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Friday, March 28, 1997

Hit man sentenced to death in slaying of mother of three

HOUSTON (AP) - A hit man has been sentenced to death by lethal injection for his role in the murder-for-hire slaying of a mother of three.

Howard Paul Guidry, 20, was convicted of killing Farah Fratta for $1,000. He joins the victim's husband, Robert Fratta, and Joseph Prystash on death row.

Fratta is a former Missouri City police officer. He became a suspect in the slaying of his wife when he attempted to cash a $235,000 life insurance policy only two days after the slaying in 1994.

Prystash was identified as the person who found Guidry for the husband. Prosecutors say Fratta wanted his wife dead to avoid paying child support, among other reasons.

Testimony at Fratta's trial showed that his 33-year-old wife underwent plastic surgery to please her husband and finally sought a divorce after balking at some of his sexual requests.

Testimony showed that Prystash drove Guidry to the victim's home and waited more than an hour in a child's playhouse for her to return home.

After ambushing her when she drove into the garage, Guidry shot her twice in the head, he told police.

Moments after the death sentence was read, Guidry's mother collapsed in grief. Guidry attempted to go to her, but was restrained by deputies who then removed him from the room.

Prosecutor Kelly Sieger told jurors that Guidry deserved a death sentence because of his history of violence and the heinous nature of the Fratta murder.

Guidry was later implicated in the robbery of an auto parts store and in a bank robbery at suburban Klein.

Guidry's lawyers asked jurors to consider his age, drug use and lack of education and spare his life.

The only other sentence he could have received was life in prison with no parole eligibility for 40 years.

"Forty years in prison is not a gift, it is a penalty," defense lawyer Loretta Muldrow said. "I don't know anyone who has survived 40 years. Even if he goes for life, he's still a dead man." Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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