, very very very angry," McIntyre said. . How about the phone line being cut? One she was out buying feed for horses. During the interview, the FBI agents noted that I had no cuts, scratches, or bruising on my hand or face, as would be expected if I had been in a life and death struggle only a week earlier. Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and improve the legal counsel for Patricia. The case rocked Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley and resulted in the conviction of Patricia Rorrer, now 53, the ex-girlfriend of Katrinak's husband. Both sides agree Joann hung up on Patricia. My husband passed away of a broken heart, Sarah OConnor said on the Montel Williams Show in 2001. They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had "almond-shaped blue eyes," weighed 18 . 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. Detective Barry Grube found it odd that Andrew fixed the severed phone line before police examined it in essence tampering with evidence. She got 12 months of probation for shoplifting at a Walmart in Lexington, North Carolina. She had money put aside. I dont even know its Christmas.. Based on the activity, the victims were there since at least February. 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. Since 2010, Tammy has been researching the 1994 Katrinak murders in Catasauqua. EPISODE 1. 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? Episode Info. Image Title Airdate Season Episode Series Episode "Sleeping with the Enemy" August 7, 2015: 1: 120 Texan Darlene Gentry is a self-centered former beauty queen who enjoys the party girl lifestyle and whose marriage to husband Keith is collapsing under the debt she has incurred. Forensic tests suggested the hair found in the car and at the murder scene came from Patricia. Innocent nonprofit Wrongful Conviction. Pulled hairs don't grow roots. She was born on July 27, 1942, in Henry County, Va., to Edward Rorrer and Susie Morrison Rorrer. I think you might have mistaken what's being mentioned in the Washington Post article; that is talking about microscopic hair analysis, which is when they compare two strands of hair for a match. Patricia was wrongfully convicted and we will show you how! 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Senate vote, Reading Area Water Authority looking for leak on North Heidelberg Township line, Former Penn State Berks soccer player among dead in violent Monroe County crash, In Britain, warm hubs emerge to beat soaring energy costs, Biden expected to tighten rules on US investment in China, Paid express lanes grow more popular in once-reluctant South, Ukraine ally Kallas fights for reelection in Estonia vote, In Chicago, adapting electric buses to winters challenges, Pot vote has Oklahoma hungry to rake in green from Texas, Global race to boost electric vehicle range in cold weather, 6 Nigerian states drop suit to void presidential vote result, The implications of Walgreens' decision on abortion pills, What the Tech? A photo at the time showed that Patricia had dyed her hair blonde, which matched the hair found. Joe Berlingers documentary series Wrong Man shows what long form documentary journalism can achieve. FILED DECEMBER 13, 2013 Patricia Lynne Rorrer appeals from the order entered in the . Walmart woe. Convenient Suspect - Alliance Digital Media Library - OverDrive Louise Bryant Obituary (1942 - 2022) - Fieldale, VA - Martinsville Bulletin They initially thought Joann's husband Andy may have committed this crime, so they didn't check into Patricia's story of being in a dance class during the time of the kidnapping. After watching the latest Starz episode of Wrong Man (a great investigative show), I started thinking about the Patricia Rorrer case again.. Rorrer was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Joann Katrinak and her 3-4 month old son Alex in 1994 by forcing them our of their home and driving them to a wooded area where they were shot and killed. It showed her usually all-brown hair haphazardly highlighted blond. The past two owners of the gun's yards were dug up and many casings of the .22 were discovered. The DNA presented at trial, the botching of hair evidence and the revelations in 2015 are thoroughly discussed. They never looked into Andy who failed several lie detector tests, tampered with evidence. And the kidnapping scenario became more plausible when you factor in the privacy of the alleyway behind the Katrinak house. Patricia was wrongfully convicted and we will show you how! The Free Patricia Rorrer page responds to comments from supporters (How is this even possible that this woman is still in jail?!? Rorrer was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Joann Katrinak and her 3-4 month old son Alex in 1994 by forcing them our of their home and driving them to a wooded area where they were shot and killed. The farmer's remote field bordered an isolated horseback riding trail. Men who murder are conventional, women are sensational, posits the Worldwide Womens Criminal Justice Network. Season 9 | Deadly Women Wiki | Fandom I know that if I get a fair trial, I will win and be freed. She is a tough one, Sheriff Gerald Hege would later tell the Morning Call in a June 29, 1997 interview. He contributed to Altvariety, Chiseler, Smashpipe, and other magazines. The prosecution alleged that Patricia called the Katrinaks house from a pay phone in Pennsylvania. Prosecutors at the time used this angry phone call as motive for Patricia to travel 500 miles to the Katrinak house, cut a phone line, break into the basement door, put them into Joann's car and march Joann and Alex to their eventual death - killing them in a field. Friends and family began looking for Joann and Alex. 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!