He gave an audio interview to the Wrong Man investigators when they made a surprise visit to his house, but he declined to appear on camera. The case rocked Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley and resulted in the conviction of Patricia Rorrer, now 53, the ex-girlfriend of Katrinak's husband. The footage was quite old and filmed well before the show and theory so it caught my notice after the show stated his percentiles being nearly off the chart. 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. No activity on her bank account or credit cards took place after the day she went missing, so investigators dismissed the theory that she took her child and bolted. Prosecutors also claimed DNA hair evidence found in the car matched Patricia's hair at the time (using what was considered valid DNA methods). -, Press J to jump to the feed. Based on body decomposition alone, it seems near impossible that they were kidnapped and killed in the same day or even within weeks. And the kidnapping scenario became more plausible when you factor in the privacy of the alleyway behind the Katrinak house. However, it seems this was only after the bodies of Joann and Alex were found on the remote horse trail. Rorrer claims the DNA evidence used to send her away is junk science., read more: Why Netflixs Ted Bundy Movie Avoids Violence, The third inmate whose case is under examination is Kenneth Clair. Or was it? Phone calls played a significant role in the case overall. Read more of his work here or find him on Twitter @tsokol. Why was the jury never told that Patricia Rorrer was under surveillance in North Carolina at the time of the crime? This is crazy. The FBI waiting up to 6 months to question people in the class makes it near impossible for her to prove that she was actually there on a random Thursday night. Convicted killer Patricia Rorrer is asking for new DNA tests in the 13-year-old murder case of her former boyfriend's wife and child. Innocent nonprofit Wrongful Conviction. Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 7: Finale Release Time and Season Recap, Tiger King Earned 34 Million Viewers in First 10 Days, Shazam! In 1995 DNA testing was brand new. . Detective Robert Werts stated Rorrer offered four or five alibis for the time of the incident. Patricia has been wrongfully convicted of murdering Joann and Alex Katrinak in 1994. She had a suitcase packed, Devine said. Most convictions were procured through microscopic hair comparison which has been debunked as junk science today. Someone had shot Joann in the face with a .22-caliber pistol, then beaten her about the head hitting her 19 times in all with a blunt object. Strands of the accuseds dyed-blond hair at two crime scenes proved it. For two decades, Patricia Rorrer has always maintained her innocence. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Patricia and her husband broke up after the babys death. Joanns first husband, New Jersey construction worker Michael Jack, who had reportedly abused her during their marriage, also had a solid alibi. Patricia supposedly still cared for Andrew Katrinak, but murdering his son contradicts this notion. 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. - 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 . Pulled hairs don't grow roots. Breaking News - "Dateline NBC" Correspondent Keith Morrison Explores Artificial intelligence and machine learning education and literacy: teacher training for primary and secondary education teachers; Chapter 2. They even lived together for about two years before parting ways for good. His favorite rattle, shaped like a phone, lay near the crime scene. She was also accused of breaking into barns, stealing horses, and underfeeding the ones she owned. Startling new allegations surround one of Lehigh County's most notorious murder cases. Commonwealth v. Rorrer, J-A14029-17 | Casetext Search + Citator Error! 99.99 or whatever it was. 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. 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. The Innocence Project has declined to take her case. Knowing that they were not killed the day they were kidnapped, but instead held for potentially months, blows the fact that she didn't make a phone call for a few days out of the water. When Andrew was told of the location of his young family's remains, he offered investigators a lead. One on one? . 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. Patricia was living back in North Carolina when the double murders occurred, yet investigators questioned her nonetheless. At the very least, prosecutors got their story very wrong as they convicted Patricia. Forensic tests suggested the hair found in the car and at the murder scene came from Patricia. They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had "almond-shaped blue eyes," weighed 18 . Probable cause of death: exposure. Rorrer offered her attendance at a private club in North Carolina as one of her alibies, but the club (per a state regulation) required members to sign in. Trash-talking ex. (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, I was quite angry with the police, that they accused Andy. Shes extremely, extremely happy with the baby. Is to get Patricia a fair trial that will prove her innocence, and give justice to Joann and Alex who died a horrific death. Rorrer and Andrew broke off their . She seemed like quite an unlikely suspect at least at first. And James Pfeiffer and Jim Burke have remained on her side. After the first season, the Supreme Court overturned the murder conviction of Curtis Flowers, who had been tried six times by nearly all-white juries; Christopher Tapp was exonerated from rape and murder charges after serving 20 years of a 30-year sentence; Evaristo Salas will go to into a new trial represented by a pro bono lawyer. 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? Search is on. Witness also recalled Rorrer's mom trying to hide a gun. No show. Joann was fun, likable, beautiful, always happy, said her sister-in-law Cindy Wiard. God Bless each of you. Chris and Fatima investigate the case of Patricia Rorrer, who is in prison for brutally murdering her former boyfriend's wife and baby out of spite; her lawyers claim that she was . 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? 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. Until next time, cheers. But investigators conceded they had no solid evidence against Andrew. Forensic Files (season 5) - Wikipedia She was born on July 27, 1942, in Henry County, Va., to Edward Rorrer and Susie Morrison Rorrer. Patricia Rorrer: Under the Microscope - YouTube !) and detractors (This is another bs attempt to free a psycho). They DID NOT match the bullets that killed Joann and her son. Pfeiffer and Burke claimed that police Sgt. But other things Patricia did also seemed strange, especially according to prosecutor Michael McIntyre. 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. Patricia Rorrer was convicted of both deaths in the mid-90's and is serving a life sentence. Unbloody vehicle. 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! 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? And in a piece of salacious testimony, Patricia Rorrers half sister, Sandra Ireland, said that in May 1995, about six months after the murder, their mother, Patricia Chambers, stopped by the house and asked her to hold onto or hide a gun, or both. 'Dateline NBC' Correspondent Keith Morrison Explores Claims of a I suspect I know. Phone records confirmed Patricia placed the earlier call from North Carolina, not Pennsylvania. Thats all for this post. 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. . McItyre said this is hearsay and the officer has refuted everything in an affidavit. Com v. Rorrer, P. (memorandum) - Justia Law See Commonwealth v. Rorrer, CP-39- CR-0002176-1997 (C.C.P. Murder victim. After Joann Katrinak, the wife of Patricias former flame, turned up dead along with her infant son, prosecutors suspected Patricia. Green-Eyed Monsters: Directed by Kate Ryerson. RR, Watch the Forensic Files episode on YouTube, Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Reports, The Lindbergh Kidnapping: Forensic Files Lost Episode, Dawn Fehring: A Missionary Dies Too Young, Joanne Chambers and Paula Nawrocki: Strange Lesson. 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. E 204 Patricia Rorrer: Under the Microscope. Rachael Ray Ending After 17 Seasons: Its Time for Me to Move On. 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. Starz Renews WRONG MAN for a Second Season - BroadwayWorld Clair is black, and no forensic evidence ties him to the crime scene.. Police converged on the scene and soon realized it was not only the remains of Joann Katrinak, but sadly of Alex too. 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. Image credit: Episode screen capture from, - Sarah OConnor: Joann Katrinaks Mother, - Det. Patricia denied owning a .22 caliber pistol (the type of gun used to kill Joann). Another witness, Walter Traupman, who never testified, had told state troopers that on the day of Joanns disappearance, he saw a couple who looked like Joann and Andrew arguing about the paternity of a baby. In TV clips, Andrew didnt come off as anguished. Of course she did--because all that was out there on me was fake news. Unseasonably warm weather in late December suggested that the victims were there since they were killed. I'm not sure to what extent it was brought up in the original trial. Investigation Discovery is profiling the murder of Joann Katrinak and her infant son. Part 1. But defense lawyer Robert Pfeiffer said that plenty of evidence supported Patricias innocence. Despite the troubling evidence from Joann's car, detectives considered whether or not Joann had taken baby Alex and simply left. The state of the bodies suggested the victims had likely been killed the day very they were abducted. After all, one of the key pieces of evidence recovered from the crime scene and Joanns vehicle were dyed blonde hair strands. Success! Patricia seemed like the girl next door but all of a sudden, something snapped, Katrinak later told Wrong Man investigators. All of us could be wrongfully convicted. Detective Barry Grube found it odd that Andrew fixed the severed phone line before police examined it in essence tampering with evidence. 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 only eyewitness to the murder a five-year-old child told police officers that a white man did it, reads the statement. Back in March of 2017, Investigation Discovery ran Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates which questioned the conviction of . The DNA presented at trial, the botching of hair evidence and the revelations in 2015 are thoroughly discussed. 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. Rorrer's attorney, Craig Neely, said after a report by 69 News in December that a police officer contacted him and claimed the first officer on the scene was convinced to lie about the case by the district attorney's office or he would lose his job, but the commonwealth said the first officer on the scene took back those words. (We didnt get into the specifics.). Its proximity to the stable she'd managed made an undeniable association to her. We need to know who killed them! Stable situation. I know I did not commit these murders and they need to get justice for Joann and Alex too.