So much in this case, and every time she appeals with new evidence she is denied. I would really recommend watching the Wrong Man 2-part episode. The show is broadcast on truTV, narrated by Peter Thomas, and produced by Medstar Television, in association with truTV Original Productions.It has broadcast 406 episodes since its debut on TLC in 1996 as Medical Detectives. Prosecutors also claimed DNA hair evidence found in the car matched Patricia's hair at the time (using what was considered valid DNA methods). Another case is Patricia Rorrer, who has been in prison since 1998, convicted of the murder of a young mother and her 16-week old son in Pennsylvania. Patricia Rorrer - Forensic Files Now 6-10. The episode made a special point about locating the photograph of Patricia Rorrer with dyed blonde hair. A closer examination of the hairs showed traces of dried blood. Patricia Rorrer Brutal Killing of Joanne Katrinak & Baby - FFF Patricias professional life included short-lived gigs as a Century 21 real estate agent and an Oldsmobile salesperson. But there was only one day in question, so it feels like Patricia might have been overselling her story. Read and download theDen of Geek Lost in Space Special Edition Magazineright here! Then, despite her multiple alibis, she has an inexplicable five-day gap in this pattern. Meanwhile, the case of the missing mother and baby turned into colossal news across the U.S. and internationally. The state made a case fueled by circumstantial evidence and public outrage over the deaths of a modern-day madonna and child. Andrew languished for weeks and then months as investigators failed to suppl any explanation for his wife's and son's mysterious disappearance. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. 'Dateline NBC' Correspondent Keith Morrison Explores Claims of a Unseasonably warm weather in late December suggested that the victims were there since they were killed. On Thursday, December 15, 1994, Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son, Alex, went missing from their Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, home. Patricia Lynne Rorrer made for a good suspect. I was convicted on microscopic hair comparison and DNA testing that rendered a "match" of 1 in 37,000. How could I explain to my daughter years later that I took a plea for something I didnt do? she said. Right now she has no attorney and your generous donation will fund our mission. They never looked into Andy who failed several lie detector tests, tampered with evidence. In 2015, I discovered an FBI report that states the hair used to convict me had "No Roots Attached." Decades-old Lehigh Valley murder case back in national spotlight, Stormcenter - School / Business Application. Both sides agree Joann hung up on Patricia. Rorrer Gets Life in Jail for Double Slaying * Jurors in The Katrinak Patricia Rorrer was convicted of both deaths in the mid-90's and is serving a life sentence. Patricia is and has been fighting that she is innocent from the very beginning. Episode 7. According to court papers from Patricia 2017 appeal, DNA on the cigarette butt found near the two bodies belonged to Appellant. (Prosecutor Michael McIntyre, however, told ForensicFilesNow.com that that the cigarette butt was never actually tested). She is sitting in Muncey Women's Correctional Facility for over 23 years now for something. They were hardly decomposed after a mild winter. Now retired, he declined ForensicFilesNow.coms invitation to spar directly with Patricia via a podcast. Family members found Joanns tan Toyota sitting vacant in the parking lot of McCartys, a nearby bar. 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. Read more of his work here or find him on Twitter @tsokol. And it certainly didn't make me mad enough to jump in my car, drive 500 miles one way and kill two people I'd never met--one an infant child. Barry Grube, one of the few, if not only, police officers sympathetic to Patricias cause, noted that Andrew didnt seem particularly frantic while authorities searched desperately for his wife and son. 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. On December 12, 1994, Joann answered a phone call from a woman shed never met, Patricia Rorrer, her husbands onetime girlfriend. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Appeal from the PCRA Order May 26, 2016. Please walk thru her website and see for yourself how easy it is to be convicted of something you had nothing to do with. Season 1 had a tangible impact on all three cases that were examined. She was also no stranger to law enforcement because she had a history of violence which included an arrest for getting into a bar brawl with another patron over a guy. A young mother and her infant son suddenly went missing just before Christmas in 1994. As for Joanns parents, her father died a year after the murder. "Reasonable Doubt" The Ex Files (TV Episode 2022) - IMDb After relocating to Pennsylvania, Patricia met the 6-foot-2-inch Andrew in a restaurant. Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 7: Finale Release Time and Season Recap, Tiger King Earned 34 Million Viewers in First 10 Days, Shazam! 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. You have permission to edit this article. 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 her innocence for 20 years while serving life behind bars. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Any amount will deeply appreciated. In the Katrinak case, they did new (at the time) DNA testing to match the hairs found in the car to Patricia. Was this on unsolved mysteries too? The Innocence Project has declined to take her case. Rorrer has appealed her conviction several times and her supporters believe additional DNA evidence . The state police dropped him as a suspect. Oscar-nominated and Emmywinning director Berlinger (Paradise Lost, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes), a leading voice in non-fiction film and television for over two decades, returns to keep checks on the criminal justice system. However, as profiled on IDs Deadly Women: Green-Eyed Monsters, Joanns husbands ex-girlfriend, Patricia Rorrer, was eventually identified as their perpetrator. 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. As for an epilogue on ex-flame Andrew Katrinak, he has moved to Colorado and kept a low profile since the trial ended. I was convicted on the basis of a DNA match made to the root of one (1) hair found in Joann's car. Nailed? Most of all, Patricia said, she would like a rematch with prosecutor Michael McIntyre. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/fbi-overstated-forensic-hair-matches-in-nearly-all-criminal-trials-for-decades/2015/04/18/39c8d8c6-e515-11e4-b510-962fcfabc310_story.html, https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/murder/convenient-suspect-a-wrongful-conviction-in-the-murder-in-lehigh-valley. 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? Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates . There was at least one hair strand that contained enough skin tissue for a nuclear DNA match and it corroborated the mitochondrial match. Hair we go. I wasn't hung up on Andy, and I didn't want him back. 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It's now up to a judge to decide whether to allow that information, as well as information questioning the validity of hair samples that helped put Rorrer behind bars. Her book tells the truth and the real story of this case. Shes just extremely happy with Andy, her brother, Michael OConnor, told the media. 0. By that time, we had both moved on and I had no romantic feelings for him. Wrong Man says she had normally signed in for her line dancing class but didn't on the day Joann and Alex disappeared. At the very least, prosecutors got their story very wrong as they convicted Patricia. The first, Vonda Smith, was convicted of murdering her grandchilds mother, 21-year-old Jessie Morrison. Cancel Anytime. Joann Katrinaks Killer Still Has Innocence Advocates(A Woman Scorned, Forensic Files). Error! List of female murderers by name | R | Murderpedia Police converged on the scene and soon realized it was not only the remains of Joann Katrinak, but sadly of Alex too. They broke up in 1993. Most prosecutors wouldn't even take such paltry evidence into court today. 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. I watched the show the other night and watched some YouTube videos afterwards and there was interview footage of Joanns sister saying that Alex was a big healthy baby.