But did the police arrest the right person? Joann and Alex Katrinak both vanished in 1994. Andrew described his existence with Joanne and Alex as a little Camelot., Ex-spouse off list. (We didnt get into the specifics.). Tammy Mal is a true-crime writer whos written for True Detective Magazine and Absolute Crime Publishing. 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?. Patricia seemed like the girl next door but all of a sudden, something snapped, Katrinak later told Wrong Man investigators. Until next time, cheers. How would an intruder find it? Lieutenant Christopher Coble and Sergeant Suzanne Pearson would later testify that Patricia cried and apologized to 18-month-old Nicole, telling the baby, Im sorry for doing this to you and lamenting to the officers that she would never see little Nicole again. Joanns car was later found next door in the parking lot of a local tavern. For ID, Sara Kozak is executive producer and senior vice president of production, Jane Latman is executive vice president of development, Kevin Bennett is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President of Investigation Discovery, Destination America, and American Heroes Channel. <> But it wasnt until the police linked Rorrer to the crime through a DNA match between her and a hair recovered from Joanns car that they finally had enough to arrest her. Patricia Lynne Rorrer made for a good suspect. Its definitely getting rougher every day, Andrew told the Morning Call. Morrison did speak with Rorrer about the case, but cameras were barred from the prison. With an appeal pending in Pennsylvania Superior Court that includes allegations of a frame-up, coercion by the District Attorneys office, misidentification of a witness and evidence tampering all of which the state vehemently denies veteran journalist and Dateline NBC correspondent Keith Morrison revisits the crimes in an all-new special MURDER IN LEHIGH VALLEY: KEITH MORRISON INVESTIGATES. Or is Patricia Rorrer still just a convenient suspect? He said, "Frankly, I was appalled at what I saw. You can read the court documents in their entirety here. 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. 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'Wrong Man" is a six-episode series from acclaimed award-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost Trilogy) that examines cases of inmates who have been incarcerated for decades and claim they're innocent. (Silver Spring, Md.) How could I explain to my daughter years later that I took a plea for something I didnt do? she said. Patricia's Most Recent Federal Appeals. Judge's Order Granting Discovery (pdf) Download. But none of those charges ever stuck. Shes extremely, extremely happy with the baby. It is one of those completely addictive tales where theres so much that just points in both directions, Morrison tells PEOPLE. This is a genuine puzzler, Morrison tells PEOPLE about the case that inspired Sundays two-part special, Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates. She was always looking for a fight, Gary Gabard told the Morning Call, which noted that he was a head shorter than Patricia. In fifty years, this is the most complicated case Ive ever been involved in, an investigator says of the search for Andrea Knabel. 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. The police considered the possibility that Joann ran away, a theory disputed by her family. Three days later, Joann had plans to pick up her mother-in-law, Veronica Katrinak, to go Christmas shopping. Why did they refuse to investigate a hair found in the victims right hand? She beat Katrinak, shot her and left her and her baby for dead in the woods in Heidelberg Township. The entire forensics examination from beginning to end was just awful.". Since that time, Rorrer has held out hope that Pennsylvanias Superior Court would grant her a hearing to examine the new evidence that has come to light in her case. Her friends say she was railroaded by the system and they want Ch Read allPatricia Rorrer is serving a life sentence, convicted of driving 500 miles to kill her ex-boyfriend's new wife and his baby. They noted houses near the murder scene would have heard a gunshot in December, when no farm equipment is making noise, and question why the murderer didnt just kill Joann inside her house instead of risking being seen in public in her car. He gave an audio interview to the Wrong Man investigators when they made a surprise visit to his house, but he declined to appear on camera. Traupman died in 2016. Back in 1994, a mother, Joann Katrinak, and her baby disappeared and their bodies were later found in Heidelberg Township. Louisiana Woman Disappeared After Giving Somebody A Ride. In North Carolina, she reportedly enjoyed some success as a horse trader, riding instructor, and rodeo competitor. On Aug. 5, 1993, Holly Piirainen, 10, and her brother went to a neighbor's house to play with puppies. Rorrer and Andrew broke off their . She was a 23-year-old beauty just coming out of a bad marriage, and he a handsome and successful business owner 14 years her senior. She is sitting in Muncey Women's Correctional Facility for over 23 years now for something. Forensic tests suggested the hair found in the car and at the murder scene came from Patricia. You might think such a thing couldnt happen, but thats exactly what did happen in the Rorrer case. Both bodies were found four months later along a rural trail close to where Rorrer used to ride horses. !) and detractors (This is another bs attempt to free a psycho). 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. Katrinak's husband's ex-girlfriend was convicted of the crime, but now there's a possibility the case could be reopened. 1 0 obj He would be alive today if it were not for Patricia Rorrer. The mild-mannered Sarah died in 2019 at the age of 83. ID has joined forces with Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison to revisit a 1994 double-murder that rattled Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. Family members found Joanns tan Toyota sitting vacant in the parking lot of McCartys, a nearby bar. After Patricia and Andrew broke up in 1990, she moved back to North Carolina but the two remained in touch through sporadic visits and phone calls. Katrinak's husband's ex-girlfriend was convicted of the crime, but now there's a possibility the case could be reopened. 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. However, prosecutors contended that Patricia attacked Joann and Alex because she wanted to reconcile with her ex, and his wife had hung up the phone on her when shed called in December 1994. Detective Barry Grube found it odd that Andrew fixed the severed phone line before police examined it in essence tampering with evidence. Despite the new evidence and hypotheses, the courts have rejected all of Patricias bids for a new trial. In April 1995, the family buried Joann and Alex in a single bronze casket after a funeral mass at a Bethlehem church. Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBent Ramsey and more. Patricias defenders also say Andrew Katrinak staged the scene at his house by prying the door and cutting the phone line. Andrew told investigators that the unpleasant phone call between Joann and Patricia happened just three days before his wifes disappearance. My husband passed away of a broken heart, Sarah OConnor said on the Montel Williams Show in 2001. Shes utterly believable. The 5-foot-9-inch-tall Patricia was physically strong, no match for 5-foot-4-inch Joann. 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. She is as effective at telling a story today as she was back then. Success! Starting at. Her brother returned home but she never did. The state made a case fueled by circumstantial evidence and public outrage over the deaths of a modern-day madonna and child. Deal refused. Plus, two men, her babys father and his friend, testified they saw Patricia at the line-dancing club the night of the homicide. After eliminating Andrew as a suspect in the killings, detectives set their sights on Rorrer, charging her with two counts of murder and kidnapping. They had a son, Alex Martin, in August of 1994. Are other banks to follow? Inside the Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial: Could He Go Free? Lehigh Valley: Patricia Rorrer Still A Convenient Suspect? Puny policy. At 10:30 p.m., Andrew reported his wife missing. <>>> And James Pfeiffer and Jim Burke have remained on her side.