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. She wasn't aware she had left behind small clues in the woods and in the car, which police believe was used to take the victims to the woods, the prosecutor said..Burke highlighted the prosecution's failure to test another hair -- one found in Joann Katrinak's hand. And Andrews explanation of how the intruder got in through the basement door seemed contrived, according to Grube, who gave an interview to Wrong Man, a 2020 true-crime docuseries from the Starz network, which produced two episodes called The Hang Up about the Rorrer case. 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. This was one of. Next thing you know, a muscle bound nerd does something dreadful. North America. Some issues there, but I aver nothing that seems to undercut/override evidence against her. That ploy hasnt worked out, and today, Fairley lives in SCI Fayette, a moderatelyovercrowded maximum-security prison in Labelle, Pennsylvania. My husband passed away of a broken heart, Sarah OConnor said on the Montel Williams Show in 2001. The couple moved into Andrews sturdy brick house at 740 Front Street in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. I find these claims incredible. Patricia was arrested in North Carolina in June of 1997. Andrew told investigators that the unpleasant phone call between Joann and Patricia happened just three days before his wifes disappearance. 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. No comments yet - start the conversation above. 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. Traupman died in 2016. Patricia seemed like the girl next door but all of a sudden, something snapped, Katrinak later told Wrong Man investigators. not three days before it to tell him she had won a national horse competition in Oklahoma. Joanns first husband, New Jersey construction worker Michael Jack, who had reportedly abused her during their marriage, also had a solid alibi. Someone with a life sentence has nothing to lose throwing any spanner in the works that might, as they see it, cast doubt even if the spanner has the opposite effect! 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). Some recurring themes in Forensic Files facinate me. Rorrer was a slim, auburn-haired, 30-year-old photographer and horse enthusiast.Before he called police, family members canvassed nearby neighborhoods, driving around the suburban community of about 7,000 people near Allentown, Pa. Around midnight, Joann Katrinaks father found his daughters Toyota Corolla near a tavern down the street. Try sending something like that to a lab for paternity testing and see how far you get. The media love the femme fatale., FBI lab blunder. Unlike Mr. But when did he find the evidence of the break-in? . 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. Join Facebook to connect with Andrew Katrinak and others you may know. Finally, the evidence had been exposed to the elements for who knows how many months. But lets say for arguments sake that she was a closet smoker and no one knew. Police slowly built a case against Patricia. Well, that really caught our attention of course.". Your email address will not be published. At the states request, the instructor wore a wire during a phone conversation with Patricia. 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. Friends and family began looking for Joann and Alex. . They allege that the North Carolina resident stealthily drove 500 miles to Pennsylvania and killed out of a sense of deadly indignation. But Patricia had moved from Pennsylvania years ago, and she'd started her own family in North Carolina. Rorrer said she was almost 500 miles away in North Carolina on the day of the disappearance. 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. Great communicator. Her family moved to North Carolina in 1978 but returned to the area in 1984. Men who murder are conventional, women are sensational, posits the Worldwide Womens Criminal Justice Network. Despite previous testimony that said all of the hair was destroyed or untestable, the latest test results revealed a hair discovered on the drivers side seatback of the car matched Rorrer. . Reconsidering Andrew Katrinak's potential role. At 10:40 p.m. he calls 911 to report his family missing. Patricia Rorrer is formerly from Linwood, North Carolina, and serving a life sentence in the state prison for women at Muncy, Pennsylvania. In fact, she had moved 500 miles away and was in a new relationship herself. But its small argument on her side. She is petitioning for DNA testing on the nail fragment that was found on the victims body. I agree with Rebecca, and am surprised this was reported: if it was legal, what does it matter? As usual, Rebecca at Forensic Files Now has a thoroughly researched article about the Patricia Rorrer case and events since her conviction. 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? The township invested an additional $50,000 for new equipment for the playground in 2012. To commit the murders, Rorrer took her victims out to a location that was familiar and significant. "Do you understand?" 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. The prosecution painted apicture of a woman so angry after herformer boyfriends wife hung up thephone on her that she drove to Pennsylvania,forced Joann Katrinak and herbaby at gunpoint into the car, then tookthem outside of town and killed them.Witnesses said Rorrer bought a.22-caliber handgun at a yard sale just beforethe murder. She was bubbly and likable, not disgruntled, according to friend Kathy Barber, who visited her friend in jail. This was part of Rorrer's defense strategy it seemed like an unrealistic motive to commit murder. The police considered the possibility that Joann ran away, a theory disputed by her family. In 1998, Caleb Fairleys parents settled a lawsuit filed by Lisas mother and Jimmy Manderach for $1.6 million. Posted: June 22, 2022 There are myriad issues surrounding this case and conviction. His wife's Toyota Corolla wasn't parked in back of their house at 740 F Meanwhile, interest in Patricias plight continues on social media. But her reputation wasnt exactly sleek and shiny. If Rorrer beat her to death with a .22 caliber pistol like the prosecution claimed, she would have to have been up close and personal, but yet she came away without so much as a scratch? She also said that she was in North Carolina on the day of the abduction, where she was involved in a committed relationship with the father of her daughter. Region. 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. The episode claimed the jury required just two hours to deliberate, but other sources indicate it took six. An infant was lying face down on her stomach. And the kidnapping scenario became more plausible when you factor in the privacy of the alleyway behind the Katrinak house. To her infant daughter, she supposedly said, If I had known I would get caught, I would never have brought you into this world. To me, those words sound overly dramatic. It was after that round of testing that Rorrer insisted the cigarette butt be tested for DNA, as she was convinced it would exonerate her. 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? What IS reasonable doubt and what is it to be at or beyond that threshold? Pretrial and trial reporting is listed below: Rorrer's Reputation: `Don't Mess With Me'. But defense lawyer Robert Pfeiffer said that plenty of evidence supported Patricias innocence. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Thats all for this post. Victims Joann Katrinak Alex Katrinak, 3 months Find-A-Grave: Joann M. Katrinak Woman Held In Catasauqua Killings Man Recalls Day His Wife, Baby Vanished As Katrinak Double-murder Trial Opens . So begins a case that features a missing wife, a missing baby, and the husband who gave news interviews repeatedly asking for the return of his wife and son. My guiding principle if I were administering criminal law is what is it reasonable to do to establish probative fact and what is it reasonable to believe of those facts (a matter for the jury)? Her alibi about going to the club, called Cowboys Nitelife, got fuzzy when investigators discovered she hadnt signed the guest book on that day. It's not often there's a laundry list of clear signals, but it's fun to iterate them when there are so many. She said she did not give the hang up by Joann Katrinak a second thought. The Irish-Italian girl had full, fluffy dark hair, olive skin, and a pretty face. When Andrew Katrinak arrived home from work shortly after 6 p.m. on Dec. 15, 1994, he noticed two unusual things. 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. What if Lisa and Devon were not his first victims? (We didnt get into the specifics.). Seven leaky buckets hold no more water than one: that several stratums of the evidence against her MIGHT be interpreted otherwise doesnt add up to sufficient doubt (that works the other way too, of course!) Patricia Rorrer has been portrayed as a bully, petty thief, neglectful horse owner, and heartless killer or a sweet, caring friend railroaded by authorities desperate to solve a double-murder case that snagged worldwide interest. The killer was Patricia Rorrer, the jealous ex-girlfriend of Joann's husband, Andrew. The indications of Patricia's involvement in Joann's and young Alex's disappearance were numerous. In 1986, she met and began a relationship with Andrew Katrinak. The final call in December 1994 ended with Joann Katrinak angrily telling her to stop calling, according to police. 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. McIntyre didn't address that issue in his closing argument..Burke said soil in the woods didn't match soil in and on the car and questioned why there was no blood in the car if the killer drove the car back to Catasauqua where it was found..He also wondered how the victims could have been kidnapped at gunpoint from their home at 740 Front St. in the afternoon without anyone seeing anything..Prosecutors claim that Rorrer planned the killing and even might have been in the area before Dec. 15, 1994.