- 7. Mai 2023
- Posted by:
- Category: Allgemein
Patricias accusers theorized that she resented Joanns domestic bliss with the tall, athletic Andrew Katrinak. Prosecutor pounds away. 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. But if Rorrer was a genuine suspect, it's likely investigators would have attempted the mitochondrial DNA match on the hair anyway. The jury spared Rorrer from the death penalty, but condemned her to life behind bars. ), The Wrong Man investigators Ira Todd and Joe Kennedy have some theories of their own. But if Andrew wanted to find his wife and his son, why on Earth did he wait until 10:30pm before notifying authorities? In December 1994, Andrew Katrinak arrives home to an empty house. Jimmy had reported Lisa missing when she failed to return home from shopping by dinner time. An infant was lying face down on her stomach. 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. Of course, if this matter was related to the inflicting of (non-consensual) pain or worse, and/or minors, thats a different matter but thats not the impression given. The nail was not consistent with Joann or Rorrer with regard to size and grooming. I also communicated with Patricia via email to get her input on some matters. I also take into consideration the fact that Rorrer simply doesnt speak that way. Andrew Katrinak speaking after his wife's alleged murderer is convicted. Still, Shopping Spree,theForensic Filesepisode about the murders, left me curious about an epilogue for Fairley. Shes extremely, extremely happy with the baby. After Joann Katrinak, the wife of Patricias former flame, turned up dead along with her infant son, prosecutors suspected Patricia. There were no love letters, cards, gifts, or any other indication that she still had a romantic interest in him. She worked at restaurants and later sold insurance and real estate and worked at a car dealership in Reading.She met Katrinak in May 1984, she said, when he was a regular at a restaurant where she worked.They dated, lived together and bought a home in Salisbury Township. 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. A newspaper account described Patricia as a soft-spoken, demure woman who had a sweet Southern accent and wore feminine clothes in court. Rorrer said she was almost 500 miles away in North Carolina on the day of the disappearance. he asked her. Joann Katrinaks Killer Still Has Innocence Advocates(A Woman Scorned, Forensic Files). One on one? "We got along fine. Last but not least, Patricia Rorrer was not the only person in Andrew Katrinaks life who had a connection to the spot where the bodies were found. ~~~~~~~~~Rorrer's Reputation: `Don't Mess With Me', June 25, 1997 by DAVID WASHBURN, The Morning Call. Traupman died in 2016. Its about what Id expect from Pennsylvania. She returned to North Carolina in 1991. On Alexs diaper bag, police found strands of the same type of hair from the car. Her family moved to North Carolina in 1978 but returned to the area in 1984. When Andrew Katrinak arrived home from work shortly after 6 p.m. on Dec. 15, 1994, he noticed two unusual things. 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. Meticulous primping. The state of the bodies suggested the victims had likely been killed the day very they were abducted. Trash-talking ex. 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.. The township invested an additional $50,000 for new equipment for the playground in 2012. Deal refused. Family members found Joanns tan Toyota sitting vacant in the parking lot of McCartys, a nearby bar. 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). Police identified the pair as Joann and Alex Katrinak. Juries are imperfect: what is stretched circumstantial evidence for you (or me) was evidently not so for that jury. 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. ''FBI examiners concluded there was a DNA match.Ms. They returned with a guilty verdict and a sentence of two life terms. Oddly, the test results on the DNA from the cigarette butt was the deciding factor for me: thats when I KNEW the evidence had been compromised. 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. A CLUMP of hair would be more significant as if pulled out. Is the system THAT rotten? The circumstances of Lisa Manderachs murder, the subject of todays post, seem even more improbable. She got 12 months of probation for shoplifting at a Walmart in Lexington, North Carolina. But were it not for Rorrer, yes, Id look at Fairley. He said she did own a firearm, with its serial numbers filed off. 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. Police couldnt determine whether the baby died of exposure or suffocation. At 10:30 p.m., Andrew reported his wife missing. 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. 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. That decision drew public anger, as can be seen inPhiladelphia Daily News letters to the editor published on September 29, 1995. But by all accounts, Rorrer only spoke to Andrew Katrinak once or twice a year. 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. "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. She was born on Jan. 24, 1964, in eastern Pennsylvania and moved back and forth between there and Davidson County, North Carolina. 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. She made an effort to look perfectly groomed even when she took out the trash, according to her mother, who appeared on Forensic Files. 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? It showed her usually all-brown hair haphazardly highlighted blond. He disposed of the little girls body in Valley Forge National Park, where hikers soon discovered it. A closer examination of the hairs showed traces of dried blood. ", "An unusual feature about the gun, he [Rorrers ex-boyfriend] stated was the fact that you fire one shot out of the gun, and the gun would jam. 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. Combination locks. 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? Puny policy. Why do mitochondrial testing when you have a root, a valid source of nuclear testing? 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. They also found a photo of Patricia taken 11 days before the homicide. Dance defense. "At one point, Katrinak stayed in North Carolina for several weeks to do a roofing job, and it looked as though they might get back together, Rorrer said. Nothing Ive read by her supporters goes to the heart of the case against her unless perjury. Patricia was convicted based on her head hairs being found in the victim's car. 24, 1997. . The farmer's remote field bordered an isolated horseback riding trail. Apparently it is universally agreed by courts that any hair testing before 2000 might had yieled an incorrect reading. Rorrer is incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution Muncy, a prison for women in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania. The Innocence Project has declined to take her case. The autopsy indicated that Joann fought hard for her life. Theyd fit well in a made-for-TV movie, wouldnt they? Weak wages. Meanwhile, interest in Patricias plight continues on social media. USA. Three days later, Joann had plans to pick up her mother-in-law, Veronica Katrinak, to go Christmas shopping. 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. Unicorns and getting really buff can be equally fantastical. For next week, Im researching a bit about Dungeons andDragons and whether any game aficionado or the nature of the pastime itself hasbeen linked to other major crimes. They released a poster of Joann and Alex, noting that the baby had almond-shaped blue eyes, weighed 18 pounds, and was circumcised. Detective Barry Grube found it odd that Andrew fixed the severed phone line before police examined it in essence tampering with evidence. But lets say for arguments sake that she was a closet smoker and no one knew. When Rorrer was initially granted the right to do post conviction testing, the first thing she wanted tested was the butt. Of course, its not if such forensic evidence that is or may have been exculpatory has been maladministered by accident or design. Thats all for this post. Sad discovery. December 15th, 1994. Dedication. 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. JUROR, DISCUSSING AFTER THE RORRER TRIAL THE FACTORS THAT LED TO HIS DECISION. The voice on the phone will be warm and friendly right up until you tell her which transcripts you want. 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. Patricia knew her gun tended to jam, but she used it anyway. Convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriends wife and child because of a telephone impropriety. That may be true, in that Alex may have died of exposure, not intentional killing. Then, in what has to be everyones favorite part of the episode, police noticed Fairley was wearing beige makeup on his face when they brought him in for questioning. One she was out buying feed for horses. "I guess she thought she wasn't going to get caught. More hairs there. Police slowly built a case against Patricia. At 10:40 p.m. he calls 911 to report his family missing. . If shes the killer, then she would know full well that the cigarette butt was hers and the DNA would match. Shes just extremely happy with Andy, her brother, Michael OConnor, told the media. Criminals aren't always the smartest folks - this area highlights the common (and reoccurring) mistakes they make. Yet, Joanns husbands ex girlfriend, who lived 500 miles away and had never met the victims, was convicted of the crime on a flimsy theory and highly questionable hair evidence. (We didnt get into the specifics.). And James Pfeiffer and Jim Burke have remained on her side. 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. Inside the locked 1992 vehicle, police discovered some strands of blond hair stained with dried blood. Both were deceased. 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. . State police and the Philadelphia division of the FBI appealed to the public for leads. Both sides agree Joann hung up on Patricia. I was like OK, maybe she was tired, you know with a new baby. DNA TRAIL IN 2-YEAR-OLD SLAYINGS OF WOMAN, BABY LEAD TO ARREST. The authorities charged her with two counts of murder. The Manderachsran a janitorial service on the side. Forensic tests suggested the hair found in the car and at the murder scene came from Patricia. 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. How could I explain to my daughter years later that I took a plea for something I didnt do? she said. Patricia defaulted on her mortgage and then returned to North Carolina, where she eventually moved in with a boyfriend named Brian Ward. It was conceivable that Andrew believed they were still out. 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. North America. There are more questions than answers in this case. They married in 1992. 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. Again, this vital piece of evidence was never tested prior to trial. . Along with Rorrer, Joann Katrinaks ex-husband, Michael Jack, and Andrew Katrinak were suspects for a time. Andrew told investigators that the unpleasant phone call between Joann and Patricia happened just three days before his wifes disappearance. That barn is about two miles from where the bodies were discovered along a trail in the woods, where a prosecution witness said she rode horses with Rorrer. It all gave jurors a lot to think about but only for six hours. He had worked as a semi-pro boxer in Las Vegas in his youth and later settled . 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. Thats my life.. 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. Your email address will not be published. Daughter of George & Margaret Panik and wife of Andrew Katrinak. (McIntyre said that Egan ignored Traupman because he was a nut who said that the man he saw arguing with the woman in a car was Hispanic but wearing a fake mustache and a toupee. 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.