Advocates for her innocence complain of hype surrounding the case. From more than 10,000 official documents including Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) reports, FBI Files, forensic lab results, and the 6,500-page trial transcript, four years of intensive research, countless interviews with those involved, and hundreds of letters, phone calls and personal visits with Patricia Rorrer, OReilly found details that didnt add up, had never been made public, and that raised serious questions about the case and Pattys guilt. I was able to email with Patricia via the PrisonConnect platform around Christmastime. Try again later. 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. Kidnapped and killed? Love Pam. 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. Also, I dont believe a guilty woman would have gone over and over every piece of this case trying to find ANYTHING to clear her name. . The organization purports that if there were awards for distorted reporting, the Morning Callwould win high honors.. Meticulous primping. Make a life-giving gesture. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. No surprise IA found nothing in their investigation! Joann's car was later found next door in the parking lot of a local tavern. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Patricia Rorrer, an ex-girlfriend of Joann's husband, was found guilty of the crimes and sentenced to life in prison. Your cousin Cindy. I believe someone would not go to such lengths to prove evidence. Hay tres pruebas que, segn el sitio web www . Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Traupman died in 2016. Joann Katrinak and her infant son were brutally murdered. Condolences to the family. (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. This was one of the first cases of DNA being successfully used in a criminal i. Joanns first husband, New Jersey construction worker Michael Jack, who had reportedly abused her during their marriage, also had a solid alibi. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Katrinak and his wife had been happily married for more than a year when he left the house that December morning to go to his construction job. At 17, Patricia dropped out of high school and married landscaper Gary Gabard. Thanks for your help! Do we have a record of account of a phone repair company going out to his residence to fix this CUT LINE before he made these phone calls to Pattys mom? Hopefully she leaves prison in a pine box. But defense lawyer Robert Pfeiffer said that plenty of evidence supported Patricias innocence. Shes just extremely happy with Andy, her brother, Michael OConnor, told the media. Resend Activation Email. Ill follow the evidence wherever it leads, I told her, but if it leads me to conclude youre guilty, Ill write the book that way. Patricia immediately wrote back and said that was fine.. The retired DA is an arrogant asshole. 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. Lehigh County District Attorney Robert Steinberg credited DNA tests with helping to crack the case. Updated: October 6, 2011 Biography ID: 20353980 Jump to: Biography Memories Family Tree Followers Try again later. Youre in no position to judge. Find-A-Grave: Joann M. Katrinak Woman Held In Catasauqua Killings Man Recalls Day His Wife, Baby Vanished As Katrinak Double-murder Trial Opens Farmer Describes Finding Bodies Of Katrinak, Son Defendant Takes Stand In Katrinak Case Jury Rejects Alibi, Finds Rorrer Guilty In Double Kidnapping-murder Case Woman found guilty in Lehigh Slayings Theodore Kohuth. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. They can still do that. Patricia Rorrer has been portrayed as a bully, petty thief, neglectful horse owner, and heartless killer or a sweet, caring friend railroaded by authorities desperate to solve a double-murder case that snagged worldwide interest. He was born in Bethlehem son of the late Martin. A system error has occurred. But to me this ommission was intentional. You can always change this later in your Account settings. DA s took the easy way out. I cant lose them, he told the media. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. With all the social media today showing the wrongdoings of police officers and to not cast doubt on this investigation and how it was handled is upsetting. They allege that the North Carolina resident stealthily drove 500 miles to Pennsylvania and killed out of a sense of deadly indignation. Its definitely getting rougher every day, Andrew told the Morning Call. Getting your facts from documentaries isnt the way to go. An expert will be allowed to examine evidence from the 1994 . Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. But investigators conceded they had no solid evidence against Andrew. If she took public transportation, no one saw her? Arrangements under the care and direction of the Frank M. Radozycki & Sons Funeral Home, 305 Pulaski Street, Bridgeport (directly across from St. Michaels Church).Published in Connecticut Post from Nov. 9 to Nov. 10, 2004, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. I dont think she was ever scared until we put the cuffs on her.. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Pfeiffer and Burke claimed that police Sgt. I was like OK, maybe she was tired, you know with a new baby. Her husband, Andrew, was surprised to not find his wife and child at home after arriving there . Then finds the phone disconnected. I dont even know its Christmas.. Something so simple as hair color could have solved this case from the start. At the states request, the instructor wore a wire during a phone conversation with Patricia. What did she drive back home in? Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. 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. If he wasnt the father it would collaborate that Andy and Joann might have had a heated argument prior to her death (as the older man had suggested). Aside from the hair, there was almost zero forensic evidence. After watching the latest Starz episode of Wrong Man (a great investigative show), I started thinking about the Patricia Rorrer case again.. Rorrer was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Joann Katrinak and her 3-4 month old son Alex in 1994 by forcing them our of their home and driving them to a wooded area where they were shot and killed. After she wrote them a letter asking for an interview she was contacted not by the family, but by the officer who investigated the case and was told: Nobody wants you digging into this case, and no one is going to cooperate with you. Traupman claimed that when he reported the dispute, trooper Robert V. Egan III got mad and practically kicked him out of his office. Katrinak was ordained in 1996. (We didnt get into the specifics.). This is a carousel with slides. Your last statement makes it seem youd be more than happy to head a lynching party. 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. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. (Panik) Katrinak. 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. Police quickly excluded Andrew Katrinak from suspicion but identified Rorrer as a potential suspect. The retired DA is an arrogant asshole. The day she passed was her 62nd anniversary of the day she married her loving husband, Andrew Katrinak of Bethlehem. Phone records confirmed Patricia placed the earlier call from North Carolina, not Pennsylvania. cemeteries found in Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Crooked investigation and prosecution authorities saw to that. More hairs there. He knew where it was. Father was ordained a. Failed to remove flower. I was so excited that I called everyone, and Joanne picked up the phone and she said Andy is married, and I said I know, then she said we have a baby, and I said yea I know, then she said dont ever call here again. Horrible situation. I have no idea whether Patricia Rorrer is innocent or guilty, but there are enough discrepancies for me to strongly question whether she received a fair trial and just treatment from the agencies investigating her. I think they framed her straight up. The police considered the possibility that Joann ran away, a theory disputed by her family. Way too many holes in this investigation. Food for thought. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. May you enjoy your glorious mansion in heaven that is well deserved. They broke up in 1993. He retired as a general foreman at Bethlehem Steel in 1981 after 30 years of employment. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? 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). Katrinak, Andrew J.Andrew Joseph Katrinak, 88, of Bethlehem, died on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at Blough Healthcare Center in Bethlehem. Who do you think IA would support and believe in those days- their brothers in blue or the crazy man? Seriously, he really knew she NEVER pulled straight into a parking place??? Survivors include a brother, William Katrinak of Shelton; a sister, Helen Caselli of Milford; nephews, Robert Katrinak of the Sandy Hook section of Newtown, and Richard Bennett of Milford; nieces, Karen Katrinak of North Dakota, Kara and Judy Clarke, both of Bridgeport, and Loretta Ozzie of Shelton. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Please find out if the DNA of the baby was tested!! But her passion for writing and True Crime stayed with her. Prosecutors at . I Definitely heard about it on other crime shows. It showed her usually all-brown hair haphazardly highlighted blond. Then 31 years old, she had lived a rocky existence. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again.