On Aug. 5, 1993, Holly Piirainen, 10, and her brother went to a neighbor's house to play with puppies. 3 0 obj PDF In the United States District Court for The Eastern District of 4 0 obj Years later, conviction in Katrinak murder still raises questions, Stormcenter - School / Business Application. You have permission to edit this article. The 5-foot-9-inch-tall Patricia was physically strong, no match for 5-foot-4-inch Joann. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. Testimony from Walter Blalock contradicted Patricias claim that she never had a gun. Incriminating words. Neely said this new information could reopen the case and set Rorrer free. When Andy Katrinak comes home to find his wife and infant son gone, he summons the police and tells them he believes they have been abducted, and he suspects his ex-girlfriend Patty Rorrer might be involved.more. Although Rorrer would deny any involvement in the crime, the evidence against her seemed almost overwhelming. You can read the court documents in their entirety here. 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. 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 Katrinaks husband, was convicted of the murders and has maintained her innocence for 20 years while serving life behind bars. Is the wrong person serving a pair of life sentences for the 1994 kidnapping and killing of Pennsylvania mother Joann Katrinak and her 3-month-old son, Alex? endobj When Andy Katrinak comes home to find his wife and infant son gone, he summons the police and tells them he believes they have been abducted, and he suspects his ex-girlfriend Patty Rorrer might be involved. t2c2ue\;,&3g^SjZGk? Her friends say she was railroaded by the system and they want Chris and Fatima to join their fight to free her. I was so excited that I called everyone, and Joanne picked up the phone and she said Andy is married, and I said I know, then she said we have a baby, and I said yea I know, then she said dont ever call here again. How could I explain to my daughter years later that I took a plea for something I didnt do? she said. Following the disappearance of Joann and Alex Katrinak, Joanns husband Andrew told police he believed someone had broken into his house, cut the telephone line and abducted his wife and son. Have You Seen Missing Colorado Man Jance Wesly Varela? $Hm$5c&BRIb)iRsSI(*b|(:b|(*Plxt%|:J'i6. Walmart woe. Joann Katrinaks car was later found next door in the parking lot of a local tavern. Superior Court states that the 3 mounted car hairs were sent to the FBI in July 1995, and Rorrers hair samples were taken in November 1995, therefore, since the FBI had possession of the mounted hairs before the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) took Rorrers samples, it is impossible for those hairs to have been switched. Shes utterly believable. And dance instructor William Jarrett couldnt remember whether she attended his dance class at the club the night of Joanns disappearance. Inside the Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial: Could He Go Free? When Andy Katrinak comes home to find his wife and infant son gone, he summons the police and tells them he believes they have been abducted, and he suspects his ex-girlfriend Patty Rorrer might be involved. Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates airs this Sunday, March 5 at 8pm on Investigation Discovery and is produced by NBC News Peacock Productions. Sad discovery. The article also notes that most inmates earn around 19 cent an hour at their jobs and must pay $5 each time they need medical attention or medicine. Her alibi about going to the club, called Cowboys Nitelife, got fuzzy when investigators discovered she hadnt signed the guest book on that day. DNA testing revealed the blood came from either Joann or her son. Highly charged case. 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. 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. Flaw in reasoning. STARZ - Uncover shocking new evidence in Patricia Rorrer's - Facebook Documentary, Drama 2020-2020. ", 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?". It was love at first sight when Joann OConnor met Andy Katrinak in the spring of 1992. It showed her usually all-brown hair haphazardly highlighted blond. 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. Rorrer was convicted of murdering Joann Katrinak and her 3 month old son. A nail that does. The Ex Files: Directed by Rob Rosen. Keeping a convicted killer in prison on the merits of a case is a good thing, but what about when the courts keep someone incarcerated on completely inaccurate information? Irelands husband buried it in the yard because he didnt feel comfortable with a firearm inside, she said. On December 12, 1994, Joann answered a phone call from a woman shed never met, Patricia Rorrer, her husbands onetime girlfriend. 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. PATRICIA RORRER, : : Petitioner : v. : CIVIL ACTION NUMBER 19-01398 : WENDY K. NICHOLAS, : : Respondents : MOTION FOR DISCOVERY AND CONSOLIDATED MEMORANDUM OF LAW . Jessie Morrison is beaten to death, police zero in on Vonda Smith. Patricia seemed like the girl next door but all of a sudden, something snapped, Katrinak later told Wrong Man investigators. Pfeiffer and Burke claimed that police Sgt. WATCH: ID Examines 1994 Lehigh Valley Double-Murder - People Rorrer and Andrew broke off their . New state, new man. 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. How would an intruder find it? - 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 . Police slowly built a case against Patricia. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. If you have any information on this missing mystery, please contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department directly: 573-335-6621. The couple moved into Andrews sturdy brick house at 740 Front Street in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. 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. 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. In 1994, a mother, Joann Katrinak, and her baby disappeared and their bodies were later found in Heidelberg Township. Andrew Katrinak reported missing his wife, Joanne and 3.5-month-old son, Alex, in December 1994. . That hang-up, they said, was the last straw. The family of Joseph Smedley, who was found dead in a lake in 2015, still want answers about a mysterious text message and a backpack full of rocks. Then 31 years old, she had lived a rocky existence. ), The Wrong Man investigators Ira Todd and Joe Kennedy have some theories of their own. Meanwhile, the case of the missing mother and baby turned into colossal news across the U.S. and internationally. This is a genuine puzzler, Morrison tells PEOPLE about the case that inspired Sundays two-part special, Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates. After all, one of the key pieces of evidence recovered from the crime scene and Joanns vehicle were dyed blonde hair strands. One of our nations fastest growing cable networks, ID delivers the highest-quality programming to more than 85 million U.S. households and is available in both high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD). Both were deceased. Her sister vows to keep standing for our missing so that one day that we will be seen as the same as important., Authorities say the brothers, ages 3 and 4at the time they went missing, disappeared from their home in California City four days before Christmas 2020. Andrew mentioned to police that his former live-in girlfriend Patricia Rorrer once managed a horse stable two miles from the bodies location and would have been familiar with the riding trails close to the murder scene. Back in 1994, a mother, Joann Katrinak, and her baby disappeared and their bodies were later found in Heidelberg Township. <>>> Meticulous primping. Then you listen to the other side, and its like, Wait a minute. This case will live with you for a while after you have seen the story, because it is one that has stuck with me., The show which debuts March 5 at both 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. 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. Thats all for this post. State police and the Philadelphia division of the FBI appealed to the public for leads. After relocating to Pennsylvania, Patricia met the 6-foot-2-inch Andrew in a restaurant. Jennifer and Sarah Hart killed themselves and murdered their six adopted children in 2018 by driving their SUV off a cliff in California. If you subscribe to Hulu and upgrade to Starz (theres a free one-week trial offer), you can stream the Wrong Man episodes about Patricia Rorrer. Traupman claimed that when he reported the dispute, trooper Robert V. Egan III got mad and practically kicked him out of his office. Cancel Anytime. But investigators conceded they had no solid evidence against Andrew. Then, they explore who might actually have done t Spider-Man: No Way Home (Extended Version), TV-MA | 6 SEASONS | DRAMA, LITERARY/BOOK BASED, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Therefore, when Andrew revealed that his ex once worked in a barn near the site of his wife and sons bodies, she became a suspect. Both bodies were found four months later along a rural trail close to where Rorrer used to ride horses. Why did the police center all their attention on a hair found 15 miles from the crime scene, but ignore physical evidence left directly on the bodies? Thats my life.. 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. Book her. 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. Gabby Petitos fianc and person of interest in her fatal strangulation disappeared in mid-September after saying he was going for a hike. Joann and Alex Katrinak both vanished in 1994. (In an exclusive clip, Morrison questions the tactics of prosecutor Michael McIntyre.). All rights reserved. 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. The cause of death has not been determined, according to officials. Years later, conviction in Katrinak murder still raises questions