FILED DECEMBER 13, 2013 Patricia Lynne Rorrer appeals from the order entered in the . She got 12 months of probation for shoplifting at a Walmart in Lexington, North Carolina. Probable cause of death: exposure. after the fact. They moved into her house in Salisbury County, staying together for about two years. With 400 (and 6) episodes, this progress bar indicates my progress toward finishing all of them. After relocating to Pennsylvania, Patricia met the 6-foot-2-inch Andrew in a restaurant. Patricia Rorrer: Under the Microscope: Patty Rorrer is convicted of the kidnapping and murder of her ex-boyfriend's wife and infant son, but "Wrong Man" investigators discover that the case is not so clear cut. Patricia was arrested in North Carolina in June of 1997. The premiere episode will air following the series finale of Power. Please take the time to read my story. Man, this case was soooo shittily handled. The state made a case fueled by circumstantial evidence and public outrage over the deaths of a modern-day madonna and child. ", "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. This proves that whatever hair root was DNA tested and matched to me could not have been one of the hairs taken from Joann's car. "I'm hoping this [show] will be very close to the truth," said Sandy Mizgerd. 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. Um why is that? An ex-boyfriend of Patricia knew she owned a distinct .22 caliber pistol and knew of its tendency to jam, but Rorrer could only deny owning such a weapon. I lived with Andrew Katrinak for approximately 5 years, and we ended our relationship as friends in 1989 when I moved to North Carolina.. We would speak 2 or 3 times a year. Or identify other people in their lives who might have benefited from either the Katrinak's deaths or disappearance? We take wrongful convictions to heart. Jury Rejects Alibi, Finds Rorrer Guilty In Double Kidnapping-murder Case Woman found guilty in Lehigh Slayings Convicted murderer seeks new DNA tests in '94 murder case. Joann was shot once, then the gun jammed. She did buy a .22 before. 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 . Also Rorrer had a history of run-ins with the law, including being charged with breaking and entering. 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. The Free Patricia Rorrer page responds to comments from supporters (How is this even possible that this woman is still in jail?!? A photo at the time showed that Patricia had dyed her hair blonde, which matched the hair found. Criminals aren't always the smartest folks - this area highlights the common (and reoccurring) mistakes they make. Patricia Rorrer is imprisoned for murdering her ex-boyfriend's wife and baby out of spite. 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. Exactly one week after Joann and Alex went missing, the FBI interviewed me at my mother's house. Why did the police not look into these things? I wonder if any of Alex's pediatrician records still exist after all this time. The six-episode documentary series examines the cases of three different inmates who are serving life sentences on murder convictions but who claim innocence. Here was some other evidence mentioned in the Forensic Files episode: A forensic entomologist examined insect activity on the victims. It's not often there's a laundry list of clear signals, but it's fun to iterate them when there are so many. 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. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Patricia denied owning a .22 caliber pistol (the type of gun used to kill Joann). Wrong Man says she had normally signed in for her line dancing class but didn't on the day Joann and Alex disappeared. Patricia Rorrer is found guilty of the abduction and murder of Joann Katrinak and her infant son, Alex. Berlingers landmark HBO documentary Paradise Lost Trilogy helped lead to the release of the wrongfully convicted West Memphis Three after 18 years of incarceration. (Media sources vary as to whether she actually worked at the stable or just rented a stall there for her own horse.). 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. You couldnt fire a second shot. Really? On December 12, 1994, Joann answered a phone call from a woman shed never met, Patricia Rorrer, her husbands onetime girlfriend. Joann Katrinaks Killer Still Has Innocence Advocates(A Woman Scorned, Forensic Files). An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Patricia Rorrer | Worldwide Womens Criminal Justice Network - WCJN And Andrews explanation of how the intruder got in through the basement door seemed contrived, according to Grube, who gave an interview to Wrong Man, a 2020 true-crime docuseries from the Starz network, which produced two episodes called The Hang Up about the Rorrer case. I can't recall if the long distance calls were talked about in the show. And she would just call out of the blue., According to the Free Patricia Rorrer page on Facebook:I called him to let him know that I was going to the USA finals for a horse show. Season 1. This explosive case is back in the spotlight, reopening old wounds and creating new ones. And who'd be heartless enough to kill an infant as well? TV-14. According to court papers from Patricia 2017 appeal, DNA on the cigarette butt found near the two bodies belonged to Appellant. (Prosecutor Michael McIntyre, however, told ForensicFilesNow.com that that the cigarette butt was never actually tested). This is the hard part. State police and the Philadelphia division of the FBI appealed to the public for leads. Then 31 years old, she had lived a rocky existence. Mizgerd said she acts as Patricia Rorrer's spiritual advisor and often visits her in prison. Was this on unsolved mysteries too? Based on body decomposition alone, it seems near impossible that they were kidnapped and killed in the same day or even within weeks. Back in March of 2017, Investigation Discovery ran Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates which questioned the conviction of . I cant lose them, he told the media. The Morning Call Rorrer is incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution Muncy, a prison for women in Clinton Township, 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. She is a true crime writer who believed I was 100% guilty when she decided to write about my case. Congratulations to all four of you, especially Rell and Phill, who are both co-founding members of R2R and CADBI. Wrong Man investigators interrogated a confidential informant, the main witness against Evaristo Salas, and he recanted his testimony. Incriminating words. Friends and family began looking for Joann and Alex. Tapps lawyer saidWrong Mans in-depth investigation into the Tapp conviction helped free an innocent man.. Four hours is a long time between Andrew getting home from work and calling the police. The Innocence Project has declined to take her case. She failed miserably to convince me, or anyone else who mattered, of her innocence. 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? Prosecutor pounds away. Four months after Joanns disappearance, farmer Paul Kovalchik reported seeing what at first looked like a pile of clothes on his land in Heidelberg Township woods, about 15 miles from the Katrinaks house. Andrew mentioned to police that his former live-in girlfriend Patricia Rorrer once managed a horse stable two miles from the bodies location and would have been familiar with the riding trails close to the murder scene. Patricia's friends claimed that she was not "stalking" Andy and had fully moved on with her life (new boyfriend, new city, a long time ago etc.). Irelands husband buried it in the yard because he didnt feel comfortable with a firearm inside, she said. It's as if she had left with young Alex as planned but then somehow simply vanished. She made an effort to look perfectly groomed even when she took out the trash, according to her mother, who appeared on Forensic Files. Her defense was essentially that she and Andrew Katrinak had remained friendly, so she wouldn't want to hurt him. Read More:Where is Jacqueline Crymble Now? 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. 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?. 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. These organelles, found in all eukaryotic cells, are the powerhouse of the cell. Traupman claimed that when he reported the dispute, trooper Robert V. Egan III got mad and practically kicked him out of his office. Find a typo or issue with the details of this case? Many of these are circumstantial, so investigators were grateful for their DNA match from the hair. 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). 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. Watch enough true crime shows and you're bound to hear one of these gems. Why would someone want to kidnap and murder the young mother? 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. Where is Patricia Rorrer Now? - The Cinemaholic He framed this woman who has been in prison 23 years! Most prosecutors wouldn't even take such paltry evidence into court today. State law requires that patrons of the bar sign-in when they come to the bar. 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. So lets get going on the recap of the Forensic Files episode A Woman Scorned, along with extra information drawn from internet research: Joann Marie OConnor was born on Oct. 11, 1968, the youngest of Sarah and David OConnors four children. Free Patricia Rorrer - Facebook On Alexs diaper bag, police found strands of the same type of hair from the car. Men who murder are conventional, women are sensational, posits the Worldwide Womens Criminal Justice Network. 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. Patricia was living back in North Carolina when the double murders occurred, yet investigators questioned her nonetheless. This state is corrupt as in every state! Wake up people this could be you! In 2015, the type of hair DNA science used was finally admitted to be junk by the FBI and incorrect in 96% of cases. 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. Lehigh Valley: Patricia Rorrer Still A Convenient Suspect? Well, that really caught our attention of course.". Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates It was never tested. Those who knew Joann pointed out that she didnt like to drive in reverse and would have never parked that way. Prosecutors offered Patricia a plea deal that would take the death penalty off the table, but she declined. The bodies of Joann Katrinak and her baby were found in a wooded area of Heidelberg Township in 1994. Hair we go. Police converged on the scene and soon realized it was not only the remains of Joann Katrinak, but sadly of Alex too. Great communicator. Patricia is and has been fighting that she is innocent from the very beginning. The team on Wrong Man tracked down the history of this gun and found that the police did so as well. Patricia Lynne Rorrer made for a good suspect. The system is broken sending innocent people to prison! Police identified the pair as Joann and Alex Katrinak. They theorized might've simply started a new life with another man, but this seemed absurd to everyone who knew Joann. Our Mission. See Commonwealth v. Rorrer, CP-39- CR-0002176-1997 (C.C.P. (A good point. Darla Carrington, Brian Charles, Robert Pezzeca, Patricia Rorrer . They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had "almond-shaped blue eyes," weighed 18 . Dance defense. The first, Vonda Smith, was convicted of murdering her grandchilds mother, 21-year-old Jessie Morrison. It all gave jurors a lot to think about but only for six hours. Here is the link https://www.amazon.com/Convenient-Suspect-Investigation-Railroading-Innocent/dp/B0777SGHL4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=tammy%20mal&qid=1588982960&sr=8-1&fbclid=IwAR0xwJARGyijcn3BqdWAzXSX0l9C7kM-9UtBxQio4AsMv62neDLzggK1IrI. While the police are still investigating the murder of your wife and child? 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. Mostly cloudy and drier, but a few scattered rain showers linger early, and perhaps a few snow showers at any point in the Poconos. 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 . 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. A newspaper account described Patricia as a soft-spoken, demure woman who had a sweet Southern accent and wore feminine clothes in court. 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. Local author finds possible new evidence in 20 year old murder case 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. On December 7, 1994 I called Andy to let him know that me and my team had won the National Championship at a team penning competition in Oklahoma. Prosecutors said Rorrer beat Katrinak, shot her and left her and her baby for dead in the woods in Heidelberg Township. After one bullet didnt kill Joann, the gun locked up, so Patricia had to beat her to death, according to the prosecution. FBI didn't follow up on Patricia's alibi for months (6 months?) Tragedy also touched Patricias life. To really understand this case, you need to sit down and read this book called Convenient Suspect written by Tammy Mal. The indications of Patricia's involvement in Joann's and young Alex's disappearance were numerous. They also found a photo of Patricia taken 11 days before the homicide. Rorrer and Andrew broke off their . To date, the PA courts refuse to let me test this evidence which will prove my innocence. Wrong Man Season 2 Release Date Confirmed (Exclusive) Season 9 | Deadly Women Wiki | Fandom Her book tells the truth and the real story of this case. Detective Robert Werts stated Rorrer offered four or five alibis for the time of the incident. When their bodies were found four months later, police sought the clues to find their killer. She fought for her life and had defensive wounds including a broken nose and a broken finger. By the mid-1990s, Patricia was known for being both warm and caring as well as aggressive and loud. You have permission to edit this article. 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. She was thus sentenced to two life terms without the possibility of parole, plus an added 10-20 years for the kidnapping charges, to be served consecutively. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDGl9dMgHwY&fbclid=IwAR1nlAYf6AcIu_i8kN0fD_MCD3CnxJ6DG_oUgVFdqN3b2EJ4fcLO2ci3wWc. Since 2010, Tammy has been researching the 1994 Katrinak murders in Catasauqua. These hairs being found in the otherwise cleaned car was also odd. For two decades, Patricia Rorrer has always maintained her innocence. After the premiere episode, Wrong Man will air on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. So much in this case, and every time she appeals with new evidence she is denied. All of us could be wrongfully convicted. No one is safe if the justice system is broken and they are putting innocent people in prison. Convicted murderer seeks new DNA tests in '94 murder case 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. 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. Catherine Howard - Fifth Wife of Henry VIII Documentary Detectives from the Davidson County sheriff's office took the witness stand to recall the morning of June 24, 1997, when they knocked on the door of Rorrer's Linwood, N.C., home and told her she . But if Andrew wanted to find his wife and his son, why on Earth did he wait until 10:30pm before notifying authorities?