Robert Fratta case: Ex-Texas cop to be executed Tuesday | khou.com - KHOU.com

Former Missouri City constabulary serviceman Robert Fratta was executed Tuesday, making him the archetypal idiosyncratic successful the authorities of Texas to beryllium executed successful 2023. 

Fratta made nary last statement, according to KHOU 11 News Reporter Grace White who was a witnesser to the execution. White said a spiritual advisor placed his manus implicit Fratta's close hand, prayed and work scriptures arsenic lethal drugs were administered. 

Fratta's clip of decease was 7:49 p.m.  

The execution of Fratta was stalled for much than an hr aft a Travis County justice tried to halt the execution based on claims the authorities is utilizing expired drugs, but the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals vacated the injunction, allowing the execution to determination forward. 

Fratta, present 65, told Death Penalty Action enforcement manager Abraham Bonowitz Sunday night that he's "kind of acceptable to go" due to the fact that the waiting has been "ridiculously tormenting."

“Knowing the time and clip that you’re gonna dice and it’s conscionable prolonged, and everything that we get enactment done beforehand, this is torture," Fratta said. "I’m conscionable bushed of 27 years of suffering."

During 2 superior execution trials, prosecutors said Fratta gave the 18-year-old triggerman $1,000 to kill Farah Fratta, the parent of his 3 children.

Prosecutors painted Robert Fratta arsenic a intersexual deviant who was motivated by a messy divorce, a bitter custody conflict and wealth from an security policy. 

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NOW ON KHOU 11+: Hear the 911 telephone from a neighbour the nighttime Farah Fratta was killed and spot the constabulary interrogation video of Robert Fratta the pursuing day.  Get KHOU 11+ for escaped connected Roku and FireTV

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In 1996, it took jurors little than an hr to convict Fratta and they sentenced him to death. He showed nary emotion but household members from some sides wept.

After the trial, Farah's father, Lex Baquer, said it had been particularly hard connected the couple's children.

"The young girl, she inactive asks for her mother. 'Mommy, I emotion you, Mommy. I miss you, Mommy,'" Lex said. "'I cognize you're successful heaven, and someday erstwhile I die, I volition conscionable you successful heaven.'"  

"I cannot hold for the time erstwhile I spot him laying connected that table, waiting to get the injection. That volition beryllium justness for me," Farah's mom, Betty Baquer, said aft the archetypal trial. 

Justice would beryllium a agelong clip coming for Farah Fratta's loved ones. Thirteen years aft she was killed, her husband's condemnation was overturned due to the fact that of inadmissible evidence. 

During a 2009 retrial, the couple's children -- who were past young adults -- testified against their father, and Fratta was convicted and sentenced to decease again. 

After 26 years connected decease row, a justice yet scheduled his execution date. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition to halt the execution.

The couple's oldest son, Bradley Baquer and Farah's member Zain Baquer volition beryllium successful Huntsville to yet spot justice. Victim's advocator Andy Kahan volition besides beryllium there, on with KHOU 11 newsman Grace White. A spiritual advisor volition beryllium the lone witnesser connected Robert Fratta's behalf. 

The execution volition travel excessively precocious for Farah Fratta's father, who died successful 2018. 

WARNING: Contains graphic contented and language

Chapter 1 The execution of Farah Fratta

On Nov. 9, 1994, Farah Fratta returned to her Atascocita location aft getting her hairsbreadth cut. The 33-year-old had nary thought that a shooter was hiding successful the backyard. Waiting. 

Neighbors crossed the thoroughfare heard the archetypal gunshot.

She and her husband, Darin, saw Farah Fratta laying by her car and called for help.

"It was astatine that clip erstwhile we realized she wasn't getting up; we dialed 911," Hoelscher said. "I conscionable started giving them a play-by-play of what we were seeing."

While she was connected the telephone with the dispatcher, Hoelscher saw a antheral hiding down a tree. 

"There's idiosyncratic implicit there!" Hoelscher said. "There's a achromatic man successful a achromatic garment and achromatic pants. A woman is down successful her garage. She's been changeable 2 times, 2 shots. Oh my God."

Chapter 2 'It wounded truthful much'

The nighttime Farah Fratta was killed, the children -- Bradley, 7, Daniel, 6, and Amber, 4 -- were with Fratta for his play Wednesday nighttime visitation. He usually took them to dinner, but that nighttime helium took them to church. Prosecutors said it was each portion of his evil plan. 

"How galore radical usage religion arsenic their alibi and usage their ain children arsenic their alibi? Who does that?" authoritative Kelly Siegler told "48 Hours Mystery."

Bradley remembers his begetter taking them location aft religion that night.

"The archetypal happening I retrieve was conscionable each the yellowish portion everywhere," Bradley told "48 Hours." "I conscionable retrieve arriving determination and my dada acting precise amazed arsenic to what was going on."

Farah Fratta's parents rushed to the location aft a neighbour called to archer them their girl had been changeable doubly successful the head.

"Her eyes were open. And I conscionable enactment my manus up connected her - conscionable unopen her eyes. And I felt her. She was cold. It wounded truthful much," Betty said. "…one idiosyncratic destroying a parent and 3 kids."

"The archetypal happening retired of my rima was, 'Where is that lad of a bitch?' Talking astir my son-in-law, Bob Fratta," Lex said successful 2010. "I knew instantly that Bob had thing to bash with it."

Homicide detectives suspected Fratta too, but it took them a fewer months to compile capable grounds to complaint him. 

Chapter 3 'My parent was successful danger'

Fratta was already connected HCSO Detective Larry Davis's radar months earlier Farah Fratta was gunned down. 

She called the sheriff's bureau 1 nighttime aft waking up to spot a masked antheral lasting implicit her with a stun gun. 

"I woke up to my parent screaming," Bradley said. "I had nary thought truly what was going on. All I cognize was my parent was successful information and thing wasn't right."

"We were conscionable screaming, crying extracurricular the door, 'Let our mommy go, permission her alone, permission her alone.'"

After utilizing the stun weapon connected Farah Fratta, the attacker near and was ne'er caught. 

She told investigators that she thought her hubby had thing to bash with it but determination was nary proof. 

Chapter 4 'Cheesing connected the camera'

Fratta's behaviour aft his wife's decease besides raised suspicion. 

After being interrogated by homicide detectives the time aft she was killed, Fratta swaggered toward the TV cameras with a large grin connected his face. 

"He's conscionable happy-go-lucky… he's cheesing to the camera," Davis told "48 Hours Mystery." "He gave each indications that helium was going to get distant with this murder."

Victim advocator Andy Kahan, who sat done the proceedings and volition witnesser the execution, ne'er forgot it either.

“I retrieve ... it was your presumption and they had this unthinkable close-up of him winking astatine the camera and I had ne'er seen a suspect smiling," Kahan said.

Detectives didn't marque overmuch headway successful the archetypal interrogation and Fratta tried to displacement blasted elsewhere.

Interviewer: "What's incorrect with this picture? Your woman lives successful an above-average neighborhood. And precise small happens there, I cognize that for a fact. Your woman is changeable retired of the wide bluish arsenic she's going to the garage. Nothing is taken from her."

Fratta: "Um, each I tin accidental is cheque her lifestyle. She went retired clubbing a lot, got a boob job, flaunted a lot." 

Detectives searched Fratta's car and recovered $1,000 successful the mitt compartment -- the aforesaid magnitude promised to the hitman. 

 They started pursuing Fratta and talking to radical who knew him. 

He spent a batch of clip astatine the gym wherever much than a twelve workout buddies told investigators that Fratta talked a batch astir getting escaped of his wife. 

One feline said Fratta had a database of his wife's activities and was going to prosecute a pack subordinate to termination her. Others said helium was asking astir to find idiosyncratic who would bash it. 

“It was benignant of unfathomable to deliberation that idiosyncratic with that inheritance would really beryllium liable and travel to find retired that helium had been asking multiple, aggregate radical – anyplace from 8 to 10 radical – if they could instrumentality retired his wife," Kahan said.

Those friends aboriginal told investigators that they didn't telephone the constabulary due to the fact that they didn't deliberation helium was serious.

Chapter 5 The hitman and the middleman

While Fratta thought the religion sojourn would supply the cleanable alibi, his actions determination turned retired to beryllium his downfall. The children and respective witnesses astatine the religion told constabulary that Fratta spent a batch of clip connected the telephone that night. 

Phone records showed helium was calling Mary Gipp whose live-in fellow was Joseph Prystash, an ex-con and 1 of Fratta's workout partners. 

"In my mind, she was the cardinal to this case," Davis said.

Gipp initially refused to cooperate. For months, she wouldn't budge. 

"She was a witch. She was a astute aleck. She was a bitch," Siegler told "48 Hours."

When they threatened to complaint her successful the case, she yet started talking successful speech for immunity. She said Prystash acted arsenic the middleman successful speech for Fratta's Jeep. He recruited their neighbor, 18-year-old Howard Guidry, to beryllium the triggerman and promised him $1,000. 

Guidry was the antheral dressed successful achromatic the neighbour saw aft the shooting and Prystash was the 1 who picked him up. 

Gipp stayed location and watched crystal skating connected TV until Prystash returned.

"I asked him if she was dead. That was the lone happening I asked," she told Schlesinger. "And helium said, 'Yes.' And I said, 'How bash you know?' And helium said. 'Because I was there. And I saw her.'"

Then the mates had sex.

Guidry was already down bars for a slope robbery that happened aft the murder. He utilized the aforesaid weapon for some crimes and it was traced backmost to Robert Fratta. 

Guidry and Prystash confessed and confirmed that Fratta planned the full thing. Both were aboriginal convicted of superior execution and sent to decease row. 

Five months aft Farah Fratta's murder, Robert was arrested and charged. 

Chapter 6 'He's a psychopath'

Before Fratta's arrest, helium tried to get custody of the children, who were with his wife's parents. Lex and Betty, inactive successful mourning for their daughter, were appalled that helium was allowed by instrumentality to sojourn the children. 

The Baquers yet adopted Bradley, Daniel and Amber, who took their mother's maiden name. 

Through the years, they've taken antithetic paths to header with knowing that their begetter killed their mother. 

"He's a psychopath," Amber told "48 Hours."

She was 18 erstwhile she confronted her begetter portion helium was successful jailhouse awaiting his 2nd trial. It was the archetypal clip she'd seen him successful 14 years.

"He had a grin connected his look similar helium had nary emotion to him astatine all," Amber remembered. "He had the nervus to archer maine delight spell to Christian counseling. By past I had heard capable from him. Basically, I fto him cognize that erstwhile helium does die, helium gets that needle successful his arm, I privation to beryllium there."

On her 19th birthday, Amber took the basal and asked jurors to nonstop her begetter to the decease chamber. 

"My ma wasn't determination for my archetypal date, my archetypal kiss, and she won't beryllium determination for the commencement of my kids," she said. 

Daniel admitted he's had choler issues passim his beingness and he's had immoderate run-ins with the law.

"I was ever upset. I would spot kids with their dads oregon their mothers. I was ever jealous, ever mad," Daniel said. "I consciousness similar it's each directed towards my dad. He's the crushed wherefore I'm aggravated truthful much."

"I inactive commune each azygous nighttime to her," Bradley said. "Dear mommy, I emotion you and I miss you and I'll ne'er ever hide astir you. And I volition proceed praying for you each azygous nighttime arsenic agelong arsenic I live."