Monument symbole d'Atascocita, Texas — location anchor for the case — Credit: Public domain
Farah Fahmida Fratta (née Baquer), born August 5, 1961, in Guildford, Surrey, England, married Robert Alan Fratta, a public safety officer in Missouri City, Texas, in 1983. The couple had three children. In March 1992, Farah filed for divorce, alleging bizarre and deviant sexual demands by her husband. The divorce and custody proceedings lasted two years and were marked by acrimony. Multiple co-workers and friends of Robert Fratta later testified that he had repeatedly expressed intent to kill his wife, including discussing methods such as shooting her or staging a carjacking, and that he had asked several people, including a colleague, to help find a hitman.
In 1994, Fratta approached gym acquaintance Joseph Andrew Prystash, who agreed to find a gunman. Prystash recruited his neighbor, 18-year-old Howard Paul Guidry, to carry out the killing. On the night of November 9, 1994, after dinner with her children, Farah was alone at her Atascocita home when she was shot twice in the head by Guidry in her garage; neighbors witnessed the shooting and observed the getaway car, driven by Prystash. Police suspected Robert Fratta's involvement but lacked sufficient evidence to charge him at the time. In December 1994, a family court awarded custody of the children to Farah's parents, Betty and Lex Baquer, and the presiding judge reportedly found Fratta unfit as a parent due to suspicion of his involvement in the murder; Fratta was also fired from his job.
The case remained unsolved until March 1, 1995, when Guidry was arrested for an unrelated bank robbery and found with a .38 caliber revolver traced to Fratta. Ballistics linked the weapon to the murder, and Prystash's girlfriend, Mary Gipp, told police Guidry was involved. Fratta and Prystash were then arrested and charged with capital murder, along with Guidry.
Each defendant was tried separately. Fratta was convicted on April 18, 1996, and sentenced to death on May 3, 1996. Prystash was convicted on July 8, 1996, and sentenced to death on August 2, 1996. Guidry was convicted on March 20, 1997, and sentenced to death on April 16, 1997.
Guidry was granted a retrial in 2005 due to prosecutorial misuse of hearsay evidence; he was reconvicted on February 23, 2007, and resentenced to death on March 1, 2007. Fratta was granted a retrial in 2007 after a federal judge found procedural issues with the original prosecution; he was reconvicted on May 14, 2009, and resentenced to death on May 29, 2009.
Subsequent appeals by all three men were rejected over the following decade. Fratta was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit on January 10, 2023, after the U.S. Supreme Court and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to intervene. Joseph Prystash died on death row on June 19, 2025, before his execution could be carried out. As of 2025, Howard Guidry remains on death row.
Farah Fratta files for divorce from Robert Fratta.
1994
Robert Fratta recruits Joseph Prystash, who in turn recruits Howard Guidry, to kill Farah.
1994-11-09
Farah Fratta is shot and killed in the garage of her Atascocita, Texas home.
1994-12
Family court awards custody of the Fratta children to Farah's parents, Betty and Lex Baquer.
1995-03-01
Howard Guidry is arrested on an unrelated bank robbery charge; a revolver linked to the murder is found in his possession, leading to arrests of Fratta and Prystash.
1996-04-09
Robert Fratta's first capital murder trial begins.
1996-04-18
Fratta is found guilty of soliciting Farah's murder.
1996-05-03
Fratta is sentenced to death.
1996-07-01
Joseph Prystash's trial begins.
1996-07-08
Prystash is convicted of capital murder.
1996-08-02
Prystash is sentenced to death.
1997-03-20
Howard Guidry's trial begins.
1997-03-27
Guidry is convicted of capital murder.
1997-04-16
Guidry is sentenced to death.
1999-02-18
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismisses Fratta's appeal.
1999-12-16
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismisses Guidry's appeal.
2000-03-21
U.S. Supreme Court dismisses Fratta's appeal.
2005-01-14
Guidry is granted a retrial after a federal court finds prosecutorial misuse of hearsay evidence.
2007-02-19
Guidry's retrial begins.
2007-02-23
Guidry is reconvicted of capital murder.
2007-03-01
Guidry is resentenced to death.
2007-10-01
Fratta is granted a retrial by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon.
2008-07-22
5th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the ruling granting Fratta a retrial.
2009-05-05
Fratta's retrial begins.
2009-05-14
Fratta is reconvicted of solicitation of capital murder.
2009-05-29
Fratta is resentenced to death.
2017-04-26
5th Circuit Court of Appeals rejects Prystash's appeal.
2018-01-08
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Prystash's final appeal.
2018-05-01
5th Circuit Court of Appeals dismisses Fratta's federal appeal.
2019-01-08
U.S. Supreme Court dismisses Fratta's final appeal.
2021-06-23
5th Circuit Court of Appeals turns down Guidry's appeal.
2022-10-12
A Texas judge signs Fratta's death warrant, scheduling execution for January 10, 2023.
2023-01-10
Robert Fratta is executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit.
2025-06-19
Joseph Prystash dies on death row before his execution.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
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The Case of Robert Fratta
People
Joseph Andrew Prystash
CONVICTED
Convicted of capital murder as the middleman who recruited the gunman; sentenced to death in 1996; died on death row on June 19, 2025, before execution.
William Edward Planter
ACQUITTED
Former policeman convicted and sentenced to 17 years for attempting to instigate the murder of Robert Fratta (unrelated to Farah's murder); acquitted on appeal by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in February 2000 and released.
Howard Paul Guidry
CONVICTED
Convicted of capital murder as the gunman who shot Farah Fratta; sentenced to death in 1997 and again after retrial in 2007; remains on death row as of 2025.
Robert Alan Fratta
CONVICTED
Convicted of capital murder for soliciting the murder of his wife, Farah Fratta; sentenced to death in 1996 and again after retrial in 2009; executed by lethal injection on January 10, 2023.
Farah Fratta
VICTIM
Shot and killed at her Atascocita, Texas home on November 9, 1994, in a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by her estranged husband.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
Monument symbole d'Atascocita, Texas — location anchor for the case
Farah Fratta, 33, was shot and killed outside her Atascocita, Texas home on November 9, 1994, in a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by her estranged husband, police officer Robert Fratta, amid a contentious divorce and custody dispute. Fratta, middleman Joseph Prystash, and gunman Howard Guidry were all convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. Fratta was executed in January 2023; Prystash died on death row in 2025; Guidry remains on death row.
Where did the murder happen?
Atascocita, Texas, United States.
Who was convicted?
Joseph Andrew Prystash (Convicted of capital murder as the middleman who recruited the gunman; sentenced to death in 1996; died on death row on June 19, 2025, before execution.), Howard Paul Guidry (Convicted of capital murder as the gunman who shot Farah Fratta; sentenced to death in 1997 and again after retrial in 2007; remains on death row as of 2025.), and Robert Alan Fratta (Convicted of capital murder for soliciting the murder of his wife, Farah Fratta; sentenced to death in 1996 and again after retrial in 2009; executed by lethal injection on January 10, 2023.).
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