Forensic Files (1996–…): Season 5, Episode 3 - A Woman Scorned - full transcript
[TELEPHONE RINGS]
HELLO.
CAN I ASK WHO'S CALLING?
Narrator: IN DECEMBER OF 1994,
JOANN KATRINAK TOLD FRIENDS
ABOUT A DISTURBING
TELEPHONE CALL SHE RECEIVED
FROM SOMEONE
SHE HAD NEVER MET.
Joann: STOP CALLING HERE!
Narrator: 3 DAYS LATER,
JOANN KATRINAK
AND HER 4-MONTH-OLD SON ALEX
DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE.
TELEPHONE RECORDS COULD NOT
IDENTIFY THE CALLER,
BUT INVESTIGATORS SUSPECTED
THAT THE INCIDENT
MIGHT HOLD THE KEY
TO THEIR DISAPPEARANCE.
JOANN KATRINAK WAS
A STRIKINGLY ATTRACTIVE
YOUNG WOMAN,
A GOOD STUDENT,
AND AN OUTSTANDING ATHLETE
WHO HAD HOPED
TO PURSUE A CAREER
IN THE FASHION
AND BEAUTY INDUSTRY.
SHE WAS VERY CONCERNED
ABOUT HER APPEARANCE.
SHE WAS VERY, VERY PRETTY,
AND, UM, I MEAN, SHE MADE SURE
EVERY HAIR WAS IN PLACE
BEFORE SHE EVEN, LIKE,
TOOK THE GARBAGE OUT.
AND, UM, SHE WAS
A VERY LOVING CHILD.
Narrator: JOANN WAS KNOWN
TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS
FOR HER UPBEAT PERSONALITY
AND OPTIMISM,
QUALITIES THAT WERE TESTED
WHEN HER FIRST MARRIAGE ENDED
IN A PAINFUL DIVORCE,
BUT IN 1992,
SHE MET ANDREW KATRINAK,
A 38-YEAR-OLD
BUILDING CONTRACTOR
WHO WAS 14 YEARS
HER SENIOR.
DESPITE THE AGE DIFFERENCE,
THE TWO HIT IT OFF IMMEDIATELY.
O'Connor: ANDY WAS
KIND OF ON HIS OWN.
HE HAD BEEN
IN A RELATIONSHIP.
JOANN WAS IN A RELATIONSHIP,
AND, UH, SO THEY HAD
SOMETHING IN COMMON.
AND, UM, THEY, AS I SAID,
BECAME REALLY GOOD FRIENDS,
AND THEN, OF COURSE,
IT ESCALATED
INTO MORE THAN FRIENDSHIP.
Narrator:
AFTER A BRIEF COURTSHIP,
ANDREW AND JOANN MARRIED,
AND THE COUPLE MOVED
INTO ANDREW'S HOME
IN THE SMALL,
WORKING-CLASS TOWN
OF CATASAUQUA, PENNSYLVANIA.
15 MONTHS LATER,
JOANN GAVE BIRTH
TO A HEALTHY BABY BOY
NAMED ALEX.
Woman: I HAVE PICTURES
OF ME HOLDING ALEX
IN MY OFFICE,
AND, YOU KNOW, HE JUST WAS
SMILING ALL THE TIME,
AND, YOU KNOW,
HE WAS BIG FOR HIS AGE.
HE, YOU KNOW--A NICE,
HEALTHY BABY,
AND, YOU KNOW, WAS
JUST A JOY TO HAVE AROUND.
HELLO, VERONICA?
Narrator: ON DECEMBER 15, 1994,
JOANN KATRINAK CALLED
HER MOTHER-IN-LAW
AT 1:15 IN THE AFTERNOON.
JOANN SAID SHE AND THE BABY
WOULD BE RIGHT OVER
TO PICK HER UP
SO THAT THE THREE OF THEM COULD
GO CHRISTMAS SHOPPING TOGETHER.
WE'LL BE OVER
IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES.
BUT JOANN AND THE BABY
NEVER ARRIVED.
ANDREW KATRINAK CAME HOME
FROM WORK AROUND 6:30.
HE WAS SURPRISED TO FIND
THAT HIS WIFE AND SON
WERE NOT HOME.
THE BABY'S DIAPER BAG
WAS MISSING.
JOANN'S PURSE WAS GONE, TOO.
SO WERE THEIR WINTER COATS.
THERE WAS NOTHING OUT OF PLACE
INSIDE THE HOME.
NO MONEY OR VALUABLES
WERE MISSING.
THE ONLY THING
ANDREW NOTICED
WAS THAT THE HINGE
ON THE BASEMENT DOOR
WAS PRIED FROM THE DOORJAMB,
AND A TELEPHONE LINE
IN THE BASEMENT HAD BEEN CUT.
4 HOURS LATER,
AT 10:30 THAT NIGHT,
ANDREW KATRINAK CALLED POLICE
TO REPORT
HIS WIFE AND SON MISSING.
RELATIVES FOUND JOANN'S CAR
DOWN THE STREET
IN THE PARKING LOT
OF A LOCAL BAR,
NOT IN ITS USUAL LOCATION
IN THE ALLEY BEHIND HER HOUSE.
ALTHOUGH IT WAS LOCKED,
JOANN'S KEYS WERE
INSIDE THE CAR.
ON THE BACK HEADREST
WERE SEVERAL STRANDS
OF LONG, BLOND HAIR,
WHICH DID NOT BELONG
TO JOANN SINCE SHE WAS BRUNETTE.
ON THE DISTAL END
OF THE HAIRS
WERE MICROSCOPIC TRACES
OF DRIED BLOOD.
D.N.A. ANALYSIS REVEALED
THAT THE BLOOD WAS EITHER
FROM JOANN KATRINAK
OR HER SON ALEX.
INVESTIGATORS ALSO BEGAN
TO CHECK OUT ANDREW'S ALIBI
THAT HE HAD BEEN
AT WORK ALL DAY
ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE.
Man: HE'S THE LAST PERSON
THAT SEES HER ALIVE.
THE VAST MAJORITY
OF HOMICIDES
ARE COMMITTED BY...
A PERSON WHO
THE VICTIM KNOWS.
UM, SO YOU CANNOT
JUST ELIMINATE THAT
BY ACCEPTING THAT
AN INDIVIDUAL SAYS,
"WELL, I WASN'T THERE.
I WAS AT WORK."
O'Connor: THEY SAID
THAT HE MUST HAVE
SOMETHING TO DO
WITH THE FACT THAT
SHE'S DISAPPEARED,
AND THE POLICE
ACTUALLY SAID THAT,
"OH, SHE PROBABLY
RAN AWAY WITH SOMEONE."
OH. IN A MILLION YEARS,
JOANN WOULD NEVER, NEVER
HAVE RUN AWAY.
AND, UM, I WAS QUITE ANGRY...
WITH, UH, THE POLICE
THAT THEY ACCUSED ANDY.
Narrator: DAYS PASSED,
THEN WEEKS,
AND WHEN THE BANKS REPORTED
THERE HAD BEEN NO ACTIVITY
ON JOANN KATRINAK'S
CREDIT CARDS,
IT WAS BECOMING
PAINFULLY CLEAR
THAT JOANN AND ALEX
HAD BEEN THE VICTIMS
OF FOUL PLAY.
Narrator: CHRISTMAS PASSED,
AND SO DID NEW YEAR'S OF 1995,
STILL WITH NO SIGN
OF 26-YEAR-OLD JOANN KATRINAK
OR HER INFANT SON ALEX.
THE KATRINAKS LIVED
ON A BUSY STREET
ACROSS FROM A LOCAL BAR.
NEIGHBORS SAID THEY SAW
NOTHING SUSPICIOUS
ON THE DAY
OF JOANN'S DISAPPEARANCE,
AND POLICE WERE SKEPTICAL
THAT JOANN AND HER BABY
COULD HAVE BEEN ABDUCTED
IN BROAD DAYLIGHT,
BUT 4 MONTHS AFTER THEY WERE
REPORTED MISSING,
THE WORST FEARS OF THE POLICE
WERE CONFIRMED.
IN A REMOTE STRETCH
OF RURAL FARMLAND,
A FARMER PLOWING HIS FIELD
NOTICED WHAT FIRST APPEARED
TO BE A BUNDLE OF CLOTHING.
WHEN HE LOOKED CLOSER,
HE DISCOVERED
THE DECOMPOSED BODY
OF A WOMAN LYING ON HER BACK,
AND ON HER CHEST,
A BABY.
ABOUT 40 FEET AWAY
WAS A BABY RATTLE
SHAPED LIKE A PHONE.
IT WAS ALEX KATRINAK'S
FAVORITE TOY.
Courter: FROM THEN ON,
OUR LIFE CHANGED.
SO ANYTHING AFTER THAT
DID NOT HAVE AS MUCH
OF AN IMPACT
AS WHEN THEY WERE FOUND.
THE 4 MONTHS THEY WERE MISSING
WAS ABSOLUTELY THE MOST
PAINFUL TIME IN MY LIFE,
OF ALL OUR LIVES.
Narrator: CLOSE TO THE BODIES
WAS A MILK BOTTLE AND DIAPER BAG
WITH TWO LONG, BLOND HAIRS
STILL ATTACHED.
THE HAIRS WERE
MICROSCOPICALLY SIMILAR
TO THE HAIRS FOUND
ON THE HEADREST
OF JOANN KATRINAK'S CAR.
SINCE JOANN KATRINAK'S JEWELRY
WAS FOUND WITH THE BODY,
THE MOTIVE DID NOT APPEAR
TO BE ROBBERY.
AN AUTOPSY DISCOVERED
THAT JOANN KATRINAK
HAD BEEN SHOT ONCE IN THE FACE
AT POINT-BLANK RANGE
WITH A .22 CALIBER PISTOL.
SHE HAD ALSO BEEN BEATEN.
Man: 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,
AND BECAUSE OF THE GUN JAMMING,
THE ASSAILANT HAD TO RESORT
TO BLUNT OBJECT
AND BEAT HER
ABOUT THE HEAD.
Narrator: THE CORONER
WAS NOT SURE
WHETHER LITTLE ALEX DIED
FROM EXPOSURE
OR HAD BEEN SUFFOCATED.
Man: I CAN REMEMBER
TILL THIS DAY
SEEING THAT INFANT
BEING LIFTED OFF
OF THE ABDOMEN
OF HIS MOTHER.
IT CERTAINLY TUGGED
AT OUR HEARTSTRINGS.
YOU KNOW, IT BROUGHT
A TEAR TO MY EYE,
UH, AND IF NOTHING MORE,
IT CERTAINLY GALVANIZED
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY
AND GOT US MOVING
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
Narrator: THE BODIES WERE FOUND
IN AN EXTREMELY REMOTE AREA
ABOUT 15 MILES
FROM THE KATRINAKS' HOME,
WHICH TOLD INVESTIGATORS
SOMETHING IMPORTANT
ABOUT THE KILLER.
Man: THE VICTIMS WERE
ON THE TRAIL,
SO AFTER INSPECTING THE SCENE
VERY THOROUGHLY,
WE FELT VERY STRONGLY
THAT THE PERSON WHO HAD KILLED
JOANN AND ALEX KATRINAK
HIS BEEN IN THIS AREA BEFORE
AND WAS FAMILIAR
WITH THESE TRAILS.
Narrator: THE TRAILS WERE USED
BY HORSEBACK RIDERS,
AND ANDREW KATRINAK
TOLD POLICE
THAT ONE
OF HIS FORMER GIRLFRIENDS
MANAGED A HORSE STABLE,
THE SILVER SHADOW FARMS
JUST A MILE DOWN THE ROAD.
HER NAME WAS PATRICIA RORRER.
SHE AND ANDREW LIVED TOGETHER
FOR TWO YEARS IN THE LATE 1980s
AND AGAIN BRIEFLY IN 1991.
WHEN THEY BROKE UP,
PATRICIA RORRER MOVED
TO NORTH CAROLINA,
HAD A CHILD WITH ANOTHER MAN,
AND HAD BEEN LIVING THERE
EVER SINCE.
WHEN POLICE QUESTIONED
PATRICIA RORRER AT HER HOME
IN NORTH CAROLINA,
THEY IMMEDIATELY NOTICED
THAT SHE WAS A BRUNETTE
AND NOT BLOND...
ARE YOU
PATRICIA RORRER?
LIKE THE HAIRS FOUND
IN JOANN'S CAR
AND ON THE DIAPER BAG.
CAN WE ASK YOU
A FEW QUESTIONS?
WERE YOU IN PENNSYLVANIA
DURING THE WEEK
OF DECEMBER 15
LAST YEAR?
NO.
Narrator: RORRER SAID
SHE WAS IN NORTH CAROLINA
ON THE DAY
OF JOANN'S DISAPPEARANCE,
500 MILES AWAY
FROM PENNSYLVANIA,
AND HAD WITNESSES
TO PROVE IT.
Detective: ALL RIGHT.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
Werts: I THINK SHE GAVE US
SOMETHING LIKE 4 OR 5 ALIBIS
AS TO WHERE SHE WAS AT.
ONE SHE WAS
AT A, UH, PRIVATE CLUB.
ONE SHE WAS OUT
BUYING FEED FOR HORSES.
ONE SHE WAS
AT A TANNING SALON.
Narrator: BUT ANDREW KATRINAK
HAD ANOTHER SURPRISE
FOR INVESTIGATORS.
HE REMEMBERED
THAT PATRICIA RORRER
CALLED HIS HOME
JUST 3 DAYS
BEFORE HIS WIFE
AND SON DISAPPEARED.
JOANN ANSWERED THE PHONE,
AND WHEN PATRICIA RORRER
IDENTIFIED HERSELF,
THE TWO ARGUED.
Joann: LOOK, ANDY HAS TOLD YOU
TO STOP CALLING HERE.
WE HAVE A BABY NOW.
WE'RE HAPPY TOGETHER.
JUST LEAVE US ALONE.
STOP CALLING HERE!
Narrator: PATRICIA RORRER
DENIED MAKING THAT CALL,
AND HER HOME TELEPHONE RECORDS
CONFIRMED HER STORY.
WITH BRUNETTE HAIR,
AN ALIBI,
AND NO EVIDENCE SHE CALLED
THE KATRINAKS' HOME,
INVESTIGATORS FEARED
THEY HAD HIT A DEAD END.
Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS WANTED TO KNOW
AS ACCURATELY AS POSSIBLE
WHEN JOANN AND ALEX KATRINAK
WERE KILLED.
ALTHOUGH THE BODIES
WERE DISCOVERED 4 MONTHS
AFTER THEY DISAPPEARED,
IT WASN'T CLEAR HOW LONG
THE BODIES HAD BEEN
IN THE FIELD.
THE BODIES CONTAINED
EVIDENCE OF INSECT ACTIVITY,
AND POLICE ASKED
DR. KE CHUNG KIM,
A FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGIST
AT PENNSYLVANIA
STATE UNIVERSITY,
FOR AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT
THE INSECT ACTIVITY REVEALED
ABOUT THE TIME OF DEATH.
THIS CASE WAS
RATHER COMPLICATED
BECAUSE TWO BODIES INVOLVED,
TWO VICTIMS INVOLVED,
AND THE SAME TIME
THAT A BODY WERE
LAYING ON THE GROUND
IN THE WILD
IN WINTERTIME.
AND, UH, SO THAT
THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAVES
OF INSECT ATTACKS--
INSECT INVASIONS TO THE BODY.
Narrator: FIRST DR. KIM FOUND
THE HARD OUTER SHELL
OF THE CALLIPHORA LIVIDA,
SHOWN HERE MAGNIFIED 150 TIMES.
THIS SPECIES OF BLOW FLY
HAD PROGRESSED
TO ITS FINAL STAGE
OF DEVELOPMENT.
DR. KIM ALSO FOUND
ANOTHER SPECIES,
CYNOMYOPSIS CADAVERINA,
THAT WAS JUST BEGINNING
ITS THIRD AND FINAL STAGE
OF DEVELOPMENT.
THESE TWO FACTORS
TOLD DR. KIM
THAT THE BODIES HAD BEEN
IN THE FIELD
FOR AT LEAST 51 DAYS
SINCE EARLY FEBRUARY,
AND WHEN DR. KIM LOOKED
AT THE LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS,
HE ALSO NOTICED ANOTHER
IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION.
BETWEEN DECEMBER 21
AND THE 28th,
LOCAL TEMPERATURES WERE
UNSEASONABLY WARM,
REACHING 50 DEGREES,
THE PERFECT CONDITIONS
FOR THESE TWO SPECIES
TO MATE AND LAY EGGS.
INVESTIGATORS NOW KNEW
THAT THE BODIES
HAD NOT BEEN PLACED
IN THE FIELD RECENTLY.
THEY WERE THERE SINCE FEBRUARY
AND POSSIBLY AS EARLY
AS DECEMBER,
THE TIME OF THE ABDUCTION.
PATRICIA RORRER'S
TELEPHONE RECORDS REVEALED
THAT SHE MADE LONG-DISTANCE
TELEPHONE CALLS FROM HOME
ALMOST EVERY DAY,
BUT THERE WERE NO CALLS MADE
BETWEEN DECEMBER 11
AND THE 16th,
SUGGESTING SHE WAS NOT
IN NORTH CAROLINA
WHEN JOANN KATRINAK
AND HER SON WERE ABDUCTED.
PATRICIA SAID SHE WAS
AT THE COWBOY'S NIGHT CLUB
IN NORTH CAROLINA
ON THE NIGHT OF THE ABDUCTION.
A STATE LAW REQUIRES ALL
PATRONS OF THE CLUB TO SIGN IN,
BUT PATRICIA RORRER
WAS NOT SIGNED IN ON THAT DATE.
PATRICIA RORRER ALSO DENIED
OWNING A .22 CALIBER PISTOL,
AND A SEARCH OF HER HOME
TURNED UP NOTHING.
BUT ONE OF HER OLD BOYFRIENDS
CONTRADICTED HER.
HE TOLD POLICE
PATRICIA RORRER OWNED
A .22 CALIBER, CHROME-PLATED,
SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPON
LIKE THIS ONE
AND SAID THE GUN HAD
A UNIQUE CHARACTERISTIC.
Kocevar: AN UNUSUAL FEATURE
ABOUT THE GUN,
HE STATED, WAS THE FACT
THAT YOU'D FIRE ONE SHOT
OUT OF THE GUN,
AND THE GUN WOULD JAM.
YOU COULDN'T FIRE
A SECOND SHOT.
WELL, THAT REALLY
CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION, OF COURSE.
Narrator: BUT POLICE
STILL HAD THE PROBLEM
WITH THE BLOND HAIR
FOUND AT THE SCENE
AND IN THE VICTIM'S CAR
SINCE PATRICIA RORRER
WAS A BRUNETTE.
Man: AND SHE LOOKED
AT THE WARRANT,
AND SHE SAW WE WERE LOOKING
FOR DIRTY BLOND HAIR,
SHE'S SITTING THERE
AS A BRUNETTE SAYING,
"WHO'S GOT DIRTY BLOND HAIR?
I DON'T HAVE DIRTY BLOND HAIR."
WE WERE SITTING
IN OUR OFFICE ONE DAY,
AND WE WERE DISCUSSING
HOW COULD WE DETERMINE
WHAT COLOR
PATRICIA RORRER'S HAIR WAS
AT THE TIME OF THE MURDER,
AND WE BOTH AGREED
THAT THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT
WAS TO TRY TO OBTAIN
A PICTURE OF HER
IN AND AROUND THE TIME
OF THE MURDER.
Narrator:
AFTER A LITTLE DIGGING,
POLICE DISCOVERED THAT
PATRICIA RORRER COMPETED
IN A HORSE SHOW
IN GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA,
IN DECEMBER OF 1994
AND HAD WON A PRIZE
AT THE COMPETITION.
THE PICTURES OF THE WINNERS
THAT DAY SHOWED PATRICIA RORRER
WITH BLEACHED BLOND HAIR.
THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN
JUST 11 DAYS BEFORE JOANN
AND ALEX KATRINAK DISAPPEARED.
BUT PROSECUTORS NEEDED MORE
THAN JUST A PHOTOGRAPH.
THEY NEEDED TO KNOW
FOR CERTAIN
WHETHER THE BLOND HAIR
AT THE CRIME SCENE BELONGED
TO PATRICIA RORRER.
Narrator:
THE BLOND HAIRS FOUND
ON THE DIAPER BAG
NEXT TO JOANN KATRINAK'S BODY
AND IN HER CAR
DID NOT CONTAIN
ENOUGH ROOT MATERIAL
FOR TRADITIONAL D.N.A. TESTING.
INVESTIGATORS' ONLY HOPE
WAS TO TRY A NEW TYPE
OF D.N.A. TEST,
ONE THAT HAD NEVER
BEEN ADMITTED INTO EVIDENCE
IN A PENNSYLVANIA TRIAL,
SOMETHING CALLED
MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A.
TRADITIONAL D.N.A. TESTING
ANALYZES THE NUCLEUS
OF THE CELL,
FOUND IN ABUNDANCE
IN BODILY FLUIDS AND TISSUE,
BUT OUTSIDE OF THE CELL NUCLEUS
ARE WHAT ARE KNOW
AS MITOCHONDRIA,
CELLS THAT CAN BE IDENTIFIED,
ALTHOUGH NOT AS PRECISELY AS
IN TRADITIONAL D.N.A. TESTING.
Man: MOST HAIRS
FROM CRIME SCENES
HAVE VERY, VERY LITTLE
AMOUNTS OF D.N.A.
HOWEVER, THERE'S MORE
MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A.
IN THOSE HAIRS.
THERE'S MORE COPIES
OF MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A.
IN THOSE HAIRS
THAN NUCLEAR D.N.A.
THEREFORE, IN HAIRS
OBTAINED FROM CRIME SCENES,
MOST OF THE TIME
WE CAN OBTAIN
A MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A. SEQUENCE,
WHERE WE WOULD FAIL
WITH NUCLEAR D.N.A. ANALYSIS.
Narrator: FIRST SCIENTISTS
WASHED THE HAIR IN DETERGENT,
THEN ADDED A DIGEST BUFFER
TO ELIMINATE EVERYTHING
EXCEPT THE CELLS
TO BE ANALYZED.
IN THIS GEL-LIKE MATTER
IS THE D.N.A. OF A KILLER.
TO IDENTIFY
THE D.N.A. SEQUENCE,
A P.C.R. TEST WAS CONDUCTED,
AND THE MITOCHONDRIAL
D.N.A. SEQUENCES
FROM THE BLOND HAIR
MATCHED PATRICIA RORRER'S
D.N.A. PROFILE.
THIS WAS ENOUGH
TO CONVINCE PROSECUTORS
THAT PATRICIA RORRER
WAS AT THE CRIME SCENE
AND INSIDE JOANN KATRINAK'S CAR.
PATRICIA RORRER WAS ARRESTED
AND CHARGED WITH TWO COUNTS
OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER.
PROSECUTORS BELIEVED
THAT PATRICIA RORRER
WAS IN PENNSYLVANIA
AND NOT NORTH CAROLINA
WHEN SHE CALLED
FOR ANDREW KATRINAK.
[TELEPHONE RINGS]
HELLO.
CAN I ASK WHO'S CALLING?
Narrator: BUT WHEN JOANN
ANSWERED THE PHONE,
PATRICIA'S HOPES
OF MEETING ANDREW
FOR OLD TIMES' SAKE
WERE QUICKLY DASHED.
Joann: WE HAVE A BABY NOW.
WE'RE HAPPY TOGETHER.
JUST LEAVE US ALONE.
STOP CALLING HERE!
HELLO? HELLO?
Narrator:
AND WHEN JOANN HUNG UP,
PROSECUTORS BELIEVE
RORRER GOT ANGRY
AND SOUGHT REVENGE.
FOR THE NEXT 3 DAYS,
RORRER STALKED
THE KATRINAKS' HOME
TO OBSERVE JOANN'S
DAILY ROUTINE.
ON DECEMBER 15
SOMETIME AFTER 1 P.M.,
PATRICIA RORRER BROKE
INTO THE KATRINAKS' BASEMENT
AND OVERHEARD JOANN
ON THE TELEPHONE
WITH HER MOTHER-IN-LAW.
Joann: WE'RE ABOUT READY
TO LEAVE, OK?
WE'LL BE OVER
AT ABOUT 1:30.
I JUST HAVE TO
GET THE BABY READY.
UH-HUH. GREAT.
THE MALL. OK. 15 MINUTES.
BYE.
Narrator: WHEN RORRER HEARD
KATRINAK WAS LEAVING,
SHE DECIDED TO WAIT FOR THEM
OUTSIDE IN THE ALLEY
AND CUT THE TELEPHONE LINE
TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER CALLS.
DO AS I SAY,
AND DON'T MAKE ANY NOISE.
AT GUNPOINT, PATRICIA RORRER
FORCED JOANN INTO HER CAR,
ORDERING HER TO DRIVE
TO THE REMOTE FARMLAND.
NO!
[GUNSHOT]
PATRICIA RORRER FIRED
A SINGLE SHOT
INTO JOANN KATRINAK
AND WHEN THE PISTOL JAMMED
BEAT HER TO DEATH.
THE BABY WAS LEFT
ON HIS MOTHER'S CHEST.
THE MURDER WEAPON
WAS NEVER FOUND,
BUT PATRICIA RORRER LEFT
TWO BLEACH BLOND HAIRS
AT THE CRIME SCENE
AND SOME HAIR STAINED
WITH THE VICTIMS' BLOOD
IN JOANN'S CAR
AS SHE DROVE IT BACK TO TOWN.
AT THE TRIAL,
PATRICIA RORRER'S DEFENSE TEAM
SCOFFED AT THE NOTION
THAT AN ALLEGED ARGUMENT
SHE HAD WITH JOANN KATRINAK
WAS A BELIEVABLE MOTIVE
FOR MURDER.
McIntyre: AND THE DEFENSE
WAS SAYING, "COME ON.
"THAT CAN'T BE A MOTIVE.
NORMAL PEOPLE DON'T
ACT LIKE THAT."
AND HE WAS RIGHT.
NORMAL PEOPLE DON'T
ACT LIKE THAT,
BUT THIS PARTICULAR PERSON
WAS NOT NORMAL
AND ACTED JUST THAT WAY.
Narrator: AFTER TWO HOURS
OF DELIBERATION,
THE JURY FOUND PATRICIA RORRER
GUILTY OF BOTH MURDERS,
AND SHE WAS SENTENCED
TO LIFE IN PRISON.
O'Connor: SHE'S GOING TO
HAVE TO LIVE
WITH WHAT SHE DID.
AND, UM, I HOPE HER LIFE
ISN'T HAPPY
BECAUSE MINE ISN'T.
I TRIED TO GET ON
WITH MY LIFE,
AND, UM, I'VE MADE
SOME, YOU KNOW, STRIDES,
BUT, UM, YOU NEVER, EVER
GET OVER THE LOSS
OF A CHILD OR A GRANDCHILD.
Narrator: THE CASE WAS A FIRST
IN THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA
AND WAS ONLY THE THIRD TIME
IN THE UNITED STATES
THAT A CONVICTION WAS SECURED
WITH MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A.
THIS CASE IS
A CLASSIC EXAMPLE
OF THE POWER
OF MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A.
THE ONLY FORENSIC EVIDENCE
OBTAINED IN THIS CASE REALLY
WERE THE 3 HAIRS
FROM THE CRIME SCENE,
3 HAIRS THAT,
UNLESS YOU LOOKED VERY HARD FOR,
YOU MIGHT VERY EASILY
PASS OVER.
I'D HAVE TO SAY THIS--
THAT IN ALL MY YEARS
IN LAW ENFORCEMENT,
THE KATRINAK INVESTIGATION
IS ONE OF THE FINEST PIECES
OF POLICE WORK
THAT I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE
OF BEING INVOLVED IN.
THERE WERE MANY
UNIQUE CHALLENGES
TO THIS INVESTIGATION.
THE TECHNOLOGY
THAT WE EMPLOYED
IN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF AT LEAST ONE KEY PIECE
OF FORENSIC EVIDENCE
WAS LITERALLY
21st-CENTURY TECHNOLOGY
HELLO.
CAN I ASK WHO'S CALLING?
Narrator: IN DECEMBER OF 1994,
JOANN KATRINAK TOLD FRIENDS
ABOUT A DISTURBING
TELEPHONE CALL SHE RECEIVED
FROM SOMEONE
SHE HAD NEVER MET.
Joann: STOP CALLING HERE!
Narrator: 3 DAYS LATER,
JOANN KATRINAK
AND HER 4-MONTH-OLD SON ALEX
DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE.
TELEPHONE RECORDS COULD NOT
IDENTIFY THE CALLER,
BUT INVESTIGATORS SUSPECTED
THAT THE INCIDENT
MIGHT HOLD THE KEY
TO THEIR DISAPPEARANCE.
JOANN KATRINAK WAS
A STRIKINGLY ATTRACTIVE
YOUNG WOMAN,
A GOOD STUDENT,
AND AN OUTSTANDING ATHLETE
WHO HAD HOPED
TO PURSUE A CAREER
IN THE FASHION
AND BEAUTY INDUSTRY.
SHE WAS VERY CONCERNED
ABOUT HER APPEARANCE.
SHE WAS VERY, VERY PRETTY,
AND, UM, I MEAN, SHE MADE SURE
EVERY HAIR WAS IN PLACE
BEFORE SHE EVEN, LIKE,
TOOK THE GARBAGE OUT.
AND, UM, SHE WAS
A VERY LOVING CHILD.
Narrator: JOANN WAS KNOWN
TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS
FOR HER UPBEAT PERSONALITY
AND OPTIMISM,
QUALITIES THAT WERE TESTED
WHEN HER FIRST MARRIAGE ENDED
IN A PAINFUL DIVORCE,
BUT IN 1992,
SHE MET ANDREW KATRINAK,
A 38-YEAR-OLD
BUILDING CONTRACTOR
WHO WAS 14 YEARS
HER SENIOR.
DESPITE THE AGE DIFFERENCE,
THE TWO HIT IT OFF IMMEDIATELY.
O'Connor: ANDY WAS
KIND OF ON HIS OWN.
HE HAD BEEN
IN A RELATIONSHIP.
JOANN WAS IN A RELATIONSHIP,
AND, UH, SO THEY HAD
SOMETHING IN COMMON.
AND, UM, THEY, AS I SAID,
BECAME REALLY GOOD FRIENDS,
AND THEN, OF COURSE,
IT ESCALATED
INTO MORE THAN FRIENDSHIP.
Narrator:
AFTER A BRIEF COURTSHIP,
ANDREW AND JOANN MARRIED,
AND THE COUPLE MOVED
INTO ANDREW'S HOME
IN THE SMALL,
WORKING-CLASS TOWN
OF CATASAUQUA, PENNSYLVANIA.
15 MONTHS LATER,
JOANN GAVE BIRTH
TO A HEALTHY BABY BOY
NAMED ALEX.
Woman: I HAVE PICTURES
OF ME HOLDING ALEX
IN MY OFFICE,
AND, YOU KNOW, HE JUST WAS
SMILING ALL THE TIME,
AND, YOU KNOW,
HE WAS BIG FOR HIS AGE.
HE, YOU KNOW--A NICE,
HEALTHY BABY,
AND, YOU KNOW, WAS
JUST A JOY TO HAVE AROUND.
HELLO, VERONICA?
Narrator: ON DECEMBER 15, 1994,
JOANN KATRINAK CALLED
HER MOTHER-IN-LAW
AT 1:15 IN THE AFTERNOON.
JOANN SAID SHE AND THE BABY
WOULD BE RIGHT OVER
TO PICK HER UP
SO THAT THE THREE OF THEM COULD
GO CHRISTMAS SHOPPING TOGETHER.
WE'LL BE OVER
IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES.
BUT JOANN AND THE BABY
NEVER ARRIVED.
ANDREW KATRINAK CAME HOME
FROM WORK AROUND 6:30.
HE WAS SURPRISED TO FIND
THAT HIS WIFE AND SON
WERE NOT HOME.
THE BABY'S DIAPER BAG
WAS MISSING.
JOANN'S PURSE WAS GONE, TOO.
SO WERE THEIR WINTER COATS.
THERE WAS NOTHING OUT OF PLACE
INSIDE THE HOME.
NO MONEY OR VALUABLES
WERE MISSING.
THE ONLY THING
ANDREW NOTICED
WAS THAT THE HINGE
ON THE BASEMENT DOOR
WAS PRIED FROM THE DOORJAMB,
AND A TELEPHONE LINE
IN THE BASEMENT HAD BEEN CUT.
4 HOURS LATER,
AT 10:30 THAT NIGHT,
ANDREW KATRINAK CALLED POLICE
TO REPORT
HIS WIFE AND SON MISSING.
RELATIVES FOUND JOANN'S CAR
DOWN THE STREET
IN THE PARKING LOT
OF A LOCAL BAR,
NOT IN ITS USUAL LOCATION
IN THE ALLEY BEHIND HER HOUSE.
ALTHOUGH IT WAS LOCKED,
JOANN'S KEYS WERE
INSIDE THE CAR.
ON THE BACK HEADREST
WERE SEVERAL STRANDS
OF LONG, BLOND HAIR,
WHICH DID NOT BELONG
TO JOANN SINCE SHE WAS BRUNETTE.
ON THE DISTAL END
OF THE HAIRS
WERE MICROSCOPIC TRACES
OF DRIED BLOOD.
D.N.A. ANALYSIS REVEALED
THAT THE BLOOD WAS EITHER
FROM JOANN KATRINAK
OR HER SON ALEX.
INVESTIGATORS ALSO BEGAN
TO CHECK OUT ANDREW'S ALIBI
THAT HE HAD BEEN
AT WORK ALL DAY
ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE.
Man: HE'S THE LAST PERSON
THAT SEES HER ALIVE.
THE VAST MAJORITY
OF HOMICIDES
ARE COMMITTED BY...
A PERSON WHO
THE VICTIM KNOWS.
UM, SO YOU CANNOT
JUST ELIMINATE THAT
BY ACCEPTING THAT
AN INDIVIDUAL SAYS,
"WELL, I WASN'T THERE.
I WAS AT WORK."
O'Connor: THEY SAID
THAT HE MUST HAVE
SOMETHING TO DO
WITH THE FACT THAT
SHE'S DISAPPEARED,
AND THE POLICE
ACTUALLY SAID THAT,
"OH, SHE PROBABLY
RAN AWAY WITH SOMEONE."
OH. IN A MILLION YEARS,
JOANN WOULD NEVER, NEVER
HAVE RUN AWAY.
AND, UM, I WAS QUITE ANGRY...
WITH, UH, THE POLICE
THAT THEY ACCUSED ANDY.
Narrator: DAYS PASSED,
THEN WEEKS,
AND WHEN THE BANKS REPORTED
THERE HAD BEEN NO ACTIVITY
ON JOANN KATRINAK'S
CREDIT CARDS,
IT WAS BECOMING
PAINFULLY CLEAR
THAT JOANN AND ALEX
HAD BEEN THE VICTIMS
OF FOUL PLAY.
Narrator: CHRISTMAS PASSED,
AND SO DID NEW YEAR'S OF 1995,
STILL WITH NO SIGN
OF 26-YEAR-OLD JOANN KATRINAK
OR HER INFANT SON ALEX.
THE KATRINAKS LIVED
ON A BUSY STREET
ACROSS FROM A LOCAL BAR.
NEIGHBORS SAID THEY SAW
NOTHING SUSPICIOUS
ON THE DAY
OF JOANN'S DISAPPEARANCE,
AND POLICE WERE SKEPTICAL
THAT JOANN AND HER BABY
COULD HAVE BEEN ABDUCTED
IN BROAD DAYLIGHT,
BUT 4 MONTHS AFTER THEY WERE
REPORTED MISSING,
THE WORST FEARS OF THE POLICE
WERE CONFIRMED.
IN A REMOTE STRETCH
OF RURAL FARMLAND,
A FARMER PLOWING HIS FIELD
NOTICED WHAT FIRST APPEARED
TO BE A BUNDLE OF CLOTHING.
WHEN HE LOOKED CLOSER,
HE DISCOVERED
THE DECOMPOSED BODY
OF A WOMAN LYING ON HER BACK,
AND ON HER CHEST,
A BABY.
ABOUT 40 FEET AWAY
WAS A BABY RATTLE
SHAPED LIKE A PHONE.
IT WAS ALEX KATRINAK'S
FAVORITE TOY.
Courter: FROM THEN ON,
OUR LIFE CHANGED.
SO ANYTHING AFTER THAT
DID NOT HAVE AS MUCH
OF AN IMPACT
AS WHEN THEY WERE FOUND.
THE 4 MONTHS THEY WERE MISSING
WAS ABSOLUTELY THE MOST
PAINFUL TIME IN MY LIFE,
OF ALL OUR LIVES.
Narrator: CLOSE TO THE BODIES
WAS A MILK BOTTLE AND DIAPER BAG
WITH TWO LONG, BLOND HAIRS
STILL ATTACHED.
THE HAIRS WERE
MICROSCOPICALLY SIMILAR
TO THE HAIRS FOUND
ON THE HEADREST
OF JOANN KATRINAK'S CAR.
SINCE JOANN KATRINAK'S JEWELRY
WAS FOUND WITH THE BODY,
THE MOTIVE DID NOT APPEAR
TO BE ROBBERY.
AN AUTOPSY DISCOVERED
THAT JOANN KATRINAK
HAD BEEN SHOT ONCE IN THE FACE
AT POINT-BLANK RANGE
WITH A .22 CALIBER PISTOL.
SHE HAD ALSO BEEN BEATEN.
Man: 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,
AND BECAUSE OF THE GUN JAMMING,
THE ASSAILANT HAD TO RESORT
TO BLUNT OBJECT
AND BEAT HER
ABOUT THE HEAD.
Narrator: THE CORONER
WAS NOT SURE
WHETHER LITTLE ALEX DIED
FROM EXPOSURE
OR HAD BEEN SUFFOCATED.
Man: I CAN REMEMBER
TILL THIS DAY
SEEING THAT INFANT
BEING LIFTED OFF
OF THE ABDOMEN
OF HIS MOTHER.
IT CERTAINLY TUGGED
AT OUR HEARTSTRINGS.
YOU KNOW, IT BROUGHT
A TEAR TO MY EYE,
UH, AND IF NOTHING MORE,
IT CERTAINLY GALVANIZED
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY
AND GOT US MOVING
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
Narrator: THE BODIES WERE FOUND
IN AN EXTREMELY REMOTE AREA
ABOUT 15 MILES
FROM THE KATRINAKS' HOME,
WHICH TOLD INVESTIGATORS
SOMETHING IMPORTANT
ABOUT THE KILLER.
Man: THE VICTIMS WERE
ON THE TRAIL,
SO AFTER INSPECTING THE SCENE
VERY THOROUGHLY,
WE FELT VERY STRONGLY
THAT THE PERSON WHO HAD KILLED
JOANN AND ALEX KATRINAK
HIS BEEN IN THIS AREA BEFORE
AND WAS FAMILIAR
WITH THESE TRAILS.
Narrator: THE TRAILS WERE USED
BY HORSEBACK RIDERS,
AND ANDREW KATRINAK
TOLD POLICE
THAT ONE
OF HIS FORMER GIRLFRIENDS
MANAGED A HORSE STABLE,
THE SILVER SHADOW FARMS
JUST A MILE DOWN THE ROAD.
HER NAME WAS PATRICIA RORRER.
SHE AND ANDREW LIVED TOGETHER
FOR TWO YEARS IN THE LATE 1980s
AND AGAIN BRIEFLY IN 1991.
WHEN THEY BROKE UP,
PATRICIA RORRER MOVED
TO NORTH CAROLINA,
HAD A CHILD WITH ANOTHER MAN,
AND HAD BEEN LIVING THERE
EVER SINCE.
WHEN POLICE QUESTIONED
PATRICIA RORRER AT HER HOME
IN NORTH CAROLINA,
THEY IMMEDIATELY NOTICED
THAT SHE WAS A BRUNETTE
AND NOT BLOND...
ARE YOU
PATRICIA RORRER?
LIKE THE HAIRS FOUND
IN JOANN'S CAR
AND ON THE DIAPER BAG.
CAN WE ASK YOU
A FEW QUESTIONS?
WERE YOU IN PENNSYLVANIA
DURING THE WEEK
OF DECEMBER 15
LAST YEAR?
NO.
Narrator: RORRER SAID
SHE WAS IN NORTH CAROLINA
ON THE DAY
OF JOANN'S DISAPPEARANCE,
500 MILES AWAY
FROM PENNSYLVANIA,
AND HAD WITNESSES
TO PROVE IT.
Detective: ALL RIGHT.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
Werts: I THINK SHE GAVE US
SOMETHING LIKE 4 OR 5 ALIBIS
AS TO WHERE SHE WAS AT.
ONE SHE WAS
AT A, UH, PRIVATE CLUB.
ONE SHE WAS OUT
BUYING FEED FOR HORSES.
ONE SHE WAS
AT A TANNING SALON.
Narrator: BUT ANDREW KATRINAK
HAD ANOTHER SURPRISE
FOR INVESTIGATORS.
HE REMEMBERED
THAT PATRICIA RORRER
CALLED HIS HOME
JUST 3 DAYS
BEFORE HIS WIFE
AND SON DISAPPEARED.
JOANN ANSWERED THE PHONE,
AND WHEN PATRICIA RORRER
IDENTIFIED HERSELF,
THE TWO ARGUED.
Joann: LOOK, ANDY HAS TOLD YOU
TO STOP CALLING HERE.
WE HAVE A BABY NOW.
WE'RE HAPPY TOGETHER.
JUST LEAVE US ALONE.
STOP CALLING HERE!
Narrator: PATRICIA RORRER
DENIED MAKING THAT CALL,
AND HER HOME TELEPHONE RECORDS
CONFIRMED HER STORY.
WITH BRUNETTE HAIR,
AN ALIBI,
AND NO EVIDENCE SHE CALLED
THE KATRINAKS' HOME,
INVESTIGATORS FEARED
THEY HAD HIT A DEAD END.
Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS WANTED TO KNOW
AS ACCURATELY AS POSSIBLE
WHEN JOANN AND ALEX KATRINAK
WERE KILLED.
ALTHOUGH THE BODIES
WERE DISCOVERED 4 MONTHS
AFTER THEY DISAPPEARED,
IT WASN'T CLEAR HOW LONG
THE BODIES HAD BEEN
IN THE FIELD.
THE BODIES CONTAINED
EVIDENCE OF INSECT ACTIVITY,
AND POLICE ASKED
DR. KE CHUNG KIM,
A FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGIST
AT PENNSYLVANIA
STATE UNIVERSITY,
FOR AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT
THE INSECT ACTIVITY REVEALED
ABOUT THE TIME OF DEATH.
THIS CASE WAS
RATHER COMPLICATED
BECAUSE TWO BODIES INVOLVED,
TWO VICTIMS INVOLVED,
AND THE SAME TIME
THAT A BODY WERE
LAYING ON THE GROUND
IN THE WILD
IN WINTERTIME.
AND, UH, SO THAT
THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAVES
OF INSECT ATTACKS--
INSECT INVASIONS TO THE BODY.
Narrator: FIRST DR. KIM FOUND
THE HARD OUTER SHELL
OF THE CALLIPHORA LIVIDA,
SHOWN HERE MAGNIFIED 150 TIMES.
THIS SPECIES OF BLOW FLY
HAD PROGRESSED
TO ITS FINAL STAGE
OF DEVELOPMENT.
DR. KIM ALSO FOUND
ANOTHER SPECIES,
CYNOMYOPSIS CADAVERINA,
THAT WAS JUST BEGINNING
ITS THIRD AND FINAL STAGE
OF DEVELOPMENT.
THESE TWO FACTORS
TOLD DR. KIM
THAT THE BODIES HAD BEEN
IN THE FIELD
FOR AT LEAST 51 DAYS
SINCE EARLY FEBRUARY,
AND WHEN DR. KIM LOOKED
AT THE LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS,
HE ALSO NOTICED ANOTHER
IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION.
BETWEEN DECEMBER 21
AND THE 28th,
LOCAL TEMPERATURES WERE
UNSEASONABLY WARM,
REACHING 50 DEGREES,
THE PERFECT CONDITIONS
FOR THESE TWO SPECIES
TO MATE AND LAY EGGS.
INVESTIGATORS NOW KNEW
THAT THE BODIES
HAD NOT BEEN PLACED
IN THE FIELD RECENTLY.
THEY WERE THERE SINCE FEBRUARY
AND POSSIBLY AS EARLY
AS DECEMBER,
THE TIME OF THE ABDUCTION.
PATRICIA RORRER'S
TELEPHONE RECORDS REVEALED
THAT SHE MADE LONG-DISTANCE
TELEPHONE CALLS FROM HOME
ALMOST EVERY DAY,
BUT THERE WERE NO CALLS MADE
BETWEEN DECEMBER 11
AND THE 16th,
SUGGESTING SHE WAS NOT
IN NORTH CAROLINA
WHEN JOANN KATRINAK
AND HER SON WERE ABDUCTED.
PATRICIA SAID SHE WAS
AT THE COWBOY'S NIGHT CLUB
IN NORTH CAROLINA
ON THE NIGHT OF THE ABDUCTION.
A STATE LAW REQUIRES ALL
PATRONS OF THE CLUB TO SIGN IN,
BUT PATRICIA RORRER
WAS NOT SIGNED IN ON THAT DATE.
PATRICIA RORRER ALSO DENIED
OWNING A .22 CALIBER PISTOL,
AND A SEARCH OF HER HOME
TURNED UP NOTHING.
BUT ONE OF HER OLD BOYFRIENDS
CONTRADICTED HER.
HE TOLD POLICE
PATRICIA RORRER OWNED
A .22 CALIBER, CHROME-PLATED,
SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPON
LIKE THIS ONE
AND SAID THE GUN HAD
A UNIQUE CHARACTERISTIC.
Kocevar: AN UNUSUAL FEATURE
ABOUT THE GUN,
HE STATED, WAS THE FACT
THAT YOU'D FIRE ONE SHOT
OUT OF THE GUN,
AND THE GUN WOULD JAM.
YOU COULDN'T FIRE
A SECOND SHOT.
WELL, THAT REALLY
CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION, OF COURSE.
Narrator: BUT POLICE
STILL HAD THE PROBLEM
WITH THE BLOND HAIR
FOUND AT THE SCENE
AND IN THE VICTIM'S CAR
SINCE PATRICIA RORRER
WAS A BRUNETTE.
Man: AND SHE LOOKED
AT THE WARRANT,
AND SHE SAW WE WERE LOOKING
FOR DIRTY BLOND HAIR,
SHE'S SITTING THERE
AS A BRUNETTE SAYING,
"WHO'S GOT DIRTY BLOND HAIR?
I DON'T HAVE DIRTY BLOND HAIR."
WE WERE SITTING
IN OUR OFFICE ONE DAY,
AND WE WERE DISCUSSING
HOW COULD WE DETERMINE
WHAT COLOR
PATRICIA RORRER'S HAIR WAS
AT THE TIME OF THE MURDER,
AND WE BOTH AGREED
THAT THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT
WAS TO TRY TO OBTAIN
A PICTURE OF HER
IN AND AROUND THE TIME
OF THE MURDER.
Narrator:
AFTER A LITTLE DIGGING,
POLICE DISCOVERED THAT
PATRICIA RORRER COMPETED
IN A HORSE SHOW
IN GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA,
IN DECEMBER OF 1994
AND HAD WON A PRIZE
AT THE COMPETITION.
THE PICTURES OF THE WINNERS
THAT DAY SHOWED PATRICIA RORRER
WITH BLEACHED BLOND HAIR.
THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN
JUST 11 DAYS BEFORE JOANN
AND ALEX KATRINAK DISAPPEARED.
BUT PROSECUTORS NEEDED MORE
THAN JUST A PHOTOGRAPH.
THEY NEEDED TO KNOW
FOR CERTAIN
WHETHER THE BLOND HAIR
AT THE CRIME SCENE BELONGED
TO PATRICIA RORRER.
Narrator:
THE BLOND HAIRS FOUND
ON THE DIAPER BAG
NEXT TO JOANN KATRINAK'S BODY
AND IN HER CAR
DID NOT CONTAIN
ENOUGH ROOT MATERIAL
FOR TRADITIONAL D.N.A. TESTING.
INVESTIGATORS' ONLY HOPE
WAS TO TRY A NEW TYPE
OF D.N.A. TEST,
ONE THAT HAD NEVER
BEEN ADMITTED INTO EVIDENCE
IN A PENNSYLVANIA TRIAL,
SOMETHING CALLED
MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A.
TRADITIONAL D.N.A. TESTING
ANALYZES THE NUCLEUS
OF THE CELL,
FOUND IN ABUNDANCE
IN BODILY FLUIDS AND TISSUE,
BUT OUTSIDE OF THE CELL NUCLEUS
ARE WHAT ARE KNOW
AS MITOCHONDRIA,
CELLS THAT CAN BE IDENTIFIED,
ALTHOUGH NOT AS PRECISELY AS
IN TRADITIONAL D.N.A. TESTING.
Man: MOST HAIRS
FROM CRIME SCENES
HAVE VERY, VERY LITTLE
AMOUNTS OF D.N.A.
HOWEVER, THERE'S MORE
MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A.
IN THOSE HAIRS.
THERE'S MORE COPIES
OF MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A.
IN THOSE HAIRS
THAN NUCLEAR D.N.A.
THEREFORE, IN HAIRS
OBTAINED FROM CRIME SCENES,
MOST OF THE TIME
WE CAN OBTAIN
A MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A. SEQUENCE,
WHERE WE WOULD FAIL
WITH NUCLEAR D.N.A. ANALYSIS.
Narrator: FIRST SCIENTISTS
WASHED THE HAIR IN DETERGENT,
THEN ADDED A DIGEST BUFFER
TO ELIMINATE EVERYTHING
EXCEPT THE CELLS
TO BE ANALYZED.
IN THIS GEL-LIKE MATTER
IS THE D.N.A. OF A KILLER.
TO IDENTIFY
THE D.N.A. SEQUENCE,
A P.C.R. TEST WAS CONDUCTED,
AND THE MITOCHONDRIAL
D.N.A. SEQUENCES
FROM THE BLOND HAIR
MATCHED PATRICIA RORRER'S
D.N.A. PROFILE.
THIS WAS ENOUGH
TO CONVINCE PROSECUTORS
THAT PATRICIA RORRER
WAS AT THE CRIME SCENE
AND INSIDE JOANN KATRINAK'S CAR.
PATRICIA RORRER WAS ARRESTED
AND CHARGED WITH TWO COUNTS
OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER.
PROSECUTORS BELIEVED
THAT PATRICIA RORRER
WAS IN PENNSYLVANIA
AND NOT NORTH CAROLINA
WHEN SHE CALLED
FOR ANDREW KATRINAK.
[TELEPHONE RINGS]
HELLO.
CAN I ASK WHO'S CALLING?
Narrator: BUT WHEN JOANN
ANSWERED THE PHONE,
PATRICIA'S HOPES
OF MEETING ANDREW
FOR OLD TIMES' SAKE
WERE QUICKLY DASHED.
Joann: WE HAVE A BABY NOW.
WE'RE HAPPY TOGETHER.
JUST LEAVE US ALONE.
STOP CALLING HERE!
HELLO? HELLO?
Narrator:
AND WHEN JOANN HUNG UP,
PROSECUTORS BELIEVE
RORRER GOT ANGRY
AND SOUGHT REVENGE.
FOR THE NEXT 3 DAYS,
RORRER STALKED
THE KATRINAKS' HOME
TO OBSERVE JOANN'S
DAILY ROUTINE.
ON DECEMBER 15
SOMETIME AFTER 1 P.M.,
PATRICIA RORRER BROKE
INTO THE KATRINAKS' BASEMENT
AND OVERHEARD JOANN
ON THE TELEPHONE
WITH HER MOTHER-IN-LAW.
Joann: WE'RE ABOUT READY
TO LEAVE, OK?
WE'LL BE OVER
AT ABOUT 1:30.
I JUST HAVE TO
GET THE BABY READY.
UH-HUH. GREAT.
THE MALL. OK. 15 MINUTES.
BYE.
Narrator: WHEN RORRER HEARD
KATRINAK WAS LEAVING,
SHE DECIDED TO WAIT FOR THEM
OUTSIDE IN THE ALLEY
AND CUT THE TELEPHONE LINE
TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER CALLS.
DO AS I SAY,
AND DON'T MAKE ANY NOISE.
AT GUNPOINT, PATRICIA RORRER
FORCED JOANN INTO HER CAR,
ORDERING HER TO DRIVE
TO THE REMOTE FARMLAND.
NO!
[GUNSHOT]
PATRICIA RORRER FIRED
A SINGLE SHOT
INTO JOANN KATRINAK
AND WHEN THE PISTOL JAMMED
BEAT HER TO DEATH.
THE BABY WAS LEFT
ON HIS MOTHER'S CHEST.
THE MURDER WEAPON
WAS NEVER FOUND,
BUT PATRICIA RORRER LEFT
TWO BLEACH BLOND HAIRS
AT THE CRIME SCENE
AND SOME HAIR STAINED
WITH THE VICTIMS' BLOOD
IN JOANN'S CAR
AS SHE DROVE IT BACK TO TOWN.
AT THE TRIAL,
PATRICIA RORRER'S DEFENSE TEAM
SCOFFED AT THE NOTION
THAT AN ALLEGED ARGUMENT
SHE HAD WITH JOANN KATRINAK
WAS A BELIEVABLE MOTIVE
FOR MURDER.
McIntyre: AND THE DEFENSE
WAS SAYING, "COME ON.
"THAT CAN'T BE A MOTIVE.
NORMAL PEOPLE DON'T
ACT LIKE THAT."
AND HE WAS RIGHT.
NORMAL PEOPLE DON'T
ACT LIKE THAT,
BUT THIS PARTICULAR PERSON
WAS NOT NORMAL
AND ACTED JUST THAT WAY.
Narrator: AFTER TWO HOURS
OF DELIBERATION,
THE JURY FOUND PATRICIA RORRER
GUILTY OF BOTH MURDERS,
AND SHE WAS SENTENCED
TO LIFE IN PRISON.
O'Connor: SHE'S GOING TO
HAVE TO LIVE
WITH WHAT SHE DID.
AND, UM, I HOPE HER LIFE
ISN'T HAPPY
BECAUSE MINE ISN'T.
I TRIED TO GET ON
WITH MY LIFE,
AND, UM, I'VE MADE
SOME, YOU KNOW, STRIDES,
BUT, UM, YOU NEVER, EVER
GET OVER THE LOSS
OF A CHILD OR A GRANDCHILD.
Narrator: THE CASE WAS A FIRST
IN THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA
AND WAS ONLY THE THIRD TIME
IN THE UNITED STATES
THAT A CONVICTION WAS SECURED
WITH MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A.
THIS CASE IS
A CLASSIC EXAMPLE
OF THE POWER
OF MITOCHONDRIAL D.N.A.
THE ONLY FORENSIC EVIDENCE
OBTAINED IN THIS CASE REALLY
WERE THE 3 HAIRS
FROM THE CRIME SCENE,
3 HAIRS THAT,
UNLESS YOU LOOKED VERY HARD FOR,
YOU MIGHT VERY EASILY
PASS OVER.
I'D HAVE TO SAY THIS--
THAT IN ALL MY YEARS
IN LAW ENFORCEMENT,
THE KATRINAK INVESTIGATION
IS ONE OF THE FINEST PIECES
OF POLICE WORK
THAT I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE
OF BEING INVOLVED IN.
THERE WERE MANY
UNIQUE CHALLENGES
TO THIS INVESTIGATION.
THE TECHNOLOGY
THAT WE EMPLOYED
IN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF AT LEAST ONE KEY PIECE
OF FORENSIC EVIDENCE
WAS LITERALLY
21st-CENTURY TECHNOLOGY