TX TX - Elizabeth Barraza, 29, murdered setting up garage sale, Harris Co, Jan 2019 #5

[JnRyan]

Everyone of average and above intelligence now understands that there are cameras everywhere, especially on highways. This person made no attempt to avoid any community cameras because they couldn't get to her house any other way. But they did manage to avoid any highway cameras or toll transponder scanning rigs which should have caught them coming and going from the crime scene.

LE, per the "Who Killed Liz Barraza" website timeline, tracked the truck after it left the subdivision but lost it in an area with no cameras.

Timeline

default description

www.whokilledlizbarraza.com

And yet LE in an area I would consider to have FAR less experience in tracking with cameras, Moscow ID, manages to track a suspect's vehicle well enough to pinpoint a suspect in the murder of 4 college students.

Is this killer really this good or just VERY lucky?

 

[gremlin444]

Yes, indeed...WHO benefited? I suppose we have to look at what constitutes 'benefit'. Financial such as life insurance or inheritance? To get out of a marriage w/o a divorce? Look at the Michael Williams murder in Florida: Murder of Mike Williams - Wikipedia

Jealousy? Grudge? This could be anyone. I can think of one person in my life that many said was so nice and caring but when I dealt with them I found them to be conniving and manipulative. Yet they always publicly said all the right things. That's an extreme and I doubt it applies here with Elizabeth. But almost all of us on here truly do not know Elizabeth. What I believe is more likely here is someone took offense to something most of us would have not given a second thought to. IOW, no malice intended by Elizabeth, none noted by others, but one person took it to be malicious. For example, we do not know the nature of her sense of humor. Could she have said something in jest and a person not familiar with her took it to be pointed at them? To find that one person who 'benefited' is obviously going to be VERY tough by LE, if that turns out to be the case.

Of course, this could be some psychopath that just wanted to kill just to do it and has no relationship whatsoever to her. While I can't entirely rule that out, I give it a VERY LOW probability here.

I know this is an older post, but I was reading another thread on WS and for some reason thought to look up this case and read back through.

One of my good friends from high school had been in the 501st storm trooper group with Liz. He was no longer living in Texas when she was murdered, but I remembered Sergio had contacted him to invite him to go back for the funeral.

I haven't chatted on Facebook w/my friend in years, but I glanced back through my old FB messages from him from that time period. He said Liz really was as giving and kind as she was described in the media. He seemed to respect and like Sergio. He posts on FB about her every year as the anniversary rolls around and seems just as puzzled as everyone else as to who did this or why they did.

 

[JnRyan]

I know this is an older post, but I was reading another thread on WS and for some reason thought to look up this case and read back through.

One of my good friends from high school had been in the 501st storm trooper group with Liz. He was no longer living in Texas when she was murdered, but I remembered Sergio had contacted him to invite him to go back for the funeral.

I haven't chatted on Facebook w/my friend in years, but I glanced back through my old FB messages from him from that time period. He said Liz really was as giving and kind as she was described in the media. He seemed to respect and like Sergio. He posts on FB about her every year as the anniversary rolls around and seems just as puzzled as everyone else as to who did this or why they did.

This makes it seem even more like this person had a grudge for some perceived or imagined slight that most of us would not have taken offense to.

 

[AppleTreeGreen]

That she set the alarm even though she felt safe there is not something I had thought about. Now that you mention it I do wonder if something had happened a month or so before the murder. On the day of the murder, Sergio did give LE the name of someone he suspected. This was mentioned in the Arrin Stoner video on the sheriff's report. Per Stoner's video the report does not specify why Sergio believed this person was a problem. Approx. 24 minutes into this video:

I think I remember too in the KHOU interview her parents did earlier this year they mentioned her mother and father taught Liz and her brother on how to remain safe and aware so Liz used a number of tactics to make sure she always had an escape plan, like having access to the garage door for a quick getaway and such. They also mentioned that Sergio and Liz were traumatized by a burglary that took place in their apartment the year before they moved into their house in 2017.

Something too that stuck out to me is that her father pointed out that whoever broke into their apartment had to be pretty dedicated because it was located all the way on the 3rd floor, which I guess implies it was not an easy location to get into and rob without attracting notice.

 

[Betty P]

LE, per the "Who Killed Liz Barraza" website timeline, tracked the truck after it left the subdivision but lost it in an area with no cameras.

Timeline

default description

www.whokilledlizbarraza.com

And yet LE in an area I would consider to have FAR less experience in tracking with cameras, Moscow ID, manages to track a suspect's vehicle well enough to pinpoint a suspect in the murder of 4 college students.

Is this killer really this good or just VERY lucky?

Lucky.

 

[cnmccarthy]

I think I remember too in the KHOU interview her parents did earlier this year they mentioned her mother and father taught Liz and her brother on how to remain safe and aware so Liz used a number of tactics to make sure she always had an escape plan, like having access to the garage door for a quick getaway and such. They also mentioned that Sergio and Liz were traumatized by a burglary that took place in their apartment the year before they moved into their house in 2017.

Something too that stuck out to me is that her father pointed out that whoever broke into their apartment had to be pretty dedicated because it was located all the way on the 3rd floor, which I guess implies it was not an easy location to get into and rob without attracting notice.

Do we have any more information about the robbery? I’d love to know more. That does seem odd that they were robbed on the third floor.

 

[Cedars]

And yet LE in an area I would consider to have FAR less experience in tracking with cameras, Moscow ID, manages to track a suspect's vehicle well enough to pinpoint a suspect in the murder of 4 college students.

Is this killer really this good or just VERY lucky?

IIRC, Moscow police similarly seem to have lost the white Elantra when it exited the neighbourhood.

But two things: firstly, that the Idaho murders happened in the dead of night, when very few vehicles were out there, and secondly, that the victims were students, and therefore police knew the killer was very likely one as well.

IMO UW campus police played a big role in tracking down BK: universities collect a ton of info on students, their vehicles, etc, and they have good security resources/staff.

JMO

 

[arielilane]

Do we have any more information about the robbery? I’d love to know more. That does seem odd that they were robbed on the third floor.

At the start of timestamp 16:50 Liz’s dad begins to talk about the year before buying their home, the apartment (three story walk up) was burglarized, in 2015.

 

[morf13]

This killer was driving around and stalking the victim's home that morning at 2am. Are they getting a sense of the area, the escape routes, etc? Does it prove they are not familiar with the location? In fact, they drove into a culde sac following the shooting and had to improvise to get out of it without coming back the same way. This could mean a stranger, or at least someone who had not been there before.

Also, moments before Sergio leaves for work, the killer is at nearby Goodard school as if he is waiting for husband to leave for work. 3 min after hubby leaves, killer pulls up to house. The timing is hard to ignore. Who knew Sergio's schedule, what time he would leave for work? Did he always leave the same time every day, or work that same day of the week.

From body language and supposed conversation, Liz did not know the person that shot her. She didn't greet him/her like she was saying Hi to someone she recognized.

I own a Nissan Titan PRO4x, the bigger model but same trim level of killer's truck. It is far less common and more pricey then comparable Chevy, Ford, etc trucks. For that reason, it seems like it should be far easier to track then say a White Chevy or Ford pickup. I don't think it would be hard to make a list of every Black Nissan Pro 4X Frontier in that part of Texas and to question every owner, or see if any of them knew Liz or could be connected to her. I think there is a far less chance this truck was a rental for the reasons I posted above of it not being as popular as Chevy/Ford, so rentals would be easier to track. This person may very well have sold, traded, painted, or modified this truck very soon after the murder which would seem like it would stand out. I think if this case & details of that truck were featured heavily on social media throughout that part of TX, it may wind up landing in front of someone with who that truck rings a bell.

Just my 2 cents

 

[morf13]

This, right here, is why I believe the killer has to be connected to the husband.

Yeah, they clearly were waiting for him to leave, so they know his schedule. Do they know it because they knew him? Did they know it because they stalked out the couple and knew their schedules?

 

[morf13]

Person not familiar with the area: They got lost on their way out. Matches arriving the night before to check things out. Means they are not too close to the victim's inner circle because they weren't sure where she lived.

Person familiar with the area: Could be they were listening in to the scanner and knew the police where coming from that same direction. They knew how to get out through the blind Cul-De Sac.

Either way, this person was very cavelier and to me seems to be a unsophisticated criminal. They let their car be seen on camera multiple times, they let themselves be caught on camera, they spoke and risked their voice on camera. I would not be surprised if they made other mistakes as well, but they got incredibly lucky.

As is often the case, people far removed often are more aware of a local crime than people in the same neighborhood. I think this is a solvable crime and it just needs one tip. The more notoriety the better.

MOO the only way this doesn't eventually get solved is if the victim was chosen completely at random- i.e. this was a opportunity that presented itself and the killer took it.

Or they adlibbed to get out of there

 

[arielilane]

This killer was driving around and stalking the victim's home that morning at 2am. Are they getting a sense of the area, the escape routes, etc? Does it prove they are not familiar with the location? In fact, they drove into a culde sac following the shooting and had to improvise to get out of it without coming back the same way. This could mean a stranger, or at least someone who had not been there before.

Also, moments before Sergio leaves for work, the killer is at nearby Goodard school as if he is waiting for husband to leave for work. 3 min after hubby leaves, killer pulls up to house. The timing is hard to ignore. Who knew Sergio's schedule, what time he would leave for work? Did he always leave the same time every day, or work that same day of the week.

From body language and supposed conversation, Liz did not know the person that shot her. She didn't greet him/her like she was saying Hi to someone she recognized.

I own a Nissan Titan PRO4x, the bigger model but same trim level of killer's truck. It is far less common and more pricey then comparable Chevy, Ford, etc trucks. For that reason, it seems like it should be far easier to track then say a White Chevy or Ford pickup. I don't think it would be hard to make a list of every Black Nissan Pro 4X Frontier in that part of Texas and to question every owner, or see if any of them knew Liz or could be connected to her. I think there is a far less chance this truck was a rental for the reasons I posted above of it not being as popular as Chevy/Ford, so rentals would be easier to track. This person may very well have sold, traded, painted, or modified this truck very soon after the murder which would seem like it would stand out. I think if this case & details of that truck were featured heavily on social media throughout that part of TX, it may wind up landing in front of someone with who that truck rings a bell.

Just my 2 cents

The timing of the husband leaving the residence is impeccable …

I knew it was a pricer vehicle and if killer owned the truck, may have had a high paying job at the time. However, after the killing I’d suspect he is a bit of a mess. Maybe is struggling in life and can’t hold down a job and of course has money problems, a drug problem? He can't be living happily - can he? After all he executed a defenseless innocent young woman at her home. Unless he's a sociopath then I supposed he may be living the dream.

You make all valid points about getting more of Liz’s case and details of the truck featured on social media. This is a very solvable case. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of TX has not heard of this case.

Speculation, MOO

 

[JnRyan]

This killer was driving around and stalking the victim's home that morning at 2am. Are they getting a sense of the area, the escape routes, etc? Does it prove they are not familiar with the location? In fact, they drove into a culde sac following the shooting and had to improvise to get out of it without coming back the same way. This could mean a stranger, or at least someone who had not been there before.

Also, moments before Sergio leaves for work, the killer is at nearby Goodard school as if he is waiting for husband to leave for work. 3 min after hubby leaves, killer pulls up to house. The timing is hard to ignore. Who knew Sergio's schedule, what time he would leave for work? Did he always leave the same time every day, or work that same day of the week.

From body language and supposed conversation, Liz did not know the person that shot her. She didn't greet him/her like she was saying Hi to someone she recognized.

I own a Nissan Titan PRO4x, the bigger model but same trim level of killer's truck. It is far less common and more pricey then comparable Chevy, Ford, etc trucks. For that reason, it seems like it should be far easier to track then say a White Chevy or Ford pickup. I don't think it would be hard to make a list of every Black Nissan Pro 4X Frontier in that part of Texas and to question every owner, or see if any of them knew Liz or could be connected to her. I think there is a far less chance this truck was a rental for the reasons I posted above of it not being as popular as Chevy/Ford, so rentals would be easier to track. This person may very well have sold, traded, painted, or modified this truck very soon after the murder which would seem like it would stand out. I think if this case & details of that truck were featured heavily on social media throughout that part of TX, it may wind up landing in front of someone with who that truck rings a bell.

Just my 2 cents

Good points! And more than 2 cents. On the sentences in bold:

The earlier recon trip, yes, likely to familiarize themself with the area. A stranger killing on behalf of someone else and therefore only has the address?

The killer at the school waiting for Sergio. Waiting for him to leave for work? My only issue with that is that is in interviews with Sergio and parents they state that Elizabeth usually left BEFORE Sergio. Sergio left when he did that morning because of an unusually early morning start that day. Of course the killer picks the day of the garage sale. So did they pick the day of sale and KNEW Sergio wasn't staying to help?

Elizabeth didn't recognize her killer? A stranger killing on behalf of someone who DID know her? Or was there a disguise that briefly fooled her?

The truck. That damn truck has been kicked all over this thread. I agree that truck is not common. I don't know how detailed TX DMV records are. Would the records show 'Nissan Frontier PRO4X' or just 'Nissan Frontier'? If it is the later LE has more trucks to go through. Still, one would think a cross check among acquaintances and coworkers against truck records would provide a short list. Unless the truck was off an auto garage or dealer lot, or borrowed. One other theory I had was it could have been owned by someone on long term assignment, like military. When I was in the military, I left my car or cars with friends. One time with someone who lived over 6 hours away and another with a relative over 2 days driving away. Tomball is within 3-4 hours of several Army (Ft Sam Houston, Ft Hood), USAF (Lackland, Randolf) and Navy (NAS Corpus Christi, NAS Kingsville) installations. And after the wars in Balkans, DoD has frequently utilized Individual Augmentees (IA) - that is service members are as individuals and not as part of a unit - so LE can't necessarily look for entire units being deployed. In my last 10 years I was on IA assignment 3 times. The first of those was a task force of 3000+ comprised almost entirely of IA's.

 

[chipwhitley]

This case is in the freezer file...I hope I am wrong! Yes, it's a solvable case. Technology has changed since 2019... a new set of eyes would benefit this case - maybe nothing more than looking at the first 20 pages of the investigation report?

If funds are an issue? What about forfeiture funds? Would LE consider using those funds to activate a new investigation? Go back to the beginning.

All speculation and MOO. Nothing factual here!

It'd be great if someone did a podcast similar to Up and Vanished about this case.

 

[Cryptic]

I’m quite sure this has been discussed here before but I don’t remember the answer. Is it possible that the “Pro-4x” sticker (and maybe other model-identifying items) were applied for that day only? Temporarily, so as to throw off identification?

@morf13 owns such a truck and may have some insights into your questions.

I am thinking that Pro-4X stickers and an endless variety of other car stickers come in three flavors:

A. Factory option on certain models.
B. Dealer add on (dealers keep a supply of high quality 'official' stickers and other add ons on display to sell to enthusiasts)
C. "Aftermarket" stickers via the internet of various quality.

I dont know if the Pro-4X sticker was of the same size, design and placement as the official ones from a dealership or factory. If the sticker is official, the cost might partially negate somebody buying it for one night only. "Official" add ons tend to be pricey.

Also.... the Pro-4X is a higher end version of the lower level Nissan Frontier. Some manufacturers give higher end models slightly different body styles, "ground effects", hood designs etc. A truck enthusiast might be able to tell the difference between the Frontier body trim and the Pro-4X body trim.

 

[arielilane]

It'd be great if someone did a podcast similar to Up and Vanished about this case.

I've not heard of the Up and Vanished podcast. Love podcast and have listened to every podcast done on Liz's murder (that I am aware of). Anyway, I checked out U&V and it appears it's about cold cases. Right? Plan to check out a few that interest me. Thank you!

 

[cnmccarthy]

At the start of timestamp 16:50 Liz’s dad begins to talk about the year before buying their home, the apartment (three story walk up) was burglarized, in 2015.

Thank you! Too bad they don’t say how it happened or what was taken. A part of me is wondering if this was a trial run made to look like a burglary. I can’t wrap my mind around it being just a coincidence. IMO

 

[morf13]

Good points! And more than 2 cents. On the sentences in bold:

The earlier recon trip, yes, likely to familiarize themself with the area. A stranger killing on behalf of someone else and therefore only has the address?

The killer at the school waiting for Sergio. Waiting for him to leave for work? My only issue with that is that is in interviews with Sergio and parents they state that Elizabeth usually left BEFORE Sergio. Sergio left when he did that morning because of an unusually early morning start that day. Of course the killer picks the day of the garage sale. So did they pick the day of sale and KNEW Sergio wasn't staying to help?

Elizabeth didn't recognize her killer? A stranger killing on behalf of someone who DID know her? Or was there a disguise that briefly fooled her?

The truck. That damn truck has been kicked all over this thread. I agree that truck is not common. I don't know how detailed TX DMV records are. Would the records show 'Nissan Frontier PRO4X' or just 'Nissan Frontier'? If it is the later LE has more trucks to go through. Still, one would think a cross check among acquaintances and coworkers against truck records would provide a short list. Unless the truck was off an auto garage or dealer lot, or borrowed. One other theory I had was it could have been owned by someone on long term assignment, like military. When I was in the military, I left my car or cars with friends. One time with someone who lived over 6 hours away and another with a relative over 2 days driving away. Tomball is within 3-4 hours of several Army (Ft Sam Houston, Ft Hood), USAF (Lackland, Randolf) and Navy (NAS Corpus Christi, NAS Kingsville) installations. And after the wars in Balkans, DoD has frequently utilized Individual Augmentees (IA) - that is service members are as individuals and not as part of a unit - so LE can't necessarily look for entire units being deployed. In my last 10 years I was on IA assignment 3 times. The first of those was a task force of 3000+ comprised almost entirely of IA's.

Seems the killer had some knowledge of what was going to happen that day schedule wise

 

[morf13]

It'd be great if someone did a podcast similar to Up and Vanished about this case.

I am working on something

 

[morf13]

Good points! And more than 2 cents. On the sentences in bold:

The earlier recon trip, yes, likely to familiarize themself with the area. A stranger killing on behalf of someone else and therefore only has the address?

The killer at the school waiting for Sergio. Waiting for him to leave for work? My only issue with that is that is in interviews with Sergio and parents they state that Elizabeth usually left BEFORE Sergio. Sergio left when he did that morning because of an unusually early morning start that day. Of course the killer picks the day of the garage sale. So did they pick the day of sale and KNEW Sergio wasn't staying to help?

Elizabeth didn't recognize her killer? A stranger killing on behalf of someone who DID know her? Or was there a disguise that briefly fooled her?

The truck. That damn truck has been kicked all over this thread. I agree that truck is not common. I don't know how detailed TX DMV records are. Would the records show 'Nissan Frontier PRO4X' or just 'Nissan Frontier'? If it is the later LE has more trucks to go through. Still, one would think a cross check among acquaintances and coworkers against truck records would provide a short list. Unless the truck was off an auto garage or dealer lot, or borrowed. One other theory I had was it could have been owned by someone on long term assignment, like military. When I was in the military, I left my car or cars with friends. One time with someone who lived over 6 hours away and another with a relative over 2 days driving away. Tomball is within 3-4 hours of several Army (Ft Sam Houston, Ft Hood), USAF (Lackland, Randolf) and Navy (NAS Corpus Christi, NAS Kingsville) installations. And after the wars in Balkans, DoD has frequently utilized Individual Augmentees (IA) - that is service members are as individuals and not as part of a unit - so LE can't necessarily look for entire units being deployed. In my last 10 years I was on IA assignment 3 times. The first of those was a task force of 3000+ comprised almost entirely of IA's.

The vin # would indicate if it's a PRO X model I think, but don't hold me to that. The vin # would certainly give color etc
There is a good chance I think that if the killer owned this truck, they likely traded it, sold it, modified it, or painted it after the murder. Maybe that's the key, people keying on a Black truck but it's now a Red truck, etc
I think an emphasis to the public about the truck should be- Do you remember anyone who sold, traded, modified or painted their Nissan around that time. Took the stickers off, anything at all