TX - Elizabeth Barraza, 29, murdered setting up garage sale, Harris Co, Jan 2019 #4

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KindMind1ofA said:
Great post - here's some thoughts:


Her home might have been preferred because of access to rural streets without cameras. Starbucks or her place of work may have been more visible and harder to get away unnoticed/unrecorded, and greater chance of unexpected witnesses (although this was already a risk in her neighborhood at this hour)


Totally agree - this was premeditated and either a little planning and a lot of luck, or a lot of planning and a little luck.

Some have mentioned a possible tie-in to her part time job at the costume shop based on this. There has been very little discussion about this job, though, so I'm not even 100% certain it existed.

I think so too, but there is potential they planned on killing her that morning as she left for work and were pleasantly surprised to find her outside alone setting up a yard sale. I agree it's more likely they knew, though...

Seems most likely

I've wondered if this was just a ploy to put her at ease until the killer was close enough to make sure she didn't get away. The "it's not worth it" line, though, if that's what the killer actually said, does make this topic of conversation sound spiteful rather than just a distraction.

It's hard for me to glean from the footage - but I have heard it repeated that targeting someone's head is usually a sign of malice.

The job at the costume shop fits as well.

This murder fetish idea seems outlandish, but is more and more compelling as the years go by with no suspects.. basically someone who had no externally observable motive at all with respect to Liz, just saw an opportunity... If so, yikes.
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Great insights
 
arielilane said:
moo, Leaning back to perhaps Liz's murder is related to 501st Legion... there are so many other disguises one could have used so why did killer chose a Star Wars type costume? To cause confusion? If so, it worked. However, imo other masks may have been/were used too.
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I believe that if you can answer your question, you will find the killer.
 
P
arielilane said:
Curious if there was an accomplice in the truck and if so, why would someone come along for a murder? Did accomplice know a murder would take place that morning? Was the accomplice the instigator? If so, why didn't accomplice do the kill? What type of relationship did the shooter and accomplice have? Only thinking and moo...
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My only thought is that if Liz angered a family, say, more than one person in that family may have wanted to harm her. Only two people that are getting paid, or that have a similar level of hatred, would combine forces to carry out this act.
 
If Liz was killed on her way to/from Starbucks it’d more than likely be seen as random. If she was killed at work, it’d be assumed it related to work. She was killed at home, it was direct, it was intentional, it was clear, the killer made contact.
 
Some thoughts;

There are a lot of case details that have multiple valid interpretations that we can't distinguish between - but two items I feel we know with very high certainty:
1. The killer was aware of Liz and Sergio's schedule.
2. The vehicle was a Nissan Frontier Pro 4x and the killer was driving.

So focusing on those; who would know Liz and Sergio's morning schedule?
  • Neighbors
  • family members of either
  • possibly coworkers of either
  • possibly 501st club members
  • someone who spent time casing the neighborhood at least one day in advance; e.g. Thursday AM.
  • someone hired by any of the aforementioned.
Who would have access to an as-yet untraceable Frontier Pro 4x?
  • If this was the personal vehicle of a family member, neighbor, coworker, or 501st club member - it would be nearly inconceivable that the crime would not have been solved by now.
  • If this vehicle spent time in prior days casing the neighborhood, LE would also be aware of it by now (maybe just haven't let this information out...)
So - that leaves "in-circle" people who were able to obtain a loaner vehicle whose existence other "in-circle" people aren't generally aware of, or out-of-circle people who cased the neighborhood in a different vehicle beforehand, were informed/hired by in-circle people.. or had occasion to be in the neighborhood at this time regularly enough in a different vehicle to know these things organically (Bus driver, delivery person, road/construction worker, realtor, neighbors maid/baby sitter/relative).

I'm feeling like this isn't going to be a disgruntled 501st member in their own truck - they'd have been identified by now. Same with uncle xyz or an angry coworker. This is either a stranger, or a non-stranger in essentially a strangers truck... And the killer didn't just stumble onto garage sale signs Thursday night and take advantage of an opportunity - such a perp wouldn't have known Sergio's schedule.

This person was also away from their normal activities for at least 7 hours Thursday night into Friday morning... More if they had to obtain and return a truck. If that trucks owner wasn't aware of it's use, how far could the perpetrator have driven it and still gotten the truck back in time for it not to be missed? I'd think a 7am murder would be pushing it.

Also I think commercial and rental vehicles would often have some sign/symbol/insignia that could be seen in footage (although some of those are magnetic).. so my inclination is that this is a private vehicle... most likely owned by the killer or accomplice or it would have been dumped and found somewhere or reported missing.

Making some logical leaps, it sounds like someone from outside of the area, in their own vehicle, having received logistical information from someone close to Liz.

All of course conjecture and MOO ...
 
KindMind1ofA said:
Some thoughts;

There are a lot of case details that have multiple valid interpretations that we can't distinguish between - but two items I feel we know with very high certainty:
1. The killer was aware of Liz and Sergio's schedule.
2. The vehicle was a Nissan Frontier Pro 4x and the killer was driving.

So focusing on those; who would know Liz and Sergio's morning schedule?
  • Neighbors
  • family members of either
  • possibly coworkers of either
  • possibly 501st club members
  • someone who spent time casing the neighborhood at least one day in advance; e.g. Thursday AM.
  • someone hired by any of the aforementioned.
Who would have access to an as-yet untraceable Frontier Pro 4x?
  • If this was the personal vehicle of a family member, neighbor, coworker, or 501st club member - it would be nearly inconceivable that the crime would not have been solved by now.
  • If this vehicle spent time in prior days casing the neighborhood, LE would also be aware of it by now (maybe just haven't let this information out...)
So - that leaves "in-circle" people who were able to obtain a loaner vehicle whose existence other "in-circle" people aren't generally aware of, or out-of-circle people who cased the neighborhood in a different vehicle beforehand, were informed/hired by in-circle people.. or had occasion to be in the neighborhood at this time regularly enough in a different vehicle to know these things organically (Bus driver, delivery person, road/construction worker, realtor, neighbors maid/baby sitter/relative).

I'm feeling like this isn't going to be a disgruntled 501st member in their own truck - they'd have been identified by now. Same with uncle xyz or an angry coworker. This is either a stranger, or a non-stranger in essentially a strangers truck... And the killer didn't just stumble onto garage sale signs Thursday night and take advantage of an opportunity - such a perp wouldn't have known Sergio's schedule.

This person was also away from their normal activities for at least 7 hours Thursday night into Friday morning... More if they had to obtain and return a truck. If that trucks owner wasn't aware of it's use, how far could the perpetrator have driven it and still gotten the truck back in time for it not to be missed? I'd think a 7am murder would be pushing it.

Also I think commercial and rental vehicles would often have some sign/symbol/insignia that could be seen in footage (although some of those are magnetic).. so my inclination is that this is a private vehicle... most likely owned by the killer or accomplice or it would have been dumped and found somewhere or reported missing.

Making some logical leaps, it sounds like someone from outside of the area, in their own vehicle, having received logistical information from someone close to Liz.

All of course conjecture and MOO ...
Click to expand...
Good points. All of the above are possibilities for me.
 
iamnotagolem said:
If Liz was killed on her way to/from Starbucks it’d more than likely be seen as random. If she was killed at work, it’d be assumed it related to work. She was killed at home, it was direct, it was intentional, it was clear, the killer made contact.
Click to expand...
Good point. One would think they would kill her on the way back from Starbucks to make it appear more like a random killing. I believe the killer did it at her home to make it personal and confront her. And possibly to demonstrate it WAS personal - for the killer's own desire and ego. They had no desire to hide the fact that it was personal.

Also, IF it is related to the 501st then by killing her at home they can distance themselves from the unit somewhat by killing her there instead of, say, at a hotel room or convention center parking lot at a Star Wars event.
 
JnRyan said:
Good point. One would think they would kill her on the way back from Starbucks to make it appear more like a random killing. I believe the killer did it at her home to make it personal and confront her. And possibly to demonstrate it WAS personal - for the killer's own desire and ego. They had no desire to hide the fact that it was personal.

Also, IF it is related to the 501st then by killing her at home they can distance themselves from the unit somewhat by killing her there instead of, say, at a hotel room or convention center parking lot at a Star Wars event.
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I agree-- i believe it was personal - it was up close and personal!
IMO somebody hated her and wanted her dead -
 
iamnotagolem said:
If Liz was killed on her way to/from Starbucks it’d more than likely be seen as random. If she was killed at work, it’d be assumed it related to work. She was killed at home, it was direct, it was intentional, it was clear, the killer made contact.
Click to expand...
And I must add that this may not be the killer's first rodeo. I don't know of too many first-time gunslingers that fire with that level of intent and callousness. He was looking her in the eyes when this happened. Cold-blooded.
 
It seems that since banks are required to report certain money transfers that something would show.

Is the killer from out of state? If so, it’s almost impossible not to leave some sort of a trail. Imagine a "hit person" was hired to make the kill? How were they paid?

Communication would most likely be by electronics (email or cellular). Or perhaps in person? However, electronics communication more likely.

I suspect LE already did deep dive into phone records… looking for repeated calls to same number(s) showing up. Hit people whether professional or not want paid…

As we know banks are regulated… Banks are required to report any suspected fraud. Did someone redraw a lot of money over a period of time or at one time or you’re putting a lot of money in an account over a period of time or at one time. Those are red flags. However, these transactions aren’t always investigated but banks must report large currency transactions and this will create a log of suspicious activity.

If it becomes relevant that someone’s account should be investigated then LE will have the log of suspicious activity for reference.

Again, my guess is money activity has already been investigated. Was it determined no paid hit person involved but was someone else paid to kill Liz? This was not random. This was personal and possibly someone paid to kill Liz.

Narrative is a moo.
 
iamnotagolem said:
I won’t have time to watch the interview until next week, but after reading everyone’s posts about it. My big takeaway is, why did LE polygraph Amber if she didn’t meet Sergio until a year after Liz died? Would they waste their time and resources to quiet internet sleuths if they were 100% confident Amber didn’t know SB
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stmarysmead said:
The parents speak so lovingly of S&E’s marriage…of their life together. It does not seem to me that they suspect S…even after all the speculation scross the years. Even though, that large insurance policy gave her death value to him. And no one else seems to gain financially from her death either directly or through her job.

They do seem to think this was a ‘hit’…but then if ‘money’ is removed as motive…whose love or hatred was so intense that the risk of involving and paying a hit man was still worth it to them?

I keep coming back to E‘s position in the 401. Please correct if I am wrong, but wasn’t she involved in approving their appearances? If someone wanted members of the 401 to appear at a dying child’s birthday or visit a loved one in the hospital…was E the contact person who could schedule or refuse? Because a refusal before a personal tragedy could certainly make grief fester into rage.
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It's the 501st I thought....
 
arielilane said:
It seems that since banks are required to report certain money transfers that something would show.

Is the killer from out of state? If so, it’s almost impossible not to leave some sort of a trail. Imagine a "hit person" was hired to make the kill? How were they paid?

Communication would most likely be by electronics (email or cellular). Or perhaps in person? However, electronics communication more likely.

I suspect LE already did deep dive into phone records… looking for repeated calls to same number(s) showing up. Hit people whether professional or not want paid…

As we know banks are regulated… Banks are required to report any suspected fraud. Did someone redraw a lot of money over a period of time or at one time or you’re putting a lot of money in an account over a period of time or at one time. Those are red flags. However, these transactions aren’t always investigated but banks must report large currency transactions and this will create a log of suspicious activity.

If it becomes relevant that someone’s account should be investigated then LE will have the log of suspicious activity for reference.

Again, my guess is money activity has already been investigated. Was it determined no paid hit person involved but was someone else paid to kill Liz? This was not random. This was personal and possibly someone paid to kill Liz.

Narrative is a moo.
Click to expand...

stmarysmead said:
The parents speak so lovingly of S&E’s marriage…of their life together. It does not seem to me that they suspect S…even after all the speculation scross the years. Even though, that large insurance policy gave her death value to him. And no one else seems to gain financially from her death either directly or through her job.

They do seem to think this was a ‘hit’…but then if ‘money’ is removed as motive…whose love or hatred was so intense that the risk of involving and paying a hit man was still worth it to them?

I keep coming back to E‘s position in the 401. Please correct if I am wrong, but wasn’t she involved in approving their appearances? If someone wanted members of the 401 to appear at a dying child’s birthday or visit a loved one in the hospital…was E the contact person who could schedule or refuse? Because a refusal before a personal tragedy could certainly make grief fester into rage.
Click to expand...
She was the events coordinator...that's possible.
 
PawneeDew said:
She was the events coordinator...that's possible.
Click to expand...

I wonder if a written application is required to request an appearance, or would just a phone call suffice? In other words could there be any records, though after 4 years, very doubtful.

Also, did any appearance go sour? Maybe they were meant to appear somewhere and it didn’t happen for some reason.

A motive like this could explain why two people may have been involved. I can imagine a request to visit a dying child, denied for a perfectly valid reason, but still enraging to grieving family left behind. One who is willing to do the deed, one that wants to see it done.

And here she was, in their eyes, living her happy life, about to go off on a fun vacation. Did she post about that on social media? That could well have been the trigger to deciding…”let’s do it!:
 
arielilane said:
I’d be interested in knowing timeframe of when Liz lived in FL. imo.

  • Liz lived in Illinois, Missouri, Florida and Texas.
whokilledlizbarraza.com

About Liz

default description
whokilledlizbarraza.com
Click to expand...

I've wondered as well. Did a quick name search, and it shows she lived in Spring TX from 2006-2016 before moving to Tomball. The bio you linked mentions she graduated from Klein Collins High in 2008, which is in Spring TX...

So I think we can affirm she'd been in TX for at least 13 years. Not sure the timeline for FL but that would be a long grudge if it was initiated during her time living there.
 
It seems like the killer toyed with his victim. Dressing up as a ruse/disguise and engaging in conversation, knowing full-well that he was about to brutally gun down a fellow human being. What was he thinking in the moments between walking up and eventually firing 4 shots? Why linger? It tells me that this was not simply a assassination. If someone wanted only to kill her they would have said very little, if anything, and proceeded to fire away. No, there was more to this. The shooter appeared to be angry. About what we do not know, but this was a motivated killing. It was planned. It wasn't the first time the shooter has fired a gun (knew enough to use a revolver and not leave casings, as well). Was the shooter building up the courage to shoot? Was he savoring the moment, like someone at a restaurant waiting for a good meal? If they weren't from the inner circle, then from where? I realize that there is a lot of crime in Houston and that resources might be thin on any given investigation, but you would think that they have exhausted all links to family, friends and co-workers. This almost resembles a cartel hit, where the shooter is well-versed with weapons, brutal, effective but not overly professional, fearless, and with resources to surveille and clean up loose ends (like a vehicle).

I pray for the family that this gets resolved.
 
Ajs1004 said:
I could have sworn shortly after it happened, he told the news that interviewed him that he just kept watching it over and over as he was driving home.
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He's referencing their nest cam....audio.

He scrolls back through the camera.

He hears Liz scream and gunshots.

He goes to the live feed.

He sees crime tape but is unsure if it is around their house.

He speaks with police through the door cam.

Something like that....it still confuses me why he doesn't think the situation is that serious.

It was a massive police response.
 
KindMind1ofA said:
I've wondered as well. Did a quick name search, and it shows she lived in Spring TX from 2006-2016 before moving to Tomball. The bio you linked mentions she graduated from Klein Collins High in 2008, which is in Spring TX...

So I think we can affirm she'd been in TX for at least 13 years. Not sure the timeline for FL but that would be a long grudge if it was initiated during her time living there.
Click to expand...
Agreed. That would be a long time for someone to hold a grudge. Still really interested in those years Liz lived in FL.

So Liz was 18 years old when she graduated from high school (living in TX).

moo
 
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