The Murder of Patrick ‘Pat’ McRae
For this case, I watched an episode of Forensic Files. It’s season 13 episode 6, titled ‘Dancing with the Devil.’
A man is found dead in his Des Moines, Iowa home.
Background
Patrick ‘Pat’ McRae was born on August 27, 1956. Pat had also dreamed of working in the television industry. His dream came true, and he worked as a video production coordinator at Iowa Public Television.
Pat was described as friendly and well liked. His long work hours took a toll on his marriage. It led to a divorce between him and his wife of 12 years, in 1997. The couple also had two children together.
Pat McRae
The Crime Scene
On October 16, 1999, Pat had gone to a strip club called the Outer Limits. After his divorce, he was a regular customer, as he was looking for companionship.
Several days later, on a Monday morning, Pat was supposed to pick his daughter up for school. He didn’t show up, and his ex-wife couldn’t get a hold of him. It was very unusual for Pat not to show up for his kids, so his ex-wife went to Pat’s house, and entered with her key. Inside, she found Pat’s dead body.
The crime scene was very bloody. Pat was found near the front door, but a struggle had taken place in the living room. There were bloody footprints all over the house. The killer had tried to clean up in the bathroom, but there was so much blood.
There was no sign of forced entry. But, several clothing items had been tossed around. Those too were covered in blood. Pat’s wallet had been cut from his back pocket, leading police to believe the motive was robbery.
The bloody footprints were from a size 7 Doc Martens boot. The police came to the conclusion that the killer had left, but returned to the scene at some point. The boot prints were overlapping.
The First Suspect
The medical examiner put Pat’s time of death about 48 hours before he was found.
The police learned Pat went to Outer Limits on the night he died. Pat often went around 10pm, but on this night, he came in early around happy hour. The owner of the club said that Pat had spent time with a dancer named ‘Mystic,’ who’s real named was Laura.
On the day that Pat’s body was discovered, Laura didn’t show up for work. She and her boyfriend had left town. An APB was put out for Laura.
From the DNA samples, the police learned that Pat’s killer was a woman. Several of the samples had a mixture of Pat’s blood, as well as the killer’s.
There was one blood stain in particular that had been found on Pat’s comforter. The evidence suggested that Pat had never made it to his bedroom, so the blood was his killer’s.
The police eventually tracked down Laura. A sample of her DNA was taken, but it was not a match. She was ruled out as a suspect. Laura said that the owner probably had thought that it was her, as several dancers wore wigs. Laura said she never saw Pat on that night in October 1999.
Sadly, Pat’s case went cold for 5 years.
The Witness
Five years later, Detective Judy Stanley, received a call from the Lincoln, Nebraska police. A man named Mars Davis had been arrested for drug possession, and claimed he had information about an unsolved Des Moines case.
Mars Davis
Mars was interviewed in this episode, and I have to say, I believe him. Mars said he felt guilty about what he knew, and decided to come forward, even though he did ask for leniency for his drug charge.
Mars said she didn’t know the victim’s name, but knew that he had been killed in his home. He told the police a nearby street, and that the house was located near a convenience store and several car washes. Mars also knew that Pat worked at a TV station.
Mars told the police that in 1999, he was in a relationship with a woman named Andrea Morris, a 24-year-old exotic dancer. Andrea worked at Outer Limits, and had seen Pat on the night he died.
Andrea Morris
Mars said that Andrea told him she needed to be dropped off at Pat’s for a private dance at his home. Mars agreed because money was tight. Mars dropped Andrea off, and went to wash his car, telling her he’d be back in an hour.
An hour later, Andrea was covered in blood. At first, she told him that she had gotten a nose bleed. Eventually, Andrea admitted to Mars that she killed Pat because they told her to. Mars believed she had been hearing voices.
What Really Happened?
Mars said Andrea claimed for awhile that she had just gotten a nose bleed, but the blood was in her hair, her underwear and socks. Mars said they checked into a motel to shower and sleep, but Andrea realized her wallet was at Pat’s house. They went back, which explained the overlapping footprints.
A nationwide search was underway for Andrea. The police learned that she had spent 2 years in prison for a drug charge. The police contacted her probation officer, as one requirement for her release was to provide a DNA sample. It was a match to the crime scene.
Andrea Morris was arrested at her apartment in Lincoln, Nebraska. Det. Stanley said once she introduced herself, and said she was from Des Moines, the blood drained from Andrea’s face.
Andrea claimed she was innocent, and that Mars was the real killer. Andrea said she went to Pat’s for a private dance, but that Pat assaulted her. Andrea said she tried to get away, but couldn’t. She said Mars entered, and started stabbing Pat.
There was absolutely no evidence that put Mars in Pat’s house. The DNA is all from Andrea, as well as all of the boot prints. The police believed that Andrea had made a plan to rob Pat. Andrea gave him the private dance, but immediately began stabbing him. Pat tried to fight, but lost when he succumbed to his injuries. He was stabbed a total of 6 times.
Andrea then waited for Mars to return. She then returned when she realized her wallet was left inside Pat’s house. Mars said everything in her wallet was soaked in blood.
The Conviction
In October 2007, Mars testified against Andrea at her trial. She was found guilty of first degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison.
A new trial was ordered after her lawyer was supposedly drinking, as people smelled alcohol on the lawyer’s breath. In 2013, Andrea pled guilty to second degree murder, willful injury and first degree theft. She was sentenced to 50 years for murder, 10 for willful injury and 10 for the theft charge. She will be eligible for parole after serving 70% of her sentence.
It’s unclear whether Andrea was actually hearing voices, or it’s just some shit she made up, among other things.
Andrea in a more recent photo
FINAL THOUGHTS
Pat was only looking for companionship. He was obviously devastated after his divorce, and sadly, the companionship was from the wrong person. Andrea is selfish and greedy. She ruined her life, and took the life of a father who won’t be able to see his kids grow up.
Mars has gotten a lot of shit, but I think he was being truthful. Should he have confessed earlier? Yes, but he did admit that he felt bad for Andrea. He probably loved her, and had a lot of issues of his own.
Sources
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/168913802/patrick-mcrae
https://www.forensicfilesfiles.com/andrea-morris-murder-pat-mcrae.php
https://fox42kptm.com/archive/former-stripper-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-murder
https://www.foxnews.com/story/trial-begins-for-former-stripper-accused-of-1999-des-moines-slaying
https://www.kcci.com/article/former-stripper-reaches-plea-deal-in-client-s-murder/6878396
https://www.ketv.com/article/neb-stripper-pleads-guilty-to-iowa-client-s-death/7638798
