Lawyer: New evidence in 1994 killings of woman, infant It seems strange that Patricia would just pick up and drive 500 miles to see and ex-boyfriend from years ago on a whim, leaving her own one-year-old daughter at home in North Carolina. In 1995 DNA testing was brand new. Where is Patricia Rorrer Now? - The Cinemaholic 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. Weak wages. 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. Finally, four months after that dreadful day in December, a farmer plowing his fields found what at first seemed to be a pile of discarded clothing. Over 200 people were convicted using this science ( 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). Patricia demonstrated a habit of making almost daily, long-distance phone calls from her home in North Carolina. One detail the cops noted was how many times Joann was beaten, something like 20 times, the husband was a boxer so it's doubtful he'd need that many. (A good point. She intends to file a motion for a new trial. 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. Nickelodeons Kids Choice Awards: What Is Slime, and Why Do We Love It? Prosecutor hiding something? Rachael Ray Ending After 17 Seasons: Its Time for Me to Move On. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Four hours is a long time between Andrew getting home from work and calling the police. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDGl9dMgHwY&fbclid=IwAR1nlAYf6AcIu_i8kN0fD_MCD3CnxJ6DG_oUgVFdqN3b2EJ4fcLO2ci3wWc. She was also no stranger to law enforcement because she had a history of violence which included an arrest for getting into a bar brawl with another patron over a guy. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had "almond-shaped blue eyes," weighed 18 . 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. 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. 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. Search is on. The state police dropped him as a suspect. 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. Patricia also pointed out that when author Tammy Mal started her research and speaking to me, she was not an advocate at all but she reversed and ended up advocating for Patricias innocence. Puny policy. When Andrew returned from work several hours later, Joann's car wasn't in its normal spot in the alley behind their house, but otherwise everything looked ordinary. A Lehigh County jury spared convicted double murderer Patricia Rorrer's life Monday after hearing impassioned pleas for mercy from her lawyer and family, and being assured there is no parole from . As is the alibi (signing into a dance class), one regular at the dance club said the sign-in sheet was not regularly used by many patrons. 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. In March of 1998, a jury returned two guilty verdicts against Patricia Rorrer for murder, and two more for kidnapping. State police and the Philadelphia division of the FBI appealed to the public for leads. Since then our team has proven that Patricia is innocent. As noted earlier, there was hair found in the victims hand, fingernail fragments found on her body, and also a cigarette butt. ", "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. TV-14. Joann Marie O'Connor Katrinak (1968-1994) - Find a Grave 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? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lo9AIFM_vc&fbclid=IwAR28Mf5rKuUyaq1N-vBqirZM_382D69Zy42uONlU3Qf0eNEnJ1w_kYRYKIM. Andrew languished for weeks and then months as investigators failed to suppl any explanation for his wife's and son's mysterious disappearance. 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 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. After retracing the prosecutor's claim of Patricia breaking into the basement door, private investigators found it highly unlikely someone like Patricia would have all the tools and know-how to unscrew all the bolts and then navigate through a very long, confusing dark basement to cut a phone line. 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. Meanwhile, interest in Patricias plight continues on social media. 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. It's now up to a judge to decide whether to allow that information, as well as information questioning the validity of hair samples that helped put Rorrer behind bars. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I was convicted on microscopic hair comparison and DNA testing that rendered a "match" of 1 in 37,000. Right now she has no attorney and your generous donation will fund our mission. Rorrer has appealed her conviction several times and her supporters believe additional DNA evidence . 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. 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. Mike McIntyre, the first assistant district attorney in Lehigh County during the case, said the petition is "crazy. However, her name was not on the sign-in list. Error! Episode Info. In 1995 DNA testing was brand new. Andrew had an ex-girlfriend, Patricia Rorrer, who'd been familiar with the trail, and she'd previously managed a horse stable just a mile from the scene. Investigation Discovery is profiling the murder of Joann Katrinak and her infant son. Season 1. The victims vanished on December 15. We all need justice! 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. Of course she did--because all that was out there on me was fake news. Conflicting versions. 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. Probable cause of death: exposure. Felix (Phil) Rosado and Terrell (Rell) Woolfolk-Carter, WELCOME HOME!!!!! Any amount will deeply appreciated. Dance defense. More than 20 years after her conviction, Patricia Rorrer still has advocates working to exonerate her. He said she did own a firearm, with its serial numbers filed off. "Reasonable Doubt" The Ex Files (TV Episode 2022) - IMDb She was a real estate agent, a salesperson, and an equestrian, but she also had a rap sheet that included a 12-month probation sentence for shoplifting from a North Carolina Walmart. Book her. After watching the latest Starz episode of Wrong Man (a great investigative show), I started thinking about the Patricia Rorrer case again. Her hair color in the picture matched hairs found at two of the crime scenes. For two decades, Patricia Rorrer has always maintained her innocence. Patricia has been wrongfully convicted of murdering Joann and Alex Katrinak in 1994. Rorrer was convicted of killing them four years later. Finally, prosecutors challenged Patricia's alibi. On December 12, 1994, Joann answered a phone call from a woman shed never met, Patricia Rorrer, her husbands onetime girlfriend. 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. Cancel Anytime. "The DA threatened if he ever said that to anybody he would never work in law enforcement again," Neely said. 1919 EDA 2016 Appeal from the PCRA Order May 26, 2016 In the Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-39-CR-0002176-1997 BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., BOWES AND SHOGAN, J. We work hard to help with things that can not be accomplished in prison. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. But was Andrew in on this plan? Rorrer claims the DNA . Artificial intelligence and machine learning education and literacy: teacher training for primary and secondary education teachers; Chapter 2. Or did they? An early childhood introd There was an error processing your request. 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 made an effort to look perfectly groomed even when she took out the trash, according to her mother, who appeared on Forensic Files. Police converged on the scene and soon realized it was not only the remains of Joann Katrinak, but sadly of Alex too. I wonder if any of Alex's pediatrician records still exist after all this time. 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 indications of Patricia's involvement in Joann's and young Alex's disappearance were numerous. Stable situation. Counsel for Patricia Rorrer, 52, . 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. I found it necessary to document each time an episode featured one of these. Murder in Lehigh Valley Keith Morrison Investigates (1x120) E 204 Patricia Rorrer: Under the Microscope. 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. Many of these are circumstantial, so investigators were grateful for their DNA match from the hair. Value of cutting back on your screen time, What the Tech? 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. I cant lose them, he told the media. Apr 5, 2016. INMATE INFORMATION. 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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. They also found a photo of Patricia taken 11 days before the homicide. That hang-up, they said, was the last straw. The premiere episode will air following the series finale of Power. . Tapps lawyer saidWrong Mans in-depth investigation into the Tapp conviction helped free an innocent man.. Startling new allegations surround one of Lehigh County's most notorious murder cases. How would an intruder find it? ), The Wrong Man investigators Ira Todd and Joe Kennedy have some theories of their own. Image credit: Episode screen capture from, - Sarah OConnor: Joann Katrinaks Mother, - Det. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. DNA testing revealed the blood came from either Joann or her son. Patricia Rorrer was convicted of both deaths in the mid-90's and is serving a life sentence. They moved into her house in Salisbury County, staying together for about two years. Died along with his mother, Joann, as a victim of his father's jealous ex-girlfriend, Patricia Rorrer. In April 1995, the family buried Joann and Alex in a single bronze casket after a funeral mass at a Bethlehem church. Or was it? Her husband Andrew's mother expected Joann to arrive quickly, since they only lived a few minutes away. 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. Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files. 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. Patricia was wrongfully convicted and we will show you how! Its proximity to the stable she'd managed made an undeniable association to her. (We didnt get into the specifics.). They even lived together for about two years before parting ways for good. Use quotation marks to search as a I have always maintained my innocence because I am innocent. 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. Why was the jury never told that Patricia Rorrer was under surveillance in North Carolina at the time of the crime? 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. Shes attracted the help of writer Tammy Mal (full name Tammy Malinowski OReilly), author of Convenient Suspect, a book about the case. 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. A photo at the time showed that Patricia had dyed her hair blonde, which matched the hair found. When their bodies were found four months later, police sought the clues to find their killer. Episode 7. Patricia defaulted on her mortgage and then returned to North Carolina, where she eventually moved in with a boyfriend named Brian Ward. However, as profiled on IDs Deadly Women: Green-Eyed Monsters, Joanns husbands ex-girlfriend, Patricia Rorrer, was eventually identified as their perpetrator. She just stayed in touch with everybody, Kathy Barber said in her interview on NBCs Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Reports in 2017. When I gave samples of my hair, the doctor took a total of 39 hairs, but only 35 can be accounted for. Louise Rorrer Bryant, age 79, of Fieldale, Va., passed away on May 15, 2022. Not gender neutral. Most prosecutors wouldn't even take such paltry evidence into court today. They returned with a guilty verdict and a sentence of two life terms. My case in a nutshell is this: I was convicted on a DNA match made to the root of a hair found in the victim's car which was located 15 miles from the crime scene. 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. Christopher Tapp, who was convicted of the 1996 sexual assault and murder of an 18-year-old girl in Idaho, was coerced into confessing to the crime after an estimated 150 hours of interrogations. It's sad looking back at those Forensic Files episodes where the science was junk but they portray it as a solid case. Success! On Thursday, December 15, 1994, Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son, Alex, went missing from their Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, home. $4.99/mo. When their bodies were found four months later, police sought the clues to find their killer. While the police are still investigating the murder of your wife and child? ", "Everything is outrageous," he said. Lehigh Cty.) - 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 . Sir I would not kill somebody and I definitely wouldnt kill somebody I never met, Rorrer said. This had been taken just 11 days before Joann's disappearance. Patricia Rorrer is serving a life sentence, convicted of driving 500 miles to kill her ex-boyfriend's new wife and his baby. At 10:30 p.m., Andrew reported his wife missing. Innocent nonprofit Wrongful Conviction. 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. 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. No show. In June of 2016 Patricia Rorrer's petition for a new trial was been thrown out. 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. 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. 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. Detective Barry Grube found it odd that Andrew fixed the severed phone line before police examined it in essence tampering with evidence. She seemed like quite an unlikely suspect at least at first. Joann and Alex Katrinak: Still No Justice (Update) No charmed life. Wrong Man says she had normally signed in for her line dancing class but didn't on the day Joann and Alex disappeared. Despite the new evidence and hypotheses, the courts have rejected all of Patricias bids for a new trial. I'm not sure to what extent it was brought up in the original trial. The system is broken sending innocent people to prison! (McIntyre said that Egan ignored Traupman because he was a nut who said that the man he saw arguing with the woman in a car was Hispanic but wearing a fake mustache and a toupee. It's been more than 20 years since Patricia Rorrer was convicted of killing her ex-boyfriend's wife, Joann Katrinak, and Katrinak's baby. Wrong Man investigators interrogated a confidential informant, the main witness against Evaristo Salas, and he recanted his testimony.