Farah Fratta - victim.  Loving mother of Bradley, Daniel and Amber.

*Her demeanor that day and just prior was testified to by four witnesses.

    1.  Christine Jonte, divorce attorney - described her as happy.  (Transcript pp. 63, 93 & 94).

    2.  Kitty Waters, friend - described her as afraid.  Also admits being biased.  (Transcript pp. 153-155 & 158).

    3.  Rita St. Onge, best friend - also describes her as scared.  Also biased.  (Transcript pp. 130, 131, 134-142).

    4. Maribelle Gonzales, hairdresser - said she was fine.  Appeared normal.  (Transcript pp. 170-171).  Testified Farah arrived late for her appointment and stated she had to be home by 8:00pm because the kids would be home.  (Transcript p. 164).  Farah knew their class didn't end until 8:30 (JEA p.40).  That was their second class, plus she's the one who signed them up for it.  Cross examination of this witness reveals she changed her times after the victim's father, Lex Baquer, came by the shop and spoke with her husband.  (Transcript pp. 167-168).

*Farah backed her car into the garage that night.  Several witnesses told detectives that was unusual.  (JEA p.37).

*It was also very unusual that Farah hadn't closed down the garage door.  She normally closed it prior to exiting the car.  Occasionally she would close the door just prior to exiting the garage through the side door into the breezeway.  On this occasion she opened the side door before attempting to close the overhead door.

*Farah was very upset after the 6/28/94 break-in and tried to implicate Bob with that.  (JEA p.99).  For someone who says she is fearful of her life, she never repaired the hole in the living room window made by the intruder,  (JEA p.18) even though he said, "I will be back."  (JEA p.59).  Her father, Lex Baquer, testified that he gave States Exhibit #60 (gun) back to Bob in the summer of '94.  (Transcript pp. 594-596).  Why return it when she would need it for protection?

*Kelly Siegler, Asst. D.A. (at the time), stated in a side bar that Farah "...was pretty sure he (Bob) was going to get custody that something was going to happen."  (Transcript p.137). 

*Farah also worked out at President & First Lady and knew all the same people Bob knew.  Mary Gipp testified she had Farah's phone # in her address book.  (Transcript p.1054)

*Farah was driving her boyfriend's car that night instead of her own.  She brought her car in for repair that day.

Robert Fratta - convicted of hiring someone to kill his wife.  Supposedly for an insurance policy of which he knew he was no longer the beneficiary and to gain control of his children's money that was in an over seas account which he requested to be set up.  He gave the insurance checks to Farah (after she filed for divorce) that were made out to himself and his kids.  He asked her to set up this account but has been convicted of having her killed for it.  ??  This doesn't make sense.

Syed "Lex" Baquer - Farah's father.  Claimed to have given Robert Fratta's gun (Midnight Blue in color) back to Robert even AFTER his daughter's home was broken into and the man threatened to return.  After Farah's death, witnesses (her friends and family) said that she was scared of Bob.  If she was scared, why would her father return the gun to the very man she was afraid of?  This also makes no sense.

*Lex Baquer cosigned a form, along with Farah, giving himself power of attorney over the children's money in Barclays Bank and removing Bob as a signer on the account.  Bob's signature was clearly forged.  (See all documents relating to Barclays Bank.)  This was done in August of 1994.

*The house (crime scene) was turned over to Farah's parents that same night 11/9/94 without being searched by police.  (Habeas Exhibit #17).

*Detectives finally searched the house on 11/12/94.  (habeas Exhibit #1 & Transcripts pp. 467-469).  Detectives noticed the 11/11/94 calendar page was missing.  Parents denied removing it.  Lex gave Billingsly Farah's 1993 diary.  Said he couldn't find 1994.  (JEA p.37).  Odd that the most recent diary would be missing.

*Lex tells detectives Bob has an insurance policy on Farah without her knowledge.  This is FALSE information.  (JEA p.41).

*William Planter allegedly contacts Lex for the first time on 12/12/94.  The two meetings between Lex and Planter sound so contrived.  (Habeas Exhibits 14 & 15).

*The 12/21/94 scenario at Lex's place of business seemed staged.  Either that or Planter was getting tired of waiting and wanted his money.  (JEA p.104)

Joseph Prystash - alleged driver.

*Joe talked about the "driver" getting a "deal" (Habeas Appeal p.24), yet he did not accept the plea bargain offer from the D.A. in exchange for his testimony against Bob.  (JEA p.115).

*Joe claims he paged Bob and Bob called back (from the church) and they spoke.  (Habeas Exhibit 12).  No calls were made from St. Mary Magdalene (Habeas Exhibit 1) to a phone, only a pager.  No call was made from Mary's cell phone to the church.  (JEAp.50).

Note:  Bob did not have a cell phone.

*In Joe's statement from jail (Habeas Exhibit 12), he said Bob was to meet him at the gym at 9:00pm that night (11/9).  The catechism class at church didn't end until 8:30pm and then Bob had to take the children back to Farah's.  They didn't arrive at Farah's house until around 9:00pm.  Anyone with any sense would know that evening would be chaotic and that Bob would be questioned by police at the scene.  Also, if Bob had not been taken in for questioning that night, he still would have had the children in his custody.

*Joe went to the gym at 9:35pm on 11/9.  (JEA p.112)

*Joe said he gave Howard the gun back the same night. (Habeas Exhibit 12).  Howard said Joe gave him the gun the following day.  (Habeas Exhibit 8).

**See Joe's statement

Howard Guidry - convicted in the murder of Farah.  See his statement

Mary Gipp - Witness (Joe Prystash's girlfriend)

*Describes the revolver she saw Joe with that evening as "silver" colored.  (Habeas Exhibits 4 & 5).

Bob's gun (State's Exhibit #60) is midnight blue.

*David Jennings told detectives that Kevin (last name unknown-Kevin Miller perhaps) had seen Joe with a stainless or nickel .38 revolver "a couple of months ago."  (JEA p. 37).

*Mary talks about William Planter being a hit man.  (Habeas Exhibit 5)

*Mary states (per Joe) that Farah was in her boyfriend's car that night.  (Habeas Exhibit 5).  How would they know whose car it was?  They exchanged cars during the day.

*Mary testified that she had Farah's phone number.  She would not have had her number unless she had dealing with her.  (Transcript p.1054)

*In the second trial, when the D.A. asked Mary why she didn't contact Farah to warn her,   Mary said she couldn't find her phone number.  Since she worked out at the same gym, why didn't she go to the gym and try to get her number?  Maybe explain to someone what was going on.  After all, she left work early that day because she was so upset about what was going to happen.  Why didn't she do anything?  From what I saw at the trial, it was more like, "meh, I didn't have her number so....whatever."  This from a woman who is supposed to be so torn up that she didn't do something save Farah's life.

*Mary also testified that she was casually watching an ice skating show when Joe came home.  She went from being so upset, she had to leave work early, to just simply watching TV while this crime is being committed.   This is one of the states key witnesses?

*Mary testified to having possession of shell casing's during the time her apartment was searched in December of '94.  Even though the police went so far as to unwrap all the presents under her tree, these casing's were never found.

*Mary testified in the 2nd trial to signing the statement that was typed up for her, without even reading it.  Mary did not come forward and agree to sign anything until March of '95 when she was about to be indicted for capital murder.  Mary was granted immunity for her testimony.

James (Jimmy) Podhorsdky - witness

*Went from being a prime suspect to State's witness.  (Transcript p.950)

*Had even lied in his statement to detectives about his whereabouts that evening.  (JEA p.71 & JEA p.112).

*Jimmy also admitted to flunking his polygraph.  (Transcript pp. 1325 & 1326).

*Prosecution had Jimmy testify how far fetched it was to think Farah's father, Lex Baquer, could be behind her murder.  (Transcript pp. 958 & 959).

*A peppermint candy wrapper was found in the grass near the murder site.  Detectives noted the same candy at the tanning salon where Jimmy worked.  (JEA p.37).

*In the first trial he testifies that he first thought Bob was joking about wanting his wife killed. In the second trial, all of the states witnesses said they never thought Bob was serious.  Jimmy was the only one who testified this time around that he immediately thought Bob was serious.  Jimmy swiveled in his chair throughout his entire testimony and seemed nervous.

Kevin Miller - possibly the one who broke into Farah's home a few months before her death.  Bradley said the name of the intruder was Kevin or Devon.  He heard this intruder talking with his mother during the home invasion. (This was a staged break in to set Bob up). 

*Possible involvement in Farah's death.  After he went to the detectives to state what he knew, he mysteriously turns up dead.  See more about him in the Guidry and Prystash statement to be posted after the airing of 48 Hours.

Ray Thomas - witness

*Bob called Ray on 11/9/94 regarding the padding for the carpet.  (JEA p.70)  He was supposed to buy the padding through Ray at a discount warehouse.  That's why he needed to pay cash.  He also needed cash for the installation.

*Bob had just cashed the check his sister's Emigrant Savings check that day in preparation.  (JEA p.48).  He always waited and deposited the checks when he knew the money would be used.  He did this so that Farah's attorney wouldn't mistake his sister's money for his and lay claim to it.  (JEA p.48).

*Testimony that was not allowed was that Ray was getting Bob a special deal on the carpet padding but he had to pay cash because it was through a discount warehouse and only he (Ray) could get the discount.  Not Bob.  Ray tried to answer questions asked by the defense in this matter but all questions were objected by the prosecution and the judge sided with them.

Richard (Rick) Orlando - witness

*One of the pages that Bob received that evening (11/9) was from Rick.  (Habeas Appeal p.31).  Rick told this to detectives and it was in his statement.  (JEA p.69)

*The very last page that Robert checked that evening was Rick Orlando asking Robert to bring him some protein powder (which Robert sold) to the gym the next time they worked out.

William Planter

Mary Gipp described Planter as a "hit man".  (Habeas #5)

*When Planter was arrested for the solicitation he told Chris Mylett that Bob wasn't involved, but that the detectives wanted him to implicate Bob.  Chris related this information to Bob via a 3-way call with his friend Mike Naglieri.  Mike was also a firefighter and worked with Bob in Missouri City.  Chris also said Planter said he was talking on the phone with the 'shooter' when he was arrested.  (Mylett also said Det. Valerio told him about harassing Jill, Bob's sister).

*Planter was out on bond, but was rearrested 3/21/97 - right around the time our investigators wanted to question him.  (See news clipping from local paper).  How did Planter know where Lex lived?  Unlisted address at the time.

*Planter knew about the Barclays account and that Bob did not have access to it.  How?  Bob did not find this out until he telephoned Barclays on 12/29/94, per court order to bring the kids money back to the states.  Only Farah and Lex knew this.  (Habeas appl. p.38).

*Two men were seen on Forest Fern earlier that day (11/9/94).  The one was driving a jeep.  Planter had a jeep.  (JEA p.20 & JEA p.77).

*Clem Palmer told Bob, while they were at Champions visiting their children, that he grew up with Planter.  He said Planter worked as a "hit man" for then Sheriff Johnny Klevenhagen.  He also said that Lex Baquer was involved in shady dealings with Klevenhagen.  He remarked that's how Lex hooked up with Planter and hired him.

*When Planter was arrested he was carrying a stainless steel .38 revolver.  Could this have been the silver gun that Mary described?

*Results of ballistic test done on Planter's gun?  (JEA p.42 & JEA p.91).

*Planter was acquitted in February 2000 and released from prison.

*Planter was overheard by another inmate that he, Planter, was the "getaway car" driver when Farah was killed.  (Habeas Appeal p.37)

Laura Hoelscher - witness

*Heard Farah scream after the first shot and then fall.  Also thought she saw pants next to the body.  (Trans. pp. 201-202)

*Told police she saw red pants in the breezeway of the house.  (Habeas Exhibits 17 & 18).

Daren Hoelscher - witness

*Told detectives he saw one of Farah's shoes in the breezeway when he went over.  (JEA p.62)

*Detective Wedgeworth also noted the shoe in the breezeway and that the mate was in Farah's gym bag.  (JEA p.30)  States Exhibit #1 & 32 are photos of the breezeway.  Shoe is in plain view.  (To be posted)

*Was the shoe collected as evidence and dusted for fingerprints?

**Please keep checking back for more information to be posted.  There are more people involved with this case.  Also, we will be posting trial transcripts and statements as back up.**