Joann was fun, likable, beautiful, always happy, said her sister-in-law Cindy Wiard. With 400 (and 6) episodes, this progress bar indicates my progress toward finishing all of them. The first round of testing done on the hair (pre-trial) indicated only that Rorrer was a potential source of the hair (odds of 1 in 37,000not exactly proof positive). 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. I was like OK, maybe she was tired, you know with a new baby. Mal told Keith Morrison that Patricias dance teacher originally confirmed her alibi that she was in class on the day of the murder, then changed his mind. Murder Suspect Breaks Down As Detectives Tell Of Her Arrest: `I'm Sorry For Doing This To You,' Patricia Rorrer Allegedly Told Her Infant Daughter.February 18, 1998by DEBBIE GARLICKI The Morning Call. Of course, its not if such forensic evidence that is or may have been exculpatory has been maladministered by accident or design. It seems Patricia's own daughter and baby Alex Katrinak were very close in age. . With Marlene Sanders, Jeffrey J. Lewis, Michael Baden, Andrew Katrinak. Hair we go. Shes far from dumb, but shes not exactly educated, either. Irelands husband buried it in the yard because he didnt feel comfortable with a firearm inside, she said. Patricia Rorrer (PA) SCI MuncyOE2170 Life Without ParoleDOB: January 24,1964. He had worked as a semi-pro boxer in Las Vegas in his youth and later settled . ", "I think she gave us something like four or five alibis as to where she was at. 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. If it wasnt for the DNA, I would have had a hard time saying guilty, juror George James Gatanis, 42, of Salisbury Township told the Allentown Morning Call newspaper after the verdict. December 15th, 1994. Microscopic analyses, mitochondrial DNA testing and nuclear DNA testing showed hairs found at the crime scene and in Joann Katrinak's car matched Rorrer's hairs and DNA in her blood. When Rorrer was initially granted the right to do post conviction testing, the first thing she wanted tested was the butt. On closer inspection, he saw it was the body of a woman. Advocates for her innocence complain of hype surrounding the case. In fact, she had moved 500 miles away and was in a new relationship herself. A closer examination of the hairs showed traces of dried blood. If you subscribe to Hulu and upgrade to Starz (theres a free one-week trial offer), you can stream the Wrong Man episodes about Patricia Rorrer. Nothing probative of innocence should be read into anything she offers viz DNA. They produced a photo of her with dyed hair, implicating her because the hairs found in the Toyota were dyed. Her husband, Andrew, was surprised to not find his wife and child at home after arriving there after work. It's as if she had left with young Alex as planned but then somehow simply vanished. One thing is for certain though: regardless of what color one would describe her hair, it was unequivocally a lot longer than 8 inches. Of course Fairley could have committed other murders but there was no sexual assault in the Katrinak case, which appeared motiveless except in attributing Rorrers jealousy. She had been beaten and shot in the face. I wish someone would look into the possibility that Caleb Fairley may have murdered Joann Katrinak and her infant son Alex in Catasauqua, PA, in December of 1994. But that shed never been known to smoke, I grant you (unless she placed it to suggest the perp was a smoker and knew she could claim she wasnt, and simply didnt know DNA could be extracted? 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?" 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. 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. 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. Also according to other reports, husband had connections inside police (speculation). JUROR, DISCUSSING AFTER THE RORRER TRIAL THE FACTORS THAT LED TO HIS DECISION. I find these claims incredible. When Andrew Katrinak arrived home from work shortly after 6 p.m. on Dec. 15, 1994, he noticed two unusual things. Wish me luck! The mullet-wearing Fairleykilledboth Devon and Lisa via strangulation and most likelysexually assaulted Lisa. Her husband, Andrew, was surprised to not find his wife and child at home . DNA TRAIL IN 2-YEAR-OLD SLAYINGS OF WOMAN, BABY LEAD TO ARRESTAssociated PressJun. Later, they both worked 12-hour graveyard shifts at a textile factory. Four months later, investigators found the bodies of Joann Katrinak and her baby 15 miles away from the Katrinak home at the edge of a field. The Irish-Italian girl had full, fluffy dark hair, olive skin, and a pretty face. But was Andrew in on this plan? They broke up in 1993. Prior to the trial, a local man named Walter Traupman told Pennsylvania State Police he saw a couple matching the Katrinaks descriptions engaging in a heated argument near where the Toyota was found the day of the disappearance. The investigation that led to her identification and then turned up enough evidence to arrest and convict Patricia Rorrer was interesting. Phone calls played a significant role in the case overall. Thats all for this post. ``There was no rush to judgment. 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. Rorrer was identified early on as a possible suspect. Then her tone will change to icy and you will be informed that since its an old case, someone will have to take the time to search through the archives. She received 12 months' probation.Rorrer was 18 when she lost her 3-1/2-month-old son on Nov. 20, 1982. Patricia was convicted based on her head hairs being found in the victim's car. The prosecution insists that Rorrer called the Katrinak household on Dec 13, 1994, two days before Katrinak went missing, and that Joann rudely told her not to call again and hung up on her. They returned with a guilty verdict and a sentence of two life terms. "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. After her arraignment, she had to walk past a crowd of dozens of locals screeching hang her! and baby killer! Patricia clung to a Polaroid picture showing her and her own little girl. "Do you understand?" Rorrer maintains her innocence to this day and argues that someone either negligently or intentionally put her hair on the slide. Meanwhile, interest in Patricias plight continues on social media. A CLUMP of hair would be more significant as if pulled out. Rorrer was an easy target due to all the circumstantial evidence. She said she had no animosity toward the Katrinaks and she had never met the dead woman. That same year Limerick was hit by a night tornado which killed a mother, father and baby. WHY? It wasnt until post-conviction DNA testing that those hairs suddenly, inexplicably had roots. Facebook gives people the power. You will also be advised that the transcripts consist of 6500 pages and the cost of copying it runs between $3.00 to $5.00 per pagemeaning you will have to fork over between $19,000 and $32,000 just to see the transcripts. Anyhow, all together this rather is not a cut and dry trial and a convinction. The second round of testing came back as a 100% match, raising the question of a mistake. While very far from conclusive, she also made some startling remarks at arrest, such as her not killing Alex (and only Alex). Today, they are married and live in Colorado. Her husband, Andrew, was surprised to not find his wife and child at home after arriving there after work. 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.. After Joann Katrinak, the wife of Patricias former flame, turned up dead along with her infant son, prosecutors suspected Patricia. Theres been some debate with regard to a picture of Rorrer shortly before the murders and the color of her hair. Most of all, Patricia said, she would like a rematch with prosecutor Michael McIntyre. When their bodies were found four months later, police sought the clues to find their killer. ), And in another bombshell, Joanns good friend Karen Devine said Joann planned to leave Andrew after the holidays. On Alexs diaper bag, police found strands of the same type of hair from the car. 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. Oddly, the test results on the DNA from the cigarette butt was the deciding factor for me: thats when I KNEW the evidence had been compromised. On September 15, 1995, she and Devon headed to Your Kidz &Mine, a new clothing store in the Collegeville Shopping Center, 10 minutes from her house in Limerick, Pennsylvania. In a million years, she wouldnt do anything to harm that.. He claims she was incensed in December 1994 when she called the Katrinak home at 740 Front St. and Joann Katrinak told her not to call anymore.In his opening statement, McIntyre told jurors he would prove several adages: "Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction" and "you can't always tell a book by its cover. Rorrer had never actually met Katrinak. Burke said the prosecution brought no one from North Carolina to testify that Rorrer wasn't home for several days..McIntyre said Rorrer tried to conceal her guilt by concocting phony alibis, which shows consciousness of guilt. "I guess she thought she wasn't going to get caught. Katrinak's locked car was found not far from the family home. She got 12 months of probation for shoplifting at a Walmart in Lexington, North Carolina. Christmas was right around the corner, and the biggest shopping center in that tri-county area is the King of Prussia Mall, which is about 54 minutes away from Catasauqua and a stones throw from Fairleys home in Gulph Mills. Patricia was arrested in North Carolina in June of 1997. Court papers allege he asked the customer for sex in return for the drug. According to legal documents reported on in the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1998, the Fairleys contended: While the circumstances were indeed horrific, the deaths . During Patricias hours-long turn in the witness chair, Michael McIntyre grilled her relentlessly. Walmart woe. The missing items included Joann's purse, car, both her and Alex's winter jackets, and the diaper bag. The baby had been smothered or left to freeze to death. At 10:30 p.m., Andrew reported his wife missing. (Easy for me to say) but I hope they have. Even though no gun wasever tied to the killing, a firearms experttestified that Joann Katrinaks injuriescould have come from such a weapon.Andrew Katrinak testified that he hadan amicable breakup with Rorrer, but healso told a jury she had knowledge of thelayout of his home. ``She stabled her horses and rode her horses there. Even though Joanne was supposed to take her mother-in-law for Christmas shopping, she never showed up. This was one of. 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. 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. Andrew's involvement in the latter theory was dismissed when his alibi checked out. he asked her. But considering that Joann was found with her jeans unzipped and unbuttoned, it stands to reason that her death was sexually motivated. 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. Hasty assumption. 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. Rorrer is incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution Muncy, a prison for women in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania. Her husband Andrew's mother expected Joann to arrive quickly, since they only lived a few minutes away. ", "I can remember till this day, seeing that infant being lifted off the abdomen of his mother. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Review. Andrew's annual salary is . Read the Washington Post report. 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. As for an update on Lisas widower, Jimmy Manderach, it appears he still lives in the same part of Pennsylvania. I have the same profile but had no children. The article also notes that most inmates earn around 19 cent an hour at their jobs and must pay $5 each time they need medical attention or medicine. 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 . In fact, she had moved 500 miles away and was in a new relationship herself. "We got along fine. Tragedy also touched Patricias life. When it was only able to fire once, Rorrer had to resort to bludgeoning her victim. 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 none of those charges ever stuck. She said she sought shelter at Katrinak's home, before Katrinak met his future wife, because she knew no one else in the area.After Rorrer's father died when she was 15, she dropped out of school to get a job and help pay bills. 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. The nail was not consistent with Joann or Rorrer with regard to size and grooming. The media love the femme fatale., FBI lab blunder. 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. Pennsylvania prison inmate is asking for new D-N-A tests in a 13-year-old murder case. Traupman claimed that when he reported the dispute, trooper Robert V. Egan III got mad and practically kicked him out of his office. Jaime: Thanks for your thoughts. And dance instructor William Jarrett couldnt remember whether she attended his dance class at the club the night of Joanns disappearance. December 15th, 1994. She appears a rather better fit than Fairley, particularly when we remember that in the great majority of murders, victim and perp are known to each-other, per Katrinak-Rorrer. My theory on Fairley is nothing more than a hunch; it could have just as easily been another random sicko who targeted her. Convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriends wife and child because of a telephone impropriety. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. "I'm never going to see my daughter again. North America. Thanks for writing in its the first Ive heard about another mother and child murdered in that area. I cant lose them, he told the media. Andrew had a lady friend who lived less than 4 miles from those woods. 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. They allege that she drove the victims to Heidelberg Township woods where they were murdered and abandoned. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. So tragic. Its not clear whether Fairleys interest in vampires was part of D&D or a separate pastime. That is to say, I see nothing contradictory in the evidence against her that must entail perjury. Watch Forensic Files: Season 5, Episode 3A Woman Scorned. 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. It seems strange that Patricia would just pick up and drive 500 miles to see and ex-boyfriend from years ago on a whim, leaving her own one-year-old daughter at home in North Carolina. ), The Wrong Man investigators Ira Todd and Joe Kennedy have some theories of their own. How could I explain to my daughter years later that I took a plea for something I didnt do? she said. Should reasonable doubt be defined for the jury or is that to nudge them some unintended direction by lawmakers? Patricia Rorrer is formerly from Linwood, North Carolina, and serving a life sentence in the state prison for women at Muncy, Pennsylvania. ''FBI examiners concluded there was a DNA match.Ms. Andrew languished for weeks and then months as investigators failed to suppl any explanation for his wife's and son's mysterious disappearance. But some insects found on the bodies revealed a vital clue, as did a long blonde hair found on the victims which has something uniquely in common with the brunette hair of the husbands former love interest, Patricia Rorrer. From the start, the Rorrer murder case was plagued with allegations of inconsistent evidence collection and testing that eventually led a judge to hold hearings on whether she deserves a new trial. I dont think she was ever scared until we put the cuffs on her.. In addition to the Facebook page, there are Reddit threads on her case. Scorned ex lover etc. They also found a photo of Patricia taken 11 days before the homicide. 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. There were no love letters, cards, gifts, or any other indication that she still had a romantic interest in him. Joann grabbed her purse, the diaper bag, and their coats against the December chill in Pennsylvania. 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. Four months later, a farmer found the bodies. Sad discovery. 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. Fairleytook Lisas body to a wooded spotin an industrial area near his health club. 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. Curiously, he immediately implicated Rorrer, his ex-girlfriend, even though they hadnt spoken in months and she was living in North Carolina. Region. I think one cant read anything into Fairleys pastimes/hobbies: hes just evil. State police and the Philadelphia division of the FBI appealed to the public for leads. "I'm not worried about my clothes," Rorrer said. Tests show the hairs are definitely a woman's..Rorrer is a cunning woman who almost committed the perfect crime and thought she had outsmarted police, McIntyre said. PUBLISHED: April 13, 1995 at 4:00 a.m. | UPDATED: October 3, 2021 at 11:51 p.m. Andrew Katrinak buried his wife and infant son yesterday, four months after he began a frantic, nationwide search . Sir I would not kill somebody and I definitely wouldnt kill somebody I never met, Rorrer said. Juries are imperfect: what is stretched circumstantial evidence for you (or me) was evidently not so for that jury. Hecame from an affluent family, is white, and was young when he committed his crimes all factors that can favorably tip the scales of justice. So after a stressful afternoon of kidnapping and murder, she decides to relax with a nice soothing cigarette right there at the crime scene. They allege that the North Carolina resident stealthily drove 500 miles to Pennsylvania and killed out of a sense of deadly indignation. 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. But they didn't and, according to her, later went their separate ways.Rorrer said she called Katrinak in spring 1994 and learned that he was married and was going to be a father. Theyd fit well in a made-for-TV movie, wouldnt they? The state police dropped him as a suspect. Unbloody vehicle. 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. 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. Rorrer, he said, bought one with his autograph and cheered him on "to go get the bad guys. 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. DNA tests In 13-year-old Murder Case Could Be Reexamined. 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. She said that shes no fan of Forensic Files and that the show had many misrepresentations about her case and that shed heard ForensicFilesNow.com mixed up some facts as well. 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. The couple had known each other since Lisa was 10 and Jimmy was friends with her brothers. ); Your last point is hardly conclusive: as she used a weapon I wouldnt necessarily expect her to be injured, merely that she MIGHT. 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. The circumstances of Lisa Manderachs murder, the subject of todays post, seem even more improbable. After Joann Katrinak, the wife of Patricia's former flame, turned up dead along with her infant son, prosecutors suspected Patricia. Lists. Again, this vital piece of evidence was never tested prior to trial. But by all accounts, Rorrer only spoke to Andrew Katrinak once or twice a year. Why would somebody tell you, theyre going to fry me, if they didnt do it? Jarrett told Wrong Man. Even though no gun wasever tied to the killing, a firearms experttestified that Joann Katrinaks injuriescould have come from such a weapon. Four hours is a long time between Andrew getting home from work and calling the police. But defense lawyer Robert Pfeiffer said that plenty of evidence supported Patricias innocence. Police got a search warrant for Fairleyshome and discovereda great deal of pornography. From the looks ofits Facebook page, the place isstill going strong. On Instagram, I found a post for a two-part Win at All Costs podcast featuring journalism professor Bill Mousheys interviews with Patricia Rorrer from prison in December 2019. Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. Many of these are circumstantial, so investigators were grateful for their DNA match from the hair. Whether she suffocated him or left him to die of exposure, there's a special place in hell for someone who's able to live with themselves after such a heinous crime. Patricias defenders also say Andrew Katrinak staged the scene at his house by prying the door and cutting the phone line. Coble later told Rorrer that her mother was on the way and that she could get dressed. I agree with Rebecca, and am surprised this was reported: if it was legal, what does it matter? 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. She worked at restaurants and later sold insurance and real estate and worked at a car dealership in Reading.She met Katrinak in May 1984, she said, when he was a regular at a restaurant where she worked.They dated, lived together and bought a home in Salisbury Township. Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. 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. (A good point. I also take into consideration the fact that Rorrer simply doesnt speak that way. Suspicion initially fell on Joanns husband, Andy, when their bodies were found in woods in Apr 95. From the start, the Rorrer murder case was plagued with allegations of inconsistent evidence collection and testing that eventually led a judge to hold hearings on whether she deserves a new trial.Her case shows how the present system in contrast to the dictates of the Coverdell Act actually contributes to scientific confusion and has almost no automatic audit on investigations when misconduct allegations are leveled.On Dec. 15, 1994, Andrew Katrinak told police he arrived home from his construction job to find his wife, Joann, and 4-month-old baby, Alex, missing from their Catasauqua, Pa., home. Posted: June 22, 2022 The police considered the possibility that Joann ran away, a theory disputed by her family. The North Carolina woman accused of killing the wife and 15-week-old baby of her former boyfriend, Andrew Katrinak, calmly answered questions from one of her lawyers, James Pfeiffer. Psycho For Love: Patricia Rorrer killed her ex-boyfriend's new wife, Joann Katrinak, and their 3-month-old son, Alex to make Andrew Katrinak suffer. 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. Andrew Katrinak reported missing his wife, Joanne and 3.5-month-old son, Alex, in December 1994. It all gave jurors a lot to think about but only for six hours. During Rorrers 18-day trial in February1998, prosecutors pushed the circumstantialmotive of a fatal-attractionmurder. But its small argument on her side. Jimmy had reported Lisa missing when she failed to return home from shopping by dinner time. Marcus, dont you find it interesting that a hair inconsistent with both the victim and the accused was found clutched in the dead womans HAND, and was never tested? Next thing you know, a muscle bound nerd does something dreadful. In North Carolina, she reportedly enjoyed some success as a horse trader, riding instructor, and rodeo competitor.
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