Rorrer maintains her innocence to this day and argues that someone either negligently or intentionally put her hair on the slide. An autopsy revealed Joann Katrinak was shot in the face with a small-caliber handgun and suffered 19 blows to the head. There was a piece of a fingernail found attached to Joanns chest. 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. Here in UK juries are now being instructed to be satisfied that they are sure of guilt, with surety not being as high as certainty. Her car was soon located in a parking lot within walking distance of their home. Traupman died in 2016. But when did he find the evidence of the break-in? My theory on Fairley is nothing more than a hunch; it could have just as easily been another random sicko who targeted her. DNA tests In 13-year-old Murder Case Could Be Reexamined. Joann Katrinak, and her baby, had planned to go Christmas shopping with her mother-in-law but she never arrived to pick her up despite calling to say that she was on her way there. Despite previous testimony that said all of the hair was destroyed or untestable, the latest test results revealed a hair discovered on the drivers side seatback of the car matched Rorrer.The results are disappointing, Neely said. Andrew Joseph Katrinak. But was Andrew in on this plan? Andrew Katrinak - YouTube Now retired, he declined ForensicFilesNow.coms invitation to spar directly with Patricia via a podcast. And the kidnapping scenario became more plausible when you factor in the privacy of the alleyway behind the Katrinak house. . Today, Patricia Lynne Rorrer resides in State Correctional Institute at Muncy, a medium and maximum security facility that has the highest rate of cancer of all prisons in Pennsylvania, according to a story from northcentralpa.com. Cover-up. ", "I think she gave us something like four or five alibis as to where she was at. We found out that he was a real pervert, all kinds of sexual devices and various perverted stuff, District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. told Forensic Files rather triumphantly. More than 20 years after her conviction, Patricia Rorrer still has advocates working to exonerate her. This questioned how prosecutors could come up with hair to conduct the second test, which helped them achieve a conviction against Rorrer.In addition, attorney Craig B. Neely of Emmaus, Pa., argued crucial DNA evidence, such as the hair found clutched in one of the victims hands and a fingernail found on Joann Katrinaks chest, were never tested.Neely also argued new DNA technology not available at the time of trial could prove Rorrer was never in the car.In March 2007, Lehigh County Common Pleas Judge William E. Ford said because the case against Rorrer was circumstantial, an effort should be made to analyze all DNA evidence, and Rorrer should be given the opportunity to show if modern science could prove her innocence. On December 12, 1994, Joann answered a phone call from a woman shed never met, Patricia Rorrer, her husbands onetime girlfriend. 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. Andrew's involvement in the latter theory was dismissed when his alibi checked out. Combination locks. Her name is not on a Dec. 15, 1994, sign-in sheet for the private club..Police never found the murder weapon, a .22-caliber gun.."Where's the gun, Patty?" Family members found Joanns tan Toyota sitting vacant in the parking lot of McCartys, a nearby bar. Ive fought 10-plus years, hard, and may or may not win, Rorrer wrote in an October 2008 letter to the Innocence Institute of Point Park University. Andrew Katrinak reported missing his wife, Joanne and 3.5-month-old son, Alex, in December 1994. She was also accused of breaking into barns, stealing horses, and underfeeding the ones she owned. Suzanne Pearson fabricated quotes from Patricia including her claim that Patricia said, Im going to the electric chair upon her arrest because a conviction would boost Pearsons career. Did investigators look for phone calls between Andrew and Patricia prior to December 11, 1994? Together they had a baby girl, Nicole. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Im not trying to throw shade at either one of them, but I do find it odd that when police asked Andy if he knew of anyone who lived in the area, he thought of an ex-girlfriend he hadnt been with in over 5 years, but failed to mention his friend, with whom he had much more frequent contact. Irelands husband buried it in the yard because he didnt feel comfortable with a firearm inside, she said. Despite the new evidence and hypotheses, the courts have rejected all of Patricias bids for a new trial. Patricia Rorrer's home phone record did not show her call to the Katrinak house three days prior to the kidnapping because she'd already made the trip to Pennsylvania to see Andrew. Patricia had of course not registered that night. Despite the troubling evidence from Joann's car, detectives considered whether or not Joann had taken baby Alex and simply left. But by all accounts, Rorrer only spoke to Andrew Katrinak once or twice a year. ), The Wrong Man investigators Ira Todd and Joe Kennedy have some theories of their own. An exterior door to their basement had been wrenched open, the lock hasp's screws literally ripped from the wall. were relatively and mercifully swift, mitigating their conscious pain and suffering.. The boy died either from suffocation or exposure.Although by 1994 she was living in North Carolina, Ms. Rorrer phoned Katrinak occasionally. MAN RECALLS DAY HIS WIFE, BABY VANISHED AS - The Morning Call "A Fatal Attraction" when a wife and her baby disappear hair found . By: Robert S. In 1994, Joann Katrinak called her mother-in-law and made plans to go holiday shopping. Andrew languished for weeks and then months as investigators failed to suppl any explanation for his wife's and son's mysterious disappearance. But were it not for Rorrer, yes, Id look at Fairley. Watch Forensic Files: Season 5, Episode 3A Woman Scorned. She said she did not give the hang up by Joann Katrinak a second thought. Today, more than two years later, that woman awaited extradition from North Carolina to face charges she kidnapped and killed her ex-boyfriend's family in December 1994.Authorities said Tuesday it took two years to build a tight forensic case against Patricia L. Rorrer, 33, partly through blond hairs found in Mrs. Katrinak's car a day after she disappeared.``We wanted to make sure that the hairs found at the scene were also consistent with the hairs found at the car,'' said Lehigh County District Attorney Robert Steinberg. But a hair in the hand from a third-party doesnt preclude the accused from guilt of itself, as though it must be from the perp. 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. BETHLEHEM, PA. BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) _ A woman was arrested in North Carolina on Tuesday and charged in the 1994 slaying of her ex-boyfriend's wife and infant son in Pennsylvania.Patricia L. Rorrer was charged with two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping in the deaths of Joann Katrinak, 26, and her 3 1/2-month-old son, Alex.Pennsylvania police, with the help of authorities in North Carolina, arrested Ms. Rorrer, 33, in Linwood, N.C. She was jailed without bail pending a court hearing Wednesday to face extradition.Mrs. Defense requests new hearing in 1994 homicide case From the looks ofits Facebook page, the place isstill going strong. It is currently unknown if the Patricia's case was one of these. Patricia Rorrer: An Update - Forensic Files Now My guiding principle if I were administering criminal law is what is it reasonable to do to establish probative fact and what is it reasonable to believe of those facts (a matter for the jury)? His wife's Toyota Corolla wasn't parked in back of their house at 740 F During Rorrers 18-day trial in February1998, prosecutors pushed the circumstantialmotive of a fatal-attractionmurder. http://articles.mcall.com/1998-03-06/news/3183202_1_mcintyre-defense-lawyer-killed/2, Motive Made Focus Of Rorrer Case Closing Prosecution, Defense Agree It Doesn't Make Sense. Even though he committed the double murder at age 21,a persons biological process is typically incomplete until the person reaches his or her mid-twenties.. I agree with you that in most cases claiming law enforcement conspiracy is a bit of stretch and mostly unfounded. Dedication. Thanks for responding, Marcus. And if nothing more, it certainly galvanized the law enforcement community and got us moving in the right direction. The father of her son is not known.In 1993, Rorrer called Katrinak, who told her he was married. Barbara, wife of Gary Verser of Virginia; and a . Rorrer, who is Katrinak's former girlfriend, was convicted of abducting Joann Katrinak and her son from their home, shooting Katrinak in the face, and leaving her and the child in the woods, where their bodies were found nearly four months later. Charles Robert, the 3-month-old son she had with Gary Gabard, died of sudden infant death syndrome; Patricia found him blue in his crib. They produced a photo of her with dyed hair, implicating her because the hairs found in the Toyota were dyed. ""She was cool," Hege said of the 33-year-old mother, about the same time Rorrer was being arraigned. There are myriad issues surrounding this case and conviction. Enter numeric value. (Easy for me to say) but I hope they have. Joann was shot once, then the gun jammed. There were no love letters, cards, gifts, or any other indication that she still had a romantic interest in him. Last weeks post told of two nice people with the bad luck to cross paths with a personable married couple who were thrill killers looking for prey. 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. I absolutely accept that in some cases there has been proven prosecutorial misconduct to secure conviction; ditto junk science/incompetence. 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. 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. But fortunately the murder createdplenty of forensic evidence that made for a stronger case against Fairley. It showed her usually all-brown hair haphazardly highlighted blond. To answer your question re the testing of the cigarette butt: it was never tested prior to the trial, and one can only speculate as to why it wasnt. Just a few points (not rhetorical): do we KNOW Rorrer suggested examining the butt (not that its significant anyway cos of course police would)? Background details that you might want to know about Andrew include: ethnicity is Caucasian, whose political affiliation is unknown; and religious views are listed as unknown. Because it was parallel parked in a tight spot something his daughter was unable to do he concluded his daughter could not have put it there.While there was no trace of violence, police would find six hairs on the passenger headrest of the Corolla. The 5-foot-9-inch-tall Patricia was physically strong, no match for 5-foot-4-inch Joann. Everything about that statement rings false, but it sure worked out for Officer Suzanne Pearson; she was promoted to Sergeant after sharing this bombshell confession with her superiors. Then 31 years old, she had lived a rocky existence. 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. Pennsylvania prison inmate is asking for new D-N-A tests in a 13-year-old murder case. (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. New state, new man. No comments yet - start the conversation above. Patricia was convicted based on her head hairs being found in the victim's car. Prayers to the family. 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. Strands of the accuseds dyed-blond hair at two crime scenes proved it. Andrew Katrinak hugs a friend as he emerges from the courthouse after Patricia Rorrer, his former girlfriend, was sentenced to life in prison, March 9, 1998, for the murder of his wife and child 2 . That decision drew public anger, as can be seen inPhiladelphia Daily News letters to the editor published on September 29, 1995. "The testimony appeared to strike an emotional chord in the woman whom prosecution witnesses have portrayed as a tough cowgirl. In December 1994, Andrew Katrinak arrives home to an empty house. Having said that, to simply answer your question why? Police and FBI being under pressure to solve this highly publicized case, it had already been two years before they arrested Rorrer and case had gone cold. It's shocking to think that Patricia Rorrer, being a mother, could end the life of an infant. ``She stabled her horses and rode her horses there. DNA tests In 13-year-old Murder Case Could Be ReexaminedMar 21, 2007. Media galore. 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. 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. JUROR, DISCUSSING AFTER THE RORRER TRIAL THE FACTORS THAT LED TO HIS DECISION. Joann Katrinak. The states theory was that this was a fatal attraction/cant let go motivated killing. Your email address will not be published. "Testimony ended Monday with Pfeiffer taking Rorrer up to October 1994 when she came to Pennsylvania from North Carolina to try to sell four of her horses. Enter memorial Id . Im certainly aware police lie but this would require a conspiracy. Later, they both worked 12-hour graveyard shifts at a textile factory. He had worked as a semi-pro boxer in Las Vegas in his youth and later settled . At 10:30 p.m., Andrew reported his wife missing. Facebook gives people the power. She also did volunteer work for Meals on Wheels. No charmed life. Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. If shes been in a public place, such as a shop, a shed hair from someone else could be picked up on ones clothing and stick to a sweaty palm, etc. Should reasonable doubt be defined for the jury or is that to nudge them some unintended direction by lawmakers? 8: The Murders of Joann and Alex Katrinak, Part 01 from Obscura: A True Having read this recent appeal document (worth a perusal its not too long), which seems to address the fundamental issues at stake, I see no merit in the claim of wrongful conviction, but rather a clutching at straws in the hope that some (spurious) claim may just cast sufficient doubt on the conviction. Jaime: Thanks. Wouldn't he have tried to call his mother recall it was with her Joann had planned to go Christmas shopping. Watch enough true crime shows and you're bound to hear one of these gems. In North Carolina, she reportedly enjoyed some success as a horse trader, riding instructor, and rodeo competitor. MAC: Thanks. The Generation Why Podcast: E349: Joann Katrinak But its not implausible that Joann Katrinak may have been in Fairleys area during that time period. Patricia Rorrer (PA) SCI MuncyOE2170 Life Without ParoleDOB: January 24,1964. Under cross-examination, she said she didnt believe it was her hair in the Toyota.It took a jury of eight men and four women five hours to find her guilty on counts of kidnapping and first-degree murder. That does not ring true to me. Shes extremely, extremely happy with the baby. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Review. ~~~~~~~POLICE ARREST WOMAN IN 3-YEAR-OLD CASE OF SLAIN MOTHER AND CHILDAssociated PressJun. The investigation that led to her identification and then turned up enough evidence to arrest and convict Patricia Rorrer was interesting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Defendant Takes Stand In Katrinak Case Patricia Rorrer Sums Up Her Life At Double-murder Trial. But, Id like to offer you a challenge. It also presented initial FBI reports which claim half of the hair evidence was destroyed during the DNA testing process and the other half was tainted and untestable. 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. Katrinak, Andrew J.Andrew Joseph Katrinak, 88, of Bethlehem, died on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at Blough Healthcare Center in Bethlehem. It was love at first sight when Joann O'Connor met Andy Katrinak in the spring of 1992. My husband passed away of a broken heart, Sarah OConnor said on the Montel Williams Show in 2001. I also communicated with Patricia via email to get her input on some matters. 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. I hope her spouse and family find peace. Great catch. Rorrer is incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution Muncy, a prison for women in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania. Conflicting versions. Andrew Joseph Katrinak, 68 - Drake, CO - Has Court or Arrest Records Men who murder are conventional, women are sensational, posits the Worldwide Womens Criminal Justice Network. Plus, two men, her babys father and his friend, testified they saw Patricia at the line-dancing club the night of the homicide. Pfeiffer and Burke claimed that police Sgt.
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