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 . Rorrer and Andrew broke off their . After relocating to Pennsylvania, Patricia met the 6-foot-2-inch Andrew in a restaurant. I wonder if any of Alex's pediatrician records still exist after all this time. During Patricias hours-long turn in the witness chair, Michael McIntyre grilled her relentlessly. 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. When it was only able to fire once, Rorrer had to resort to bludgeoning her victim. Unseasonably warm weather in late December suggested that the victims were there since they were killed. Cop defends accused. The 26-year-old was recently married, and this would be four-month-old Alex's first Christmas. Her friends say she was railroaded by the system and they want Chris and Fatima to join their fight to free her. He would be alive today if it were not for Patricia Rorrer. The mild-mannered Sarah died in 2019 at the age of 83. So I was convicted of 2 counts of first degree murder and 2 counts of kidnapping. So, this pointed to a theory that Joann had either left on her own or encountered foul play within her home. 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. It'd be plausible to reason some deniability in Patricia's role if there weren't so many indicators of her involvement. Startling new allegations surround one of Lehigh County's most notorious murder cases. 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. Value of cutting back on your screen time, What the Tech? They moved into her house in Salisbury County, staying together for about two years. And, I was quite angry with the police, that they accused Andy. He will never be able to speak if this case! When Joann failed to arrive, her mother-in-law tried calling, but there was no answer at the Katrinak's. I would really recommend watching the Wrong Man 2-part episode. Both sides agree Joann hung up on Patricia. Joann was fun, likable, beautiful, always happy, said her sister-in-law Cindy Wiard. Aside from the hair, there was almost zero forensic evidence. The state police dropped him as a suspect. PATRICIA LYNNE RORRER Appellant No. 99.99 or whatever it was. Joann had been shot in the face and badly beaten. Investigation Discovery is profiling the murder of Joann Katrinak and her infant son. Her husband Andrew's mother expected Joann to arrive quickly, since they only lived a few minutes away. 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. We affirm. Patricia knew her gun tended to jam, but she used it anyway. It is believed she may have received over 3,700 pills in less than a year. State law requires that patrons of the bar sign-in when they come to the bar. 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. 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? This is for them also and freeing an innocent woman! A young mother and her infant son suddenly went missing just before Christmas in 1994. Patricia Rorrer being escorted by the police | Photo Credits: People Magazine. 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. Of course she did--because all that was out there on me was fake news. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! During these 4 years, many in the Lehigh Valley, PA community developed opinions on the case. Berlingers landmark HBO documentary Paradise Lost Trilogy helped lead to the release of the wrongfully convicted West Memphis Three after 18 years of incarceration. She got 12 months of probation for shoplifting at a Walmart in Lexington, North Carolina. The Morning Call Cancel Anytime. By that time, we had both moved on and I had no romantic feelings for him. But other things Patricia did also seemed strange, especially according to prosecutor Michael McIntyre. They had a son, Alex Martin, in August of 1994. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. He recalls that Patty also had an alibi. At 6 a.m. on June 24, 1997, police arrested Patricia at her modest house in Linwood, North Carolina, and took her back to Pennsylvania. 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. But thats just some of the ammo on Team Patricias battleship. Value of cutting back on your screen time, What the Tech? Her advocates say she wasn't even in the same state at the time of the crime. The indications of Patricia's involvement in Joann's and young Alex's disappearance were numerous. Error! 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. But was Andrew in on this plan? When O'Reilly started doing the research, she believed Patricia (Patty) had been . Most convictions were procured through microscopic hair comparison which has been debunked as junk science today. A photo at the time showed that Patricia had dyed her hair blonde, which matched the hair found. When they found Joann and Alex in a wooded area on April 9 1995. He was sentenced to life in prison. Convenient Suspect: A Wrongful Conviction In The Murder In Lehigh On Thursday, December 15, 1994, Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son, Alex, went missing from their Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, home. 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. Patricia demonstrated a consistent habit of long-distance calls from home, then had an obvious gap while claiming she. Since then our team has proven that Patricia is innocent. Criminals aren't always the smartest folks - this area highlights the common (and reoccurring) mistakes they make. Rorrer claims the DNA . This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. 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. ", "Everything is outrageous," he said. Later, they both worked 12-hour graveyard shifts at a textile factory. She is a tough one, Sheriff Gerald Hege would later tell the Morning Call in a June 29, 1997 interview. She was always looking for a fight, Gary Gabard told the Morning Call, which noted that he was a head shorter than Patricia. She had a lawyer who never tried a crimsoned case let alone a murder case, she believed that it would not be a problem because she was innocent. The only eyewitness to the murder a five-year-old child told police officers that a white man did it, reads the statement. It was never tested. 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). And yikes, he discovered someone had cut one of the houses phone lines and pried the hinge on the basement door. Rorrer was convicted of killing them four years later. The person responsible, needs to be punished. You couldnt fire a second shot. She intends to file a motion for a new trial. The Ex Files - Reasonable Doubt (Season 5, Episode 7) | Apple TV When Andrew was told of the location of his young family's remains, he offered investigators a lead. Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. 1 hr 25 min Mar 5, 2017 TV-14. DNA from that and a cigarette butt linked Patricia to the offense. Find a typo or issue with the details of this case? . I know that if I get a fair trial, I will win and be freed. Brad Jackson was able to describe what his daughter Valiree was wearing in incredible detail, down to the color of her socks. Three days later, Joann had plans to pick up her mother-in-law, Veronica Katrinak, to go Christmas shopping. See Commonwealth v. Rorrer, CP-39- CR-0002176-1997 (C.C.P. 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 . How to do some spring cleaning on your smartphone, What the Tech? An exterior door to their basement had been wrenched open, the lock hasp's screws literally ripped from the wall. Although the prosecution used it as evidence that she was trying to create a false alibi, it actually sounded more like Patricia was simply trying to nail down the facts he had already asserted to her. Psycho For Love: Patricia Rorrer killed her ex-boyfriend's new wife At 10:30 p.m., Andrew reported his wife missing. Of course she did--because all that was out there on me was fake news. for the sole purpose of building a stronger case against Andy, their main suspect at the time. 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). Local author finds possible new evidence in 20 year old murder case The series was produced by Joe Berlinger, who made the Paradise Lost documentaries, which garnered actor Johnny Depps attention and ultimately helped free the West Memphis Three. 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? Convenient Suspect: A Double Murder, a Flawed Investigation, and the Convicted murderer seeks new DNA tests in '94 murder case For example, the weight of each organ was listed, it was clear they were not very decomposed. It was a pretty big deal, and i was excited enough to call everyone I knew. 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. (We didnt get into the specifics.). . All of us could be wrongfully convicted. A closer examination of the hairs showed traces of dried blood. 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. On December 12, 1994, Joann answered a phone call from a woman shed never met, Patricia Rorrer, her husbands onetime girlfriend. Her car was soon located in a parking lot within walking distance of their home. . Counsel for Patricia Rorrer, 52, . By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. She was born on July 27, 1942, in Henry County, Va., to Edward Rorrer and Susie Morrison Rorrer. Irelands husband buried it in the yard because he didnt feel comfortable with a firearm inside, she said. Reasonable Doubt: Season 5, Episode 7 - Rotten Tomatoes The past two owners of the gun's yards were dug up and many casings of the .22 were discovered. 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? Dateline NBC's Keith Morrison Explores Claims of a Wrongful Conviction Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates Rejection and betrayal are good enough reasons for these women to commit heinous crimes. 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. 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. Joann was shot once, then the gun jammed. Because when she did, she quickly began to realize that there was a lot more to the story than the public ever knew. Dr. Edward E. "Gene" Rorrer, Sr. Obituary Died along with his mother, Joann, as a victim of his father's jealous ex-girlfriend, Patricia Rorrer. Documentary, Drama 2020-2020. The killer was Patricia Rorrer, the jealous ex-girlfriend of Joann's husband, Andrew. While the police are still investigating the murder of your wife and child? Rorrer is incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution Muncy, a prison for women in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania. Detective Barry Grube found it odd that Andrew fixed the severed phone line before police examined it in essence tampering with evidence. 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. 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. ir.library.oregonstate.edu Culture Editor Tony Sokol is a writer, playwright and musician. 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. Her defense was essentially that she and Andrew Katrinak had remained friendly, so she wouldn't want to hurt him. 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. She does not have a lawyer, her last lawyer was sued by the prosecutor. Where are the missing 4 hairs? Does anyone see motive in this scenario? The couple moved into Andrews sturdy brick house at 740 Front Street in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. FBI didn't follow up on Patricia's alibi for months (6 months?) Wrong Man Season 2 Release Date Confirmed (Exclusive) FILED DECEMBER 13, 2013 Patricia Lynne Rorrer appeals from the order entered in the . 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. 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. McIntyre said he was accused of being the mastermind of a conspiracy to frame Rorrer. Our team of volunteers are committed to helping Patricia. But if Andrew wanted to find his wife and his son, why on Earth did he wait until 10:30pm before notifying authorities? Many of these are circumstantial, so investigators were grateful for their DNA match from the hair. And dance instructor William Jarrett couldnt remember whether she attended his dance class at the club the night of Joanns disappearance. They returned with a guilty verdict and a sentence of two life terms. 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.
David Wilson Expressions Brochure, Nash County Public Schools Payroll Portal, Articles P