Robert Fratta, 65, was given a lethal injection at the Huntsville prison, more than 28 years after his wife’s death
A former American police officer was executed last night in Texas, after the justice ruled that he hired an executioner to kill his wife.
Robert Fratta, 65, was given a lethal injection at the Huntsville prison, more than 28 years after his wife’s death. The 33-year-old Farah was murdered in the garage of her home in a Houston suburb.
According to documents in the case file, the couple, in divorce proceedings, were fighting over the custody of their three children.
Repeatedly, Robert Fratta “asked friends and acquaintances to kill or introduce him to someone who would kill his wife,” according to witness statements contained in the case file. Finally, through someone who had a membership at the gym where he went, he hired a neighbor of the latter to murder his wife. According to press reports, he paid the executor a thousand dollars.
In 1996 he was sentenced to death, but in 2007 his trial was canceled due to procedural errors. But he was given the same sentence in 2009, in the second trial.
As his execution date approached, his defense filed multiple appeals to the US Supreme Court to secure a stay, to no avail.
In addition, Robert Fratta and other death row inmates have sued in state court challenging Texas authorities’ use of lethal chemicals in executions past their expiration date. In the appeal, they emphasized that their use violates the US Constitution, under which the imposition of “cruel or inhuman” punishment is prohibited.
Texas authorities have been using pentobarbital, a drug that the prison service has struggled to obtain because many pharmaceutical companies do not want to be associated with the death penalty.
Yesterday afternoon, a judge granted their request, barring authorities from using a “possibly expired” lethal product because it was likely to cause “acute pain.” But her decision was blocked by a Texas appeals court and the state Supreme Court declined to intervene, de facto authorizing the execution.
Robert Fratta, who never admitted his guilt — he claimed his father-in-law framed him — is the second death row inmate to be executed in the US in 2023.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
