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How NOT to Hire a Hitman - Season 1 - Episode 01: Gym Buddies
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00:25To be continued...
00:30But polygraph results aren't always reliable.
00:34And a hitman who can't follow simple instructions.
00:38He had one job, and it was to dispose of the gun.
00:43If there was a rating system for hitman, this guy would be getting a solid one-star review.
01:02In the early 1980s, Bob Frata works as a ticket agent for a national airline.
01:08Bob is a native of New York, but his job has moved him all across the country, eventually landing him
01:15in Houston, Texas.
01:18Here, he meets fellow ticket agent Farrah Backer.
01:22Farrah was born and raised in the UK.
01:24She left behind a job and a fiancé when her parents moved from Surrey, England, to Houston, Texas, and she
01:32decided to join them.
01:33Bob and Farrah are both in their 20s, and they have a fun, flirty energy.
01:38Eventually, it blossoms into a relationship, and the two get married in 1983.
01:51After their wedding, Bob and Farrah settle into suburban life in Humboldt, Texas, just north of Houston.
02:04Bob decides to change careers.
02:07He leaves the airline and joins the Missouri City Police Department as a public safety officer.
02:14In Texas, a public safety officer performs a variety of roles, from community patrol to investigating accidents and other policing
02:22functions.
02:23They administer first aid, and they coordinate emergency medical and fire responses.
02:30With three young children, the Frattas are the picture of suburban bliss.
02:35Bob and Farrah have two boys and a girl, all close in age.
02:39Bob coaches the boys' soccer team, and also serves on the local homeowners association.
02:45The family is really involved in their local church.
02:48They regularly attend mass at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Humboldt.
02:54And Bob even works with the local volunteer fire department.
02:59They're a very busy and happy young family.
03:03But the Frattas don't stay happy for long.
03:09The 1980s and 1990s saw a huge explosion in the workout culture.
03:15Bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger were hitting the mainstream.
03:19And going to the gym to work out and lift weights was becoming a very popular pastime, especially amongst men.
03:26Bob Frattas is a huge fitness buff.
03:28He spends a lot of his time pumping iron at his favourite Houston gym, the President and First Lady.
03:35It's a passion that Farrah does not share.
03:40Bob's obsession with fitness is part of a wider focus he has on superficial outward appearances.
03:46It's important for him to look buff and portray a cool, tough guy image to the world.
03:58Bob's fixation on outward appearances extends to his wife.
04:03Farrah is really busy with the kids.
04:06And her appearance is important to her.
04:08But it's really important to Bob.
04:12Eventually, Farrah undergoes a breast enhancement and a nose job to make her husband happy.
04:21But despite Farrah's extreme efforts to please her husband, the marriage crumbles.
04:28In 1992, after nearly a decade together, Farrah files for divorce.
04:35Bob and Farrah try really hard to make their marriage work.
04:39But it just doesn't.
04:41Their separation is nothing close to amicable.
04:43And it's extra sad because their kids are so young.
04:52Bob and Farrah's marital breakdown isn't your average, who-gets-the-China kind of split.
04:59Both want primary custody of their three young children.
05:04The argument turns into a real grudge match.
05:15Family court takes custody of matters very seriously, especially when there are young children involved and the parents have an
05:23acrimonious relationship.
05:25They're going to very carefully check the fitness of each parent before arriving at a decision.
05:30They might interview friends and extended family members to get a full picture.
05:36In all cases, the best interest of the children is the most important thing for everybody involved.
05:43The trial date is set for November 28th, 1994, to determine which parent, Farrah or Bob, will get primary custody
05:53of the children.
06:01Six months before the scheduled custody hearing, Farrah endures a bizarre and frightening encounter in the middle of the night.
06:11In June 1994, Farrah is asleep in her bedroom.
06:15The kids are asleep in their bedrooms.
06:19Everything seems like a normal night.
06:25At one point, she hears a noise in her room, but she assumes it's the cat.
06:34Suddenly, there's a strange man at the foot of her bed.
06:43The man is a white male.
06:45He's wearing a black ski mask and carrying a backpack.
06:49He assures Farrah that he won't hurt her, but there's no reason for her to believe him.
06:54No one breaks into a woman's bedroom at night wearing a ski mask with good intentions.
07:01The masked intruder tells Farrah he wants Frada's ass in a sling.
07:07Farrah is terrified.
07:09She has no idea what his ass in a sling means.
07:13She and Bob have been separated for over a year.
07:16She doesn't know what he's doing, who he's hanging out with.
07:19Maybe someone has a grudge against him.
07:21He does work in law enforcement.
07:24When Farrah starts to protest, the intruder zaps her with a stun gun.
07:29A stun gun is a non-lethal weapon, but it still packs a big punch.
07:35It sends an electrical charge that causes a person's muscles to seize up.
07:40It can even incapacitate a person entirely.
07:42And it definitely hurts.
07:45The aftermath of a stun gun attack can leave cuts or scrapes or even bruising on the skin.
07:51The masked man zaps her twice.
07:53Once in the upper arm and once at the base of her throat.
07:59He has quickly forgotten his promise that he was not going to hurt her.
08:07After attacking Farrah with the stun gun, the man escapes into the hallway and out of the house.
08:13The ordeal lasts just a few minutes.
08:15But after he's gone, Farrah is shaken to the core.
08:24The incident is reported to police at the Harris County Sheriff's Department.
08:30Harris County encompasses most of Houston and the surrounding area.
08:34So they see a lot of crime and a lot of violent crime.
08:39Every crime like this where someone is injured receives attention.
08:42But with nothing more to go on than the vague description of the suspect, there's not a lot the police
08:47can do.
08:48Bob Frada is no help.
08:51Investigators ask him about the incident and he refuses to provide any type of assistance.
08:57It's safe to say there's no love lost between Bob and his ex.
09:01And he's not going to lift a finger to help.
09:05Eventually, with nothing more to go on, police are forced to shelve the investigation.
09:12And Farrah is forced to put the bizarre incident behind her.
09:23Throughout their ongoing custody fight, the kids live full-time with Farrah.
09:27And Bob takes them every Wednesday.
09:29He first picks up the youngest one from his in-laws, who provide some free child care.
09:35And then he goes to school to pick up the two boys.
09:38After that, they go out to dinner.
09:46Farrah uses her time alone to run errands.
09:49As a single mother of three, there's not much time that she has to herself.
09:57November 9th, 1994, begins as a typical Wednesday for the Fradas.
10:05Bob picks up the kids as usual for his Wednesday visitation.
10:09He takes them out to dinner at Wyatt's Cafeteria.
10:12And Farrah uses the time to get her hair cut at the local salon.
10:17After dinner, Bob takes the kids to their church, where one of the kids is taking catechism classes.
10:24In the Catholic Church, kids start preparing for their first Holy Communion at age seven.
10:29It's an important rite, and kids take classes to prepare.
10:34In church communities, parents spend a lot of time together and form friendships while they wait for their children.
10:43Around 8 p.m., Farrah returns home from the salon.
10:48That night, the police will once again be called to the Frada home.
10:53But this time, someone is dead.
11:02Bob and Farrah Frada both enjoy their lives as the parents to three young children in a suburb of Houston,
11:09Texas.
11:11So much so, that when their marriage breaks down, they're headed for a bitter battle in family court.
11:19Each trying to retain primary custody of the children.
11:24In June 1994, an intruder attacks Farrah with a stun gun in the middle of the night while making threats
11:32against Bob.
11:41It's safe to say there's no love lost between Bob and his ex, and he's not going to lift a
11:47finger to help.
11:49On November 9th, three weeks before their upcoming custody hearing, Bob takes the children out for dinner and to their
11:58eldest son's catechism class at their local church.
12:06At 8.06 p.m. that night, a neighbor across the street from Farrah's house makes a frantic call to
12:13911.
12:20In Mellon County, what is your emergency?
12:22Yes, I just want a shooting, please.
12:24Okay, do you know if anybody's been shot?
12:26Yes, I see the lady. I see her garage right now.
12:28Is somebody shot?
12:29Yes.
12:30Stay on the line. Let me connect to the ambulance service. Hold on.
12:33There is county sheriff.
12:34Mellon County, I have a shooting.
12:36Tasker, CDMS, and round. Go ahead, ma'am. Suspect's still there.
12:38There is still a person out there. There is a black gentleman. He's dressed a black shirt and a black
12:42pants.
12:42A lady is down in her garage. She's been shot two times. There were two shots.
12:46I was in my living room nursing my baby, and I looked out my window, and a neighbor was up
12:49at her garage, and she was shot two times.
12:51It looked like he was either in her garage waiting for her.
12:53I just saw his pants, and then I saw a black man, and he was dressed in black, and he
12:58was waiting, and he jumped into a car.
13:08The neighbor describes seeing a man hiding in Farrah's garage, who shoots her and then flees in another vehicle.
13:15Farrah is left bleeding on the floor of the garage. It's a traumatizing thing to witness.
13:26First responders arrive minutes after the 911 call is placed.
13:30Farrah's been shot twice, once in the back of the head and once in the left temple.
13:35She's transported to the hospital, but succumbs to her injuries, and is pronounced deceased at 8.43 p.m.
13:44More than an hour after the shooting, Bob arrives at Farrah's house to drop off the kids.
13:49When Bob shows up, he sees the police lights, he sees the police tape.
13:54He has really no idea what's going on, and he jokes,
13:58Is this some kind of drug raid?
14:00The detective on the scene has to tell Bob about his wife's passing.
14:05But surprisingly, he's unaffected by the news.
14:09It's never easy to tell somebody that a loved one has died, especially by violent means.
14:15But in a situation where there's animosity between family members, you take note of somebody's reaction.
14:21There's no right or wrong way for somebody to react to sudden tragedy.
14:25But when there's a distinct lack of distress, it can raise eyebrows and make investigators want to take a closer
14:32look.
14:36Police have already learned of the ongoing custody battle between Bob and Farrah from other family members.
14:44Bob has an airtight alibi for the time of the shooting.
14:47Since he was at the church with the kids, and plenty of other people saw him there,
14:52the police knew that the person the neighbor described wasn't Bob.
14:56There are no signs of robbery or sexual assault at the scene,
14:59so the motive for Farrah's execution-style murder seems unclear.
15:04The next obvious step is to look at those closest to her.
15:07That means that despite Bob's alibi, he's still someone that investigators want to look into a little bit closer.
15:15The detective asks for permission to search Bob's car, and he agrees.
15:21Inside Bob's glove compartment, investigators find a semi-automatic pistol and an address book.
15:28Having a gun in itself isn't unusual.
15:31After all, it is Texas, and Bob is a member of law enforcement.
15:38The address book is a little weird, but not incriminating in any way.
15:44But the detective finds $1,000 in cash in the car, and that raises a bit of a red flag.
15:52Bob says the money is for new carpeting, which is a little too far-fetched.
15:58The detective decides to continue his questioning in a more formal setting.
16:05At the police station, Bob has an answer ready for everything.
16:34Bob is questioned by detectives for 14 hours straight.
16:39He doesn't leave the police station until 2.30 the next afternoon.
16:44By that point, Farrah's murder has drawn intense media attention.
16:49And reporters are waiting for him when he swaggers out of the police station.
16:54Bob hams it up for the cameras, explaining that the police have violated his rights.
16:59As he works in law enforcement himself, he knows how to game the system.
17:03Frata is a fireman and police officer at Missouri City.
17:07Sheriff's deputies say he knows the routine.
17:10Frata even played to the cameras, wiping a speck of blood from his face after making his accusations about civil
17:16rights abuses.
17:17He knows how it goes.
17:18He's well aware of his rights.
17:19He's well aware of what we can and cannot do.
17:22He knows how to make problems.
17:25You know, he's just been real amused by this whole thing.
17:28Now, police are more certain than ever that Bob Frata is involved in his wife's murder.
17:35Investigators from the Harris County Sheriff's Department immediately put Bob Frata under surveillance.
17:43They want to know where he goes, who he talks to, and the hope is that he leads them to
17:50Farrah's shooter.
17:51They follow him everywhere, from the moment he leaves the police station.
18:04Surveillance work is a long slog, and is certainly not glamorous, but it can yield some terrific results.
18:21While keeping an eagle eye on Bob, police also start looking into other people in Bob's life, including his gym
18:29buddies.
18:30The detective's first stop is a man named Jimmy P, who manages a tanning salon and hangs out at the
18:37same gym as Bob.
18:39Jimmy P's car is a possible match to the silver hatchback described by the 911 caller.
18:45When the detective approaches, Jimmy P consents to a search of his house and his car.
18:51Nothing is found at his house, but his car is towed away to be examined for latent fingerprints and blood
18:58evidence.
18:59If Jimmy P's car was the getaway car seen fleeing from Farrah's murder,
19:04investigators need to pull any forensic evidence from it right away.
19:11The next day, police surveilling Bob Fratta watch as he meets up with his friend Jimmy.
19:18Investigators observe Bob visiting Jimmy P, and the two talk at length.
19:23After Bob leaves, detectives go and speak with Jimmy, and ask if he's seen Bob.
19:29Jimmy downplays the whole thing, and actually lies about how much time they spent together.
19:34It's never a good idea to lie to the police, even if you think the truth will make you look
19:40bad.
19:40Lying will always make you look worse.
19:46Now, Jimmy P is at the top of the list that investigators are looking into.
19:51The detective urges Jimmy to submit to a lie detector test, but he refuses.
19:59Polygraphs are controversial as an investigative tool.
20:01It's questionable as to whether their results are admissible in court.
20:06But, some investigators find them helpful when it comes to ruling out suspects.
20:15Detectives also interview Fratta's oldest son, and other people who were with them at the church on the night of
20:22the murder.
20:22Even when someone's alibi seems solid, it's always worth taking a closer look.
20:28There may be details in there that take the case in another direction.
20:36It turns out, Bob kept leaving the group to keep using the phone in the church.
20:47When police finally get the records from the church's phone, eight days after Farrah's murder,
20:53they find out that Bob was continuously calling his own pager.
20:59Bob's actions imply that he was checking for messages that he expected to be coming in that evening.
21:09It's not criminal behavior, but it's certainly suspicious.
21:18The church phone records also throw a new name into the mix.
21:24In addition to the numerous phone calls that Bob was making to his own pager,
21:29he made one phone call to the pager of a man named Joseph Prystash.
21:36Price Prystash is another one of Fratta's gym buddies.
21:39And his pager is paid for by a woman named Mary Gipp,
21:43whose name and number shows up in Fratta's address book.
21:51Now, the detective has a new suspect he wants to question.
22:01Part-time police officer and full-time fitness buff, Bob Fratta,
22:07has an alibi for the night of his ex-wife Farrah's vicious execution-style murder.
22:14But it's full of a dozen questionable, urgent phone calls to his own pager.
22:23Fratta's workout buddy, Jimmy P, paints a target on his back by lying to police and refusing to cooperate.
22:31But it's another guy from the same gym who is revealed to be the one person besides himself
22:38that Fratta called at the time of the shooting.
22:43Prystash is another one of Bob's gym buddies.
22:46And his pager is paid for by a woman named Mary Gipp.
22:50And her name and number appear in Bob's address book.
22:58The detective pulls Joe Prystash in for an interview.
23:04Prystash is a 38-year-old auto mechanic with a long list of run-ins with the law.
23:10Mary Gipp is also his live-in girlfriend.
23:13Prystash admits to hearing about the case on the news.
23:17And he knows that Fratta is a suspect in his wife's death.
23:21Prystash identifies Bob Fratta and Jimmy P from police photos.
23:27He knows them both from the president and first lady, Jim.
23:31Prystash admits knowing Bob for several years, but he kind of thinks he's a weird guy.
23:37He says they're not close and that he actually hasn't spoken to him in six months.
23:43It's never a good idea to lie to the police.
23:45Did I say that already?
23:49When the detective confronts Prystash with the phone records from the night of the murder,
23:54Prystash insists he doesn't remember getting a page.
23:58And agrees to take a lie detector test.
24:02Polygraph test indicates that he's being deceptive or untruthful.
24:07But polygraph results aren't always reliable.
24:11And Prystash has an alibi for the time of the shooting.
24:14Prystash explains to the detective that he was home with his girlfriend, Mary, on the night of Farrah's murder.
24:21They were watching ice skating on TV.
24:28The detective calls Mary Gipp at home while Prystash is still at the station.
24:32And she confirms his alibi.
24:40With their new suspect ruled out, police turn their attention back to Jimmy P,
24:46who's still hanging out with his buddy, Bob Frada.
24:51When the detective approaches Jimmy P again, he gets nervous real quick.
24:56It's not unusual for people to be nervous around law enforcement.
25:00But Jimmy immediately offers the name of his lawyer.
25:08If somebody is refusing to talk without a lawyer, it could be something, it could be nothing.
25:13It's completely subjective.
25:15People have the right not to talk to the police without a lawyer present.
25:19With the comfort of legal protection, Jimmy decides to give police an official statement.
25:24At this point, Jimmy P downgrades himself from prime suspect to cooperating witness.
25:31He agrees to tell the police anything and everything he knows about Bob.
25:37But unfortunately, it leaves the detective no closer to finding out who shot Farrah.
25:46At the end of November, police circle back to Joe Prystash and Mary Gipp.
25:53Investigators push Mary to provide a voluntary statement or take a polygraph, but she declines.
25:59She reiterates Joe's alibi and refuses to go down to the station.
26:04In this situation, there's not much that investigators can do.
26:08Mary has refused to give a statement, and Joe's polygraph results are not admissible evidence.
26:15Without any further evidence, they're kind of dead in the water.
26:21By the time the custody hearing rolls around, police aren't ready to throw the book at Bob Frata.
26:27But Farrah's parents are.
26:29Bob assumes that with Farrah dead, he'll get full custody of the kids.
26:35But the court decides that he has to share it with Farrah's parents.
26:40And in December 1994, Farrah's parents take Bob to court.
26:47The backers use the custody hearing to try their case against Bob in the court of public opinion.
26:53Farrah's parents counter Bob's image of a fun-loving soccer dad with stories of neglect and terrible parenting.
27:06The backers reveal multiple instances of Bob failing to keep the kids from danger.
27:18At one point, one of the boys was actually bitten by a snake at a party because Bob wasn't paying
27:25attention.
27:26Don't let your kid get bitten by a snake is kind of parenting 101.
27:37Bob's obsession with looks and him pressuring Farrah to get breast implants is just the tip of the iceberg.
27:45Bob was constantly asking Farrah to participate in some off-the-chart sexual adventures.
27:53Three waitress, golden showers, and coprophilia, which is a sexual activity involving feces.
28:04Eventually, Farrah couldn't take it anymore and filed for divorce.
28:14But the most devastating part of the hearing is the testimony from Farrah's gym buddies.
28:20Five separate people testified that Bob approached them about killing his wife.
28:28And if they wouldn't do it, did they know somebody who could?
28:33Bob propositioned multiple people at his gym over the course of several months.
28:41They all thought he was joking, which is why they never came forward with information at the time.
28:47After the hearing, full custody of the three Frata children is awarded to Farrah's parents.
28:53The judge states that Bob's conduct and judgment is seriously impaired, which is a serious understatement.
29:05The damning testimony of Frata's five gym buddies in family court isn't quite the same as testimony in a criminal
29:13trial.
29:13But it confirms for investigators what they suspected all along, that Bob Frata hired a hitman to kill his wife.
29:22But three months later, investigators are no closer to uncovering the hitman's identity.
29:28Then, an arrest in a completely separate case blows the Frata investigation wide open.
29:37A month after the execution-style murder of his wife, Farrah,
29:44Bob Frata loses custody of his kids to his in-laws after his true nature is revealed in court.
29:52As Bob's extracurricular gym activities come to light,
29:58his search for a hitman reads like a how-not-to guide for aspiring criminals.
30:05Five separate people testified that Bob approached them about killing his wife.
30:12And if they wouldn't do it, did they know somebody who could?
30:16By March 1995, four months after Farrah's murder, police are still piecing together the puzzle.
30:24It's extremely frustrating for investigators when they know in their gut who the guilty party is,
30:29but they just don't have the evidence to prove it.
30:34Police know that Bob solicited people from his gym to kill Farrah.
30:39They know that Joseph Pricetash is someone Bob hung out with at the gym.
30:43And they know that Pricetash is withholding information or lying about something.
30:50Investigators suspect that Pricetash's girlfriend, Mary Gipp, might be the weak link.
30:56She provides Pricetash with an alibi, saying that they were home together all night watching ice skating.
31:02They need to get Mary to crack, so it's time to turn up the heat.
31:10On March 1st, 1995, Mary is dragged before a grand jury and told she will be charged with murder.
31:17The threat of a murder charge is enough to scare anyone, and so Mary starts talking.
31:25Mary confesses that she was watching TV alone on the night of Farrah Frada's murder.
31:31Pricetash goes out for the evening with their next-door neighbour, Howard Guidry.
31:37The two men come home at around 8.30pm.
31:45At that point, Pricetash pages Bob Frada and tells him the job is done.
31:53Farrah is dead.
32:00Presumably, Bob picked up that message one of the dozen times or so that he used the phone back at
32:06the church.
32:07After Guidry leaves, Joe takes the shells out of the gun and puts them in the garbage.
32:15Mary watches him do this.
32:19When he leaves the room to take a shower...
32:26Mary pulls the shells out of the wastebasket.
32:41Then, she writes down the serial number of the gun on a piece of paper.
32:47Mary's survival instinct kicks in.
32:49She makes herself a get-out-of-jail-free card.
32:54And it works, even if it is four months late.
33:01Mary tells the detective that Joe then left the apartment again with the gun and gave it to Howard Guidry
33:08to dispose of.
33:10Prosecutors grant Mary immunity in exchange for her cooperation.
33:17And she hands over the note containing the gun's serial number.
33:25When detectives look into Howard Guidry, they realize they already have him in custody.
33:31He was arrested a few days earlier after taking part in a robbery.
33:36Even better, they have his gun.
33:40He had one job.
33:42And it was to dispose of the gun.
33:45If there was a rating system for hitmen, this guy would be getting a solid one-star review.
33:53The gun the police seized from Guidry upon his arrest is a match to the gun that killed Farrah.
33:59And when they trace the serial number, it's registered to none other than Bob Fraddock.
34:14In the face of overwhelming evidence, Howard Guidry confesses to his role in Farrah's murder and agrees to walk detectives
34:22through the details.
34:24Guidry spills it all.
34:26Price Tash drops Guidry off and stands by a nearby phone booth, while Guidry waits for Farrah to get home.
34:34Guidry hides out in a corner of the garage.
34:46When Farrah pulls in, Guidry shoots her twice when she exits her car.
35:04After shooting Farrah, Guidry uses Mary's cell phone to call Price Tash at the phone booth.
35:10Then he hides out of sight until Price Tash comes to pick him up.
35:30On March 13, 1995, both Guidry and Price Tash are arrested and charged with capital murder.
35:38In Price Tash's confession, he explains that he went to the President and First Lady Jim that night
35:44he stopped to meet with Bob Fraddock after the murder, but Fraddock was a no-show.
35:49He was supposed to be paid $1,000.
35:51The same $1,000 that the detective found in Bob Fraddock's car.
35:57Guidry was supposed to get a Jeep.
36:03Price Tash also admits that November 9th wasn't the first time Bob Fraddock had sent him after Farrah.
36:10Price Tash confesses to being the man who showed up with a stun gun in Farrah's bedroom four months before
36:18her murder.
36:19It was a misguided attempt to scare Farrah into dropping the custody fight with Bob.
36:25Obviously, it didn't work.
36:28Authorities finally have enough to nail Bob Fraddock for being the mastermind behind his wife's death.
36:35On April 22nd, he's arrested and charged with solicitation of capital murder.
36:41But the quest to bring Farrah's killers to justice is far from over.
36:50In 1994, Bob Fraddock, a public safety officer in Missouri City, Texas,
36:57asks around at his gym until he finds someone willing to kill his estranged wife Farrah.
37:04Joe Price Tash agrees to do the deed for $1,000
37:08and recruits his next-door neighbor, Howard Guidry, as the trigger man.
37:15When Bob's giant ego tips off the police that he was the one to orchestrate Farrah's death,
37:21they trail him until they get the goods.
37:26The gun that police seized from Guidry upon his arrest is a match to the gun that killed Farrah.
37:32And when they trace the serial number, it's registered to none other than Bob Fraddock.
37:38Fraddock finally goes to trial for capital murder in April 1996, a year after his arrest.
37:45At the trial, Mary Gipp is a key witness for the prosecution.
37:49Considering the fact that she knew the truth but chose to stay quiet for months,
37:54she more than makes up for it at the trial.
37:58Mary testifies that she and her boyfriend, Joe, both knew Bob from the president and first lady, Jim.
38:05She describes the night of November 9th in detail,
38:08recalling how Joe and Guidry came home after the shooting
38:12and that they were agitated they couldn't get through to Bob on the phone.
38:16Mary testifies about how she collected the shell casings from the garbage
38:20and how she wrote down the serial number of the gun
38:23that was eventually traced back to Bob Fraddock.
38:27Price Dash and Guidry both declined to testify at Fraddock's trial,
38:32but their confessions are admitted into evidence to support Mary's account.
38:36Jimmy P also testifies,
38:38describing how Bob has been openly discussing his desire to have Farrah killed.
38:46Bob thought he was being clever,
38:48asking everyone and their mother to kill Farrah.
38:51His logic?
38:53He believed that since he was in law enforcement,
38:56nobody would believe that he would be that stupid
38:58to ask so many people to kill Farrah.
39:01Spoiler alert!
39:03Everyone believed that he really was that stupid.
39:06And arrogant.
39:10But the star witness at the trial is Fraddock's oldest son.
39:15Bob's son testifies about watching his father
39:17making all these suspicious phone calls
39:20right around the time that Farrah was murdered.
39:23It completely blows Bob's
39:25I was in church alibi out of the water.
39:30Testifying in a criminal court can be intimidating for an adult,
39:33even a trained professional.
39:35For a young child to get up and testify against his own father,
39:39it's quite remarkable.
39:41But the whole family wants justice for Farrah.
39:44And they get it.
39:46In April 1996,
39:49Bob Fraddock is convicted of capital murder in Farrah's death.
39:53The jury decided he's guilty of arranging the murder of his estranged wife.
39:58I'm glad.
40:00Justice has prevailed.
40:02Freedom has prevailed.
40:03The victim's family wept when the verdict was read.
40:07So did Fraddock's family.
40:09The defendant only stared at the table in front of him.
40:12In closing arguments,
40:13Fraddock was portrayed as a sexual deviant.
40:16Lex Backer also called him a menace to women.
40:19Betty Backer said she wants Fraddock executed.
40:22I cannot wait for the day
40:23when I see him laying on that table
40:25waiting to get the injection.
40:27That will be justice for me.
40:29I know for myself he's gone.
40:33Joe Prystash and Howard Guidry
40:35are also convicted of capital murder at their own trials.
40:39All three are given the death penalty.
40:42It's very unusual for three individuals
40:45in a single murder case to all be sentenced to death.
40:48But Harris County is actually the death penalty capital of the United States.
40:53Harris County, which is essentially Houston,
40:57has executed more prisoners in the last 50 years
40:59than any other county in the United States.
41:03In fact, more than any other state except for Texas itself.
41:08Don't commit murder at all.
41:10But definitely don't commit murder in Harris County.
41:14Though it seems like justice is finally done in the Fraddock case,
41:19death penalty sentences mean years of appeals.
41:22The case doesn't end with the convictions.
41:24In 2003, Howard Guidry's confession is thrown out
41:28on the basis that he didn't have an attorney present
41:31when he was questioned by the police, and he should have.
41:35Without that confession, his conviction is overturned,
41:38and he's granted a new trial.
41:40The new trial in 2007 once again results in a conviction
41:44and death sentence for Farrah's shooter.
41:47Bob Frada also manages to get his conviction overturned.
41:51In this case, the judge rules that Price-Tash and Guidry's confessions
41:55should be considered hearsay, and therefore not admissible.
41:59Essentially, Joe's confession can be used to convict Joe,
42:03but it can't be used to convict Bob.
42:06Only Joe's direct testimony can do that, and Joe won't testify.
42:11It's a devastating development for Farrah's family,
42:14and they're dragged into a second trial in May of 2009.
42:19This time, all three children testify against their father.
42:24In 2009, Frada was granted a new trial,
42:28the confessions of his two accomplices thrown out,
42:31and the family was forced to do it all again.
42:34But after hearing all the evidence, the verdict was the same.
42:38We, the jury, find the defendant, Robin Allen Frada,
42:41guilty of capital murder as charged in the indictment.
42:45Bob Frada's second conviction proves that some sequels do live up to the original.
42:51The man who hired a hitman to murder his wife and then tried to use God as his alibi
42:57meets his maker on January 10, 2023,
43:01when he's executed by lethal injection by the state of Texas.
43:05Bob Frada's ill-advised plot to outsource a murder didn't just cost Farrah her life.
43:11It bankrupted his own.
43:14In the end, his deadly investment cost him much more than a thousand dollars and a jeep.
43:20Proving that hiring a hitman may seem like a good idea at the time,
43:25but in the end, it's just not worth the price.
44:14Transcription by CastingWords
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