Robert Fratta's Final Words Before Texas Execution

Texas executed a former police officer on Tuesday for hiring two people to kill his estranged wife nearly 30 years ago.

Robert Fratta, 65, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville for the fatal shooting of his estranged wife, Farah. She was shot twice in the head in her home's garage in the Houston suburb of Atascocita in November 1994.

Prosecutors say Fratta organized the murder-for-hire plot in which a middleman, Joseph Prystash, hired the shooter, Howard Guidry. Fratta had long claimed he was innocent.

Fratta was pronounced dead at 7:49 p.m., Amanda Hernandez, director of communications for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, confirmed to Newsweek.

That was 24 minutes after the lethal dose of pentobarbital began flowing into his arms, according to The Associated Press.

Fratta's spiritual adviser, Barry Brown, prayed over Fratta for about three minutes before the execution began, the AP reported.

Brown, who had his prayer book on the pillow next to Fratta's head and his right hand resting on Fratta's right hand as he was strapped to the death chamber gurney, asked for prayers for "hearts that have been broken...for people who grieved and those who will grieve in days ahead." He also asked God to "be merciful to Bobby."

Asked by the warden if he had a final statement, Fratta said: "No."

Hernandez confirmed to Newsweek that Fratta did not make a last statement.

Brown then resumed praying as the lethal drugs began flowing into Fratta's arms. Fratta took a deep breath and snored loudly six times before all movement stopped, according to the AP.

The execution had been delayed for a little more than an hour until the last appeals cleared the U.S. Supreme Court and Texas' highest courts.

Fratta was also among the Texas death row inmates who sued to stop the state's prison system from using allegedly expired and unsafe drugs in executions. That lawsuit failed to stop his execution late Tuesday.

In an interview with Death Penalty Action that was recorded on Sunday, Fratta said he had once supported the death penalty but his experience on death row had changed his mind.

"It's been kind of an enlightening experience as far as, I never gave any thought to the death penalty even though I was a police officer and now that I'm going through it, I can understand how it's so ridiculously tormenting for the inmates to be put through this," he said.

"To have you knowing the day and time and everything that you're going to die, and it's just prolonged, and everything that they put you through beforehand—this is torturous and I can't believe the government of we the people actually allows this to happen. I have a total change of mindset regarding the death penalty now that I've been put through this myself."

Fratta also said he believed there were systemic issues that prevented his "meritorious" claims to halt his execution from being heard.

Update 1/11/23, 4:07 a.m. EST: This article was updated with more details and context.

Update 1/11/23, 9:15 a.m. EST: This article was updated with information from Amanda Hernandez.