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

[Pricklykitty]

I can't help feel this was too personal to be a hired hitman. I get the feeling the person shooting was personally involved in wanting Elizabeth dead. They may not have been the only one, but the way they exchanged words, the way they stood over EB for the final shot, and the fact they drove back past the scene just says they were more personally involved than someone hired to do the deed. It feels vengeful, and it may be that someone else told the shooter that EB had done something awful, something that the shooter felt she needed to suffer for, but it doesn't feel like a detatched shooting that they were just being paid to do.

 

[MimosaMornings]

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.

View attachment 368214
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?

Fridays are a big day for yard sales in this area. You have a lot of shift work, people working 4 -10’s at the various plants. (4 days 10 hours). I’ve been to many that have been on Friday only and they were very well attended. Drop the kids off at school and then free to check out the sales. Saturdays are difficult with kids not in school and ball games, other activities going on.JMO

 

[Curiousobserver]

What was the motive? That is the main question.

I can even agree with the idea that it might have been a man dressed a woman. It even looks like this person wore boots to the crime. What type of a man goes to the lengths this person did to dress up like woman? Or what type of a woman dresses themselves up like this for a murder?

I don't think it was any sort of costume at all- its was very cold that morning and they were simply wearing a long jacket/coat with some sort of tall boots...

Obviously MOO... but I think this is a woman based on the style of walk, dress, body movements during the crime, and running back to the truck. The audio is too garbled to rely on frequency analysis.

I agree completely with @JnRyan -the comment that this person is familiar with firearms, has fired a gun before, and that this required ice-water running through your heart to take those shots point blank. There is a special kind of personality that can detach themselves from the humanity of the person they are confronting and I am surprised none of her family or friends recognizes this personality in someone they know.

I previously thought that must mean this was a random crime based on the opportunity of her being out front, or a crazy reclusive neighbor she didn't even know who was angry about a garage sale poster in her mailbox or violating HOA rules or something. Seeing the timeline I am now convinced this was not random.

This person knew Liz or her husband and harbored a huge grudge (real or imagined). I would even go so far as saying I heard a little tone of recognition in Liz's voice when she greeted them. The killer didn't know them well enough to be sure where they lived (hence scoping out the area the night before) but she knew the address. Liz and Sergio don't know them well enough to recognize that truck. She had some idea what time Liz would still be home. She may have intended to kill Liz as she walked out to her car to go to work and may not have known about the garage sale at all.

The really shocking thing has always been how casual the whole thing was- drive by the night before without worry of being recognized, pull up without worry of cameras, talk without worry of being recorded, take four shots point blank in the quiet morning and then slowly drive away, turn around on a main highway and drive back past the crime scene.

I am not a profiler, nor do I play one on TV, but I am going to guess this is a current or former female co-worker.

 

[SnowAngels]

I believe Arron Stoner may have another video on this coming out this week. From what I’ve heard, it may contain new information.

I am itching to see this case be solved. Any ideas or brainstorming on what more that can be done to make progress on this case?

 

[Turkeytrot]

I believe Arron Stoner may have another video on this coming out this week. From what I’ve heard, it may contain new information.

I am itching to see this case be solved. Any ideas or brainstorming on what more that can be done to make progress on this case?

New info would be great.

This case bothers me a lot, too. I've wondered if they have a good idea of who is responsible and just need more evidence, but not sure.

I used to get hung up on the idea that the perp knew of the sale, but I don't think that's necessarily true anymore. They would have caught her outside or gone to the door etc to get it done, imo.

 

[SnowAngels]

New info would be great.

This case bothers me a lot, too. I've wondered if they have a good idea of who is responsible and just need more evidence, but not sure.

I used to get hung up on the idea that the perp knew of the sale, but I don't think that's necessarily true anymore. They would have caught her outside or gone to the door etc to get it done, imo.

I just get a feeling the entire thing may have been a total set-up.

 

[fridaybaker]

I just get a feeling the entire thing may have been a total set-up.

you mean the garage sale?

 

[Megnut]

MOO but I get the impression it was like a candygram, only lethal. The shooter cane with a message, giving EB a moment to process the message/messenger. Whether a hit or a grievance collector, part of the event IMO hinged on that moment.

JMO

 

[arielilane]

IMO, Liz most definitely was the target only. This did not seem to be a "professional" hit. Wouldn't a silencer have been used in a professional hit? This was premeditated and killer had plenty of time to change its mind.

Did Liz have an ongoing dispute with a coworker or a neighbor? In my opinion, the murder would still have happened despite the garage sale.

I wonder if the killer targeted January 25, 2019 as the day to ensure that Liz did not get to enjoy the planned vacation to the new HP World in Orlando? We already know from the video that the killer is a cold (I will leave it at that) blooded killer.

 

[griss]

Wouldn't a silencer have been used in a professional hit?

RS&BBM you would be surprised how loud a gun still is when using a suppressor (silencer). It's not like in the movies, they still make quite a bit of noise. Source - I've fired weapons equipped with a suppressor.

 

[JnRyan]

What was the motive? That is the main question.

To me, it just seems to be revenge. But that is speaking in generalities. NOW revenge for WHAT is a real puzzle. I can imagine LE has talked to Sergio EXTENSIVELY as well as her parents, co-workers, fellow cosplay persons and maybe even hospital staff where she visited the sick for even the slightest conflict. The questions probably deal with conflicts, etc., and then onto what type of vehicle these suspected persons drive and their alibis. LE must really be digging into her life if they went to Florida when Elizabeth hasn't lived there in years. She went to HS in TX and graduated in 2008, so if that trip to FL is about her past that is a really deep dive into her life.

This could even be a past road rage incident where the driver followed her home to see where she lived.

 

[dgfred]

Maybe road rage and came back later... or had all their stuff for killing already in the car.

 

[SnowAngels]

To me, it just seems to be revenge. But that is speaking in generalities. NOW revenge for WHAT is a real puzzle. I can imagine LE has talked to Sergio EXTENSIVELY as well as her parents, co-workers, fellow cosplay persons and maybe even hospital staff where she visited the sick for even the slightest conflict. The questions probably deal with conflicts, etc., and then onto what type of vehicle these suspected persons drive and their alibis. LE must really be digging into her life if they went to Florida when Elizabeth hasn't lived there in years. She went to HS in TX and graduated in 2008, so if that trip to FL is about her past that is a really deep dive into her life.

This could even be a past road rage incident where the driver followed her home to see where she lived.

Maybe I don’t get this road rage theory. An incident with a random stranger on the road/ in traffic that caused them to plan and execute something so drastic, and they incorporated a mask, accomplice, and scouting the scene hours ahead of time?

I understand road rage can bring out the worst in people, but to me it seems like a more reactive, in the moment type of anger, not a drawn out, intricate plot type anger…

 

[dgfred]

I am starting to think somebody actually hated her... for some reason either real or imagined. She or her family might not even have a clue about it/who.

 

[JnRyan]

RS&BBM you would be surprised how loud a gun still is when using a suppressor (silencer). It's not like in the movies, they still make quite a bit of noise. Source - I've fired weapons equipped with a suppressor.

I agree. For a demonstration of the difference it makes on a .45 ACP:

A .45 without the suppressor is around 150-155 decibels. With the best suppressors you're looking at 125-135 decibels. Quieter, but not silenced. Shooting a .22lr you're looking 120-140 without a suppressor.

Note, that if you want to shoot a sound suppressor gun you need a semi-auto as the gap between the cyclinder and barrel on a revolver cannot be suppressed.

 

[griss]

I agree. For a demonstration of the difference it makes on a .45 ACP:

A .45 without the suppressor is around 150-155 decibels. With the best suppressors you're looking at 125-135 decibels. Quieter, but not silenced. Shooting a .22lr you're looking 120-140 without a suppressor.

Note, that if you want to shoot a sound suppressor gun you need a semi-auto as the gap between the cyclinder and barrel on a revolver cannot be suppressed.

Yep, agree with all you said. I've fired a .223, a .556 and a .22lr with suppressor and was shocked at how loud they still were.

 

[JnRyan]

Maybe I don’t get this road rage theory. An incident with a random stranger on the road/ in traffic that caused them to plan and execute something so drastic, and they incorporated a mask, accomplice, and scouting the scene hours ahead of time?

I understand road rage can bring out the worst in people, but to me it seems like a more reactive, in the moment type of anger, not a drawn out, intricate plot type anger…

I don't believe the road rage incident is likely either. But since LE apparently hasn't ID'd the shooter, the real reason could be just as irrational and unreasonable to most of us reasonable folks. I've been the object of some fairly bad road rage incidents including one where the driver pulled up alongside me on the interstate, rolled down the passenger side window and threw things at my vehicle. So they can be fairly bad, but most such offenders cool down after a few minutes.

 

[dgfred]

It kind of just changes the sound... muffled. If you were unknowing you might not know immediately that it was a gunshot.

 

[JnRyan]

I tend to believe the shooter is directly tied to this emotionally - either the killer felt slighted or they felt someone close to them was slighted.

A 'professional' hit? Not impossible, but I don't have it high on my list of probables. NOW, a hit by someone who is not a true professional, but doing it for money - that's a possibility. When I was in a month long course in the military, one of our classmates lost his estranged wife just before the course ended. She was murdered in her apartment and he was with us at the club drinking 800-900 miles away. We were his alibi. A year or so later a senior enlisted who worked for him was tried for her murder for hire. Hired by the husband who was later arrested.

A hit like my above example is probably the most likely if a 3rd party is involved. But I tend to believe the killer is the person with grudge against Elizabeth.

 

[JnRyan]

The reason for this murder may be so obscure, I can imagine LE has gone to some of the Star Wars and Harry Potter events. Just thinking about that makes me wonder if they went in costume. Perhaps even going so far as to enlist another LE official outside the team or even outside their agency that is also involved in such events to go in. Especially, in any such event where Elizabeth might have been remembered and recognized for her work.