Flaw in reasoning. 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. I cant lose them, he told the media. The Den of Geek quarterly magazine is packed with exclusive features, interviews, previews and deep dives into geek culture. 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. They DID NOT match the bullets that killed Joann and her son. Please walk thru her website and see for yourself how easy it is to be convicted of something you had nothing to do with. The main one of course was committing murder of a young woman and her infant son over an argument. They theorize that Andrew Katrinak framed Patricia and that the hostile phone call between Patricia and Joann actually took place not on Dec. 12 as Andrew said but rather on Dec. 7. The media love the femme fatale., FBI lab blunder. Based on body decomposition alone, it seems near impossible that they were kidnapped and killed in the same day or even within weeks. Patricia Elgin Rorrer, 86, of Lynchburg, went to be with her Lord on Thursday, February 4, 2021. Her friends say she was railroaded by the system and they want Chris and Fatima to join their fight to free her. 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! Rachael Ray Ending After 17 Seasons: Its Time for Me to Move On. Andrew languished for weeks and then months as investigators failed to suppl any explanation for his wife's and son's mysterious disappearance. 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. Patricia demonstrated a consistent habit of long-distance calls from home, then had an obvious gap while claiming she. "I'm very angry, very very very angry," McIntyre said. . This explosive case is back in the spotlight, reopening old wounds and creating new ones. Joann had been shot in the face and badly beaten. Trash-talking ex. His film Whitey: United States of America V. James J. Bulgeruncovered law enforcement corruption at the highest levels. Perhaps police couldn't get a warrant for a sample of Patricia's hair, the color being inconsistent with the latent hairs found in the car and at the murder scene. Died along with his mother, Joann, as a victim of his father's jealous ex-girlfriend, Patricia Rorrer. It was a pretty big deal, and i was excited enough to call everyone I knew. Tapps lawyer saidWrong Mans in-depth investigation into the Tapp conviction helped free an innocent man.. The bodies of Joann Katrinak and her baby were found in a wooded area of Heidelberg Township in 1994. The episode made a special point about locating the photograph of Patricia Rorrer with dyed blonde hair. And if nothing more, it certainly galvanized the law enforcement community and got us moving in the right direction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDGl9dMgHwY&fbclid=IwAR1nlAYf6AcIu_i8kN0fD_MCD3CnxJ6DG_oUgVFdqN3b2EJ4fcLO2ci3wWc. Some lawyers call microscopic hair analysis junk science that today wouldnt qualify as evidence in a trial like Rorrers. ", "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. Louise Rorrer Bryant, age 79, of Fieldale, Va., passed away on May 15, 2022. She claimed to have been home during this period how did her defense team justify such a departure from Patricia's norm? That hang-up, they said, was the last straw. 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. Select "match all" to require all fields. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Lehigh Cty.) It seems Patricia's own daughter and baby Alex Katrinak were very close in age. Wouldn't he have tried to call his mother recall it was with her Joann had planned to go Christmas shopping. Deal refused. Inside the locked 1992 vehicle, police discovered some strands of blond hair stained with dried blood. You have permission to edit this article. An exterior door to their basement had been wrenched open, the lock hasp's screws literally ripped from the wall. They allege that the North Carolina resident stealthily drove 500 miles to Pennsylvania and killed out of a sense of deadly indignation. Shes attracted the help of writer Tammy Mal (full name Tammy Malinowski OReilly), author of Convenient Suspect, a book about the case. As noted earlier, there was hair found in the victims hand, fingernail fragments found on her body, and also a cigarette butt. A local murder case that made national headlines will be back in the national spotlight Sunday night. But if Andrew wanted to find his wife and his son, why on Earth did he wait until 10:30pm before notifying authorities? Great communicator. ), The Wrong Man investigators Ira Todd and Joe Kennedy have some theories of their own. 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. She is a true crime writer who believed I was 100% guilty when she decided to write about my case. Mizgerd said she is convinced Rorrer is innocent. Family members found Joanns tan Toyota sitting vacant in the parking lot of McCartys, a nearby bar. Where are the missing 4 hairs? By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Also she worked as a realtor so it's not that unreasonable for her to know which line to cut. There is still an appeal coming up (I believe) but everything else has failed so far to get Patricia another trial. A second helping of justice will be served. For example, the weight of each organ was listed, it was clear they were not very decomposed. Prosecutor hiding something? Her defense was essentially that she and Andrew Katrinak had remained friendly, so she wouldn't want to hurt him. The state made a case fueled by circumstantial evidence and public outrage over the deaths of a modern-day madonna and child. Patricia supposedly still cared for Andrew Katrinak, but murdering his son contradicts this notion. Some who still believe in Patricia Rorrer's innocence say it was long enough for him to stage the scene. The state of the bodies suggested the victims had likely been killed the day very they were abducted. Culture Editor Tony Sokol is a writer, playwright and musician. 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. Everyone needs to wake up because this could be you, your wife, your husband, your mother, your father, your children! "Our position is that Patricia Rorrer's sample hairs were switched with crime scene hair, the hair taken from the seat back of Katrinak's vehicle," Neely said. After Tapp served nearly 21 years of his sentence, the real killer was finally found through forensic genealogy, according to Time. It was later believed that his recollection was keen, since he'd been the one to dress her posthumously. When O'Reilly started doing the research, she believed Patricia (Patty) had been . Rorrer was convicted at trial in March 1998 of kidnapping Joann Katrinak, 26, and her 3-month-old son, Alex, on Dec. 15, 1994, from their Catasauqua home . The farmer's remote field bordered an isolated horseback riding trail. Sir I would not kill somebody and I definitely wouldnt kill somebody I never met, Rorrer said. Once, when a gun-wielding farmer and his buddy caught Patricia and Gary riding motorcycles on his field, Patricia walked up and got in their faces and argued, Gary recalled to the Morning Call. (A good point. Fury of the Gods Brings Back the "Shazamily": Inside DC's New Superhero Adventure, Scream 6's Brutal NYC Trip: "You Can't Trust Anyone" This Time, Cocaine Bear Is Not Just About a Killer "Coked-Up" Bear, It's Also an "Underdog Story", How Marvel's Wastelanders Podcast Created an Exciting Story with No Visual Safety Net, Wrong Man Season 2 Release Date Confirmed (Exclusive). After her arraignment, she had to walk past a crowd of dozens of locals screeching hang her! and baby killer! Patricia clung to a Polaroid picture showing her and her own little girl. A newspaper account described Patricia as a soft-spoken, demure woman who had a sweet Southern accent and wore feminine clothes in court. Strands of the accuseds dyed-blond hair at two crime scenes proved it. No charmed life. The past two owners of the gun's yards were dug up and many casings of the .22 were discovered. But thats just some of the ammo on Team Patricias battleship. Wrong Man investigators interrogated a confidential informant, the main witness against Evaristo Salas, and he recanted his testimony. However, her name was not on the sign-in list. This was further disproved when her bank reported there'd been no activity on Joann's credit cards since her disappearance. After watching the latest Starz episode of Wrong Man (a great investigative show), I started thinking about the Patricia Rorrer case again. Mizgerd said she acts as Patricia Rorrer's spiritual advisor and often visits her in prison. I was convicted on the basis of a DNA match made to the root of one (1) hair found in Joann's car. I most definitely will not personally afford Patricia a platform, Michael said in an email to ForensicFilesNow.com She had her chance to answer my questions and tell her story in court over 20 years ago. Thats all for this post. Most prosecutors wouldn't even take such paltry evidence into court today. 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. Success! MEMORANDUM BY BOWES, J.: Patricia Lynne Rorrer appeals the PCRA court's dismissal of her fourth PCRA petition as untimely filed. And even prosecutor Michael McIntyre, who wrote the book Hair Trigger about the case, acknowledged to Keith Morrison that it was a little odd that the police found blood on the hairs in Joanns car but nowhere else in the vehicle. Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Reports is also available on YouTube, but it costs $1.99 to view (Keith comes off as an advocate for Patricias innocence on the episode). The jury found Patricia guilty in just 6 hours in 1998, 4 years after the crime. The Free Patricia Rorrer page responds to comments from supporters (How is this even possible that this woman is still in jail?!? Plus, he had only a minimal life insurance policy on Joann and he passed polygraphs, according to The FBI Files: Family Secrets. Learn more about our upcoming events, fundraisers, and more! 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. He said that the gun had an unusual characteristic: the gun would jam after firing one shot. E 204 Patricia Rorrer: Under the Microscope. Patricias professional life included short-lived gigs as a Century 21 real estate agent and an Oldsmobile salesperson. And, I was quite angry with the police, that they accused Andy. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. She seemed like quite an unlikely suspect at least at first. 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. I was convicted on microscopic hair comparison and DNA testing that rendered a "match" of 1 in 37,000. Advocates for her innocence complain of hype surrounding the case. ", "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. No one is safe if the justice system is broken and they are putting innocent people in prison. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Patricia is and has been fighting that she is innocent from the very beginning. Cop defends accused. When Joann failed to arrive, her mother-in-law tried calling, but there was no answer at the Katrinak's. 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. It's sad looking back at those Forensic Files episodes where the science was junk but they portray it as a solid case. Or did they? Success! 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. Value of cutting back on your screen time, What the Tech? When their bodies were found four months later, police sought the clues to find their killer. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Joann was shot once, then the gun jammed. The phone wire was located at the opposite end of the basement, which was dark. 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. See Patricia Rorrer full list of movies and tv shows from their career. For more on the Katrinak murder case, you can watch Autopsy Six: A Fatal Attraction for free on YouTube. 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. She is sitting in Muncey Women's Correctional Facility for over 23 years now for something. 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. Thats my life.. Patricia Rorrer was a cold woman. On Thursday, December 15, 1994, Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son, Alex, went missing from their Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, home. Her book tells the truth and the real story of this case. Two of the seasons three cases will feature female inmates. 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. Cancel Anytime. Shes just extremely happy with Andy, her brother, Michael OConnor, told the media. Rorrer has appealed her conviction several times and her supporters believe additional DNA evidence testing may be the key to proving her innocence. Patricia Rorrer is found guilty of the abduction and murder of Joann Katrinak and her infant son, Alex. Leave a comment below, or contact us! At 17, Patricia dropped out of high school and married landscaper Gary Gabard. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. There was an error processing your request. Her car was soon located in a parking lot within walking distance of their home. (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. Conflicting versions. Patricia Lynne Rorrer made for a good suspect. She was born on July 27, 1942, in Henry County, Va., to Edward Rorrer and Susie Morrison Rorrer. The system is broken sending innocent people to prison! She was also accused of breaking into barns, stealing horses, and underfeeding the ones she owned. Patricia was convicted based on her head hairs being found in the victim's car. In June of 2016 Patricia Rorrer's petition for a new trial was been thrown out. 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? Do any of the TV episodes suggest the possibility of their being held alive for some time? On a secret recording, Patricia asked Jarrett to vouch for her attendance or she might go to the electric char. Posted: June 22, 2022 Ex-boyfriend Walter Blalock said that Patricia wanted him to be more like Andrew. I'm not sure to what extent it was brought up in the original trial. Despite the troubling evidence from Joann's car, detectives considered whether or not Joann had taken baby Alex and simply left. With Lynnanne Zager, Joann Katrinak, Alex Katrinak, Patricia Rorrer. She needs to be freed! Shes extremely, extremely happy with the baby. After all, one of the key pieces of evidence recovered from the crime scene and Joanns vehicle were dyed blonde hair strands. She was bubbly and likable, not disgruntled, according to friend Kathy Barber, who visited her friend in jail. Recall Jason Funk's role in Katie Froeschle's murder in Muffled Cries (s11e31) or the trail of evidence left by Earl Bramblett in Private Thoughts (s08e16). Nailed? Now retired, he declined ForensicFilesNow.coms invitation to spar directly with Patricia via a podcast. She is a true crime writer who believed I was 100% guilty when she decided to write about my case. 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. Two-Part Special Premieres Sunday, March 5 at 8/7c; Features Exclusive First-Ever Interview with Inmate Patricia Rorrer (Silver Spring, Md.) They returned with a guilty verdict and a sentence of two life terms. However, a former boyfriend stated that she did own a .22 caliber chrome-plated semi-automatic weapon. Rorrer claims the DNA . After relocating to Pennsylvania, Patricia met the 6-foot-2-inch Andrew in a restaurant. 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. 99.99 or whatever it was. Patricia has been wrongfully convicted of murdering Joann and Alex Katrinak in 1994. . She had dropped out of school at the age of 17 to marry her partner and subsequently worked long graveyard shifts at a textile factory to provide for their family. A medical examiner said it was impossible for the two bodies to have been in that wooded area for 4 months (December to April when they were found). Today, Rorrer's attorney says not only is his client innocent, but she was framed. Patricias defenders also say Andrew Katrinak staged the scene at his house by prying the door and cutting the phone line. 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. 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. 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. It all gave jurors a lot to think about but only for six hours. In the Katrinak case, they did new (at the time) DNA testing to match the hairs found in the car to Patricia. Patricia denied owning a .22 caliber pistol (the type of gun used to kill Joann). TV-MA | Mar 1, 2020 | 53m. Of course she did--because all that was out there on me was fake news. To really understand this case, you need to sit down and read this book called Convenient Suspect written by Tammy Mal. New state, new man. It's been more than 20 years since Patricia Rorrer was convicted of killing her ex-boyfriend . 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. 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? 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. It's as if she had left with young Alex as planned but then somehow simply vanished. They even lived together for about two years before parting ways for good. To date, the PA courts refuse to let me test this evidence which will prove my innocence. Kidnapped and killed? My kid has had 99th percentile head circumference since birth. The prosecution asked for the death penalty, but the jury chose to sentence me to life in prison without parole which, actually, is just a slower death sentence. 1 hr 25 min Mar 5, 2017 TV-14. They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had "almond-shaped blue eyes," weighed 18 . I would really recommend watching the Wrong Man 2-part episode. How about the phone line being cut? 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. No comments yet - start the conversation above. Wrong Man takes viewers on real-time investigations to uncover new evidence, track down key witnesses, consult forensic experts, and interrogate the incarcerated. 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. 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. More: https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/murder/convenient-suspect-a-wrongful-conviction-in-the-murder-in-lehigh-valley. Read more of his work here or find him on Twitter @tsokol. Combination locks. A hidden FBI report found a couple years ago showed that police were unsure if there were roots on the found hairs. At the states request, the instructor wore a wire during a phone conversation with Patricia. During these 4 years, many in the Lehigh Valley, PA community developed opinions on the case. On December 12, 1994, Joann answered a phone call from a woman shed never met, Patricia Rorrer, her husbands onetime girlfriend. Joann was fun, likable, beautiful, always happy, said her sister-in-law Cindy Wiard. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. 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. Joann grabbed her purse, the diaper bag, and their coats against the December chill in Pennsylvania. I really never thought of it again.. 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. Donna Fisher/Allentown Morning Call/TNS via Getty Image. But "Wrong Man" investigators discover that there is . Very true - I can't remember if the show went through that. Pfeiffer and Burke claimed that police Sgt. On Alexs diaper bag, police found strands of the same type of hair from the car. Around April 1995, the cold and badly decomposed remains of 26-year-old Joann Katrinak and her 3.5-month-old toddler Alex Katrinak were recovered from the woods in Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania. FILED DECEMBER 13, 2013 Patricia Lynne Rorrer appeals from the order entered in the . 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.
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