Joseph Andrew Prystash was born on September 5, 1956. He grew up in Illinois, where he spent his early years. 

On November 9, 1994, Farah Fratta was murdered in Atascocita, Texas. That evening, she had dinner with her estranged husband, Robert Fratta, and their three children. After the meal, Robert took the children out, leaving Farah at the house where she lived. She left briefly to get a haircut and returned home alone. While she was in her garage, 18-year-old Howard Guidry, who had been hired to kill her, approached her with a gun. He shot her twice in the head, killing her instantly.

Neighbors saw the incident. They described the shooter and noted that he quickly fled the scene in a car driven by another man, Joseph Andrew Prystash. Police initially suspected Robert Fratta but lacked enough evidence to make an arrest. Many people observed that he showed no emotion after his wife's death, raising further suspicion. Farah's family even offered a reward for information leading to her killer.

Months later, Guidry was linked to the murder when he was arrested for a separate bank robbery. During his arrest, authorities found a .38 caliber revolver that connected him to Farah's murder. A few days later, Prystash's girlfriend provided information that further implicated Guidry in the case. Ballistics tests confirmed that the weapon used to kill Farah was registered to Robert Fratta.

In March 1995, Fratta, Prystash, and Guidry were arrested and charged with capital murder. They were tried separately. At trial, evidence revealed Fratta had facilitated the murder by hiring both Guidry and Prystash. After a series of trials, all three men were convicted and sentenced to death.

Robert Fratta was executed by lethal injection on January 10, 2023. As of 2024, both Joseph Prystash and Howard Guidry remain on death row.