Search is on. As the husband and father, he seemed the logical suspect, and the police worked hard to build a case against him. He would be alive today if it were not for Patricia Rorrer. The mild-mannered Sarah died in 2019 at the age of 83. The authorities charged her with two counts of murder. Investigators theorized that this action angered Patricia into a jealous rage that ended with abduction and murder. She made an effort to look perfectly groomed even when she took out the trash, according to her mother, who appeared on Forensic Files. Convenient Suspect: A Wrongful Conviction In The Murder In Lehigh Valley? It all gave jurors a lot to think about but only for six hours. Two-Part Special Premieres Sunday, March 5 at 8/7c; Features Exclusive First-Ever Interview with Inmate Patricia Rorrer (Silver Spring, Md.) On December 12, 1994, Joann answered a phone call from a woman shed never met, Patricia Rorrer, her husbands onetime girlfriend. If you have any information on this missing mystery, please contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department directly: 573-335-6621. 2023 Warner Bros. : Local economists weigh in after 3rd bank failure in last 2 months, Baby alligator temporarily staying in the Poconos after being found at sewage plant in Allentown, LVHN offering 2nd dose of bivalent COVID-19 booster shot for people 65 and older, immunocompromised people, Work to replace busy bridge connecting Lehigh, Northampton counties is underway; there's some good news for commuters, Allentown Service Plaza to close at night during the week as crews do paving work, High Delaware River water levels lead to additional safety requirements at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area this week, Gov. She was bubbly and likable, not disgruntled, according to friend Kathy Barber, who visited her friend in jail. She is a tough one, Sheriff Gerald Hege would later tell the Morning Call in a June 29, 1997 interview. His favorite rattle, shaped like a phone, lay near the crime scene. Nailed? Later, they both worked 12-hour graveyard shifts at a textile factory. All of STARZ blockbuster movies, epic originals, and addictive series. This is a genuine puzzler, Morrison tells PEOPLE about the case that inspired Sundays two-part special, Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates. Then 31 years old, she had lived a rocky existence. '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. Are other banks to follow? One on one? !) and detractors (This is another bs attempt to free a psycho). From harrowing crimes and salacious scandals to the in-depth investigations and heart-breaking mysteries behind these real people, real stories, the always revealing network challenges our everyday understanding of culture, society and the human condition. Meanwhile, the case of the missing mother and baby turned into colossal news across the U.S. and internationally. Produced by NBC News Emmy Award-winning production arm Peacock Productions, the two-part special airs Sunday, March 5 with back-to-back premieres at 8/7c and 9/8c, and features an exclusive phone interview in which Rorrer speaks out from prison for the first time ever. She is sitting in Muncey Women's Correctional Facility for over 23 years now for something. Flaw in reasoning. <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> And the fact that Patricia called Andrew even after he married someone else didnt mean she was still carrying a torch for him, according to one of her friends. Born on January 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania, Patricia Rorrer spent most of her life going back and forth between the Keystone State and North Carolina. A hair sample that helped put Patricia Rorrer behind bars for life could be the key to set her free. On Alexs diaper bag, police found strands of the same type of hair from the car. Four months later, however, when the brutally murdered bodies of Joann and Alex were discovered lying in a lonely patch of woods, the police would focus their suspicion on an entirely different suspect; 31-year-old Patricia Rorrer (top, main photo) Andy Katrinaks ex-girlfriend. Joanns first husband, New Jersey construction worker Michael Jack, who had reportedly abused her during their marriage, also had a solid alibi. - 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 . Andrew described his existence with Joanne and Alex as a little Camelot., Ex-spouse off list. 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. My sister will get her justice, insists the 12-year-old murder victims younger sibling. After eliminating Andrew as a suspect in the killings, detectives set their sights on Rorrer, charging her with two counts of murder and kidnapping. ID has joined forces with Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison to revisit a 1994 double-murder that rattled Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. Investigators in Nashville, Tennessee are looking for help identifying a young female found deceased in 2018. b-zl(c=v78s#^#C OMm:Dcm=gG?Ig]h}[2?LF| gy$)3{l;,/q-zB]/W#w OKwabn;__`0T=VIa".%ze(tIB\TnJH0 9E4=aZA Strands of the accuseds dyed-blond hair at two crime scenes proved it. http://starz.tv/FB Join us tonight for #ReasonableDoubt at 10/9c on ID. Why did they refuse to investigate a hair found in the victims right hand? His father confirmed his alibi that they were doing construction work together, putting an addition on the house of friends Tom and Kathy Holschwander, at the time of Joanns disappearance. It is similar to Making a Murderer it just makes you want to learn more.. i-InD6g~v~}saG\R -(QdB]+[1xlm>Hv%} i{Fb=i~{/7=hn/JzF3XuccBb Patricia seemed like the girl next door but all of a sudden, something snapped, Katrinak later told Wrong Man investigators. 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. Now retired, he declined ForensicFilesNow.coms invitation to spar directly with Patricia via a podcast. $Hm$5c&BRIb)iRsSI(*b|(:b|(*Plxt%|:J'i6. As we wait for the pending appeal, Rorrer shares her first-hand account and I talk with the prosecutor and law enforcement about the new allegations that have thrust this case back into the spotlight.. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Cop defends accused. Self - Retired Detective Sergeant Homicide Investigator Birmingham AL Police Dept. RR, Watch the Forensic Files episode on YouTube, Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Reports, 7 Unnerving Facts About the Lindberghs and the Kidnapping, The Lindbergh Kidnapping: Forensic Files Lost Episode, Dawn Fehring: A Missionary Dies Too Young, Daniel and Cynthia McDonnell: Good Cop, Bad Wife. Shortly before Katrinak and Alex disappeared, Rorrer called the Katrinak house. <> '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. Donna Fisher/Allentown Morning Call/TNS via Getty, Arrests Made in Connection with Deadly Druggings at N.Y.C. It was one of the biggest murder cases to rock the Lehigh Valley. Meanwhile, interest in Patricias plight continues on social media. DNA from that and a cigarette butt linked Patricia to the offense. 2023 Warner Bros. Patricia Rorrer was wrongfully convicted of Murder. They theorize that Andrew Katrinak framed Patricia and that the hostile phone call between Patricia and Joann actually took place not on Dec. 12 as Andrew said but rather on Dec. 7. On closer inspection, he saw it was the body of a woman. According to the prosecution it was enough to convict. Testimony from Walter Blalock contradicted Patricias claim that she never had a gun. 1 0 obj The Free Patricia Rorrer page responds to comments from supporters (How is this even possible that this woman is still in jail?!? Pal stays true. Georgia Teen Vanished In South Carolina, Search Continues For North Carolina Girl, 11, Whose Parents Didnt Report Her Missing For Weeks, Where Is Ella Goodie? App of the Day: Poolsuite FM, What the Tech? 4 0 obj They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had almond-shaped blue eyes, weighed 18 pounds, and was circumcised. A hair that does, Why did they fail to test a piece of flesh adhering to a torn fingernail fragment recovered from Joann's chest? Dance defense. . Atlanta Is Building A Memorial To 29 Child Murder Victims Killed Between 1979 and 1981, True Crime News Roundup: Beauty Pageant Hopeful Vanishes After Flying To Las Vegas, Student Studying Abroad In Russia Found Dead After Sending Her Mother Troubling Text, Laundrie Family Attorney Says Remains Found In Florida Belong To Brian Laundrie, Inside The Tragic Hart Family Murder-Suicide Crash, The 1993 Unsolved Murder Of Holly Piirainen, True Crime News Roundup: Alabama Corrections Officer Vanishes With Her Inmate Boyfriend, Mother Who Claimed 7-Year-Old Daughter Was Sick Sentenced To Prison After Girl Dies, UPDATE: Fugitive Leticia Smith from In Pursuit With John Walsh Captured In Mexico, Remembering Georgia Lee Moses: The Search For Answers In The Little Girls 1997 Killing Continues, Lululemon Murder: Store Employee Suffered Over 300 Blows, Severed Spinal Cord In Fatal Attack. Shes the author of four books: Little Girl Lost, Disposable Income, Tortured Minds, and Murder in Susquehanna County. For one thing, her mother never asked Sandra Ireland to hide the gun, and she retrieved it on the way home the next day she worked as a bus driver and couldnt take it with her to school. They also found a photo of Patricia taken 11 days before the homicide. In addition to the Facebook page, there are Reddit threads on her case. %PDF-1.5 Patricia Rorrer was a cold woman. Morrison did speak with Rorrer about the case, but cameras were barred from the prison. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 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? And dance instructor William Jarrett couldnt remember whether she attended his dance class at the club the night of Joanns disappearance. Joann answered and told Rorrer to leave her family alone before hanging up. People envied the Katrinaks rock-solid marriage and picture-perfect life; with the house, the kid, and the two cars in the drive, they seemed to be living the American dream. Great catch. 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. Patricia defaulted on her mortgage and then returned to North Carolina, where she eventually moved in with a boyfriend named Brian Ward. That hang-up, they said, was the last straw. 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 has been telling the same story for over 20 years, Morrison explains. Her friends say she was railroaded by the system and they want Chris and Fatima to join their fight to free her.Patricia Rorrer is serving a life sentence, convicted of driving 500 miles to kill her ex-boyfriend's new wife and his baby. After more than 20 years, questions are finally being raised about the many problems that plague this case, and the compelling evidence that points to the wrongful conviction of Patricia Rorrer. A Timeline of Adnan Syed's Case, Conviction and Release from Prison and What's Next for 'Serial' Subject, Innocent Man Freed After 2 Decades in Prison Thanks to True Crime Coverage of His Case, Alex Murdaugh Faces August Trial in Mallory Beach Wrongful Death Suit, Accused of Enabling Underage Drinking, Stephen Smith: All About the Teen's Mysterious 2015 Death and Reopened Investigation After Murdaugh Murders, Abby Choi's Ex-Husband Allegedly Attempted to Flee by Speedboat Following Her Killing, Dismemberment, Prosecutor Says Alex Murdaugh's Decision to Take Stand Was 'Fatal' Mistake: That's 'What Sealed It for Him', Everything to Know About the Murdaugh Family Murders, Including Alex's Conviction, Alex Murdaugh Prosecutors Say Jury 'Delivered Justice' with Murder Conviction, Alex Murdaugh Was Confronted by Law Firm About 'Stolen' Money on the Day of Family Killings: Witness, New '20/20' Episode Examines Shocking Murders of 4 University of Idaho Students, Will Bryan Kohberger Face Death Penalty if Convicted of Idaho Murders? Phone records confirmed Patricia placed the earlier call from North Carolina, not Pennsylvania. Meticulous primping. Patricia Rorrer was convicted of both deaths in the mid-90's and is serving a life sentence. Weak wages. DNA testing showed that Rorrer could not be excluded as the source of the hairs. He said she did own a firearm, with its serial numbers filed off. Chris and Fatima investigate the case in search of the truth. But a child eyewitness told police that he had seen a white man kill her. 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. For every fact that is presented, there are two interpretations to give.. 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. The team explores whether Vonda may have been wrongfully convicted, based on a shoddy investigation and circumstantial evidence. Peacock Productions reaches more than 300 million people worldwide every year across broadcast, cable, syndication, and emerging platforms with its award-winning specials and series. While baby Alexs cause of death has never been determined, Joann had been severely beaten and shot. I also communicated with Patricia via email to get her input on some matters. Murder victim Joann Katrinak. The series was produced by Joe Berlinger, who made the Paradise Lost documentaries, which garnered actor Johnny Depps attention and ultimately helped free the West Memphis Three. 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. Then 31 years old, she had lived a rocky existence. Police couldnt determine whether the baby died of exposure or suffocation. ), And in another bombshell, Joanns good friend Karen Devine said Joann planned to leave Andrew after the holidays. The organization purports that if there were awards for distorted reporting, the Morning Callwould win high honors.. Joann was fun, likable, beautiful, always happy, said her sister-in-law Cindy Wiard. A five-year investigation of the case has uncovered compelling new evidence that they did not. Traupman died in 2016. (Disclaimer: Im not a big fan of eyewitnesses who come forward years after the fact, but its possible). Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. There was an error processing your request. Still, no good leads materialized. (In an exclusive clip, Morrison questions the tactics of prosecutor Michael McIntyre.). Patricia Rorrer (right) is led to her hearing in Lehigh County Courthouse Wednesday morning, August 26, 1998 by a sheriffs deputy, at left. But thats just some of the ammo on Team Patricias battleship. He wanted to move to Colorado and she was against it.. Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children created an age enhancement of what he may look like at age 23. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. Tammy Mal is a true-crime writer whos written for True Detective Magazine and Absolute Crime Publishing. endobj She said that shes no fan of Forensic Files and that the show had many misrepresentations about her case and that shed heard ForensicFilesNow.com mixed up some facts as well. And she would just call out of the blue., According to the Free Patricia Rorrer page on Facebook:I called him to let him know that I was going to the USA finals for a horse show. 8GNGn`s/daUnjx OgG^{|;\(l_K -^?g&"!#{ !]uH}tgx=qCB:xN_ bxxx>)MwG@&qG}S,JCWg4f4QU4tFcT*jNjMa/nR>3[i,?R|*Drx|`|Ov 1tsFIed?r?1 (RDFoy$yYIGpc u)O2g(A((g>Igl9H=hE;n&oA?dpXKQ0[_E/OYc[,}gQn-I/02Eis|(:.z\c;.3_|;*S}h ]~+1M Toxic chemicals in Emmaus water could cost at least $24M to fix, 'Can't wait to see everyone': After 3-year hiatus, beloved Easton deli nears reopening, How do you know your money is safe? 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? Hair we go. As for an epilogue on ex-flame Andrew Katrinak, he has moved to Colorado and kept a low profile since the trial ended. At 6 a.m. on June 24, 1997, police arrested Patricia at her modest house in Linwood, North Carolina, and took her back to Pennsylvania. 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. After all, one of the key pieces of evidence recovered from the crime scene and Joanns vehicle were dyed blonde hair strands. 2 0 obj Dial-a-problem. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Her friends say she was railroaded by the system and they want Chris and Fatima to join their fight to free her. Gabby Petitos fianc and person of interest in her fatal strangulation disappeared in mid-September after saying he was going for a hike. Was it just a mistake that one of the highest courts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania got everything so wrong? Plus, two men, her babys father and his friend, testified they saw Patricia at the line-dancing club the night of the homicide. What is the Spanish language plot outline for The Ex Files (2022)? Commonwealth's request for reconsideration (pdf) Download. Neely said this new information could reopen the case and set Rorrer free. For more information, visit: http://www.peacockproductions.tv/. Another witness, Walter Traupman, who never testified, had told state troopers that on the day of Joanns disappearance, he saw a couple who looked like Joann and Andrew arguing about the paternity of a baby. On December 14, 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied Ms. Rorrer's petition for allowance of appeal, concluding her state appellate proceedings. Some lawyers call microscopic hair analysis junk science that today wouldnt qualify as evidence in a trial like Rorrers. How could Patricia Rorrer have been convicted using DNA from a hair root that doesnt exist. 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). At the states request, the instructor wore a wire during a phone conversation with Patricia. The team calls on experts to take a fresh look at the evidence that led to Kenneth Clair's conviction in the brutal murder of Linda Rodgers. For more information, please visit InvestigationDiscovery.com, facebook.com/InvestigationDiscovery, or twitter.com/DiscoveryID. Everything from compromised crime scenes and contaminated evidence, to suspects who were never cleared, witness statements that were withheld from the defense, and crucial evidence that was simply dismissed and ignored has cast doubt on Rorrers guilt and led to a number of unanswered questions. 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. 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. Next Up "We Can Now Be At Peace": Victims' Families React To "Grim Sleeper" Lonnie Franklin's Death However, as profiled on IDs Deadly Women: Green-Eyed Monsters, Joanns husbands ex-girlfriend, Patricia Rorrer, was eventually identified as their perpetrator. Judge's Order Granting Discovery (pdf) Download. Shapiro signs bill requiring insurers to cover preventive breast, ovarian cancer screenings for high-risk women at no cost, At least 2 displaced after fire damages house in Allentown, RPA members: City Council stalls, votes down parking solutions, Reading City Council considers vacating part of Thorn Street for GoggleWorks, Berks County Trail Challenge encouraging people to get outside and improve their health and wellness, RAWA tanks back at normal levels, water conservation order lifted, Former Berks doctor to spend decades in prison for recording, assaulting underage victims, Chain serving 'quick and healthful' salads, stir-fry, desserts to open 1st Berks location, Monday is the last day to register to vote in Pa. primary election, Police respond to threat at Oley Township school, Chinese electric vehicle brands expand to global markets, Hollywood writers, slamming 'gig economy,' to go on strike, Stock market today: Asia shares mixed on holiday mode trade, Qantas names chief financial officer Vanessa Hudson next CEO.
patricia rorrer now 2020