With 400 (and 6) episodes, this progress bar indicates my progress toward finishing all of them. For nine hours on the witness stand, Rorrer denied having anything to do with the killing. According to legal documents reported on in the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1998, the Fairleys contended: While the circumstances were indeed horrific, the deaths . 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. She also did volunteer work for Meals on Wheels. She was always looking for a fight, Gary Gabard told the Morning Call, which noted that he was a head shorter than Patricia. Joann Katrinaks Killer Still Has Innocence Advocates(A Woman Scorned, Forensic Files). During questioning, heclaimed he got them while mosh-pit dancing, although it later came out that he had told friends he got scratched up while rescuing a guywho was being beaten up outside the clothing store. They noted houses near the murder scene would have heard a gunshot in December, when no farm equipment is making noise, and question why the murderer didnt just kill Joann inside her house instead of risking being seen in public in her car. After Joann Katrinak, the wife of Patricia's former flame, turned up dead along with her infant son, prosecutors suspected Patricia. He later discovered a phone line had been cut.Mrs. How could I explain to my daughter years later that I took a plea for something I didnt do? she said. The main one of course was committing murder of a young woman and her infant son over an argument. But was Andrew in on this plan? Hasty assumption. Weak wages. 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. Prosecutors claimed Rorrer manufactured an alibi for the day the victims disappeared. Mrs. Katrinak had been shot in the face and beaten, and Alex is believed to have died from suffocation and exposure.Ms. And who'd be heartless enough to kill an infant as well? Katrinak, Andrew J.Andrew Joseph Katrinak, 88, of Bethlehem, died on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at Blough Healthcare Center in Bethlehem.He was born in Bethlehem son of the late Martin and . They allege that she drove the victims to Heidelberg Township woods where they were murdered and abandoned. Conflicting versions. Her attorney persuaded her to have the hair re-tested. It's not often there's a laundry list of clear signals, but it's fun to iterate them when there are so many. "He's a nice guy," Rorrer said of Katrinak. He had worked as a semi-pro boxer in Las Vegas in his youth and later settled into his own construction business. "I was happy he found somebody," said Rorrer, who sometimes turned in the witness chair to speak directly to the jury.Prosecutor Michael McIntyre contends that Rorrer isn't what she appears. They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had almond-shaped blue eyes, weighed 18 pounds, and was circumcised. In December 1994, Andrew Katrinak arrives home to an empty house. More than 20 years after her conviction, Patricia Rorrer still has advocates working to exonerate her. If the Commonwealths chain of custody is correct, then the hair on the seatback is Rorrers.Now, he and Rorrer wonder if they ever will be able to recreate the controversial chain of custody to prove her innocence. Entirely random thrill-kills, as this would have to be for Fairley, are relatively rare. The media love the femme fatale., FBI lab blunder. As for the murder weapon, police didnt find a .22 caliber pistol on Patricias property, but an ex-boyfriend claimed that she owned one and it would always jam after one shot. Lisa had long flowing hair, pale skin, and a pretty face. Patricia had won a prize at an out-of-state horse-riding competition less than two weeks before the murders, and she allowed herself to be photographed. 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. But if Andrew wanted to find his wife and his son, why on Earth did he wait until 10:30pm before notifying authorities? . In fact, she had moved 500 miles away and was in a new relationship herself. Sponsored by Ancestry. Rorrer, who owned horses, excelled at the sport of cattle-penning, loved to drive far and fast, remodeled her own home, and shot guns for the fun of it.Rorrer, when Coble talked about her baby, started discreetly wiping the corners of her eyes, her lower lashes and her nose. They lived together in Salisbury Township, Pa., for about two years, but they . The nail was not consistent with Joann or Rorrer with regard to size and grooming. Along with Rorrer, Joann Katrinaks ex-husband, Michael Jack, and Andrew Katrinak were suspects for a time. 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. 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). Police converged on the scene and soon realized it was not only the remains of Joann Katrinak, but sadly of Alex too. The organization purports that if there were awards for distorted reporting, the Morning Callwould win high honors.. Police found Lisasbody after Fairley agreed to disclose its location in exchange for a promise that they wouldnt pursue the death penalty. After relocating to Pennsylvania, Patricia met the 6-foot-2-inch Andrew in a restaurant. Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. Katrinak, Andrew J.Andrew Joseph Katrinak, 88, of Bethlehem, died on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at Blough Healthcare Center in Bethlehem. What you suggest is that law enforcement officers had to lie (about what she allegedly said, for example), AND that DNA was not just poorly/mistakenly administered but corruptly. he asked her. Shouldn't Andrew have mentioned this suspicious, out-of-the-blue phone call from his ex-girlfriend sooner? But lets say for arguments sake that she was a closet smoker and no one knew. And, I was quite angry with the police, that they accused Andy. Fairley, a blond, heavy, powerful-looking fire hydrant of a man who lived with his parents, was described by a friend as adevotee ofDungeons and Dragons, a role-playing game that allows peopleto act out story linesinvolving medieval warrior heroes, dragons, wicked monarchs, you name it. Jimmy had reported Lisa missing when she failed to return home from shopping by dinner time. But if Rorrer was a genuine suspect, it's likely investigators would have attempted the mitochondrial DNA match on the hair anyway. "I would never of dreamed it in a million years," said Joy Deal, manager of the dealership.After leaving the car dealership, Rorrer worked sparingly as a photographer and lived with her mother and 1-1/2-year-old son in a remote home outside of Linwood. So, this pointed to a theory that Joann had either left on her own or encountered foul play within her home. Incriminating words. MAC: Thanks. For next week, Im researching a bit about Dungeons andDragons and whether any game aficionado or the nature of the pastime itself hasbeen linked to other major crimes. The Free Patricia Rorrer page responds to comments from supporters (How is this even possible that this woman is still in jail?!? 157K views, 2.2K likes, 116 loves, 110 comments, 285 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from The FBI Files: The December 1994 kidnappings of Joann Katrinak and her 4-month-old son, Alex. . But Patricia had moved from Pennsylvania years ago, and she'd started her own family in North Carolina. Meanwhile, the case of the missing mother and baby turned into colossal news across the U.S. and internationally. At 17, Patricia dropped out of high school and married landscaper Gary Gabard. Andrew described his existence with Joanne and Alex as a little Camelot., Ex-spouse off list. Frank D. Anderson-Josephine Kiely bert H. Dabbs William M. Yale Andrew Katrinak. Of course anything is possible, but I have studied this case in great detail, and my gut instinct is that Patricia Rorrer never left North Carolina, just as shes always maintained. Lisa Agostinelli Manderachlost her life because the aforementioned Dungeons and Dragonsenthusiast, one Caleb Fairley, age 21, reportedly considered her the embodiment of beauty hed been wantingto seize. Rorrer was an easy target due to all the circumstantial evidence. On Alexs diaper bag, police found strands of the same type of hair from the car. When their bodies were found four months later, police sought the clues to find their killer. Meanwhile, interest in Patricias plight continues on social media. In 1998, Caleb Fairleys parents settled a lawsuit filed by Lisas mother and Jimmy Manderach for $1.6 million. DNA testing revealed the blood came from either Joann or her son. It'd be plausible to reason some deniability in Patricia's role if there weren't so many indicators of her involvement. And the kidnapping scenario became more plausible when you factor in the privacy of the alleyway behind the Katrinak house. However, it seems this was only after the bodies of Joann and Alex were found on the remote horse trail. It's as if she had left with young Alex as planned but then somehow simply vanished. Why would someone want to kidnap and murder the young mother? Coble later told Rorrer that her mother was on the way and that she could get dressed. 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. Advertisement. Read the Washington Post report. She turned a flushed face and red nose away from the visitors' section.Her demeanor during testimony about her baby, who turned 2 last month, was far different from that during the rest of the Lehigh County trial.Earlier, she was dry-eyed as witnesses described the numerous wounds to Joann Katrinak, who had been shot and beaten, and the baby's death from exposure to cold or suffocation. Just a few points (not rhetorical): do we KNOW Rorrer suggested examining the butt (not that its significant anyway cos of course police would)? Stable situation. "The testimony appeared to strike an emotional chord in the woman whom prosecution witnesses have portrayed as a tough cowgirl. 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. On Oct. 5, 2007, the District Attorney of Lehigh County agreed to allow the testing of the hair found in the Toyota at Orchid Cellmark Laboratories in Dallas. Of course, I have no answer to the claim that this was a corruptly prosecuted case, but I would ask that if its as obviously flawed as you suggest, why have appeals failed? The boy died either from suffocation or exposure.Although by 1994 she was living in North Carolina, Ms. Rorrer phoned Katrinak occasionally. The prosecution alleged that Patricia called the Katrinaks house from a pay phone in Pennsylvania. Had a father the slightest inkling that a g/friend he would marry had murdered his child, unless a psycho he couldnt possibly be with her. 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. Its definitely getting rougher every day, Andrew told the Morning Call. Rorrer said she was almost 500 miles away in North Carolina on the day of the disappearance. they will get on the band wagon to the state convention in Hartford and root for David Fitzgerald of .New Haven for governor and Thomas J. Spellacy of Hartford, for United States Senato. Rorrer was identified early on as a possible suspect. Andrew's annual salary is . The guy was banging at the door and yelling open this door. And then, he yelled something like What do you mean its not my kid? Traupman said in a sworn statement. Dedication. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. Why would somebody tell you, theyre going to fry me, if they didnt do it? Jarrett told Wrong Man. Fortunately, investigators found glaring evidence of Fairleys guilt within days of the murder and built a case so solid that the attackerended up sentenced to two consecutivelife terms for two counts of second-degree murder. Andrew's second look in and around their home revealed some disturbing clues. She wasn't aware she had left behind small clues in the woods and in the car, which police believe was used to take the victims to the woods, the prosecutor said..Burke highlighted the prosecution's failure to test another hair -- one found in Joann Katrinak's hand. Memorials. Lisa Manderach, two weeksshy of her 30th birthday, worked full time as a fork-lift operatorin a food warehouse and also had an entrepreneurial streak. She received 12 months' probation.Rorrer was 18 when she lost her 3-1/2-month-old son on Nov. 20, 1982. When Rorrer was granted the right to do post conviction DNA testing on the nail, it was discovered that the nail had been cleaned of the blood and tissue, rendering it essentially useless for further testing. "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. When Andrew Katrinak arrived home from work shortly after 6 p.m. on Dec. 15, 1994, he noticed two unusual things. ~~~~~~~~~Rorrer's Reputation: `Don't Mess With Me', June 25, 1997 by DAVID WASHBURN, The Morning Call. ), And in another bombshell, Joanns good friend Karen Devine said Joann planned to leave Andrew after the holidays. The prosecution painted apicture of a woman so angry after herformer boyfriends wife hung up thephone on her that she drove to Pennsylvania,forced Joann Katrinak and herbaby at gunpoint into the car, then tookthem outside of town and killed them.Witnesses said Rorrer bought a.22-caliber handgun at a yard sale just beforethe murder. Finally, maybe not a conspiracy but rather a botched investigation and forensic analysis of the hair sample. I absolutely accept that in some cases there has been proven prosecutorial misconduct to secure conviction; ditto junk science/incompetence. Shes attracted the help of writer Tammy Mal (full name Tammy Malinowski OReilly), author of Convenient Suspect, a book about the case. He allegedly pressured one of those friends,Christopher Lefler, to perjure himself bycorroborating the dance alibi in court; Lefler refused. What IS reasonable doubt and what is it to be at or beyond that threshold? Watch Forensic Files: Season 5, Episode 3A Woman Scorned. His favorite rattle, shaped like a phone, lay near the crime scene. She walked into a kids clothing store where a young man working the cash register just happened to be a fantasy-gamesuperfan seething with thoughts of criminal perversion. 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). 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. 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 . Police couldnt determine whether the baby died of exposure or suffocation. "They were skin and bones and totally neglected," Eggers said. Then, not only is she foolish enough to leave the evidence right there with the bodies, shes also kind enough to insist the butt is tested for DNA evidence post-conviction. The missing items included Joann's purse, car, both her and Alex's winter jackets, and the diaper bag. In North Carolina, she reportedly enjoyed some success as a horse trader, riding instructor, and rodeo competitor. He would be alive today if it were not for Patricia Rorrer. The mild-mannered Sarah died in 2019 at the age of 83. Rorrer said she had spoken once to Joann before she and Katrinak were married and that Joann seemed friendly when she put Katrinak on the phone.Rorrer said that years ago, she rented a barn in Washington Township for her horses. Highly charged case. It was conceivable that Andrew believed they were still out. Regard a similar case where too much detail signaled investigators to look closer at their suspect in Bagging a Killer (s06e25). Andrew Katrinak speaking after his wife's alleged murderer is convicted. Another former boyfriend said she talked about Andrew frequently and liked to gaze at old photos of him. They allege that the North Carolina resident stealthily drove 500 miles to Pennsylvania and killed out of a sense of deadly indignation. And James Pfeiffer and Jim Burke have remained on her side. Andrew Katrinak was suspected because he failed two polygraph tests when asked if he had lied to police and hid evidence.If it wasnt for the DNA, I wouldhave had a hard time saying guilty. GEORGE JAMES GATANISJUROR, DISCUSSING AFTER THE RORRER TRIAL THE FACTORS THAT LED TO HIS DECISION.27During the investigation, police took hair samples from several individuals, including Andrew Katrinak, but none matched the headrest hairs. I would say that its only since the advent of forensic porn that wholly circumstantial cases are disparaged. The appeal argued that substantial documentation of the chain of custody process was at best incomplete and that critical forensic evidence was never tested. It was conceivable that Andrew believed they were still out. One final thought about those hairs: they were described as dirty blond and approximately 8 inches in length. Four hours is a long time between Andrew getting home from work and calling the police. Is the system THAT rotten? Whatever observers claim about the circumstances surrounding the crime why would she do this/surely shed be seen/shes unlikely to have thought that they are speculative, whereas the hard science, beyond REASONABLE doubt, says she did it. One on one? Catasauqua is only about 54 minutes away from where Fairley lived in Gulph Mills. Jaime: Thanks. McIntyre didn't address that issue in his closing argument..Burke said soil in the woods didn't match soil in and on the car and questioned why there was no blood in the car if the killer drove the car back to Catasauqua where it was found..He also wondered how the victims could have been kidnapped at gunpoint from their home at 740 Front St. in the afternoon without anyone seeing anything..Prosecutors claim that Rorrer planned the killing and even might have been in the area before Dec. 15, 1994. Imake it a practice not to look too hard for up-to-date information about victims family members because, unless they show up onDr. PhilorDateline, theyre probably not looking for media attention. 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?. There were no love letters, cards, gifts, or any other indication that she still had a romantic interest in him. Im not persuaded in this case it applies but then what do I know other than what I read? I dont even know its Christmas.. Her husband Andrew's mother expected Joann to arrive quickly, since they only lived a few minutes away. In TV clips, Andrew didnt come off as anguished. Thanks for responding, Marcus. I also take into consideration the fact that Rorrer simply doesnt speak that way. 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. She attended Point Park University as a graduate student from 2005-07 and still is working on her masters degree. I dont have any reason to believe that Fairley might have been in the Catasauqua area in December of 1994. A closer examination of the hairs showed traces of dried blood. 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. Joann Katrinak. . Rorrer maintains her innocence to this day and argues that someone either negligently or intentionally put her hair on the slide. "She had a reputation of, `You don't mess with me,'" Fonda Kay Eggers told a reporter for the Dispatch of Lexington, N.C. Eggers, a Humane Society investigator and distant relative of Rorrer, filed animal cruelty charges against Rorrer in 1994 after checking on Rorrer's horses. She is petitioning for DNA testing on the nail fragment that was found on the victims body. That may be true, in that Alex may have died of exposure, not intentional killing. 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. 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. For one thing, her mother never asked Sandra Ireland to hide the gun, and she retrieved it on the way home the next day she worked as a bus driver and couldnt take it with her to school. Katrinak's husband, Andrew, reported his wife and son missing in December 1994 after they failed to show up at his mother's house.Andrew Katrinak said he found his basement door ajar and removed from its hinges, and a phone line had been cut. Fairley has not found prison life agreeable. Nothing probative of innocence should be read into anything she offers viz DNA. 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. If those hairs taken from Joanns car had had a root attached, there would have been no reason for this case to be the first one in the commonwealth to use mitochondrial DNA testing. Katrinak and Alex were the wife and child of Andrew Katrinak. I see not significance in the point you make here. One she was out buying feed for horses. 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?" As of at least 2012, he was trying to have his convictions vacated and get a new trial following a Supreme Court decision that deemed life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders unconstitutional. On December 12, 1994, Joann answered a phone call from a woman shed never met, Patricia Rorrer, her husbands onetime girlfriend. DNA tests In 13-year-old Murder Case Could Be ReexaminedMar 21, 2007. (We didnt get into the specifics.). 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. Media galore. Rorrer, who had a five-year relationship with Katrinak that ended in 1989, testified that she and Katrinak remained good friends after the breakup, writing letters occasionally and calling each other. Even though no gun wasever tied to the killing, a firearms experttestified that Joann Katrinaks injuriescould have come from such a weapon. Your email address will not be published. Why do mitochondrial testing when you have a root, a valid source of nuclear testing? The farmer's remote field bordered an isolated horseback riding trail. 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. She asked to speak with Andrew, who was home during the call; Joann refused. Well, that really caught our attention of course.". Patricia defaulted on her mortgage and then returned to North Carolina, where she eventually moved in with a boyfriend named Brian Ward. Kidnapped and killed? Sad discovery. the couple had moved in together, married, and become the proud parents of a new baby boy they named Alex. The Innocence Project has declined to take her case. In the warm NC climate, Rorrer was dressed in shorts and a short sleeved T-shirt and had absolutely sign of injury. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Police got a search warrant for Fairleyshome and discovereda great deal of pornography. It is currently unknown if the Patricia's case was one of these. ''FBI examiners concluded there was a DNA match.Ms. In 1991, she returned to North Carolina after the relationship with Katrinak was over and she had defaulted on a mortgage loan.She briefly held a job as a saleswoman for a Salisbury, N.C., car dealership, where she is remembered as an outgoing, friendly person.

How Does Bob Describe Tiny Tim's Behaviour In Church, Articles A