Keith Morrison investigates murder of Joann Katrinak and strength of Patricia Rorrer’s conviction

Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates is a two-parter that looks at the brutal killing of Joann Katrinak and her 3-month-old son Alex.

The pair were found dead in the woods near Heidelberg Township in April 1994, with Katrinak having been hit on the head 19 times and then shot in the face. Her infant son is thought to have either suffocated whilst lying on his mom or died of exposure.

It was some four months before their bodies were discovered and investigators later found strands of Patricia Rorrer’s hair at both the crime scene and in Katrinak’s car. She was the ex-girlfriend of Katrinak’s husband and the authorities charged her with the pair’s murder.

She had continued to contact Katrinak’s husband even though he was now married and it was claimed she was slighted when Katrinak told her to stop contacting them.

Rorrer was convicted in 1998  and given two life sentences, she is  currently serving her time at the Lehigh County Jail.

The case was back in court April 2016 where Patricia Rorrer’s lawyer argued that investigators did not handle the DNA evidence correctly, though he’d previously accepted it before it became clear it belonged to his client.

Keith Morrison looks at the case and evidence against Rorrer.

Watch Murder in Lehigh Valley: Keith Morrison Investigates at 8:00 PM on Investigation Discovery.