Overview of Undisclosed — S8 Ep11: “The State v. Patricia Rorrer” (Episode 6: “Target Acquired”)
This episode follows the investigation into the murders of Joanne and Alex Katrinak and shows how police gradually shifted suspicion away from Andy Katrinak and toward Patricia Rorrer. The hosts argue that several important leads were mishandled, ignored, or poorly documented, especially witness reports involving a mysterious car and a man seen threatening a woman on the day Joanne disappeared. The episode also lays out how Patricia’s past, location, relationships, and alleged violence made her the focus of law enforcement, culminating in an FBI memo that framed the case as potentially involving “murder for hire.”
Key Investigation Developments
FBI profiling and early suspicion
- The episode begins by revisiting expert Dr. Sasha Reed’s view that the murders appeared deeply personal and emotionally driven.
- Her analysis is said to align with an earlier FBI profile created by Steve Etter in 1995.
- According to retired agent David Rowe, the profile suggested the offender:
- knew the Katrinak home and the woods where the bodies were found,
- had likely already been interviewed by police,
- and had not initially included Patricia Rohrer as a person of interest.
The abandoned dark-colored car
- Several witnesses reported a small dark-colored car parked near the woods around the relevant time.
- One witness described it as possibly a Ford Escort or Mercury Lynx; another said the car had no tags and its radio had been ripped out.
- The hosts point out that Andy Katrinak’s father owned a car that matched this description closely, and that police apparently failed to connect that fact.
- The episode suggests this could have been either an oversight or a sign investigators were narrowing in on a suspect and ignoring contrary evidence.
Walter Trotman’s Witness Account
What he claimed to see
- Walter Trotman reported seeing a woman in a car being confronted by a man on December 15, 1994.
- He described:
- a gold car with black trim,
- a woman with shoulder-length black hair,
- and a tall man with long, straggly hair.
- The man allegedly shouted, “What do you mean it’s not my kid?”
- Trotman later believed the woman was Joanne Katrinak after seeing her photo in the paper, and later recognized Andy Katrinak in a funeral photograph as the man he saw.
Police handling of Trotman
- Trotman says he repeatedly tried to get police to take his report seriously.
- Trooper Robert Egan’s written account says Trotman changed his story repeatedly and became disruptive.
- Egan wrote that Trotman’s letter and drawings were destroyed and that his lead was deemed irrelevant.
- Trotman, however, claims Egan physically shoved and injured him when he returned to the barracks.
Why the episode views this as significant
- The hosts stress that if Egan’s account is true, then key evidence was either never documented or deliberately destroyed.
- They argue that this matters not just because it may support or undermine Trotman’s witness claim, but because it may reveal how the investigation became centered on Patricia while other leads were buried.
How Patricia Rorrer Became the Focus
Andy’s statements steer police toward Patricia
- After Joanne and Alex were found, Andy repeatedly suggested Joanne may have been stalked or targeted by someone romantically obsessed with her.
- On one drive to the crime scene, Andy denied knowing anyone connected to the area, despite having an ex-girlfriend, Terry Binkini, living nearby.
- Police then pressed Andy about Patricia, who had called the house shortly before the disappearance.
Patricia’s proximity and history
- Police learned Patricia had:
- lived near the victims in the past,
- run a stable very close to where the bodies were found,
- been in eastern Pennsylvania in 1994 despite claiming she had not been there since 1991,
- and allegedly had a violent temperament.
- Her ex-boyfriend Conrad Hewitt described her as physically aggressive and said she could handle a rifle well.
- Hewitt also said Patricia’s mother once arrived during an argument carrying a revolver.
Corroboration and alibis
- Investigators checked Patricia’s claimed alibis:
- buying grain from Leroy Rouse at the mill,
- stopping at a gas station for kerosene,
- and visiting another station about a lost key.
- Some of these details were partially confirmed by employees and witnesses.
- The hosts note that this made the case against Patricia more complicated than a simple accusation, even though police were clearly closing in on her.
The FBI Memo and “Murder for Hire”
- An FBI memo dated June 16, 1995, officially identified Patricia Rorrer as a suspect.
- The memo emphasized:
- her prior relationship with Andy,
- her proximity to the crime scene,
- her alleged violence,
- her verified presence in Pennsylvania,
- her refusal to take a polygraph,
- and the angry phone call she allegedly had with Joanne shortly before the murders.
- The most striking detail: the memo’s subject line was “murder for hire.”
Main Takeaways
- The episode argues that the investigation was shaped by major missed opportunities and questionable documentation.
- Several witness reports that could have pointed elsewhere were either dismissed or handled poorly.
- Patricia Rorrer became the central suspect not just because of her relationship to Andy, but because investigators assembled a broader narrative of motive, location, and alleged violence around her.
- At the same time, the episode leaves open serious questions about whether other leads were ignored once the case began to narrow on Patricia.
Unresolved Questions
- Was Walter Trotman actually witnessing Joanne and Andy on the day of the disappearance?
- Why was the abandoned car near the crime scene not more thoroughly investigated?
- Did Trooper Egan mishandle or destroy evidence that might have supported an alternate theory?
- Were investigators too quick to settle on Patricia once the profile and circumstantial evidence began to point in her direction?