TX - Elizabeth Barraza, 29, murdered setting up garage sale, Harris County, Jan 2019 #2

[Gunslinging Granny]

I am thinking the killer sat and waited for the husband to go by before continuing on to the house. I am also thinking that with technology what it is today, they should be able to find video surveillance from businesses along the route that the truck took.

This truck must have avoided toll booths where the tag would have been recorded, if it had a tag. Then it must have been driven to a rural area where police couldn't find surveillance cameras to track it.

 

[MimosaMornings]

This truck must have avoided toll booths where the tag would have been recorded, if it had a tag. Then it must have been driven to a rural area where police couldn't find surveillance cameras to track it.

It’s pretty easy to avoid the toll roads.
I think they have a picture of the truck but nothing close enough or clear view of the tag.
JMO

 

[stmarysmead]

Doesn't matter. Burner phones exist and law enforcement can't identify who owns some of these phones. Criminals like to throw burner phones out onto the street after they use them. Other cars drive over them and smash them leaving the police with little evidence.

You are so right. Thanks for the correction...hadn’t thought of that.

 

[BaffleMe]

It was still dark the morning of Jan. 25, 2019, when Elizabeth Barraza and her husband Sergio were arranging items for a garage sale at their Houston home. They were planning a trip to Orlando, to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary, just a few days away. Liz’s father, Bob Nuelle, was unemployed at the time and thought adding some things of his own to the sale might be a way to get some needed cash. The night before, he decided his time would be better spent looking for a job, so he didn’t make the trip to his daughter’s place that morning to help.

Sergio left for work about a quarter to seven, leaving his wife to continue setting up in the driveway. Three minutes later, a Nissan pickup pulled up.


In Houston, Crime Victims Finally Get Some Attention

What a GREAT article! Thanks for posting.

 

[acehard]

College was a good idea and a clear road to a good income- until everyone started getting a degree of some sort. There is a glut of college degrees and many have become de-valued (ubber specialized degrees aside).

Thus, having a college degree is no longer a ticket to a good income. In fact, the husbands floor laying might have generated more income than her degree.

Totally agree with you. My point was, it's not an outlier for a couple under 30 to buy a 190k property and they typically tend to be college educated or have some inheritance. I was fortunate to be able to take a small student loan and pay it off years ago. Things are very different now. There are around 3000? colleges in the US and every citizen is auto qualified for a loan, so your major, grades and college ranking matter a lot in terms of job/salary. Location also plays a huge part in the ability to buy a house.

Money is obviously a top motive for murder so I am also interested to know if there were any insurance payouts or debts.

 

[acehard]

I wonder how long EB was outside setting up before SB left? The murder happened so quickly after he left, and she had a lot of stuff out to sell. I don’t think they’d leave those things out all night.

Was SB helping her for a bit? Was the killer watching the two of them? It really would have been pretty easy to surprise and kill them both. But SB was definitely not the target IMO.

If the killer was hired, IMO by now, accounts of all suspects would have been intensely reviewed by LE. I wonder if the subpoena that LE had great hope for...was to a business that would not produce their financials. Just a guess...

Of course, in past cases, there have been ways to pass money off the books to the hired killer. That’s a lot harder to prove. So much we don’t know...just guessing as usual.

Yes, if you're doing contract work, you can always do cash jobs. It's a lot harder to track.

 

[BaffleMe]

In reference to the murder being related to money, I am going to guess "no." The way the killer approached his/her victim seens like anger or revenge. Forgive me if I have said this before. The first 3 rapid shots were like "Take that!" The final seemed like it showed the motive was to make sure she was dead, gone, got what she deserved.

Another thought, does anyone think the killer didn't get out of the truck immediately because he/she was putting on the wig?

 

[iamnotagolem]

In reference to the murder being related to money, I am going to guess "no." The way the killer approached his/her victim seens like anger or revenge. Forgive me if I have said this before. The first 3 rapid shots were like "Take that!" The final seemed like it showed the motive was to make sure she was dead, gone, got what she deserved.

Another thought, does anyone think the killer didn't get out of the truck immediately because he/she was putting on the wig?

I think the killer was waiting until she stepped out of view of the doorbell that recorded the voices/shots.

 

[Locomule]

If Elizabeth was alone why does there appear to be movement in the garage just before the killer raises the gun? Watch just to the left of the tree in the front yard, at the dark bit of garage and sale items we can see between and below the branches
edit: time code failed, skip to 1:55

 

[JnRyan]

Micheal Whelan in his "Unresolved" podcast covers the case. Not a lot new here and, in fact, if you've been following the case probably nothing new. BUT, it does provide more exposure to the case. And keeping it out there might someday lead to the tip LE needs.
Unresolved

What I find about the podcast is that he notes some of the same points we've noticed.

 

[iamnotagolem]

I’m probably the last one to put this together but the truck drives by the night before, there is no evidence that it ever drove by before. Liz planned the garage sale the day before. So it seems even more concrete that the date of execution was chosen the day prior to her being killed.

I guess I always kind of imagined her dying was kind of planned for a while and then the killer was told she’d be home alone at 7a that Friday but the killer seems to only have had one day to plan it.

If the killer had more time to plan surely he would have scouted the area long in advance and in a different vehicle so he could be more discreet.

 

[Locomule]

So any comments about the movement I mentioned finding in the video? Sorry, I can't help but be curious. Its one of those things that once you see you can't unsee. You have to be watching that spot just before the killer raises the gun, then it is obvious, it seems to dart away in a big hurry.

 

[Ssschu]

So any comments about the movement I mentioned finding in the video? Sorry, I can't help but be curious. Its one of those things that once you see you can't unsee. You have to be watching that spot just before the killer raises the gun, then it is obvious, it seems to dart away in a big hurry.

I do see what you're talking about but can't figure out what it could be. It's gone very suddenly whatever it is.

 

[stmarysmead]

I’m probably the last one to put this together but the truck drives by the night before, there is no evidence that it ever drove by before. Liz planned the garage sale the day before. So it seems even more concrete that the date of execution was chosen the day prior to her being killed.

I guess I always kind of imagined her dying was kind of planned for a while and then the killer was told she’d be home alone at 7a that Friday but the killer seems to only have had one day to plan it.

If the killer had more time to plan surely he would have scouted the area long in advance and in a different vehicle so he could be more discreet.

It could have been planned for awhile. Getting access to a car/truck that wouldn’t lead back to the killer or whomever hired the killer...could have required a wait. Once they had that truck, and felt confident, they “test-drove” it the night before. Wanted one last check 0f the house and driveway...look for cameras etc. Check out best place to park.

Then it was launch time.

 

[JnRyan]

It could have been planned for awhile. Getting access to a car/truck that wouldn’t lead back to the killer or whomever hired the killer...could have required a wait. Once they had that truck, and felt confident, they “test-drove” it the night before. Wanted one last check 0f the house and driveway...look for cameras etc. Check out best place to park.

Then it was launch time.

I find the contradiction in the killer's strategy to be odd here. If this is indeed a disguise - and I, along with others, believe it is - they didn't want to be recognized. And yet, they didn't seem to have any issues with the vehicle being seen and possibly identified. Nor possibly Elizabeth recognizing it either.

Was this someone Elizabeth might have known and recognized and the disguise, if there was one, was to conceal their identity along with the darkness until it was too late? Maybe someone, not necessarily a well known acquaintance to Elizabeth, that she had a one time issue with in the past? Someone she would have recognized and been immediately alarmed, but didn't necessarily know his/her name? I'm guessing this disguise was not necessarily good enough to work in the daylight, but with the darkness was good enough to allow them to get close without causing concern. Of course, such a disguise may also have been for the benefit of any neighbor who stepped out or looked out a window.

If the disguise was for the purpose of negating an accurate account from witnesses, then the truck would surely be available for description by witnesses. And yet, there it is on video even down to the make/model with the decal. And it is seen the night before as well. A pick-up is not uncommon in the south, especially Texas, but that truck is distinctive enough that a connection could be made if this was someone Elizabeth knew, either directly or indirectly. Borrowing the truck, even if the person wasn't told about its intended use, leaves open the possibility that third party might make the connection. I had to rent a vehicle through a major car rental company once and all they had available was a pick-up truck. I was surprised as I never knew of such a vehicle being available through an Avis, Hertz, Budget or other such agency except for one local area of the country near me. (That one particular area has a popular outdoor area only available if you have a 4-wheel drive and there are one or two specialty places nearby that rent such vehicles.) Even if rented, that also carries the risk of a third party making the connection. That leads me to believe this vehicle is likely owned by the killer. And if this person was hired to do this a connection is less likely. A hired killer is not necessarily a 'professional' like seen in movies or TV, but could be someone who needed or liked to have the quick cash.

Just thinking out loud here.

 

[Curiousobserver]

I find the contradiction in the killer's strategy to be odd here. If this is indeed a disguise - and I, along with others, believe it is - they didn't want to be recognized. And yet, they didn't seem to have any issues with the vehicle being seen and possibly identified. Nor possibly Elizabeth recognizing it either.

Was this someone Elizabeth might have known and recognized and the disguise, if there was one, was to conceal their identity along with the darkness until it was too late? Maybe someone, not necessarily a well known acquaintance to Elizabeth, that she had a one time issue with in the past? Someone she would have recognized and been immediately alarmed, but didn't necessarily know his/her name? I'm guessing this disguise was not necessarily good enough to work in the daylight, but with the darkness was good enough to allow them to get close without causing concern. Of course, such a disguise may also have been for the benefit of any neighbor who stepped out or looked out a window.

If the disguise was for the purpose of negating an accurate account from witnesses, then the truck would surely be available for description by witnesses. And yet, there it is on video even down to the make/model with the decal. And it is seen the night before as well. A pick-up is not uncommon in the south, especially Texas, but that truck is distinctive enough that a connection could be made if this was someone Elizabeth knew, either directly or indirectly. Borrowing the truck, even if the person wasn't told about its intended use, leaves open the possibility that third party might make the connection. I had to rent a vehicle through a major car rental company once and all they had available was a pick-up truck. I was surprised as I never knew of such a vehicle being available through an Avis, Hertz, Budget or other such agency except for one local area of the country near me. (That one particular area has a popular outdoor area only available if you have a 4-wheel drive and there are one or two specialty places nearby that rent such vehicles.) Even if rented, that also carries the risk of a third party making the connection. That leads me to believe this vehicle is likely owned by the killer. And if this person was hired to do this a connection is less likely. A hired killer is not necessarily a 'professional' like seen in movies or TV, but could be someone who needed or liked to have the quick cash.

Just thinking out loud here.

I think you are on the right track here. All vehicles are traceable if a person got a good enough look at it and yet this person showed no concern at all that it was seen. If it had plates, someone could have seen it, if it didn't have plates the police may have stopped them. Any traffic cam, any toll camera, garbage truck, security cam, any random person with an iPhone and you're finished... They fired a gun in a dense residential area, then came back a few minutes later. They did not care if anybody saw them, period. That is either extreme confidence, or they were fully expecting to eventually get caught.

I know that if EB was one of my friends I would have scoured my memory banks, as I am sure all of them have, to find somebody who I knew that had a truck like that. We would have met at the vigils, compared notes, checked everybody's social media pictures, and racked our brains to think who might have a truck like that. And they have come up with exactly nothing. Nobody has linked that truck to anybody. LE has certainly looked at similar vehicles registered in the area and also come up with no connection at all.

Even if you "borrowed" a truck from someone, if it were seen and LE showed up at your house, I am going to tell them about the time you borrowed my truck.

How do you get a vehicle where nobody knows you have it, and if it is seen, the owner would never trace it to you?

 

[SAMS]

You know I have watched this video so many times and I feel like I was adamant before on it being a woman wearing a robe. Now I see a woman with long hair wearing a trench coat and white boots. *Sigh*

 

[JnRyan]

You know I have watched this video so many times and I feel like I was adamant before on it being a woman wearing a robe. Now I see a woman with long hair wearing a trench coat and white boots. *Sigh*

When I first saw the video, I saw a woman with a robe. After two years of watching and then seeing the second footage from the garage I'm thinking this could be a man. But I'm not entirely convinced enough to abandon the theory that it is a woman. And why wear a disguise if you can't disguise your vehicle? Of course, I put my thoughts on the entire disguise and truck video above.

 

[stmarysmead]

Have any of you ever bought a car through an online service? A neighbor did this a few months ago. It was a very nice used car. She was given a range of time that the car would show up, then near the last moment, a definite time to meet. The driver did have an associate who then picked him up.

This is probably far fetched, but someone delivering a car...wouldn't have taken much time out of their schedule. The killing was early morning. They could have driven a few hundred miles more and delivered the car on time. And the person who was assigned to pick them up at the legit destination wouldn’t have to be part of it.

JnRyan, I’m in complete agreement with your post. I too believe it’s someone in disguise...IMO that EB recognized at the last moment. But the mystery of the lack of c0ncern about the truck has to be a key to solving this case. The killer is so detailed in everything...but no sweat about anyone seeing that truck.

 

[Curiousobserver]

Have any of you ever bought a car through an online service? A neighbor did this a few months ago. It was a very nice used car. She was given a range of time that the car would show up, then near the last moment, a definite time to meet. The driver did have an associate who then picked him up.

This is probably far fetched, but someone delivering a car...wouldn't have taken much time out of their schedule. The killing was early morning. They could have driven a few hundred miles more and delivered the car on time. And the person who was assigned to pick them up at the legit destination wouldn’t have to be part of it.

JnRyan, I’m in complete agreement with your post. I too believe it’s someone in disguise...IMO that EB recognized at the last moment. But the mystery of the lack of c0ncern about the truck has to be a key to solving this case. The killer is so detailed in everything...but no sweat about anyone seeing that truck.

But even if I was delivering it, if it was seen, it would be traced, and eventually back to me. You're right about this being the key to this case. If it was targeted, then someone very clever did this.