TX - Elizabeth Barraza, 29, murdered setting up garage sale, Harris County, Jan 2019

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I have been following this case since it first broke, but I have 2 questions/thoughts after re-reading the originally submitted article:

1. The video and article indicate that the shooter pulled something out of their pocket and put it towards EB - Was this item handed to/left with her? Or just shown to her?

For those of you thinking of possible motive - what could you show someone that would have such strong meaning in only a matter of seconds? Not that a murderer is likely all that rational or worried about their presentation, but, in my opinion, it couldn’t have been a very complicated document or “justification.” And if the item WAS left with EB, what could it have been that would have proven their point (maybe a hidden motive/message?) OR had meaning, but not enough to identify the shooter?

2. Was EB alive for some time after the shooting? Could she have been conscious for any of that time?

I had always assumed with the 4 close range shots she would have died immediately, but the article indicates she was air-lifted and that there was some confusion over time of death - as much as 4 hours after. Does it say anything about it being a “professional” vs a random angry person with a gun that 4 close range shots didn’t kill her? Even one while standing over her?
 
RichardRyder said:
I have been following this case since it first broke, but I have 2 questions/thoughts after re-reading the originally submitted article:

1. The video and article indicate that the shooter pulled something out of their pocket and put it towards EB - Was this item handed to/left with her? Or just shown to her?

For those of you thinking of possible motive - what could you show someone that would have such strong meaning in only a matter of seconds? Not that a murderer is likely all that rational or worried about their presentation, but, in my opinion, it couldn’t have been a very complicated document or “justification.” And if the item WAS left with EB, what could it have been that would have proven their point (maybe a hidden motive/message?) OR had meaning, but not enough to identify the shooter?

2. Was EB alive for some time after the shooting? Could she have been conscious for any of that time?

I had always assumed with the 4 close range shots she would have died immediately, but the article indicates she was air-lifted and that there was some confusion over time of death - as much as 4 hours after. Does it say anything about it being a “professional” vs a random angry person with a gun that 4 close range shots didn’t kill her? Even one while standing over her?
Click to expand...

A photo could be meaningful even at a glance, as could be a court summons or a parking ticket (or another type of citation for a minor legal violation). I’m wondering if she had made any recent complaints to LE about her neighbors—in particular, if they were making too much noise or having late-night parties that would have interfered with her and her spouse’s ability to sleep (he had to get up and out of the house prettty early, IIRC, to get to work on time—I don’t know about her typical work schedule though)?
 
Curiousobserver said:
This has to be some local nut who she ticked off somehow. She probably didn't even know she had enraged this person. The garage sale might have been the last straw, or it could have been the flyers she put out, or a complaint Elizabeth lodged, or the sale was the killer's opportunity to get Elizabeth out in the open, but this person almost has to be a local, lurking, nut. The big red-herring is the truck. It CANNOT be local or someone would have recognized it immediately.
Click to expand...

How long have they lived in the neighborhood?

If they had recently moved in, the nut may have come from their former neighborhood and had learned about their new address through social media or on line data bases etc. After getting a summons, a ticket etc stemming from the dispute with the victim, they impulsively "cruise" the victim's home- or they had "cruised" it periodically before when anger creeped up.

They might not have been truly planning an attack per se. Rather, they may have been bored, angry and wanting to vent by cruising their house again. But, when they noticed the garage sale signs pertaining to the address and the victim in front of her house, rage boils over and they use the opportunity to make an impulsive attack.
 
I'm wondering if the killer walked up with a piece of paper and asked if she was selling any of these items, pointing to the paper list? This has happened to me on several occasions, some people don't want to waste time browsing.
I didn't end up getting shot but l did let them get close so that I could see the list. Rethinking that behavior after this. Yikes Moo
 
sooooo, I've watched the video many many times...now I'm going to ask a strange question...at approximately the 1:05 mark, after the victim has been shot, and the shooter turns away quickly-does it look to you like a wig starts falling off, and on the way to the truck, the shooter puts his hand up to his head to adjust it?
Other thoughts...I know the shooter is supposedly a woman, but being a woman myself, the breasts look exaggerated and in fact everything above the shooters knees looks padded and fake, and from the knees down, they are quite thin.
my bet is definitely that the shooter is male. (dressed in thrift stores clothes? Like a guy's bad Halloween costume).
 
scruffydog said:
sooooo, I've watched the video many many times...now I'm going to ask a strange question...at approximately the 1:05 mark, after the victim has been shot, and the shooter turns away quickly-does it look to you like a wig starts falling off, and on the way to the truck, the shooter puts his hand up to his head to adjust it?
Other thoughts...I know the shooter is supposedly a woman, but being a woman myself, the breasts look exaggerated and in fact everything above the shooters knees looks padded and fake, and from the knees down, they are quite thin.
my bet is definitely that the shooter is male. (dressed in thrift stores clothes? Like a guy's bad Halloween costume).
Click to expand...
Right after the last shot, when the shooter’s head is tilted down over Elizabeth, is when it looks like a wig to me. Also, one indication that this might be a “costume” is the nightgown/robe seems oddly short to me. That might indicate it was purchased by a man who doesn’t understand women’s sizes and didn’t try it on first.
 
I'm starting to feel really bad about this. LE has a lot to go on here: 1) the vehicle! on video! 2) the type of gun used in the killing 3) the exact time/date of the murder, again on video.

I know the crimes aren't related at all but I'm getting Jayme Closs vibes. In that case, dashcam video must've caught the getaway car, with Jayme in the trunk, and somehow that car was never mentioned in the news or anything. Why can't LE find this truck? It could be long, slow monotonous work, but just find the truck and go from there (right?)
 
ludakristen said:
I'm starting to feel really bad about this. LE has a lot to go on here: 1) the vehicle! on video! 2) the type of gun used in the killing 3) the exact time/date of the murder, again on video.

I know the crimes aren't related at all but I'm getting Jayme Closs vibes. In that case, dashcam video must've caught the getaway car, with Jayme in the trunk, and somehow that car was never mentioned in the news or anything. Why can't LE find this truck? It could be long, slow monotonous work, but just find the truck and go from there (right?)
Click to expand...

I think it depends on how much of the truck is visible on camera. For example, were police able to capture a license plate? If so, do they have the license plate number or maybe just the state of the plate?

And let's say that they DO have the license plate number (speculation only) but the registration goes to someone who appears to have zero ties to Elizabeth. This is where the police might have some digging to do to find connections. And what if the perp borrowed the truck from a friend? I am thinking that the police are getting lots of search warrants for electronic devices. Getting those search warrants and going through the devices take a bit of time, and that is AFTER police have figured out who to check on.

I am still thinking this will be one of the standard motives: love or money.
 
Hinky meter pretty calm watching his news clip. I will stay with my first theory of a disgruntled/mentally unstable woman that was mad about the yard sale postings or even someone that was envious of her somehow. This case is so baffling. I have to add though, I do find it an unsettling coincidence that her husband had just left for work right before. EBM MOO
 
This case seems like a good candidate for a “geofence” request. For those who don’t know, LE has had some success with this new technique. They execute a search warrant on Google, and in the SW they specify longitude/latitude in 4 corners to draw a “fence” around a specific area. They ask Google to provide location sharing data for devices that were within that fence in a given time window. They usually get back anonymized data that shows the device ID and other location info. They eliminate ones that don’t seem to fit, then ask Google for user info on what remains.

For it to work, the suspect would have to have Google apps on his phone (android or non-android, doesn’t matter), and would have to have location sharing enabled.
 
Lhughessk said:
This case seems like a good candidate for a “geofence” request. For those who don’t know, LE has had some success with this new technique. They execute a search warrant on Google, and in the SW they specify longitude/latitude in 4 corners to draw a “fence” around a specific area. They ask Google to provide location sharing data for devices that were within that fence in a given time window. They usually get back anonymized data that shows the device ID and other location info. They eliminate ones that don’t seem to fit, then ask Google for user info on what remains.

For it to work, the suspect would have to have Google apps on his phone (android or non-android, doesn’t matter), and would have to have location sharing enabled.
Click to expand...

Interesting and worth a try I suppose. I am really stunned this case was not solved quickly.
 
Mysti88c said:
Right after the last shot, when the shooter’s head is tilted down over Elizabeth, is when it looks like a wig to me. Also, one indication that this might be a “costume” is the nightgown/robe seems oddly short to me. That might indicate it was purchased by a man who doesn’t understand women’s sizes and didn’t try it on first.
Click to expand...

Mysti88c-you are correct-it IS when the shooter tilts her head down and Elziabeth is on the ground that the wig slips out of place, then as the shooter turns around quickly, the wig kind of flings around. I think they bring their hand up to their head when running back to the truck-to keep the wig on. you were much more precise than me!! Thank you for pointing that out-I've rewatched it many more times. A thought -if it is a wig-which was probably made for a woman-it would most likely not fit a man's head correctly, and therefor slide or slip with movement.
 
scruffydog said:
sooooo, I've watched the video many many times...now I'm going to ask a strange question...at approximately the 1:05 mark, after the victim has been shot, and the shooter turns away quickly-does it look to you like a wig starts falling off, and on the way to the truck, the shooter puts his hand up to his head to adjust it?
Other thoughts...I know the shooter is supposedly a woman, but being a woman myself, the breasts look exaggerated and in fact everything above the shooters knees looks padded and fake, and from the knees down, they are quite thin.
my bet is definitely that the shooter is male. (dressed in thrift stores clothes? Like a guy's bad Halloween costume).
Click to expand...
I think you're right. I definitely think the perp is male. The height, the gait both walking and running (but especially running when all pretense is off at that point), the outfit, the way the gun is shot ... to me all points to a man. I just don't think a woman, even a masculine woman, would look that way. I think he is a thin man wearing a ridiculous outfit to hide his identity. I really feel for this young couple - my impression thus far they seem nice and they enjoyed their geekish hobbies. It's heart-breaking. SWAG guess - there had to have been some some disturbed outlier in that community that had issues with this couple. I would bet he is extremely intelligent and not surprising there is not a smoking gun pointed to him. Just IMO.
 
This whole case is baffling for the same reasons I find Abby and Liberty's case baffling. Video of the perp walking with identifying body movements. Sound in the girls case and a car in this case. What little piece is missing that will blow these cases wide open? Maybe the simplicity? Random crimes of opportunity seem to be the most difficult to solve. Elizabeth jumps backwards but only after what appears to be the gun is shown. This makes me think she didn't recognize the face at first. She either didn't know them at all, the person was disguised well enough that it took her a few beats to recognize them, or, shocked when she realized a man was dressed so primitively and crudely as a woman. I'm surprised not one other security camera from a home or business didn't catch the truck. Argh! What is the missing piece?!
 
Imo It's a woman. A woman comfortable around guns, very determined and a very nasty individual.
First shot looks to be to the head/ face. Cold, not messing around. Followed by more shots, and then the final shot while the poor woman is on the ground. Cold, calculating. I could be totally wrong, but this case will be solved. Moo
 
Mind your biscuits said:
Imo It's a woman. A woman comfortable around guns, very determined and a very nasty individual.
First shot looks to be to the head/ face. Cold, not messing around. Followed by more shots, and then the final shot while the poor woman is on the ground. Cold, calculating. I could be totally wrong, but this case will be solved. Moo
Click to expand...
I think it could also be a woman wearing a wig
 
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