Who was Farah Fratta and what happened to her? Details explored ahead of Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler

Farah Fratta was a 33-year-old housewife whose brutal murder is explored in the latest episode of Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler on Oxygen True Crime. The episode, which is the third of season 2, is titled Prosecuting the Mastermind and will be released on Oxygen on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 8 pm ET.

The show, which first premiered in November 2023, is part of Oxygen's lineup of true crime television and is specifically targeted towards crimes that took place in Texas, USA. The logline of the show on Oxygen reads:

"Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler” is a true-crime series examining the most harrowing homicides and toughest trials in Texas history — all told with Kelly Siegler’s unique insight and unparalleled access.

Farah Fratta's murder was one of the most ruthless in the history of Texas as it was masterminded by her estranged husband. She was shot in the head twice in her own garage in 1994 by people who were paid by her husband.

The whole incident was witnessed by a neighbor who immediately alerted the authorities.

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Farah Fratta's murder: Details explored

A photo of Farah and Robert Fratta with their newborn child (image via Oxygen)

Farah Fratta originally hailed from England and moved to Missouri, Texas after she married Robert Fratta in 1983. Robert was a former fireman, policeman, and public safety officer, and the couple shared two sons and a daughter.

In March 1992, Farah filed for divorce owing to several marital problems, including abnormal s*xual demands by Robert. The divorce proceedings continued for two years. During that time, Robert reportedly expressed his animosity towards his wife to several friends and acquaintances, including a desire to kill her.

Robert was especially bitter towards Farah over the custody battle for their children. According to some testimonies, he was even looking for a hitman who could murder his wife so that he would get custody of the children.

After filing for divorce, Farah Fratta moved to the Atascocita region in Humble, near Houston, Texas with their children. On November 9, 1994, Farah's neighbor, Laura Hoelscher, heard a pop at 7:38 pm. When she went to her window to investigate, she saw Farah fall in her garage as another pop sounded.

Following this, Laura called 911 and reported the shots. She also notified the police that an African-American man dressed in black fled the scene in a waiting silver car with a burnt-out headlight.

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How Farah Fratta's husband planned her murder and what happened to him

Texas Death Row at the Huntsville Unit where Robert Fratta was executed (image via Getty)

Farah Fratta's murder remained unsolved for months while her parents were granted custody of her children. However, a break in the case came on March 1, 1995, when a man named Howard Guidry was arrested in an unrelated robbery.

Upon his arrest, the police recovered a .38 caliber pistol from Guidry's backpack, and the ballistics matched the fragments found in Farah's garage after her death. Moreover, the firearm was found to be registered to Robert Fratta which led to his arrest.

Investigations revealed that Robert had hired a man named Joseph Prystash, who in turn had hired Guidry. The three had plotted the murder together and according to Houston Chronicle, Guidry was offered $1000 while Prystash was offered $2000 and a jeep by Robert, for the murder. Guidry was the gunman while Prystash drove the getaway car.

All three of them were sentenced to death. Robert was first sentenced in 1996, but was granted a retrial, where he was resentenced to death in 2009. Robert, 65, received a lethal injection of pentobarbital in the Huntsville Unit on January 10, 2023.

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Watch the latest episode of Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler, to be released on February 8, 2025, at 8 pm ET on Oxygen.