The missing items included Joann's purse, car, both her and Alex's winter jackets, and the diaper bag. 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. Rorrer, he said, bought one with his autograph and cheered him on "to go get the bad guys. FROM THE ARCHIVES: Jury rejects alibi, finds Rorrer guilty in double ~~~~~~~~~Rorrer's Reputation: `Don't Mess With Me', June 25, 1997 by DAVID WASHBURN, The Morning Call. 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. Three days later, Joann had plans to pick up her mother-in-law, Veronica Katrinak, to go Christmas shopping. Even though Joanne was supposed to take her mother-in-law for Christmas shopping, she never showed up. Joann grabbed her purse, the diaper bag, and their coats against the December chill in Pennsylvania. Even though he committed the double murder at age 21,a persons biological process is typically incomplete until the person reaches his or her mid-twenties.. Shouldn't Andrew have mentioned this suspicious, out-of-the-blue phone call from his ex-girlfriend sooner? Joann was shot once, then the gun jammed. Andrew's involvement in the latter theory was dismissed when his alibi checked out. Rorrer, a photographer with an 18-month-old child, was arrested in Linwood, N.C., and jailed without bail pending an extradition hearing.She was born in Phillipsburg, N.J., and in 1978 moved to North Carolina with her family. Enter numeric value. During questioning, heclaimed he got them while mosh-pit dancing, although it later came out that he had told friends he got scratched up while rescuing a guywho was being beaten up outside the clothing store. 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. . In April 1995, the family buried Joann and Alex in a single bronze casket after a funeral mass at a Bethlehem church. Rorrer said she was almost 500 miles away in North Carolina on the day of the disappearance. Tests show the hairs are definitely a woman's..Rorrer is a cunning woman who almost committed the perfect crime and thought she had outsmarted police, McIntyre said. And fire hydrant of a man. Mal told Keith Morrison that Patricias dance teacher originally confirmed her alibi that she was in class on the day of the murder, then changed his mind. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Review. ); Your last point is hardly conclusive: as she used a weapon I wouldnt necessarily expect her to be injured, merely that she MIGHT. DNA tests In 13-year-old Murder Case Could Be ReexaminedMar 21, 2007. Lisa Agostinelli Manderachlost her life because the aforementioned Dungeons and Dragonsenthusiast, one Caleb Fairley, age 21, reportedly considered her the embodiment of beauty hed been wantingto seize. ), And in another bombshell, Joanns good friend Karen Devine said Joann planned to leave Andrew after the holidays. 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)? So after a stressful afternoon of kidnapping and murder, she decides to relax with a nice soothing cigarette right there at the crime scene. 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. Although the prosecution used it as evidence that she was trying to create a false alibi, it actually sounded more like Patricia was simply trying to nail down the facts he had already asserted to her. Andrew Katrinak speaking after his wife's alleged murderer is convicted. Enter memorial Id . In 1986, she met and began a relationship with Andrew Katrinak. My theory on Fairley is nothing more than a hunch; it could have just as easily been another random sicko who targeted her. Nothing Ive read by her supporters goes to the heart of the case against her unless perjury. 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. Andrew Katrinak - Historical records and family trees - MyHeritage That same year, police arrested Calebs father, James Fairley, who owned a pharmacy in Phoenixville, for allegedly providing a customer with the painkiller Darvon illegally. Rorrer had never actually met Katrinak. 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. The autopsy indicated that Joann fought hard for her life. ``She stabled her horses and rode her horses there. Its doors were locked, but the keys were inside the vehicle. The authorities charged her with two counts of murder. Still, no good leads materialized. I was like OK, maybe she was tired, you know with a new baby. One she was at a tanning salon. 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. She said she sought shelter at Katrinak's home, before Katrinak met his future wife, because she knew no one else in the area.After Rorrer's father died when she was 15, she dropped out of school to get a job and help pay bills. Deal refused. At 10:40 p.m. he calls 911 to report his family missing. She had been beaten and shot in the face. It was conceivable that Andrew believed they were still out. A newspaper account described Patricia as a soft-spoken, demure woman who had a sweet Southern accent and wore feminine clothes in court. That is to say, I see nothing contradictory in the evidence against her that must entail perjury. So begins a case that features a m. Unicorns and getting really buff can be equally fantastical. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Also according to other reports, husband had connections inside police (speculation). Another former boyfriend said she talked about Andrew frequently and liked to gaze at old photos of him. Until next time, cheers. The mullet-wearing Fairleykilledboth Devon and Lisa via strangulation and most likelysexually assaulted Lisa. As to Andrew being the killer, I thought the police acknowledged his cast-iron alibi (but correct me if Im wrong). December 15th, 1994. 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. An exterior door to their basement had been wrenched open, the lock hasp's screws literally ripped from the wall. Random misfortune. Walmart woe. 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? Her husband, Andrew, was surprised to not find his wife and child at home after arriving there . I do rejoice when I learn of someone particularly on death row exonerated. The states theory was that this was a fatal attraction/cant let go motivated killing. Hecame from an affluent family, is white, and was young when he committed his crimes all factors that can favorably tip the scales of justice. They moved into her house in Salisbury County, staying together for about two years. No comments yet - start the conversation above. Having said that, to simply answer your question why? Police and FBI being under pressure to solve this highly publicized case, it had already been two years before they arrested Rorrer and case had gone cold. How about the phone line being cut? 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. There were no love letters, cards, gifts, or any other indication that she still had a romantic interest in him. Now retired, he declined ForensicFilesNow.coms invitation to spar directly with Patricia via a podcast. After Joann Katrinak, the wife of Patricias former flame, turned up dead along with her infant son, prosecutors suspected Patricia. She said she had no animosity toward the Katrinaks and she had never met the dead woman. For nine hours on the witness stand, Rorrer denied having anything to do with the killing. It's shocking to think that Patricia Rorrer, being a mother, could end the life of an infant. Patricia Rorrer Brutal Killing of Joanne Katrinak & Baby - FFF In December 1994, Andrew Katrinak arrives home to an empty house. She Faces Prosecutor Tomorrow.March 03, 1998by DEBBIE GARLICKIThe Morning Call, Double-murder trial defendant Patricia Rorrer took the witness stand in her own defense Monday, giving jurors a Cliff Notes version of her life up until the time a Catasauqua woman and her baby disappeared in 1994.Rorrer, 34, testified in a soft, slow voice for an hour and 20 minutes before court adjourned on the 14th day of her Lehigh County trial.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.Rorrer, who had a five-year relationship with Katrinak that ended in 1989, testified that she and Katrinak remained good friends after the breakup, writing letters occasionally and calling each other.She said she was happy for Katrinak when he told her in a telephone call in March or April 1994 that he had gotten married and a baby was on the way. Someone with a life sentence has nothing to lose throwing any spanner in the works that might, as they see it, cast doubt even if the spanner has the opposite effect! 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. Andrew Joseph Katrinak, 68 - Drake, CO - Has Court or Arrest Records Theyd fit well in a made-for-TV movie, wouldnt they? Advertisement. 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. In short, I can guarantee you will encounter nothing but resistance. 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. And dance instructor William Jarrett couldnt remember whether she attended his dance class at the club the night of Joanns disappearance. The thing about Katrinak is that she was actually found with her jeans unzipped and unbuttoned, suggesting a possible sexual assault. Im certainly aware police lie but this would require a conspiracy. 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. Her family moved to North Carolina in 1978 but returned to the area in 1984. And if nothing more, it certainly galvanized the law enforcement community and got us moving in the right direction. Today, they are married and live in Colorado. ``There was no rush to judgment. He had worked as a semi-pro boxer in Las Vegas in his youth and later settled . Background details that you might want to know about Andrew include: ethnicity is Caucasian, whose political affiliation is unknown; and religious views are listed as unknown. Andrew Joseph Katrinak. Shes just extremely happy with Andy, her brother, Michael OConnor, told the media. I do not just blindly accept whatever the courts decide. BETHLEHEM, PA. BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) _ A woman was arrested in North Carolina on Tuesday and charged in the 1994 slaying of her ex-boyfriend's wife and infant son in Pennsylvania.Patricia L. Rorrer was charged with two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping in the deaths of Joann Katrinak, 26, and her 3 1/2-month-old son, Alex.Pennsylvania police, with the help of authorities in North Carolina, arrested Ms. Rorrer, 33, in Linwood, N.C. She was jailed without bail pending a court hearing Wednesday to face extradition.Mrs. 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. She received 12 months' probation.Rorrer was 18 when she lost her 3-1/2-month-old son on Nov. 20, 1982. 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. Autopsy 6: Secrets of the Dead (TV Movie 1999) - IMDb Facebook gives people the power. 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? ""She was cool," Hege said of the 33-year-old mother, about the same time Rorrer was being arraigned. The second round of testing came back as a 100% match, raising the question of a mistake. He had worked as a semi-pro boxer in Las Vegas in his youth and later settled . Both sides agree Joann hung up on Patricia. Region. The father of her son is not known.In 1993, Rorrer called Katrinak, who told her he was married. Then her tone will change to icy and you will be informed that since its an old case, someone will have to take the time to search through the archives. 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. If there were awards for distorted reporting, the Morning Call out of Lehigh, PA would win high honors. Perusing the claims made by her supporters, I find many are Aunt Sallies: points that claimants suggest are probative of innocence but are no such thing. And because some of Patricias advocates have suggested Andrew Katrinak had a motive for murder, I checked into whether he had a life insurance payout to gain upon Joanns demise. The victims were the wife and son of Rorrer's ex-boyfriend, Andrew Katrinak.Lt. Hair we go. She attended Point Park University as a graduate student from 2005-07 and still is working on her masters degree. Family Secrets | FULL EPISODE | The FBI Files | The December 1994 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. Its definitely getting rougher every day, Andrew told the Morning Call. Daughter of George & Margaret Panik and wife of Andrew Katrinak. She was bubbly and likable, not disgruntled, according to friend Kathy Barber, who visited her friend in jail. Rorrer said she purchased grain for her horses that day, brought it home and then later went to a bar for western dance lessons with her fianc and another man. MAC: Thanks. . Her husband, Andrew, was surprised to not find his wife and child at home after arriving there after work. 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. 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. It was later believed that his recollection was keen, since he'd been the one to dress her posthumously. September 2020 - Forensic Files Now Joann Katrinak - 349-The Generation Why Podcast I lived in this area at the time of the sadly disgusting Murder in Collegeville. Find a typo or issue with the details of this case? One thing is for certain though: regardless of what color one would describe her hair, it was unequivocally a lot longer than 8 inches. 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. Three of them were mountedon slides and sealed in adhesive. MAN RECALLS DAY HIS WIFE, BABY VANISHED AS - The Morning Call 24, 1997. But they didn't and, according to her, later went their separate ways.Rorrer said she called Katrinak in spring 1994 and learned that he was married and was going to be a father. Detective Robert Werts stated Rorrer offered four or five alibis for the time of the incident. 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. 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!) She is petitioning for DNA testing on the nail fragment that was found on the victims body. If I were to challenge all the so-called evidence in the comments, it would make for a very long read. I was able to email with Patricia via the PrisonConnect platform around Christmastime. Imake it a practice not to look too hard for up-to-date information about victims family members because, unless they show up onDr. PhilorDateline, theyre probably not looking for media attention. 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. (Easy for me to say) but I hope they have. 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. Andrew languished for weeks and then months as investigators failed to suppl any explanation for his wife's and son's mysterious disappearance. Both were deceased. 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. He was a little surprised when she approached him as though they were old friends last fall at a county barbecue.He was selling T-shirts for the department. And there were dirty blond hairs, approximately 8 inches long, found at the scene. Joann Katrinaks Killer Still Has Innocence Advocates(A Woman Scorned, Forensic Files). Katrinak, Andrew J.Andrew Joseph Katrinak, 88, of Bethlehem, died on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at Blough Healthcare Center in Bethlehem.He was born in Bethlehem son of the late Martin and . Convenient Suspect: A Wrongful Conviction In The Murder In Lehigh They allege that the North Carolina resident stealthily drove 500 miles to Pennsylvania and killed out of a sense of deadly indignation. 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. Hasty assumption. And because of the gun jamming, the assailant had to resort to blunt object and beat her about the head. According to Pennsylvania State Police, Rorrer met Andrew Katrinak, the husband and father of the victims, in 1986. The farmer's remote field bordered an isolated horseback riding trail. When their bodies were found four months later, police sought the clues to find their killer. The circumstances of Lisa Manderachs murder, the subject of todays post, seem even more improbable. Scorned ex lover etc. "Like I said, we were still friends," Rorrer said.She testified that she had met a new man and was happy that Katrinak had found someone special. Her name is not on a Dec. 15, 1994, sign-in sheet for the private club..Police never found the murder weapon, a .22-caliber gun.."Where's the gun, Patty?" Image credit: Episode screen capture from, - Sarah OConnor: Joann Katrinaks Mother, - Det. Freudian shrinks may agree theres a flotilla of repressed libido in both. Those who knew Joann pointed out that she didnt like to drive in reverse and would have never parked that way. BETHLEHEM, PA. BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) _ Joann Katrinak was shot in the face in woods not far from where her 3-month-old son, Alex, suffocated or was left to die.Investigators believed early on they had a good idea who the killer was. 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. Are we to believe that Rorrer was still in such a rage 8 days later that she hopped into her van (with a bad universal joint), drove 500+ miles and killed a woman and baby she had never met, without anyone either seeing her in PA or missing her from NC? The couple moved into Andrews sturdy brick house at 740 Front Street in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. were relatively and mercifully swift, mitigating their conscious pain and suffering.. ", "I think she gave us something like four or five alibis as to where she was at. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. She claimed to have been home during this period how did her defense team justify such a departure from Patricia's norm? Andrew described his existence with Joanne and Alex as a little Camelot., Ex-spouse off list. So, this pointed to a theory that Joann had either left on her own or encountered foul play within her home. Shes far from dumb, but shes not exactly educated, either. Lets consider these statements Rorrer is alleged to have made in the presence of a police officer. I found it necessary to document each time an episode featured one of these. New evidence doesnt, and shouldnt, entail retrial: only if theres a reasonable possibility it could make a difference. The boy died either from suffocation or exposure.Although by 1994 she was living in North Carolina, Ms. Rorrer phoned Katrinak occasionally. Joann Katrinak - Generation Why Podcast Jimmy had reported Lisa missing when she failed to return home from shopping by dinner time. It is currently unknown if the Patricia's case was one of these. Patricia was convicted based on her head hairs being found in the victim's car. "I'm never going to see my daughter again. 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. 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. But its not implausible that Joann Katrinak may have been in Fairleys area during that time period. That same year Limerick was hit by a night tornado which killed a mother, father and baby. 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 . Nailed? The organization purports that if there were awards for distorted reporting, the Morning Callwould win high honors.. Should reasonable doubt be defined for the jury or is that to nudge them some unintended direction by lawmakers? Again, this vital piece of evidence was never tested prior to trial. Phone calls played a significant role in the case overall. But there was only one day in question, so it feels like Patricia might have been overselling her story. Brad Jackson was able to describe what his daughter Valiree was wearing in incredible detail, down to the color of her socks. Traupman died in 2016. 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. The killer was Patricia Rorrer, the jealous ex-girlfriend of Joann's husband, Andrew. Fairleysargument:The court should have rendered him a minor for sentencing purposes. Why? The state police dropped him as a suspect. Some issues there, but I aver nothing that seems to undercut/override evidence against her. He disposed of the little girls body in Valley Forge National Park, where hikers soon discovered it. Katrinak's locked car was found not far from the family home. The missing items included Joann's purse, car, both her and Alex's winter jackets, and the diaper bag. 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. Under cross-examination, she said she didnt believe it was her hair in the Toyota.It took a jury of eight men and four women five hours to find her guilty on counts of kidnapping and first-degree murder. 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.