", "Due to the fact that she sustained one gunshot wound to the face, and then approximately 19 blows to the head led us to believe that the gun probably had jammed. Convicting Factors: forensic fabrication, hidden evidence, media hysteria.Convicting Reasons: protect the real murderer. KATRINAK BURIES HIS SLAIN WIFE, SON - The Morning Call Fairley also killed Devon, thebaby daughter Lisa shared with husband James Manderach. The autopsy indicated that Joann fought hard for her life. "We got along fine. The appeal argued that substantial documentation of the chain of custody process was at best incomplete and that critical forensic evidence was never tested. One she was out buying feed for horses. Rorrer, who owned horses, excelled at the sport of cattle-penning, loved to drive far and fast, remodeled her own home, and shot guns for the fun of it.Rorrer, when Coble talked about her baby, started discreetly wiping the corners of her eyes, her lower lashes and her nose. Even though Joanne was supposed to take her mother-in-law for Christmas shopping, she never showed up. Suzanne Pearson testified about Rorrer's reaction to the news that she was being charged and about incriminating statements she allegedly made.Those statements were made shortly after 6 a.m. while Rorrer, still in bed clothes, held her 1-1/2-year-old daughter, Nicole, and talked to the wailing baby, according to the witnesses.Coble said Rorrer was crying and trying to comfort her child. The media love the femme fatale., FBI lab blunder. During Rorrers 18-day trial in February1998, prosecutors pushed the circumstantialmotive of a fatal-attractionmurder. Andrew's involvement in the latter theory was dismissed when his alibi checked out. As usual, Rebecca at Forensic Files Now has a thoroughly researched article about the Patricia Rorrer case and events since her conviction. Ideally we would achieve certainty; practically we must settle for the exclusion of all reasonable doubt: problematic cos its circular. "Rorrer was born in Phillipsburg. No disagreements, but maybe D and D and health club membership arent so far apart. 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?. DNA testing revealed the blood came from either Joann or her son. 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. She turned a flushed face and red nose away from the visitors' section.Her demeanor during testimony about her baby, who turned 2 last month, was far different from that during the rest of the Lehigh County trial.Earlier, she was dry-eyed as witnesses described the numerous wounds to Joann Katrinak, who had been shot and beaten, and the baby's death from exposure to cold or suffocation. He would be alive today if it were not for Patricia Rorrer. The mild-mannered Sarah died in 2019 at the age of 83. Enter numeric value. Further, an early FBI report said the hairs found in the car had no roots which contain the DNA suggesting an evidence switcheroo. 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.The results are disappointing, Neely said. I agree with you that in most cases claiming law enforcement conspiracy is a bit of stretch and mostly unfounded. Join Facebook to connect with Andrew Katrinak and others you may know. Sir I would not kill somebody and I definitely wouldnt kill somebody I never met, Rorrer said. Today, more than two years later, that woman awaited extradition from North Carolina to face charges she kidnapped and killed her ex-boyfriend's family in December 1994.Authorities said Tuesday it took two years to build a tight forensic case against Patricia L. Rorrer, 33, partly through blond hairs found in Mrs. Katrinak's car a day after she disappeared.``We wanted to make sure that the hairs found at the scene were also consistent with the hairs found at the car,'' said Lehigh County District Attorney Robert Steinberg. The circumstances of Lisa Manderachs murder, the subject of todays post, seem even more improbable. A year later, she started calling again. 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. Phone records confirmed Patricia placed the earlier call from North Carolina, not Pennsylvania. He had worked as a semi-pro boxer in Las Vegas in his youth and later settled . Rorrer maintains her innocence to this day and argues that someone either negligently or intentionally put her hair on the slide. It was love at first sight when Joann O'Connor met Andy Katrinak in the spring of 1992. He wanted to move to Colorado and she was against it.. A closer examination of the hairs showed traces of dried blood. Three of them were mountedon slides and sealed in adhesive. This had been taken just 11 days before Joann's disappearance. He claims she was incensed in December 1994 when she called the Katrinak home at 740 Front St. and Joann Katrinak told her not to call anymore.In his opening statement, McIntyre told jurors he would prove several adages: "Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction" and "you can't always tell a book by its cover. Even though no gun wasever tied to the killing, a firearms experttestified that Joann Katrinaks injuriescould have come from such a weapon.Andrew Katrinak testified that he hadan amicable breakup with Rorrer, but healso told a jury she had knowledge of thelayout of his home. Plus, two men, her babys father and his friend, testified they saw Patricia at the line-dancing club the night of the homicide. Andrew Katrinak reported missing his wife, Joanne and 3.5-month-old son, Alex, in December 1994. Patricia also pointed out that when author Tammy Mal started her research and speaking to me, she was not an advocate at all but she reversed and ended up advocating for Patricias innocence. Patricia defaulted on her mortgage and then returned to North Carolina, where she eventually moved in with a boyfriend named Brian Ward. During Rorrers 18-day trial in February1998, prosecutors pushed the circumstantialmotive of a fatal-attractionmurder. Patricia and her husband broke up after the babys death. Chain of custodyScientists from the Pennsylvania StatePolice tried to perform mitochondrialDNA tests on the six hairs from the Toyota,which were immediately collectedand logged. 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. Whose hair is it?by Bridget DiCosmo Redacted from "Unreliable Chain: Questionable Hair Evidence Condemns Woman to Prison"Justice Volume One Published by Point Park University. Anyhow, all together this rather is not a cut and dry trial and a convinction. Another former boyfriend said she talked about Andrew frequently and liked to gaze at old photos of him. 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). So, this pointed to a theory that Joann had either left on her own or encountered foul play within her home. If shes the killer, then she would know full well that the cigarette butt was hers and the DNA would match. Then, despite her multiple alibis, she has an inexplicable five-day gap in this pattern. But its not implausible that Joann Katrinak may have been in Fairleys area during that time period. Marcus, I respect your opinion and understand why you and others feel the way you do. And the alibi she used at trial -- that she was in a country music club with her fiance and his friend -- isn't credible, according to the prosecution. Hair we go. Four months later, a farmer found the bodies. I also forgot to mention the fingernail evidence. The murders initially made James,calledJimmy, a suspect because, as we know from countless otherForensic Files, the spouse did it. That is to say, I see nothing contradictory in the evidence against her that must entail perjury. not three days before it to tell him she had won a national horse competition in Oklahoma. 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 . Before getting into the most recent information on Fairley, heres a recap of the episode along with some additional facts culled from internet sources: Quick jaunt. Lisa had long flowing hair, pale skin, and a pretty face. they will get on the band wagon to the state convention in Hartford and root for David Fitzgerald of .New Haven for governor and Thomas J. Spellacy of Hartford, for United States Senato. Friends and family began looking for Joann and Alex. In 1986, she met and began a relationship with Andrew Katrinak. December 15th, 1994. The forensic reports indicate that there was a significant amount of blood and tissue clinging to this fingernail, which would have been an excellent source of nuclear DNA testing. His wife's vehicle was discovered in a parking lot 100 yards away from their house.The bodies of the mother and son were found in April 1995 in a rural, wooded area 15 miles from home. Perhaps police couldn't get a warrant for a sample of Patricia's hair, the color being inconsistent with the latent hairs found in the car and at the murder scene. 8: The Murders of Joann and Alex Katrinak, Part 01 from Obscura: A True ~~~~~~~~~Rorrer's Reputation: `Don't Mess With Me', June 25, 1997 by DAVID WASHBURN, The Morning Call. She currently resides in Cape Girardeau, Mo., where she works as a daily reporter covering the crime beat for the Southeast Missourian newspaper. Patricia Rorrer is formerly from Linwood, North Carolina, and serving a life sentence in the state prison for women at Muncy, Pennsylvania. Thanks for responding, Marcus. Im real immature. 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. Please research the Katrinak case a little when you have some time. The North Carolina woman accused of killing the wife and 15-week-old baby of her former boyfriend, Andrew Katrinak, calmly answered questions from one of her lawyers, James Pfeiffer. Andrew languished for weeks and then months as investigators failed to suppl any explanation for his wife's and son's mysterious disappearance. Theyd fit well in a made-for-TV movie, wouldnt they? U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Review. . Andrew Katrinak Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information I hope her spouse and family find peace. Advertisement. This was further disproved when her bank reported there'd been no activity on Joann's credit cards since her disappearance. Aside from the hair, there was almost zero forensic evidence. If those hairs taken from Joanns car had had a root attached, there would have been no reason for this case to be the first one in the commonwealth to use mitochondrial DNA testing. Joann Katrinak - 349. She received 12 months' probation.Rorrer was 18 when she lost her 3-1/2-month-old son on Nov. 20, 1982. 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. But she continued to call him occasionally.Three days before she vanished, Mrs. Katrinak angrily told Ms. Rorrer over the phone to stop calling her house, according to a police affidavit.DNA analysis showed that hair samples Ms. Rorrer submitted matched six found in the headrest of Mrs. Katrinak's car and two found near the bodies. Meanwhile, interest in Patricias plight continues on social media. Her mother, Patricia Chambers, provided day care for their baby son, Charles. "The Case of the Severed Hand" examines a case where a waterlogged hand leads to a defiled corpse and a practitioner of black magic. I dont even know its Christmas.. Meanwhile, the case of the missing mother and baby turned into colossal news across the U.S. and internationally. How about the phone line being cut? Investigators discoveredhis DNA under Lisas fingernails, some strands of long dark hairwith the roots attached (suggesting a struggle) in the vacuum cleaner bag at the store, and the babys DNA on thecarpet. No charmed life. Those who knew Joann pointed out that she didnt like to drive in reverse and would have never parked that way. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. North America. "They were skin and bones and totally neglected," Eggers said. As for an update on Lisas widower, Jimmy Manderach, it appears he still lives in the same part of Pennsylvania. The episode made a special point about locating the photograph of Patricia Rorrer with dyed blonde hair. . They broke up in 1993. I watched both the prosecutor and the lead investigator on that case squirm when Datelines Keith Morrison posed some pretty tough questions, and their answers were less than satisfactory. Unlike Mr. Dance defense. During Patricias hours-long turn in the witness chair, Michael McIntyre grilled her relentlessly. The couple moved into Andrews sturdy brick house at 740 Front Street in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. They married in 1992. Wouldn't he have tried to call his mother recall it was with her Joann had planned to go Christmas shopping. More than 20 years after her conviction, Patricia Rorrer still has advocates working to exonerate her. But we just weren't making it as a couple. But investigators conceded they had no solid evidence against Andrew. She produced phone records showing a call to Andrew Katrinak two weeks before the abduction not three days before it to tell him she had won a national horse competition in Oklahoma. Charles Robert Gabard died of natural causes, according to the death certificate.Eggers said Rorrer's marriage to Charles Gabard ended soon afterward.Davidson County, N.C., Sheriff Gerald Hege describes Rorrer as a "brute of a woman," who seemed to taunt law enforcement officers as they built a case against her.Hege had seen Rorrer a few times over the past two years, and his department was watching her closely. You will also be advised that the transcripts consist of 6500 pages and the cost of copying it runs between $3.00 to $5.00 per pagemeaning you will have to fork over between $19,000 and $32,000 just to see the transcripts. Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. According to Pennsylvania State Police, Rorrer met Andrew Katrinak, the husband and father of the victims, in 1986. Her defense was essentially that she and Andrew Katrinak had remained friendly, so she wouldn't want to hurt him. They returned with a guilty verdict and a sentence of two life terms. 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. Last weeks post told of two nice people with the bad luck to cross paths with a personable married couple who were thrill killers looking for prey. That decision drew public anger, as can be seen inPhiladelphia Daily News letters to the editor published on September 29, 1995. Patricia Rorrer: An Update - Forensic Files Now It was conceivable that Andrew believed they were still out. Recall Jason Funk's role in Katie Froeschle's murder in Muffled Cries (s11e31) or the trail of evidence left by Earl Bramblett in Private Thoughts (s08e16). She appears a rather better fit than Fairley, particularly when we remember that in the great majority of murders, victim and perp are known to each-other, per Katrinak-Rorrer. Charles Robert, the 3-month-old son she had with Gary Gabard, died of sudden infant death syndrome; Patricia found him blue in his crib. 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. Prior to the trial, a local man named Walter Traupman told Pennsylvania State Police he saw a couple matching the Katrinaks descriptions engaging in a heated argument near where the Toyota was found the day of the disappearance. When police traveled to North Carolina to interview Patricia about the murders of Joann and Alex, she said that on the day of the homicides, she had visited a feed store, a tanning salon, and a country music club. 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. 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)? Image credit: Episode screen capture from, - Sarah OConnor: Joann Katrinaks Mother, - Det. Patricia seemed like the girl next door but all of a sudden, something snapped, Katrinak later told Wrong Man investigators. Joann Katrinak, and her baby, had planned to go Christmas shopping with her mother-in-law but she never arrived to pick her up despite calling to say that she was on her way there. Stable situation. Meticulous primping. the couple had moved in together, married, and become the proud parents of a new baby boy they named Alex. But I remember them finding that poor baby in Valley Forge Park. Of course Fairley could have committed other murders but there was no sexual assault in the Katrinak case, which appeared motiveless except in attributing Rorrers jealousy. Thats my life.. She made an effort to look perfectly groomed even when she took out the trash, according to her mother, who appeared on Forensic Files. Pfeiffer and Burke claimed that police Sgt. And there were dirty blond hairs, approximately 8 inches long, found at the scene. If the Commonwealths chain of custody is correct, then the hair on the seatback is Rorrers.Now, he and Rorrer wonder if they ever will be able to recreate the controversial chain of custody to prove her innocence. "The testimony appeared to strike an emotional chord in the woman whom prosecution witnesses have portrayed as a tough cowgirl. Andrew had a lady friend who lived less than 4 miles from those woods. After Joann Katrinak, the wife of Patricias former flame, turned up dead along with her infant son, prosecutors suspected Patricia. Still, no good leads materialized. The Generation Why Podcast Episode 349. 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. When Andrew returned from work several hours later, Joann's car wasn't in its normal spot in the alley behind their house, but otherwise everything looked ordinary. On closer inspection, he saw it was the body of a woman. Psycho For Love: Patricia Rorrer killed her ex-boyfriend's new wife, Joann Katrinak, and their 3-month-old son, Alex to make Andrew Katrinak suffer. The final call in December 1994 ended with Joann Katrinak angrily telling her to stop calling, according to police. I found it necessary to document each time an episode featured one of these. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The state made a case fueled by circumstantial evidence and public outrage over the deaths of a modern-day madonna and child. But lets say for arguments sake that she was a closet smoker and no one knew. Cover-up. Phone calls played a significant role in the case overall. ''FBI examiners concluded there was a DNA match.Ms. One she was at a tanning salon. At the trial, prosecutor Michael McIntyre alleged that Patricia remained obsessed with Andrew Katrinak long after their breakup despite testimony that shed had many boyfriends and live-in lovers to occupy her bandwidth. . In TV clips, Andrew didnt come off as anguished. She failed miserably to convince me, or anyone else who mattered, of her innocence. Of course, I have no answer to the claim that this was a corruptly prosecuted case, but I would ask that if its as obviously flawed as you suggest, why have appeals failed? "I'm sorry for doing this to you," Rorrer repeatedly said, according to Coble.He asked Rorrer for the name and telephone number of someone who could take care of the baby, and she gave him her mother's number. Today, they are married and live in Colorado. The missing items included Joann's purse, car, both her and Alex's winter jackets, and the diaper bag. "She had a reputation of, `You don't mess with me,'" Fonda Kay Eggers told a reporter for the Dispatch of Lexington, N.C. Eggers, a Humane Society investigator and distant relative of Rorrer, filed animal cruelty charges against Rorrer in 1994 after checking on Rorrer's horses. he asked her. My husband passed away of a broken heart, Sarah OConnor said on the Montel Williams Show in 2001. 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? FROM THE ARCHIVES: Jury rejects alibi, finds Rorrer guilty in double The Free Patricia Rorrer page responds to comments from supporters (How is this even possible that this woman is still in jail?!? Patricia Lynne Rorrer made for a good suspect. Its appalling where deliberate. The indications of Patricia's involvement in Joann's and young Alex's disappearance were numerous. Nothing probative of innocence should be read into anything she offers viz DNA. That day I was at the Dunkin Donuts too. The victims' families wept at the sight of photographs of the bodies and cried when Andrew Katrinak identified objects found at the scene -- his son's diaper bag, his favorite rattle and a bottle with a dinosaur cap. Frank D. Anderson-Josephine Kiely bert H. Dabbs William M. Yale Andrew Katrinak. Shes attracted the help of writer Tammy Mal (full name Tammy Malinowski OReilly), author of Convenient Suspect, a book about the case. After a very early failed marriage, the 24-year-old Joann scored a new husband in Andrew Katrinak, 38, whom she met at a club. Later, they both worked 12-hour graveyard shifts at a textile factory. Dedication. While very far from conclusive, she also made some startling remarks at arrest, such as her not killing Alex (and only Alex). ``There was no rush to judgment. Murder Suspect Breaks Down As Detectives Tell Of Her Arrest: `I'm Sorry For Doing This To You,' Patricia Rorrer Allegedly Told Her Infant Daughter.February 18, 1998by DEBBIE GARLICKI The Morning Call. But by all accounts, Rorrer only spoke to Andrew Katrinak once or twice a year. Patricia Rorrer (PA) SCI MuncyOE2170 Life Without ParoleDOB: January 24,1964. 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. Great catch. Since 4 months elapsed between her disappearance and the discovery of the bodies, the medical examiner could not verify whether or not a sexual assault took place. In the warm NC climate, Rorrer was dressed in shorts and a short sleeved T-shirt and had absolutely sign of injury. Sad discovery. But when did he find the evidence of the break-in? Memorials. Dial-a-problem. But if Andrew wanted to find his wife and his son, why on Earth did he wait until 10:30pm before notifying authorities? (Jimmy Manderach did not appear on theForensic Filesepisode.). Even though no gun wasever tied to the killing, a firearms experttestified that Joann Katrinaks injuriescould have come from such a weapon. Theremaining three were sent to the FBI.A subsequent report states the FBIcould not test the hairs because they werecontaminated by someone who touchedthem during the collection process,rendering them scientifically worthless.Despite those reports, state police without recording the chain of custody inany record that has been revealed incourt said they sent all of the evidenceback to the FBI for more testing.While three of the six hairs weredestroyed in previous tests and twoearlier reports revealed no roots fortesting could be found in the others, nowa FBI analyst not only discovered roots totest on the hair samples, but also latermatched them to Rorrer.The new DNA tests, combined withwhat prosecutors said was evidence thatshe was trying to conjure up an alibi Rorrer said she was simply trying todocument her movements in NorthCarolina that day ended with her arrestin the double murder.It was the first time she would facecriminal charges. 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. But thats just some of the ammo on Team Patricias battleship. I cant agree on the evidence Im aware of that this is more likely than her guilt. ~~~~~~~POLICE ARREST WOMAN IN 3-YEAR-OLD CASE OF SLAIN MOTHER AND CHILDAssociated PressJun. 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. He said she did own a firearm, with its serial numbers filed off. Also according to other reports, husband had connections inside police (speculation). Random misfortune. The last 20 years of Patricia Rorrer's life have been a tale of failure, two brushes with the law and the death of her infant son.Rorrer, charged Tuesday with the 2-year-old murders of Joann Katrinak and Katrinak's infant son, moved back and forth from the Lehigh Valley and Linwood, N.C., since the late 1970s, leaving failed relationships, a spotty work record and arrests for shoplifting and cruelty to animals. It certainly tugged at our heartstrings, you know, it brought a tear to my eye. The Manderachsran a janitorial service on the side. Trash-talking ex. Traupman died in 2016. 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. Were asked to accept that she was framed viz hair DNA not just that error was made and that the cigarette butt at the bodies location with her DNA on its filter is either of no significance, is another error, or was planted to frame her (notwithstanding that this is a location she knew well per horse-rides). In North Carolina, she reportedly enjoyed some success as a horse trader, riding instructor, and rodeo competitor. Submit an open records request to the Catasauqua Police Department, the Pennsylvania State police, and the FBI. But a hair in the hand from a third-party doesnt preclude the accused from guilt of itself, as though it must be from the perp. Whether she suffocated him or left him to die of exposure, there's a special place in hell for someone who's able to live with themselves after such a heinous crime. The main one of course was committing murder of a young woman and her infant son over an argument. Is the system THAT rotten? Patricia had of course not registered that night. Testimony from Walter Blalock contradicted Patricias claim that she never had a gun. 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). And yikes, he discovered someone had cut one of the houses phone lines and pried the hinge on the basement door. What would a crime show be without them? If it could reasonably have affected the outcome a retrial is necessary. Joann Katrinak - 349-The Generation Why Podcast Katrinak, Andrew J.Andrew Joseph Katrinak, 88, of Bethlehem, died on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at Blough Healthcare Center in Bethlehem.
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