The witness said he would sign in as Richard Nixon or not sign in at all quite often. MEMORANDUM BY BOWES, J.: FILED OCTOBER 26, 2017 Patricia Lynne Rorrer appeals the PCRA court's dismissal of her . Patricia is and has been fighting that she is innocent from the very beginning. Wake up people this could be you! "The DA threatened if he ever said that to anybody he would never work in law enforcement again," Neely said. Counsel for Patricia Rorrer, 52, . Joanne and baby Alex Katrinak kidnapping and murder by Patricia Rorrer. "When I read that petition for the first time about 30 days ago, I couldn't believe it was written by a lawyer.". The victims vanished on December 15. On December 15, 1994, Joann Katrinak and her three-month-old son Alex disappeared without a trace from . This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Illustration of the location of mitochondrial DNA in human cells. A few eyewitnesses who didnt testify at her initial trial also back her statements of being in North Carolina on that fateful day, but nothing has been proven. Brisk with west to northwest winds around 10-20mph gusting to 30mph.. Mostly cloudy with less wind and a few breaks in the clouds overnight. 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?. Mostly cloudy and drier, but a few scattered rain showers linger early, and perhaps a few snow showers at any point in the Poconos. Learn more about our upcoming events, fundraisers, and more! A photo at the time showed that Patricia had dyed her hair blonde, which matched the hair found. It was a pretty big deal, and i was excited enough to call everyone I knew. ", "Everything is outrageous," he said. But there was only one day in question, so it feels like Patricia might have been overselling her story. . As a result, Salas, who did not have legal representation at the time of filming, was offered pro bono representation by a Washington State attorney, who believes in his innocence. Somebody has to. after the fact. They DID NOT match the bullets that killed Joann and her son. 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). 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. On closer inspection, he saw it was the body of a woman. Do any of the TV episodes suggest the possibility of their being held alive for some time? Police converged on the scene and soon realized it was not only the remains of Joann Katrinak, but sadly of Alex too. Why would somebody tell you, theyre going to fry me, if they didnt do it? Jarrett told Wrong Man. 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. Season 9 aired from August 7, 2015, to November 6, 2015. Documentary Sep 20, 2022 42 min iTunes. Starz announces premiere date for Joe Berlinger's Wrong Man Season 2. Joann Katrinaks Killer Still Has Innocence Advocates(A Woman Scorned, Forensic Files). PATRICIA RORRER OBITUARY. By that time, we had both moved on and I had no romantic feelings for him. Despite the troubling evidence from Joann's car, detectives considered whether or not Joann had taken baby Alex and simply left. At 17, Patricia dropped out of high school and married landscaper Gary Gabard. One she was at a tanning salon. I was convicted on microscopic hair comparison and DNA testing that rendered a "match" of 1 in 37,000. When their bodies were found four months later, police sought the clues to find their killer. Three days later, Joann had plans to pick up her mother-in-law, Veronica Katrinak, to go Christmas shopping. It's as if she had left with young Alex as planned but then somehow simply vanished. Mostly cloudy and drier, but a few scattered rain showers linger early, and perhaps a few snow showers at any point in the Poconos. Based on the activity, the victims were there since at least February. I think it would really require comparison with his pediatric medical records to determine if the head circumference is relevant. Stable situation. . Or did they? Patricia denied owning a .22 caliber pistol (the type of gun used to kill Joann). During the interview, the FBI agents noted that I had no cuts, scratches, or bruising on my hand or face, as would be expected if I had been in a life and death struggle only a week earlier. Patricia Rorrer has been in prison since 1998, convicted of the horrific murder of a young mother, Joann Katrinak, and her 16-week old son, in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. Every time you take your infant to the Dr., they take measurements, so I'm wondering if records exist that show the baby was always in the higher percentile, or if he was say, 60-70th percentile, then suddenly BAM! My kid has had 99th percentile head circumference since birth. By: Robert S. In 1994, Joann Katrinak called her mother-in-law and made plans to go holiday shopping. Over 200 people were convicted using this science ( 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). An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. . Green-Eyed Monsters: Directed by Kate Ryerson. Our team of volunteers are committed to helping Patricia. . The only eyewitness to the murder a five-year-old child told police officers that a white man did it, reads the statement. Four months after Joanns disappearance, farmer Paul Kovalchik reported seeing what at first looked like a pile of clothes on his land in Heidelberg Township woods, about 15 miles from the Katrinaks house. And James Pfeiffer and Jim Burke have remained on her side. 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. The six-episode documentary series examines the cases of three different inmates who are serving life sentences on murder convictions but who claim innocence. The jury found Patricia guilty in just 6 hours in 1998, 4 years after the crime. But when did he find the evidence of the break-in? 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. Nailed? Pat Rorrer received a sentence of life imprisonment for her crime. "The issues that we are presenting are not speculative at all," Neely said. During these 4 years, many in the Lehigh Valley, PA community developed opinions on the case. 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. In the Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County. An expert will be allowed to examine evidence from the 1994 . This had been taken just 11 days before Joann's 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 . 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. My husband passed away of a broken heart, Sarah OConnor said on the Montel Williams Show in 2001. Really? Convicted killer Patricia Rorrer is asking for new DNA tests in the 13-year-old murder case of her former boyfriend's wife and child. 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. Joann had been shot once and then beaten over the head (presumably because the gun used only shot once). Patricia Rorrer being escorted by the police | Photo Credits: People Magazine. It was later believed that his recollection was keen, since he'd been the one to dress her posthumously. Trash-talking ex. A second helping of justice will be served. Finally, four months after that dreadful day in December, a farmer plowing his fields found what at first seemed to be a pile of discarded clothing. He would be alive today if it were not for Patricia Rorrer. The mild-mannered Sarah died in 2019 at the age of 83. They had a son, Alex Martin, in August of 1994. Most convictions were procured through microscopic hair comparison which has been debunked as junk science today. Decades-old Lehigh Valley murder case back in national spotlight, Stormcenter - School / Business Application. Her friends say she was railroaded by the system and they want Chris and Fatima to join their fight to free her. A local murder case that made national headlines will be back in the national spotlight Sunday night. Keith Morrison investigates the horrific murders of Joann Katrinak and her infant son Alex, and the ongoing claims that Patricia Rorrer, the woman who has already served 19 years in prison for the murders, was wrongfully convicted. Berlingers landmark HBO documentary Paradise Lost Trilogy helped lead to the release of the wrongfully convicted West Memphis Three after 18 years of incarceration. Prosecutor hiding something? But Patricia had moved from Pennsylvania years ago, and she'd started her own family in North Carolina. Part 1. Of course she did--because all that was out there on me was fake news. Police treated Joann's car as a potential crime scene, and their investigation turned up several blonde hairs on the head rest. To date, the PA courts refuse to let me test this evidence which will prove my innocence. One she was at a private club. Her newest book, Convenient Suspect, is scheduled for release in the fall of 2017 and recounts the murders of Joann and Alex Katrinak and the potential wrongful conviction of Patricia Rorrer. When Joann failed to arrive, her mother-in-law tried calling, but there was no answer at the Katrinak's. See Patricia Rorrer full list of movies and tv shows from their career. It would have to have been a different gun. Rejection and betrayal are good enough reasons for these women to commit heinous crimes. State police and the Philadelphia division of the FBI appealed to the public for leads. They moved into her house in Salisbury County, staying together for about two years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lo9AIFM_vc&fbclid=IwAR28Mf5rKuUyaq1N-vBqirZM_382D69Zy42uONlU3Qf0eNEnJ1w_kYRYKIM. Therefore, today, in her late 50s, Patricia is imprisoned at the maximum-security State Correctional Institution Muncy in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania. They even lived together for about two years before parting ways for good. Both were deceased. Joe Kennedys talks to Michael Brinkle, Patricia Rorrer's former neighbor who reaffirms that he had sold her a .22 Jennings handgun. Damning for Patricia was that this field was only a couple miles from a horse farm that she used to have access to. Culture Editor Tony Sokol cut his teeth on the wire services and also wrote and produced New York CitysVampyr Theatreand the rock operaAssassiNation: We Killed JFK. Patricia demonstrated a habit of making almost daily, long-distance phone calls from her home in North Carolina. . Patricia seemed like the girl next door but all of a sudden, something snapped, Katrinak later told Wrong Man investigators. Error! Kidnapped and killed? Rorrer was the ex-girlfriend of Joann's husband Andy but the ex-couple hadn't spoken for close to a year until they had a call one day in December, 1994. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. To really understand this case, you need to sit down and read this book called Convenient Suspect written by Tammy Mal. Please watch the show Wrong Man which also found new evidence that supports my innocence. Patricias accusers theorized that she resented Joanns domestic bliss with the tall, athletic Andrew Katrinak. 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? I'm not sure to what extent it was brought up in the original trial. He wanted to move to Colorado and she was against it.. The system is broken sending innocent people to prison! 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? Someone had shot Joann in the face with a .22-caliber pistol, then beaten her about the head hitting her 19 times in all with a blunt object. No show. Lawyer: New evidence in 1994 killings of woman, infant, Patricia Rorrer serving life sentence for killing Joann Katrinak, 3-month-old son, Stormcenter - School / Business Application. My case in a nutshell is this: I was convicted on a DNA match made to the root of a hair found in the victim's car which was located 15 miles from the crime scene. State law requires that patrons of the bar sign-in when they come to the bar. Please read her story. It will show you that I have not committed these murders. Patricia Rorrer Age: 51 Sex: FEMALE The state made a case fueled by circumstantial evidence and public outrage over the deaths of a modern-day madonna and child. That's absolutely ridiculous, yet that is the only motive ever given for why I supposedly committed this crime. Use quotation marks to search as a 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. 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. They initially thought Joann's husband Andy may have committed this crime, so they didn't check into Patricia's story of being in a dance class during the time of the kidnapping. Tragedy also touched Patricias life. Please watch the show Wrong Man which also found new evidence that supports my innocence. 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. Patricia was living back in North Carolina when the double murders occurred, yet investigators questioned her nonetheless. 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. But defense lawyer Robert Pfeiffer said that plenty of evidence supported Patricias innocence. I know I did not commit these murders and they need to get justice for Joann and Alex too. Around April 1995, the cold and badly decomposed remains of 26-year-old Joann Katrinak and her 3.5-month-old toddler Alex Katrinak were recovered from the woods in Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania. I found it necessary to document each time an episode featured one of these. No one is safe if the justice system is broken and they are putting innocent people in prison. ", "I think she gave us something like four or five alibis as to where she was at. The first, Vonda Smith, was convicted of murdering her grandchilds mother, 21-year-old Jessie Morrison.