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

[Betty P]

Thank you.
I watched it twice up to the 10 min mark, and I didn't see anyone in the passenger seat.
Doesn't mean that there's no one there, I just didn't see anybody.

ETA: went back and watched some more, and at the 32. plus min mark, I see where Arron has circled the front seat passenger.

Thanks for making note of the time stamp. We can use it for future reference. When I saw that, it seemed very significant. I assume its among the details that LE is keeping to themselves, to help verify the identity of the killer. It may not be as much help now, but its valuable information overall.

 

[MntnHiker]

With the ID murders, the killer lived nearby (about 10 miles away) and was attending a university where police ran a report of all registered white Elantras at the school. It was a finite area to search (now they had no way of knowing the killer was from there, but it was at least a place to start).

I have a feeling with Liz's case that the murderer may not be from the surrounding area. That could be a reason why they drove by earlier that morning - to scope out the layout of the neighborhood and an escape route. It could be why they're having a hard time locating the vehicle. I'm sure they've had many tips called in from people regarding vehicles of this make/model/color but maybe they haven't found one that seems at all suspicious. It it was from a different state, people may not even know anyone is looking for this kind of vehicle. I live in IL and none of my friends or my spouse had heard about this case when I brought it up. They would have no idea to send in a tip about a truck matching this description, for example.

I do tend to think there was a passenger as well. That has not been confirmed, but it is MOO based on some of the things from the aforementioned Arrin Stoner video - both the video footage and enhanced audio where it sounds like two voices, a male and a female (not Liz's - there is another voice that first says something about a garage sale when they pull up). It could be a couple who both had it out for Liz or a spouse who did and their partner was willing to go along with them and/or commit the crime for them. MOO

 

[PawneeDew]

The PCA in ID case provided video footage of suspect vehicle to forensic examiners (FE) with the FBI that regularly utilize surveillance footage to identify the year, make, and model of an unknown vehicle that is observed by one or more cameras during the commission of a criminal offense. The FE specific training includes identifying unique characteristics of vehicles, and uses a database that gives visual clues of vehicles across states to identify differences between vehicles.


IMO, a FE certainly would go a long way with narrowing down the year of the Nissan truck, and perhaps confirm other relevant info concerning the truck. There is no doubt that several unreleased truck videos may provide more info, too.

Is the FBI involved in this case, does anyone know?

 

[PawneeDew]

Anyone have more than these two articles? TIA

New lead in murder of woman at Tomball garage sale

Six months after Elizabeth Barraza was shot to death in her driveway, detectives say they may have a break in the case.

abc13.com

Detectives say they are waiting on results of a warrant that they hope will break the case.


01/27/2020 - ABC 13 - Results of warrant could expose person

On Sunday, Harris County homicide detective Michael Richie hinted at "something coming down the pike" in the case. He said there is now a warrant in the case, stating, "I feel that the results of that warrant will be critical in the investigation and most likely will expose a suspect and who's responsible for this."

So...I don't know how to bold sentences...but, that says that the warrant could expose a suspect? Also, it says in the interview the warrants were for electronics? Says verified what they already knew...any speculation on what those were? Phone records, video?

 

[Ajs1004]

Is the FBI involved in this case, does anyone know?

As far as I know, no. Nobody has ever said the FBI is involved.

So...I don't know how to bold sentences...but, that says that the warrant could expose a suspect? Also, it says in the interview the warrants were for electronics? Says verified what they already knew...any speculation on what those were? Phone records, video?

Th e police never divulged what the warrant entailed. Just that they would get answers from it. Then it kind of fizzled out and nothing was accounted in regards to the warrant.

 

[JnRyan]

I would agree, and I mean no criticism of the detectives working this case. I think that if you dedicated a team to the car, you would hit pay dirt. FBI resources would help immeasurably. You need to know the year and model-that has been determined I am sure. You locate every one of those cars and do a deep drill-down. Many will have GPS trackers imho, so they can be included/excluded based on that. For the ones without trackers, you need to create a spreadsheet and create parameters for inclusion/exclusion. Age/weight/height of vehicle owners and related family members. Known acquaintances as well. Look at time-frame close to murder for vehicle sales/transfers/salvage in case the perp disposed of the vehicle after the crime. Check license plate replacement orders at the DMV for the vehicle in question. Check vehicle theft reports for said vehicle in case the perp was trying to create an alibi for the vehicle not being in their possession at the time of the murder. Sort this data base by circumference rings beginning near the crime and extending outward-the farther from the crime scene, the less-likely the vehicle was used, theoretically. Check all patrol records within a week of the crime for driving citations issued to this vehicle make/model in and around the immediate area. Check all gas station/bank/ATM video footage for the perp-they had to get gas, food, water at some point unless they were somewhat local. This would involve a geographical radius equal to one car tank of gas in all directions.

It sounds like a lot of work because it is-but I know that a true data geek could handle this. If the perp made one mistake, the car was it.

I'm onboard with all of this except the GPS. Only because I wonder if LE needs a search warrant, like they do with cell phones. IOW, the GPS comes into play once LE has probable cause on a particular truck. I'm not an attorney though, so someone else might be able to nail that down.

I would hope LE got the DMV records for that period and still have it in a database. As for the Frontier it has a 21.1 gal tank and gets 16/22 mpg for city/highway and 18 mpg combined. So about a 300-350 range. I would think they would fill up as far away as possible so maybe 150 miles out? If they used cash instead of a card this might make it tougher to pinpoint. Also, they may have used a different route out of the area than they did when arriving. Given that this appears to be planned, if the level of planning is sophisticated enough on the part of the killer they could have taken steps to avoid detection. I wouldn't be surprised if they left their cell phone at home and used a burner.

 

[santacruztodd]

I'm onboard with all of this except the GPS. Only because I wonder if LE needs a search warrant, like they do with cell phones. IOW, the GPS comes into play once LE has probable cause on a particular truck. I'm not an attorney though, so someone else might be able to nail that down.

I would hope LE got the DMV records for that period and still have it in a database. As for the Frontier it has a 21.1 gal tank and gets 16/22 mpg for city/highway and 18 mpg combined. So about a 300-350 range. I would think they would fill up as far away as possible so maybe 150 miles out? If they used cash instead of a card this might make it tougher to pinpoint. Also, they may have used a different route out of the area than they did when arriving. Given that this appears to be planned, if the level of planning is sophisticated enough on the part of the killer they could have taken steps to avoid detection. I wouldn't be surprised if they left their cell phone at home and used a burner.

All good points, thank you. I am also intrigued by the prospect of there being a second person in the car. Maybe this car belongs to the passenger, and the driver was simply committing the crime of actually shooting Liz. This could also explain why the truck came back – imagine the passenger saying, “let’s go back and make sure she’s dead”, or to satisfy their desire to see the object of their hatred one more time before fleeing the scene. If the passenger was in the car, waiting in the wings, they may have wanted to see her lying on the ground in order to fully relish the moment. I think we can agree that your average professional killer would not drive back to the scene a full two minutes after committing the crime. Only hatred and a deep desire for vengeance would make somebody return to the scene of a crime like that.

 

[arielilane]

Regarding Arrin’s video, he points out that you can hear the truck’s engine rev as the shooter sprints back toward the truck which indicates there is an accomplice sitting in the vehicle. Additionally, Arrin concludes that he hears the shooter say “keep pressing or “keep pressing it” in a yelling, demanding tone.

moo, I can hear some of what is being said in the video but not sure if it’s because of what other YouTube creators are telling you what you are about to hear or if I am actually hearing thode words. Sounds silly. However, I’m 100% on truck’s engine rev before shooter is back in truck.



edited: for clarity

 

[arielilane]

According to S he usually left for work around 6:30 - 6:45 a.m. However, he left a little later 6:48 a.m. to help Liz set up garage sale.

However, a neighbor told LE that S would leave for work every morning at 7:00 a.m. S claimed neighbor is mistaken, and that Liz would leave for work every morning at 7:00 a.m.

according to Paula Zahn show: “On a normal day Liz would have already been on her way to the office.”

IMO

edited: to include additional sentence.

 

[Duper's Delight]

According to S he usually left for work around 6:30 - 6:45 a.m. However, he left a little later 6:48 a.m. to help Liz set up garage sale.

Paula Z: Sergio said most mornings he would have been there to help Liz set up but that DAY he had an early call for work at his flooring job
What time do you think you left for work that day?
Sergio: I would say it was 6:47
Paula Z: Did Liz seem like her normal self that morning?
Yeah, she was happy. I kissed her and I said I love you and I just kind of took off……
Sergio is grateful that those were their final words exchanged
_________________________________________________________________________
Well, which is it?

I would think if he had an early call that morning he would have left earlier than 6:30 when he says his normal window to leave is between 6:30 -6:45.....

This is like the garage sales signs at first he said "we put them out that morning" and then it became that evening.....

Snippets from the first press conference:
Detective Ritchie: I believe Mr. Barraza told me ummmmm; Sergio correct me if I am wrong.
I think that morning they had gone out to put out signs
Sergio: Yeah
Detective Ritchie: Yeah, they only put out signs that morning they didn’t have them out the night before and there really wasn’t much chatter or posting about their upcoming garage sale

Earlier in the presser Detective Ritchie also says "The timing of this incident is definitely something that grasped our attention".

 

[arielilane]

• FYI: The events listed here are critical points in the incident timeline. These times were gathered from 4 sources: the Bozeman Video, a commercial retail video; the Barraza Nest doorbell video, and the call slip from the incident. The timeline entries by Sergeant Michael Ritchie are shown in red. Discrepancies may be due to the cameras not all having the correct time. Entries marked “approximately” are according to our memories and may not be accurate.

01/24/2019 = Thursday

Evening Liz and Sergio discuss the Garage Sale setup - Friday 01/25 and Saturday 01/26.

Evening Sergio and Liz place garage sale signs in the neighborhood announcing the garage sale running from Friday 1/25 through Saturday 01/26.


01/25/2019 = Friday

Early Morning [06:48:00 AM] Sergio leaves the property to go to work, in a white panel van.


(Time 6:48 a.m. noted above is in red @website)

Timeline

default description

whokilledlizbarraza.com

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

I wonder if the police have tried to, well, I don't know the exact name of the term but basically they will see all cell phones that registered at the closest tower. Isn't it accepted that the truck/suspect had driven by the night before, and possibly after the murder? They could try and see what numbers were pinging at all these times. I realize that suspect could have just left their phone or turned it off, but I don't know, it has been years now and I'm grasping at straws. LE probably already did this.

 

[santacruztodd]

I wonder if the police have tried to, well, I don't know the exact name of the term but basically they will see all cell phones that registered at the closest tower. Isn't it accepted that the truck/suspect had driven by the night before, and possibly after the murder? They could try and see what numbers were pinging at all these times. I realize that suspect could have just left their phone or turned it off, but I don't know, it has been years now and I'm grasping at straws. LE probably already did this.

Geofence warrants are a type of reverse warrant where the government seeks to know who was within a “geofence,” a defined physical area during a specific period of time. These are a type of “reverse warrant,” used to identify suspects when none are known without the data gathered by the warrant.

 

[PawneeDew]

Regarding Arrin’s video, he points out that you can hear the truck’s engine rev as the shooter sprints back toward the truck which indicates there is an accomplice sitting in the vehicle. Additionally, Arrin concludes that he hears the shooter say “keep pressing or “keep pressing it” in a yelling, demanding tone.

moo, I can hear some of what is being said in the video but not sure if it’s because of what other YouTube creators are telling you what you are about to hear or if I am actually hearing thode words. Sounds silly. However, I’m 100% on truck’s engine rev before shooter is back in truck.



edited: for clarity

Is the truck a stick-shift? If so, wouldn't someone have to keep the clutch pedal pressed down to keep it idling?

 

[ilovewings]

Thank you.
I watched it twice up to the 10 min mark, and I didn't see anyone in the passenger seat.
Doesn't mean that there's no one there, I just didn't see anybody.

ETA: went back and watched some more, and at the 32. plus min mark, I see where Arron has circled the front seat passenger.

I had no idea they went to Florida to investigate a person of interest---

 

[arielilane]

I'm onboard with all of this except the GPS. Only because I wonder if LE needs a search warrant, like they do with cell phones. IOW, the GPS comes into play once LE has probable cause on a particular truck. I'm not an attorney though, so someone else might be able to nail that down.

I would hope LE got the DMV records for that period and still have it in a database. As for the Frontier it has a 21.1 gal tank and gets 16/22 mpg for city/highway and 18 mpg combined. So about a 300-350 range. I would think they would fill up as far away as possible so maybe 150 miles out? If they used cash instead of a card this might make it tougher to pinpoint. Also, they may have used a different route out of the area than they did when arriving. Given that this appears to be planned, if the level of planning is sophisticated enough on the part of the killer they could have taken steps to avoid detection. I wouldn't be surprised if they left their cell phone at home and used a burner.

I am hoping that the shooter did a few dumb mistakes that will lead LE directly to perpetrator. The plan wasn't fool proof, only a matter of time to find those missing puzzle pieces. IMO.

 

[arielilane]

Is the truck a stick-shift? If so, wouldn't someone have to keep the clutch pedal pressed down to keep it idling?

IMO, most likely it's a six-speed manual transmission. Not sure how they work. My preference is an automatic as am a lazy driver, manual would be too much work for me.

 

[arielilane]

So...I don't know how to bold sentences...but, that says that the warrant could expose a suspect? Also, it says in the interview the warrants were for electronics? Says verified what they already knew...any speculation on what those were? Phone records, video?

Title of article (Results of warrant could expose who killed woman setting up garage sale) was encouraging, only to be left with a pit in your stomach when nothing came from it, MOO.


Concerning how to bold a word, sentence or paragraph.

• Once you reply to a post, highlight area that you want to bold, go to letter “B” (top far left side) and click on "B" bold. Repeat to undo, if you change your mind.
• In subject area where you write your comments you may post BBM if you want to, which means bolded by me.

 

[ilovewings]

I am hoping that the shooter did a few dumb mistakes that will lead LE directly to perpetrator. The plan wasn't fool proof, only a matter of time to find those missing puzzle pieces. IMO.

The plan so far !ooks pretty good for the perp-- 4years down the road and it isnt solved.
This crime was so horrific, It is so heartBreaking, one can only hope the police know more than it appears
They do. It pains me to think that this cold blooded killer would get away with it.

 

[PawneeDew]

Title of article (Results of warrant could expose who killed woman setting up garage sale) was encouraging, only to be left with a pit in your stomach when nothing came from it, MOO.


Concerning how to bold a word, sentence or paragraph.

• Once you reply to a post, highlight area that you want to bold, go to letter “B” (top far left side) and click on "B" bold. Repeat to undo, if you change your mind.
• In subject area where you write your comments you may post BBM if you want to, which means bolded by me.

Thank you.