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. Prosecutors offered Patricia a plea deal that would take the death penalty off the table, but she declined. Kenneth Clair, a homeless black man, is convicted and sentenced to death for the brutal murder of a babysitter in 1984. 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. DNA from that and a cigarette butt linked Patricia to the offense. . At 17, Patricia dropped out of high school and married landscaper Gary Gabard. Why did they refuse to investigate a hair found in the victims right hand? Or did they? Im still on the fence, but boy do I ever want to find the answers!. I was like OK, maybe she was tired, you know with a new baby. % They allege that the North Carolina resident stealthily drove 500 miles to Pennsylvania and killed out of a sense of deadly indignation. If you have any information on this missing mystery, please contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department directly: 573-335-6621. Superior Court states that the 3 mounted car hairs were sent to the FBI in July 1995, and Rorrers hair samples were taken in November 1995, therefore, since the FBI had possession of the mounted hairs before the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) took Rorrers samples, it is impossible for those hairs to have been switched. Nailed? You have permission to edit this article. Tammy Mal is a true-crime writer whos written for True Detective Magazine and Absolute Crime Publishing. He had worked as a semi-pro boxer in Las Vegas in his youth and later settled into his own construction business. 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. Although police initially focused on Andrew as a suspect, they ruled him out and suspicion turned toward his ex-girlfriend Patricia Rorrer four months later, when Joann and Alexs bodies were discovered on a rural trail near where Patricia used to ride horses. Cancel Anytime. A hair that does, Why did they fail to test a piece of flesh adhering to a torn fingernail fragment recovered from Joann's chest? 3 0 obj But her reputation wasnt exactly sleek and shiny. Further, an early FBI report said the hairs found in the car had no roots which contain the DNA suggesting an evidence switcheroo. It is one of those completely addictive tales where theres so much that just points in both directions, Morrison tells PEOPLE. It was love at first sight when Joann OConnor met Andy Katrinak in the spring of 1992. No charmed life. Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV. Patricia Rorrer - Wrongful Conviction, Innocent, Nonprofit Keeping a convicted killer in prison on the merits of a case is a good thing, but what about when the courts keep someone incarcerated on completely inaccurate information? DNA testing showed that Rorrer could not be excluded as the source of the hairs. 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. How could I explain to my daughter years later that I took a plea for something I didnt do? she said. A three-year investigation culminated in court on March 6, 1998, with Patricia being convicted on two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping. It all gave jurors a lot to think about but only for six hours. Media galore. The Free Patricia Rorrer page responds to comments from supporters (How is this even possible that this woman is still in jail?!? Tillman disappeared in from New York City when he was only 14 years old. Chris and Fatima investigate the case in search of the truth. Therefore, today, in her late 50s, Patricia is imprisoned at the maximum-security State Correctional Institution Muncy in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. And the fact that Patricia called Andrew even after he married someone else didnt mean she was still carrying a torch for him, according to one of her friends. Since then, Patricia has appealed her case and fought for exoneration, only to always be denied. A hair sample that helped put Patricia Rorrer behind bars for life could be the key to set her free. 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. Patricia and her husband broke up after the babys death. Or is Patricia Rorrer still just a convenient suspect? I really never thought of it again.. <> 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. Starting at. Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBent Ramsey and more. Patricia Rorrer was convicted of both deaths in the mid-90's and is serving a life sentence. Her mother, Patricia Chambers, provided day care for their baby son, Charles. Motion for Discovery (pdf) Download. Toxic chemicals in Emmaus water could cost at least $24M to fix, 'Can't wait to see everyone': After 3-year hiatus, beloved Easton deli nears reopening, How do you know your money is safe? Katrinak's husband's ex-girlfriend was convicted of the crime, but now there's a possibility the case could be reopened. Self - Retired Detective Sergeant Homicide Investigator Birmingham AL Police Dept. Have You Seen Missing Colorado Man Jance Wesly Varela? Medical examiners determined Katrinak had been beaten and shot. 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. After Patricia and Andrew broke up in 1990, she moved back to North Carolina but the two remained in touch through sporadic visits and phone calls. Both sides agree Joann hung up on Patricia. You might think such a thing couldnt happen, but thats exactly what did happen in the Rorrer case. Contained in Superior Courts 22-page opinion are a minimum of 24 factual errors; many of which are extremely serious. Lieutenant Christopher Coble and Sergeant Suzanne Pearson would later testify that Patricia cried and apologized to 18-month-old Nicole, telling the baby, Im sorry for doing this to you and lamenting to the officers that she would never see little Nicole again. Back in March of 2017, Investigation Discovery ran Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates which questioned the conviction of Patricia Rorrer for the brutal double murders of Joann Katrinak and her infant son, Alex. - 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 . At 10:30 p.m., Andrew reported his wife missing. 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. He would be alive today if it were not for Patricia Rorrer. The mild-mannered Sarah died in 2019 at the age of 83. Dannarriah Finley was only weeks away from turning 5-years-old when she was snatched from her bedroom in the middle of the night, police say. Since that time, Rorrer has held out hope that Pennsylvania's Superior Court would grant her a hearing to examine the new evidence that has come to light in her case. Neely wants another hair to be looked at as well that he says was found in the victim's hand, but does not match the defendant or the victim. Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the worlds #1 pay-TV programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in 220 countries and territories. After relocating to Pennsylvania, Patricia met the 6-foot-2-inch Andrew in a restaurant. NYPD Detective Identifies Suspect In Cold-Case Murder Of Pregnant Woman Who Died In Front Of Son, ID Debuts Official Trailer For Explosive New Docuseries 'The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace', An Indiana Family Still Wants Answers In A Young Mans Mysterious Death, Beloved Detroit Neurosurgeon Found Murdered In His Home, Man Fascinated With Serial Killers, Dead Bodies Convicted Of Killing Beauty School Classmate, Former Idaho State Trooper Charged With Murder Of His Wife, How A Florida Serial Rapist Became The First Person In The United States To Be Convicted By DNA Evidence, An Upstate New York Child Is Still Missing With No Arrests In The Case, Texas Cheerleaders Shot After Mistakenly Getting In The Wrong Car, Many Furious As Oklahoma Death Row Inmate Set To Be Executed In May. Moreover, Patricia had been accused of breaking into barns, stealing horses, and underfeeding the ones she cared for charges that never stuck. Strands of the accuseds dyed-blond hair at two crime scenes proved it. In 1994, a mother, Joann Katrinak, and her baby disappeared and their bodies were later found in Heidelberg Township. I cant lose them, he told the media. She had a suitcase packed, Devine said. For this week, I looked into the defenders reasoning as well as Patricias whereabouts today. http://starz.tv/FB She had no alibi for the time of the murders, had argued with Joann only days before she disappeared, and allegedly owned the same make and model of gun as that used in the crime. Join us tonight for #ReasonableDoubt at 10/9c on ID. Her friends say she was railroaded by the system and they want Chris and Fatima to join their fight to free her. wG@F3 hJ`F@S/ $wyqOs[q5LYqC?.qp(8'&(QZ)]+YLt% YYySj;f4YwfjX_&W5g5z6,^bU)>XUPLh-TxP #. His father confirmed his alibi that they were doing construction work together, putting an addition on the house of friends Tom and Kathy Holschwander, at the time of Joanns disappearance. She is as effective at telling a story today as she was back then. How would an intruder find it? Joann answered and told Patricia to leave them alone before forcibly hanging up. 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. Rorrer has long maintained her innocence, insisting shes has been framed. With Chris Anderson, Fatima Silva. A nail that does. Back in March of 2017, Investigation Discovery ran Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates which questioned the conviction of Patricia Rorrer for the brutal double murders of Joann Katrinak and her infant son, Alex. The authorities charged her with two counts of murder. She currently has an appeal pending in Pennsylvania Superior Court. 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. She has been telling the same story for over 20 years, Morrison explains. Investigators in Nashville, Tennessee are looking for help identifying a young female found deceased in 2018. Watch Wrong Man Season 2: Stream Full Episodes on STARZ Rorrer was convicted of murdering Joann Katrinak and her 3 month old son. Angry that Joann hung up on her, she stalked her for three days, then broke into her basement and cut the phone line, put a gun to Joanns head as she was placing Alex in the car, and forced her to drive to the rural area. $Hm$5c&BRIb)iRsSI(*b|(:b|(*Plxt%|:J'i6. He wanted to move to Colorado and she was against it.. The team explores whether Vonda may have been wrongfully convicted, based on a shoddy investigation and circumstantial evidence. When Andy Katrinak comes home to find his wife and infant son gone, he summons the police and tells them he believes they have been abducted, and he suspects his ex-girlfriend Patty Rorrer might be involved. 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. Lehigh Valley: Patricia Rorrer Still A Convenient Suspect? Judge's Order Granting Discovery (pdf) Download. She was a 23-year-old beauty just coming out of a bad marriage, and he a handsome and successful business owner 14 years her senior. PATRICIA RORRER, : : Petitioner : v. : CIVIL ACTION NUMBER 19-01398 : WENDY K. NICHOLAS, : : Respondents : MOTION FOR DISCOVERY AND CONSOLIDATED MEMORANDUM OF LAW . Meanwhile, interest in Patricias plight continues on social media. Deal refused. You can read the court documents in their entirety here. Why did the police focus on a young mother from another state, who had never met either victim and had not had a romantic relationship with Andy Katrinak in more than five years?
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