No one else from the club testified she was there. Patricia demonstrated a habit of making almost daily, long-distance phone calls from her home in North Carolina. Whatever observers claim about the circumstances surrounding the crime why would she do this/surely shed be seen/shes unlikely to have thought that they are speculative, whereas the hard science, beyond REASONABLE doubt, says she did it. Rorrer said she had spoken once to Joann before she and Katrinak were married and that Joann seemed friendly when she put Katrinak on the phone.Rorrer said that years ago, she rented a barn in Washington Township for her horses. Entirely random thrill-kills, as this would have to be for Fairley, are relatively rare. One final thought about those hairs: they were described as dirty blond and approximately 8 inches in length. There are more questions than answers in this case. On Alexs diaper bag, police found strands of the same type of hair from the car. I think often of this case and hope Caleb Fairly rots in hell! I dont even know its Christmas.. At 10:40 p.m. he calls 911 to report his family missing. Despite the troubling evidence from Joann's car, detectives considered whether or not Joann had taken baby Alex and simply left. In December 1994, Andrew Katrinak arrives home to an empty house. Stable situation. DNA tests In 13-year-old Murder Case Could Be Reexamined. 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. I also take into consideration the fact that Rorrer simply doesnt speak that way. He later discovered a phone line had been cut.Mrs. Strands of the accuseds dyed-blond hair at two crime scenes proved it. Their bodies were found in April 1995.Pfeiffer earlier told jurors that the prosecution's theory on a motive makes no sense.Rorrer, who is charged with kidnapping and homicide, will continue testifying today and will be cross-examined by McIntyre, who has grilled some defense witnesses, firing question after question.Before Rorrer began testifying, she stood in front of the judge's bench as Pfeiffer put on the record that Rorrer was advised of her constitutional right not to testify and was told that if she chose to exercise it, it couldn't be used against her. KATRINAK BURIES HIS SLAIN WIFE, SON - The Morning Call At 10:40 p.m. he calls 911 to report his family missing. Convicting Factors: forensic fabrication, hidden evidence, media hysteria.Convicting Reasons: protect the real murderer. Microscopic analyses, mitochondrial DNA testing and nuclear DNA testing showed hairs found at the crime scene and in Joann Katrinak's car matched Rorrer's hairs and DNA in her blood. She was always looking for a fight, Gary Gabard told the Morning Call, which noted that he was a head shorter than Patricia. 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. View the profiles of people named Andrew Katrinak. One she was out buying feed for horses. By all accounts, Rorrer has never been a smoker. It was conceivable that Andrew believed they were still out. According to legal documents reported on in the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1998, the Fairleys contended: While the circumstances were indeed horrific, the deaths . 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. Chain of custodyScientists from the Pennsylvania StatePolice tried to perform mitochondrialDNA tests on the six hairs from the Toyota,which were immediately collectedand logged. There are myriad issues surrounding this case and conviction. (To me, its not a spreeunless it starts in the morning and doesnt end until its too dark to find your car.). It houses 2,114 inmates but has bed capacity for just 1,826. Just a few points (not rhetorical): do we KNOW Rorrer suggested examining the butt (not that its significant anyway cos of course police would)? Ive fought 10-plus years, hard, and may or may not win, Rorrer wrote in an October 2008 letter to the Innocence Institute of Point Park University. 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. It is currently unknown if the Patricia's case was one of these. The Manderachsran a janitorial service on the side. Unicorns and getting really buff can be equally fantastical. I most definitely will not personally afford Patricia a platform, Michael said in an email to ForensicFilesNow.com She had her chance to answer my questions and tell her story in court over 20 years ago. ~~~~~~~~~Rorrer's Reputation: `Don't Mess With Me', June 25, 1997 by DAVID WASHBURN, The Morning Call. During Rorrers 18-day trial in February1998, prosecutors pushed the circumstantialmotive of a fatal-attractionmurder. But her reputation wasnt exactly sleek and shiny. Patricia had of course not registered that night. 24, 1997. That is to say, I see nothing contradictory in the evidence against her that must entail perjury. I used to shop at Redners. The prosecution insists that Rorrer called the Katrinak household on Dec 13, 1994, two days before Katrinak went missing, and that Joann rudely told her not to call again and hung up on her. An ex-boyfriend of Patricia knew she owned a distinct .22 caliber pistol and knew of its tendency to jam, but Rorrer could only deny owning such a weapon. Rorrer is incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution Muncy, a prison for women in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania. Andrew Katrinak was suspected because he failed two polygraph tests when asked if he had lied to police and hid evidence.If it wasnt for the DNA, I wouldhave had a hard time saying guilty. GEORGE JAMES GATANISJUROR, DISCUSSING AFTER THE RORRER TRIAL THE FACTORS THAT LED TO HIS DECISION.27During the investigation, police took hair samples from several individuals, including Andrew Katrinak, but none matched the headrest hairs. 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. Thanks for writing in its the first Ive heard about another mother and child murdered in that area. Victims Joann Katrinak Alex - Bonnie's Blog of Crime | Facebook (Media sources vary as to whether she actually worked at the stable or just rented a stall there for her own horse.). 157K views, 2.2K likes, 116 loves, 110 comments, 285 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from The FBI Files: The December 1994 kidnappings of Joann Katrinak and her 4-month-old son, Alex. Patricia Rorrer (PA) SCI MuncyOE2170 Life Without ParoleDOB: January 24,1964. They had a son, Alex Martin, in August of 1994. The final call in December 1994 ended with Joann Katrinak angrily telling her to stop calling, according to police. As for an epilogue on ex-flame Andrew Katrinak, he has moved to Colorado and kept a low profile since the trial ended. 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. . Lenient system? The investigation that led to her identification and then turned up enough evidence to arrest and convict Patricia Rorrer was interesting. She walked into a kids clothing store where a young man working the cash register just happened to be a fantasy-gamesuperfan seething with thoughts of criminal perversion. In addition to the Facebook page, there are Reddit threads on her case. Theres also the matter of a woman who suddenly remembered she saw Joann with another man at a Food Mart store five days after the disappearance. . She got 12 months of probation for shoplifting at a Walmart in Lexington, North Carolina. Convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriends wife and child because of a telephone impropriety. Conflicting versions. A young mother and her infant son suddenly went missing just before Christmas in 1994. Suspicion initially fell on Joanns husband, Andy, when their bodies were found in woods in Apr 95. 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. September 2020 - Forensic Files Now 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. Curiously, he immediately implicated Rorrer, his ex-girlfriend, even though they hadnt spoken in months and she was living in North Carolina. Later, they both worked 12-hour graveyard shifts at a textile factory. While very far from conclusive, she also made some startling remarks at arrest, such as her not killing Alex (and only Alex). One thing is for certain though: regardless of what color one would describe her hair, it was unequivocally a lot longer than 8 inches. And even prosecutor Michael McIntyre, who wrote the book Hair Trigger about the case, acknowledged to Keith Morrison that it was a little odd that the police found blood on the hairs in Joanns car but nowhere else in the vehicle. 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. 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. Four months later, investigators found the bodies of Joann Katrinak and her baby 15 miles away from the Katrinak home at the edge of a field. Possession/viewing of porn and sexual devices would condemn millions on the basis this is meant to! On Oct. 5, 2007, the District Attorney of Lehigh County agreed to allow the testing of the hair found in the Toyota at Orchid Cellmark Laboratories in Dallas. 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. An infant was lying face down on her stomach. (Disclaimer: Im not a big fan of eyewitnesses who come forward years after the fact, but its possible). Andrew's second look in and around their home revealed some disturbing clues. If shes been in a public place, such as a shop, a shed hair from someone else could be picked up on ones clothing and stick to a sweaty palm, etc. From the looks ofits Facebook page, the place isstill going strong. The Free Patricia Rorrer page points to a sliver of a fingernail found at the murder site that didnt come from either Patricia or Joann. I lived in this area at the time of the sadly disgusting Murder in Collegeville. Until WCJN has thought that the hair was planted but the FBI has just released a report detailing unscientific and fraudulent analysis of hair samples in criminal cases. The Free Patricia Rorrer page responds to comments from supporters (How is this even possible that this woman is still in jail?!? Aside from the hair, there was almost zero forensic evidence. An exterior door to their basement had been wrenched open, the lock hasp's screws literally ripped from the wall. Meanwhile, interest in Patricias plight continues on social media. In short, I can guarantee you will encounter nothing but resistance. According to Pennsylvania State Police, Rorrer met Andrew Katrinak, the husband and father of the victims, in 1986. Those who knew Joann pointed out that she didnt like to drive in reverse and would have never parked that way. 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. My two cents, just as the heavily stretched circumstantial evidence convicted Rorrer, new uncovered circumstantial and direct evidence should give Rorrer benefit of a doubt and allowed for a new hearing and trial. 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). "He's a nice guy," Rorrer said of Katrinak. Apparently it is universally agreed by courts that any hair testing before 2000 might had yieled an incorrect reading. It all gave jurors a lot to think about but only for six hours. She was bubbly and likable, not disgruntled, according to friend Kathy Barber, who visited her friend in jail. Why do mitochondrial testing when you have a root, a valid source of nuclear testing? Trash-talking ex. Inside the locked 1992 vehicle, police discovered some strands of blond hair stained with dried blood. 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. USA. the couple had moved in together, married, and become the proud parents of a new baby boy they named Alex. She had a suitcase packed, Devine said. The first round of testing done on the hair (pre-trial) indicated only that Rorrer was a potential source of the hair (odds of 1 in 37,000not exactly proof positive). But lets say for arguments sake that she was a closet smoker and no one knew. But I remember them finding that poor baby in Valley Forge Park. Coble later told Rorrer that her mother was on the way and that she could get dressed. Wouldn't he have tried to call his mother recall it was with her Joann had planned to go Christmas shopping. Join Facebook to connect with Andrew Katrinak and others you may know. Hair we go. "They were skin and bones and totally neglected," Eggers said. Great communicator. Court papers allege he asked the customer for sex in return for the drug. Scorned ex lover etc. Why would someone want to kidnap and murder the young mother? Lisa Manderach, two weeksshy of her 30th birthday, worked full time as a fork-lift operatorin a food warehouse and also had an entrepreneurial streak. (Shopping Spree,Forensic Files). 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. They broke up in 1993. Patricia supposedly still cared for Andrew Katrinak, but murdering his son contradicts this notion. 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? 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. Her husband, Andrew, was surprised to not find his wife and child at home after arriving there . Here in UK juries are now being instructed to be satisfied that they are sure of guilt, with surety not being as high as certainty. At 17, Patricia dropped out of high school and married landscaper Gary Gabard. "A Fatal Attraction" when a wife and her baby disappear hair found . 25, 1997. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Defendant Takes Stand In Katrinak Case Patricia Rorrer Sums Up Her Life At Double-murder Trial. Search is on. And their phone line had been cut someone had not wanted the Katrinaks to be able to call for help. On Oct. 5, 2007, the District Attorney of Lehigh County agreed to allow the testing of the hair found in the Toyota at Orchid Cellmark Laboratories in Dallas. He had worked as a semi-pro boxer in Las Vegas in his youth and later settled . Mrs. Katrinak had been shot in the face and beaten, and Alex is believed to have died from suffocation and exposure.Ms. From the start, the Rorrer murder case was plagued with allegations of inconsistent evidence collection and testing that eventually led a judge to hold hearings on whether she deserves a new trial. Patricia knew her gun tended to jam, but she used it anyway. Joann Katrinak. But by all accounts, Rorrer only spoke to Andrew Katrinak once or twice a year. In 1991, she returned to North Carolina after the relationship with Katrinak was over and she had defaulted on a mortgage loan.She briefly held a job as a saleswoman for a Salisbury, N.C., car dealership, where she is remembered as an outgoing, friendly person. While theres no evidence to suggest he was unfaithful to Joann, within 6 months of her death Andrew and this woman were openly seeing each other. ", "I think she gave us something like four or five alibis as to where she was at. I agree with Rebecca, and am surprised this was reported: if it was legal, what does it matter? Fairley, a blond, heavy, powerful-looking fire hydrant of a man who lived with his parents, was described by a friend as adevotee ofDungeons and Dragons, a role-playing game that allows peopleto act out story linesinvolving medieval warrior heroes, dragons, wicked monarchs, you name it. But investigators conceded they had no solid evidence against Andrew. Dedication. "I guess she thought she wasn't going to get caught. Its not clear whether Fairleys interest in vampires was part of D&D or a separate pastime. ""She was cool," Hege said of the 33-year-old mother, about the same time Rorrer was being arraigned. 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). They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had almond-shaped blue eyes, weighed 18 pounds, and was circumcised. Sometimes Andrew goes by various nicknames including Andy Katrinak, Andrew J Katrinik, Andrew J Katrinak, Andrew Katrinah and Andrew J Katrinak. She said she had no animosity toward the Katrinaks and she had never met the dead woman. Lets consider these statements Rorrer is alleged to have made in the presence of a police officer. Shes attracted the help of writer Tammy Mal (full name Tammy Malinowski OReilly), author of Convenient Suspect, a book about the case. 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!) Another former boyfriend said she talked about Andrew frequently and liked to gaze at old photos of him. Frankly, Im neither surprised nor impressed by their decision. 1994 double-murder case returns to Lehigh County Court - lehighvalleylive As soon as she steppedinto Your Kidz &Mine, Fairley, who had a passion for vampire lore, reportedly recognized her ashaving theidealizedlook of the womenportrayed in vampire-relatedliterature.
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