Puny policy. 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. - 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 . Decades-old Lehigh Valley murder case back in national spotlight - WFMZ.com Why was no root noted on the hairs found in Joanns car until, Why does the FBIs own report state that the hairs found in Joanns car. That hang-up, they said, was the last straw. (A good point. ), The Wrong Man investigators Ira Todd and Joe Kennedy have some theories of their own. 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. Alexs cause of death has never been determined. At the trial, prosecutor Michael McIntyre alleged that Patricia remained obsessed with Andrew Katrinak long after their breakup despite testimony that shed had many boyfriends and live-in lovers to occupy her bandwidth. On a secret recording, Patricia asked Jarrett to vouch for her attendance or she might go to the electric char. Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. The state made a case fueled by circumstantial evidence and public outrage over the deaths of a modern-day madonna and child. Incriminating words. Shes utterly believable. Patricia defaulted on her mortgage and then returned to North Carolina, where she eventually moved in with a boyfriend named Brian Ward. Man Arrested In Connection With Disappearance Of Woman Last Seen At Seattle Mariners Game, The Search Continues For Minnesota Mother After Her Suspicious Disappearance, A Person Of Interest And Reward Established In Search For Missing Mother Heather Mae Kelley, Mystery Remains After 13-Year-Old Girl Vanished From A Minnesota Gas Station In 1989, Maybe Someday Someone Will Break: Alabama Mother Searches For Daughter Who Vanished In 2010, An Alabama Woman Disappeared After Her Boyfriend Dropped Her Off At Home, Have You Seen Semaj Goodwine? Morrison did speak with Rorrer about the case, but cameras were barred from the prison. That's according to Craig Neely, who worked on the case for years as the defense attorney. People envied the Katrinaks rock-solid marriage and picture-perfect life; with the house, the kid, and the two cars in the drive, they seemed to be living the American dream. 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. 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. Investigators initially keyed in on Katrinaks husband, Andrew, whod told police he thought someone broke into his house, cut the telephone line and abducted his wife and son. Yet, everything changed when they lost their 3-month-old son to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). ", Neely said, "If there were no hair roots when this hair went to the FBI, where did a hair with a hair root come from?". Another former boyfriend said she talked about Andrew frequently and liked to gaze at old photos of him. Louisiana Woman Disappeared After Giving Somebody A Ride. Media galore. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Sundays special is the first of at least two Morrison is working on with Investigation Discovery, who he says have given me unlimited freedom to look into cases that interest me.. Investigators in Nashville, Tennessee are looking for help identifying a young female found deceased in 2018. The police considered the possibility that Joann ran away, a theory disputed by her family. She currently has an appeal pending in Pennsylvania Superior Court. The prosecution alleged that after the murder, Patricia drove Joanns car to McCartys parking lot and backed it into a parking space. If you have any information on this missing mystery, please contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department directly: 573-335-6621. Conflicting versions. Joann Katrinaks Killer Still Has Innocence Advocates(A Woman Scorned, Forensic Files). She made an effort to look perfectly groomed even when she took out the trash, according to her mother, who appeared on Forensic Files. Phone records confirmed Patricia placed the earlier call from North Carolina, not Pennsylvania. It showed her usually all-brown hair haphazardly highlighted blond. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. Two-Part Special Premieres Sunday, March 5 at 8/7c; Features Exclusive First-Ever Interview with Inmate Patricia Rorrer . Cop defends accused. 728 views. Patricia Rorrer is serving a life sentence, convicted of driving 500 miles to kill her ex-boyfriend's new wife and his baby. 1:57. Police slowly built a case against Patricia. About Investigation Discovery 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. Ever the neutral newsman, Morrison tells PEOPLE he came away from working on the Investigation Discovery special with more questions than answers. Now retired, he declined ForensicFilesNow.coms invitation to spar directly with Patricia via a podcast. She was a real estate agent, a salesperson, and an equestrian, but she also had a rap sheet that included a 12-month probation sentence for shoplifting from a North Carolina Walmart. . Joanns first husband, New Jersey construction worker Michael Jack, who had reportedly abused her during their marriage, also had a solid alibi. 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? DNA testing showed that Rorrer could not be excluded as the source of the hairs. They also found a photo of Patricia taken 11 days before the homicide. For more information, please visit InvestigationDiscovery.com, facebook.com/InvestigationDiscovery, or twitter.com/DiscoveryID. If I knew I was going to get caught, I never would have brought you into this world, the arresting officers testified they heard her say to Nicole. Patricia Rorrer is serving a life sentence, convicted of driving 500 miles to kill her ex-boyfriend's new wife and his baby. Once, when a gun-wielding farmer and his buddy caught Patricia and Gary riding motorcycles on his field, Patricia walked up and got in their faces and argued, Gary recalled to the Morning Call. With Chris Anderson, Fatima Silva. As we wait for the pending appeal, Rorrer shares her first-hand account and I talk with the prosecutor and law enforcement about the new allegations that have thrust this case back into the spotlight.. Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. Convenient Suspect: A Wrongful Conviction In The Murder In Lehigh Pfeiffer and Burke claimed that police Sgt. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. <> Patricia Rorrer - Forensic Files Now This all started because Rorrer filed under the Freedom of Information Act for records from the FBI. Patricias phone bill showed no record of a call to Catasauqua that day, but police noticed she didnt make any calls at all from her house in North Carolina that day either suggesting she could have been out of state and used a pay phone to dial up the Katrinaks. Superior Court states that Patricia Rorrer and Andy Katrinaks romantic relationship ended in May, 1993 only one year before the murders. Judge's Order Granting Discovery (pdf) Download. On January 11, 2021, (We didnt get into the specifics.). More than 20 years after her conviction, Patricia Rorrer still has advocates working to exonerate her. Despite the new evidence and hypotheses, the courts have rejected all of Patricias bids for a new trial. Authorities confirm former fugitive, Leticia Smith was extradited from Mexico to California. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Patricia Rorrer sits in prison for murdering her ex-boyfriend's wife and baby, but her supporters say she wasn't even in the same state at the time of the crime. Convenient Suspect: A Wrongful Conviction In The Murder In Lehigh Valley? Hair we go. Forensic Files didnt mention it, but the hairs were actually brown at the top and the rest dyed blond, according to the show Autopsy Six: A Fatal Attraction. 8GNGn`s/daUnjx OgG^{|;\(l_K -^?g&"!#{ !]uH}tgx=qCB:xN_ bxxx>)MwG@&qG}S,JCWg4f4QU4tFcT*jNjMa/nR>3[i,?R|*Drx|`|Ov 1tsFIed?r?1 (RDFoy$yYIGpc u)O2g(A((g>Igl9H=hE;n&oA?dpXKQ0[_E/OYc[,}gQn-I/02Eis|(:.z\c;.3_|;*S}h ]~+1M Or did they? They returned with a guilty verdict and a sentence of two life terms. MURDER IN LEHIGH VALLEY: KEITH MORRISON INVESTIGATES is produced for Investigation Discovery by NBC News Peacock Productions with executive producers Elizabeth Fischer and Knute Walker, senior producer Kimberley Ferdinando and the president and general manager of Peacock Productions, Sharon Scott. 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. 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. Patricia was living back in North Carolina when the double murders occurred, yet investigators questioned her nonetheless. Meanwhile, interest in Patricias plight continues on social media. A five-year investigation of the case has uncovered compelling new evidence that they did not. 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. Meanwhile, the case of the missing mother and baby turned into colossal news across the U.S. and internationally. Tragedy also touched Patricias life. Sad discovery. 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. As for an epilogue on ex-flame Andrew Katrinak, he has moved to Colorado and kept a low profile since the trial ended. Born on January 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania, Patricia Rorrer spent most of her life going back and forth between the Keystone State and North Carolina. Why did they refuse to investigate a hair found in the victims right hand? It was one of the biggest murder cases to rock the Lehigh Valley. Aside from the hair, there was almost zero forensic evidence. 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. Mike McIntyre was the first assistant district attorney in Lehigh County during the case and says he's surprised Rorrer is making another attempt to get out of prison. How could Patricia Rorrer have been convicted using DNA from a hair root that doesnt exist. Andrew described his existence with Joanne and Alex as a little Camelot., Ex-spouse off list. What is the Spanish language plot outline for The Ex Files (2022)? Starting at. While baby Alexs cause of death has never been determined, Joann had been severely beaten and shot.