TX - Elizabeth Barraza, 29, murdered setting up garage sale, Harris Co, Jan 2019 #3

[MURDERER_SERVANT]

I don't know where you're going with this, but from what little we know ANYTHING is possible.

From Liz’s family website for her ..

Timeline

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www.whokilledlizbarraza.com

 

[Lonicera]

Do we know if and when Liz warned her office that she would be away this Friday? Did she have fixed or variable hours? More generally, what is known about her work ?

 

[griss]

The lack of recoil while shooting one handed led me to believe this likely was not a medium caliber revolver such as a .38 Special, .357 Magnum or .327 Magnum or larger. I'm thinking .22, .22 Magnum or .32 caliber. .32's are not common, but not difficult to find. The Rossi .32 comes to mind but it isn't made any longer.

RS&BBM Agreed.

A side note, if is say so myself, I'm a pretty good shot with both my S&W M&P Shield in 9mm and my Ruger LCP .380. But, I'm a terrible shot with my oldest daughter's S&W 642 Airweight hammerless .38 Special. With her .38, I can hit paper consistently, but my groupings are terrible.

So, despite the close range, this leads me to believe the perp is very familiar and comfortable with whichever revolver they used.

 

[JnRyan]

Apparently "On the Case With Paula Zahn" is going to air Elizabeth's case on Investigation Discovery on 22 Oct and it will be available on Amazon Prime after that date.

 

[JnRyan]

RS&BBM Agreed.

A side note, if is say so myself, I'm a pretty good shot with both my S&W M&P Shield in 9mm and my Ruger LCP .380. But, I'm a terrible shot with my oldest daughter's S&W 642 Airweight hammerless .38 Special. With her .38, I can hit paper consistently, but my groupings are terrible.

So, despite the close range, this leads me to believe the perp is very familiar and comfortable with whichever revolver they used.

I know the .38 S&W you're talking about. I would have to be inside 6' to get a hit with it or my mother's S&W Model 36.

 

[Ajs1004]

My understanding is that Nissan trucks are not common in the state of Texas. Typical trucks are Chevy and Ford. Additionally, Nissan trucks depending on the year were known to have transmission issues. I've searched Nissan forums to learn more, and I wondered if the vehicle really was a Frontier ... maybe it was a Titan? I want the Killers caught, I know that much!

I am in Central Texas but Nissans are pretty common here. My husband has had 2 titans and I can tell you that the suspects truck is not a titan. It’s too small. The titans are the full extended cabs. That is for sure a frontier.

 

[JnRyan]

I had forgotten this. A news station report after the murder in 2019. They report the shooter as a woman. I know some of us (I am one) believe the shooter could be a man.

Woman gunned down while setting up for garage sale dies; suspect sought

A woman who was gunned down by a suspect Friday morning while she was setting up for a garage sale outside a northwest Harris County home died from her wounds on Saturday, according to deputies.

www.click2houston.com

 

[moslym3]

Good point about the revolver being interesting.

She (I am almost certain the shooter is a woman by clothing. Seems to have visible breasts at one point when walking in silouhette. They also seem well.... "proportionate" to an apparent heavier set build) has good control over the weapon:

- hand does not rise excessively in recoil, despite one handed use of the weapon.
- Does appear to flinch by anticipating the recoil. Does not panic / rage fire successive shots inadvertently.
- Does not require excessive time aiming. Does not seem to jerk a longer trigger pull. \\

And.... As you pointed out, the murderer is using a revolver- not exactly a "go to gun" for impulse murders.

Given the totality, I think she has had prior experience, but no formal training (does not use a trained shooters stance). Perhaps a "Daddy's tom girl" who gained experience via "plinking" cans etc.?

Speaking of recoil, the revolver appears to have very little recoil and her hand does not seem to be carried upwards by the shot at all. Maybe very practiced to be able to bring her hand back down fast?

Or.... maybe a small calibre revolver (.22, .32)? Where does one just happen upon one of those? Maybe an enthusiast who knows what she is looking for and sought it out? Or..... did it come from daddy's closet?

The use of the weapon is something interesting to me and ties together a few themes I've seen here commented in the past couple of days.

The fact that the shooter was seemingly not affected by recoil and was able to bring the weapon back on target quickly shows some sort of experience. The lack of a two-handed grip tells me no formal experience.

And I very much see an athletic female. A prior poster mentioned the possibility of a soft-ball player type; I agree, I also see the shooter running like a soccer player on the field. Arms out rather than up against the body.

 

[CocoChanel]

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[DeDee]

I know the .38 S&W you're talking about. I would have to be inside 6' to get a hit with it or my mother's S&W Model 36.

Right? I had my .38 dismantled and tossed away as junk. It couldn't hit the bullseye on the target from 20'. That was nearly two decades ago. Times have changed and so has my choice in weaponry.

I found it odd that the shooter used a revolver due to the inconsistency of the shot but also due to the loud noise it makes. Since the shooter was quite close to our victim, Elizabeth Barraza, it's more understandable, I suppose, that they felt comfort in the revolver since shell casings are not cast aside.

 

[EGirl]

I am in Central Texas but Nissans are pretty common here. My husband has had 2 titans and I can tell you that the suspects truck is not a titan. It’s too small. The titans are the full extended cabs. That is for sure a frontier.

I am in south TX. It is 100% a Frontier Pro4X package. My husband had the exact same truck. Color and everything. (until he dropped it in the bay while launching the boat )

 

[Curiousobserver]

RS&BBM Agreed.

A side note, if is say so myself, I'm a pretty good shot with both my S&W M&P Shield in 9mm and my Ruger LCP .380. But, I'm a terrible shot with my oldest daughter's S&W 642 Airweight hammerless .38 Special. With her .38, I can hit paper consistently, but my groupings are terrible.

So, despite the close range, this leads me to believe the perp is very familiar and comfortable with whichever revolver they used.

One handed...

 

[arielilane]

But yard sales with no advertising is odd. Right?

About Liz

default description

whokilledlizbarraza.com

• Liz had the garage sale to get some extra money to spend on souvenirs on their upcoming trip.
• Other than a few signs, set up in the neighborhood the garage sale was not advertised on her social media.
• Liz and Sergio put out the neighborhood signs the night before the sale - January 24, 2019.

Hello, dgfred,

It was decided to have an impromptu sale the night before the actual garage sale (murder) which was January 25, 2019. Only a few friends and family were told about the sale, it was not announced on her social media page. Liz and her husband both placed a few signs around the neighborhood the night (Thurs., Jan 24th ) before the murder. Liz called off from work sick in order to have the Friday garage sale. Not sure when she called off from work. IMO.

 

[arielilane]

Yes I’ve viewed the video but I guess I never paid attention to the treadmill. It was in the driveway because they were trying to sell it…? That is so interesting of its placement and the fact it blocks the camera. I’m thinking of the act of setting up for the garage sale…

Hello, SnowAngels,

Yes, IMO, the treadmill was for sale.

 

[arielilane]

I wonder about the timing and lack of advance advertisement of the garage sale and the disguise of the killer. Was the purpose of the disguise to allow the killer to be able to ring the doorbell and if Elizabeth came to the door make her feel at ease enough to open the door if she looked through a peephole? Its quite possible this killer may have not known about the camera. I can imagine LE has looked through previous camera footage to see if someone had been performing a recon. But upon arriving at her house that morning they are surprised by the sale and improvise.

According to the timeline, Elizabeth and Sergio put out signs about the sale the night before.

Timeline

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www.whokilledlizbarraza.com

So maybe in that in 0200 drive-by the killer sees the signs and revises their plan. Big risk for the killer there as Sergio might have stayed home as well and the killer probably wouldn't have known in advance. So that may have been a reason to park somewhere in the neighborhood so he could observe Sergio leaving? Or maybe the 0200 was just another recon and the killer took advantage of the garage sale.

If this is someone known to Elizabeth perhaps the killer had been there before and knew about the camera. At a cookout or party hosted by Elizabeth and Sergio 2 or 3 years earlier? Or something as simple as dropping something off at their house 2 or 3 years earlier.

I can't get over that timeline where the killer parks at the Goddard School and another street where they can possibly observe Sergio leaving. It seems that it is obvious that only Elizabeth is the target and the killer wants to avoid a second party at the scene. Probably not for any feelings or anything else for Sergio, but rather with two persons it increases the chance of the killing going sideways.

Everything about this screams planning. Recon trip, parking nearby to observe the comings and goings and the disguise. Even in this day in age when almost everyone buys semi-auto handgun, this killer uses a revolver. Getting forensic info from a bullet is not always certain due to possible damage if it hits bone or travels through to strike a hard object. But spent casings from a semi-auto can be ID'd to the firing pin and extractor marks and this killer uses a gun that doesn't leave the casings behind. I suppose this might have been the only gun available to the killer, but it does look part of the planning.

Hello, JnRyan,
All well points. IMO, killer didn't seem to be too worried about any cameras at Goddard school parking lot. Wonder if any cameras caught Nissan truck, driver, a passenger, or a license plate? also, killer didn't seem too worried about SB returning back home after leaving for work that morning. Sometimes we remember something left at home and have to go back to retrieve the item. It's clear that Liz was the target. An innocent young lady that deserves justice. MOO

 

[MURDERER_SERVANT]

Hello, dgfred,

It was decided by Liz to have an impromptu sale the night before the actual garage sale (murder) which was January 25, 2019. Only a few friends and family were told about the sale, it was not announced on her social media page. Liz and her husband both placed a few signs around the neighborhood the night (Thurs., Jan 24th ) before the murder. Liz called off from work sick in order to have the Friday garage sale. Not sure when she called off from work. IMO.

May I ask where you got the information that last minute garage sale was decided by Liz alone ? I’d be interested to see how it was worded . Thank you very much ..

 

[arielilane]

Was this coffee run a usual thing for Elizabeth? Maybe with the out-of-the-ordinary garage sale she didn't want to make coffee that morning? Or she normally got her coffee in the office and she wasn't going to be there that morning? I do wonder about that nonetheless.

Good questions. I have no answers to. This is like Physics, more questions than answers.

 

[arielilane]

May I ask where you got the information that last minute garage sale was decided by Liz alone ? I’d be interested to see how it was worded . Thank you very much ..

Hello, M_S,
I revised my post. TIA.

About Liz

default description

whokilledlizbarraza.com

• Liz had the garage sale to get some extra money to spend on souvenirs on their upcoming trip.
• Other than a few signs, set up in the neighborhood the garage sale was not advertised on her social media.
• Liz and Sergio put out the neighborhood signs the night before the sale - January 24, 2019.

Hello, dgfred,

It was decided to have an impromptu sale the night before the actual garage sale (murder) which was January 25, 2019. Only a few friends and family were told about the sale, it was not announced on her social media page. Liz and her husband both placed a few signs around the neighborhood the night (Thurs., Jan 24th ) before the murder. Liz called off from work sick in order to have the Friday garage sale. Not sure when she called off from work. IMO.

May I ask where you got the information that last minute garage sale was decided by Liz alone ? I’d be interested to see how it was worded . Thank you very much ..

 

[MURDERER_SERVANT]

On the family website timeline , the exact time info of the alarm company’s call to Liz’s parents is not mentioned. This struck me a bit odd. Maybe I’m reading too much into this but I can’t help thinking that this info might be withheld for a reason . Just a thought .

• Early Morning [07:19:45 AM] Harris County Precinct 4 Constables enter the house to clear and secure the home. This set off the alarm that Liz had set to instantly trigger if a door was opened. She had the door inside the garage unlocked for her safety, as a precaution.
• Early Morning [Unknown] Liz’s parents are notified by her alarm company that the alarm has been triggered and they cannot reach Liz. We left immediately for her home.
• Early Morning [07:37 AM] Rosemary and Bob Nuelle arrive on scene minutes after her transport by Life Flight.
• Early Morning [07:51:55 AM] Sergio Barraza arrives back at the house and is detained by Law Enforcement for questioning.

 

[DeDee]

The Garage Sale

If not for the garage sale the shooter would have needed a back up plan. Why would the couple wait until the last minute to decide to have the Garage Sale? Why not have it on SAT when EB had the day off from work? She had already packed her luggage for the FL trip. Waiting until SAT would provide for the best possible outcome in profits from sales to occur. People would be arriving early to get the best bargains possible. (That could pose a problem for the shooter.)

Apparently, Elizabeth was a noble employee who didn't hesitate to ask for FRI off while also taking time off the next week for the Orlando, FL trip to begin on SUN in celebration of their 5th wedding anniversary on FEB 1.

If not for the garage sale, Elizabeth would not have been outdoors getting items ready for the sale. While I cannot be certain of the temperature in Tomball, TX, the temps in Houston were quite chilly.

When the truck first drove past her home at 2am, it was 39 degrees F.
When Elizabeth dashed to Starbucks at 6:08am, it was 38 degrees F.
Between 06:17:00 - 6:47:00 AM, she and SB set up items to sale. It's 38 degrees or cooler.
When Elizabeth is shot at 6:52am, it was 35 degrees F.
When Elizabeth is boarded onto LifeFlight at 7:21am, it was 35 degrees F.
When Sergio returns to the home at 7:52am, one hour after his wife was shot, it was 38 degrees F.


Houston, TX Weather History | Weather Underground

How many signs and where did the couple place the signs in their neighborhood? It's difficult to surmise or reconcile that someone creeping the neighborhood at 2am saw one of the GS signs and decided it'd be a perfect time for Elizabeth to die.

Finally, cui bono? Who was to benefit or profit from the murder of Elizabeth Baraza?

Cui bono is a Latin phrase that means “who benefits?”, and is used to suggest that there’s a high probability that those responsible for a certain event are the ones who stand to gain from it. For example, if a certain crime has been committed, ‘cui bono’ suggests that the person who committed that crime is likely someone who benefited from it.