Share Memories & Support the Family. Startling new allegations surround one of Lehigh County's most notorious murder cases. Flaw in reasoning. Previously on Wrong Man, we learned about the murder of Joann Katrinak and her baby.Were they murdered because Joann angrily hung the phone up on Patty Rorrer, the ex of Andy Katrinak? Murder victim. It's possible he was just a big baby/growing faster than average, but if there's some indication that they were alive for some time after their abduction, then it would seem to be an entirely different kind of crime than was first thought. Other defense claims and recent updates include: Two separate witnesses claim to have seen an unhappy Joann with a man on the day of her disappearance. DNA from that and a cigarette butt linked Patricia to the offense. 1 talking about this. Rorrer was convicted of killing them four years later. Patricia Rorrer was a cold woman. "I'm hoping this [show] will be very close to the truth," said Sandy Mizgerd. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. In February 2008, Patricia Taylor Allanson, age 70, was arrested and charged with doctor shopping for thousands of pain pills over the past year. 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. It's really terrifying that that was regarded as damning evidence, especially now that the rest of the case that might have appeared to give it context has been so undermined. Please read her story. A hidden FBI report found a couple years ago showed that police were unsure if there were roots on the found hairs. (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. Shes just extremely happy with Andy, her brother, Michael OConnor, told the media. Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. Weak wages. On Thursday, December 15, 1994, Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son, Alex, went missing from their Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, home. 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. Read more of his work here or find him on Twitter @tsokol. $4.99/mo. So much in this case, and every time she appeals with new evidence she is denied. After six hours of deliberations, in March 1998, a jury found Patricia guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of kidnapping. What about Joann's best friend, who told the producer's of Wrong Man that Joann was saving up money and planning to leave Andy right after the holidays? Both sides agree Joann hung up on Patricia. Joann Katrinaks Killer Still Has Innocence Advocates(A Woman Scorned, Forensic Files). 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. Today, Rorrer's attorney says not only is his client innocent, but she was framed. No activity on her bank account or credit cards took place after the day she went missing, so investigators dismissed the theory that she took her child and bolted. Rorrer's attorney, Craig Neely, said after a report by 69 News in December that a police officer contacted him and claimed the first officer on the scene was convinced to lie about the case by the district attorney's office or he would lose his job, but the commonwealth said the first officer on the scene took back those words. In March of 1998, a jury returned two guilty verdicts against Patricia Rorrer for murder, and two more for kidnapping. The series was produced by Joe Berlinger, who made the Paradise Lost documentaries, which garnered actor Johnny Depps attention and ultimately helped free the West Memphis Three. The state made a case fueled by circumstantial evidence and public outrage over the deaths of a modern-day madonna and child. after the fact. Prosecutors said Rorrer beat Katrinak, shot her and left her and her baby for dead in the woods in Heidelberg Township. Detective Barry Grube found it odd that Andrew fixed the severed phone line before police examined it in essence tampering with evidence. Patricias professional life included short-lived gigs as a Century 21 real estate agent and an Oldsmobile salesperson. As noted earlier, there was hair found in the victims hand, fingernail fragments found on her body, and also a cigarette butt. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. They broke up in 1993. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. But was Andrew in on this plan? Pulled hairs don't grow roots. Why did the police not look into these things? (QUIZ), RAW: FILE: CHRIS ROCK IS SET TO MAKE NETFLIX HISTORY, Outlast Forces Lone Wolf Contestants to Embrace Team Dynamics for Netflix Competition, Diego Luna: Andor Ending With Season 2 Is Really Important for My Mental Health. A Lehigh County jury spared convicted double murderer Patricia Rorrer's life Monday after hearing impassioned pleas for mercy from her lawyer and family, and being assured there is no parole from . 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. How to do some spring cleaning on your smartphone, What the Tech? For two decades, Patricia Rorrer has always maintained her innocence. Perhaps police couldn't get a warrant for a sample of Patricia's hair, the color being inconsistent with the latent hairs found in the car and at the murder scene. As is the alibi (signing into a dance class), one regular at the dance club said the sign-in sheet was not regularly used by many patrons. Book her. They theorized might've simply started a new life with another man, but this seemed absurd to everyone who knew Joann. These hairs being found in the otherwise cleaned car was also odd. Did investigators look for phone calls between Andrew and Patricia prior to December 11, 1994? Forensic tests suggested the hair found in the car and at the murder scene came from Patricia. Supposedly it was the relationship to this trail and Patricia's managing of the Silver Shadow Farms horse stable just a mile away that first brought Rorrer to detectives' attention. Rorrer is incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution Muncy, a prison for women in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania. Patricia defaulted on her mortgage and then returned to North Carolina, where she eventually moved in with a boyfriend named Brian Ward. To my knowledge these items have never been DNA tested but the prosecutor stipulated that the hair in Joann's hand does not belong to me, and Dr. Tom Jensen, the PSP forensic scientist noted that the fingernail is to large to belong to me.. Who does this evidence belong to? 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. An early childhood introd Since then our team has proven that Patricia is innocent. Joanns first husband, New Jersey construction worker Michael Jack, who had reportedly abused her during their marriage, also had a solid alibi. Police converged on the scene and soon realized it was not only the remains of Joann Katrinak, but sadly of Alex too. She had a suitcase packed, Devine said. Ex-boyfriend Walter Blalock said that Patricia wanted him to be more like Andrew. And if nothing more, it certainly galvanized the law enforcement community and got us moving in the right direction. There is still an appeal coming up (I believe) but everything else has failed so far to get Patricia another trial. Pfeiffer and Burke claimed that police Sgt. How about the phone line being cut? I am innocent of these crimes, and I should not have lost the best years of my life in a prison cell. But "Wrong Man" investigators discover that there is . Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. She had money put aside. 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? Also Rorrer had a history of run-ins with the law, including being charged with breaking and entering. But when did he find the evidence of the break-in? 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). Chris and Fatima investigate the case of Patricia Rorrer, who is in prison for brutally murdering her former boyfriend's wife and baby out of spite; her lawyers claim that she was . 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. 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. Another thing never presented at trial was the fact that they found flower petals in the soles of Joann's shoes,. An expert will be allowed to examine evidence from the 1994 . This was part of Rorrer's defense strategy it seemed like an unrealistic motive to commit murder. Well, that really caught our attention of course.". 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. "Our position is that Patricia Rorrer's sample hairs were switched with crime scene hair, the hair taken from the seat back of Katrinak's vehicle," Neely said. Tapps lawyer saidWrong Mans in-depth investigation into the Tapp conviction helped free an innocent man.. The prosecution alleged that after the murder, Patricia drove Joanns car to McCartys parking lot and backed it into a parking space. The $60 Murder. 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. There are claims that the cigarette butt wasnt examined and that the hair strands had no roots (which contain the DNA), suggesting that nothing truly ties Patricia to the homicides. Artificial intelligence and machine learning education and literacy: teacher training for primary and secondary education teachers; Chapter 2. Until WCJN has thought that the hair was planted but the FBI has just released a report detailing unscientific and fraudulent analysis of hair samples in criminal cases. 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 . 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