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

[iamnotagolem]

Think about it from the killers view-he HAD to know that the husband was not there, but could not have actually seen him leave for work.

SBM I've always wondered if the killer had access to their ring doorbell. Or had some other indicator that SG had just left, because the killer left the school at the same time that SG left for work. How did the killer know?

 

[santacruztodd]

SBM I've always wondered if the killer had access to their ring doorbell. Or had some other indicator that SG had just left, because the killer left the school at the same time that SG left for work. How did the killer know?

The drive by at 2 am SG's car would be there. On approach to commit crime, his car is gone. Also could have been synchronized beforehand.

 

[arielilane]

We know that a dark truck was used in the murder of Liz.

Possible/Probable?

• Once murder was executed truck is driven to Mexico or some other location?
• Truck is destroyed or truck parts are sold for cash?
• Shooter either rents a vehicle to travels back to their residence or both shooter and accomplice travel back in accomplice’s vehicle (from wherever vehicle was left at to initially travel to Tomball) and both shooter and accomplice travel back to their respective residences?
• Once the shooter returned home… shooter contacts local LE to report truck stolen?

MOO

 

[Chelly]

We know that a dark truck was used in the murder of Liz.

Possible/Probable?

• Once murder was executed truck is driven to Mexico or some other location?
• Truck is destroyed or truck parts are sold for cash?
• Shooter either rents a vehicle to travels back to their residence or both shooter and accomplice travel back in accomplice’s vehicle (from wherever vehicle was left at to initially travel to Tomball) and both shooter and accomplice travel back to their respective residences?
• Once the shooter returned home… shooter contacts local LE to report truck stolen?

MOO

Re bullet points #3 and #4 above. Too risky. Paper/digital trail ultimately leads back to killer...opinion only

 

[vmm951usc]

Do not make this complicated. This was planned. She left to Starbucks earlier that day to get coffee. How would the murderer know she was coming back? What if they missed their opportunity and she left to work, as it has been said she would have normally already left to work before the time of the murder. They knew she would be there (it was planned). It has also been said that only a "few" people knew about the garage sale. Only a couple of people at work, couple of friends, and family members. On the Paula Zahn episode they say they cleared everyone at work. So this makes this list of possible suspects even smaller (because the murderer knew about the garage sale and knew she be out there).

S leaves for work at 6:48 am and the murder pulls out of the Goddard school at 6:48 am. (this was planned)
Murder vehicle does not park in view of ring camera (this was planned)
She is murdered at 6:53 am. (this was planned)
500,000 Life Insurance policy / On Paula Zahn it was said LE was misled about amount of life insurance
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<modsnip - not victim friendly>
Where the signs put out the night before or the morning of? (I have heard S say both)
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This was planned.....
I can say more but we will save that for another time.

 

[MntnHiker]

Did Liz normally get Starbucks in the morning or only this day because of the garage sale? I have to admit, I end up at Starbucks more often than not in the morning so a daily or almost daily coffee trip is not unusual to me. If she did make that trip every day, the killer may have knew that and knew she’d be back.

At the same time, I think Liz went to get coffee at like 6 AM right and the killer’s vehicle was not in the neighborhood yet? Even if it was a one-off trip, it may have been inconsequential. They may not have planned for her to go get coffee but it didn’t change the time of attack or Liz being home later.

 

[NeverPersonal]

We know that a dark truck was used in the murder of Liz.

Possible/Probable?

• Once murder was executed truck is driven to Mexico or some other location?
• Truck is destroyed or truck parts are sold for cash?
• Shooter either rents a vehicle to travels back to their residence or both shooter and accomplice travel back in accomplice’s vehicle (from wherever vehicle was left at to initially travel to Tomball) and both shooter and accomplice travel back to their respective residences?
• Once the shooter returned home… shooter contacts local LE to report truck stolen?

MOO

its easy enough to call a tow yard and have them come pick up your car within an hour or two and pay you cash for it to take it apart or crush it or whatever else. i had to do that once

 

[Ajs1004]

Did Liz normally get Starbucks in the morning or only this day because of the garage sale? I have to admit, I end up at Starbucks more often than not in the morning so a daily or almost daily coffee trip is not unusual to me. If she did make that trip every day, the killer may have knew that and knew she’d be back.

At the same time, I think Liz went to get coffee at like 6 AM right and the killer’s vehicle was not in the neighborhood yet? Even if it was a one-off trip, it may have been inconsequential. They may not have planned for her to go get coffee but it didn’t change the time of attack or Liz being home later.

The question about her going to Starbucks regularly has actually never been answered. I am curious about this myself.

 

[Ajs1004]

I think establishing a rock solid alibi for SG was part of the plan. If SG had left the house 30 minutes before Liz was shot, it'd be hard not to wonder if it was SG in disguise shooting Liz in a borrowed vehicle. Whether SG was involved in the murder or not remains to be seen, but I do think there was very deliberate timing and planning.

100%. This is why I have been saying from the start that S isn’t the murderer. He couldn’t have cased his own house at2am in a different vehicle without someone’s camera seeing him/his car drive away. He couldn’t have committed the crime because it happened in less than 5 minutes after he left. 5 minutes isn’t enough time to leave, hide his car, change into a costume, get in the truck, and do it. And then circle around again to make sure she was dead. And his own neighbors probably would have recognized his face as he drove by.

 

[iamnotagolem]

100%. This is why I have been saying from the start that S isn’t the murderer. He couldn’t have cased his own house at2am in a different vehicle without someone’s camera seeing him/his car drive away. He couldn’t have committed the crime because it happened in less than 5 minutes after he left. 5 minutes isn’t enough time to leave, hide his car, change into a costume, get in the truck, and do it. And then circle around again to make sure she was dead. And his own neighbors probably would have recognized his face as he drove by.

I don’t think anyone has ever accused of SG of killing Liz, <modsnip - not victim friendly> IMO

 

[JnRyan]

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Others have pointed out something that I've missed - a chop shop in Mexico. Of course, if you know where to go, Mexico is not necessarily the scenario. I believe this truck is still around and the owner is blissfully ignorant.

 

[arielilane]

its easy enough to call a tow yard and have them come pick up your car within an hour or two and pay you cash for it to take it apart or crush it or whatever else. i had to do that once

Agreed. However, after the murder of Liz the truck made its exit out of the neighborhood onto Kuykendahl Road and from their truck is no longer seen on camera (IIRC). Where did the truck go? MOO guess, maybe to Mexico or to another location not that far away as you mentioned a tow yard?

 

[HousewaresAisle3]

I read about this case in December (2022) and have been completely absorbed by it. I know nothing and am completely speculating, but after a few weeks having consumed as much info about this murder as I can, here are my thoughts. It's not a super short read, and I don't think I am bringing anything new to the table here, but I just needed to type this out....

IMO, I think we can say with certainty that

• This was a targeted killing, with Liz the target.
• The killer(s) had some knowledge and/or expectation of how the movements of Sergio and Liz that morning would transpire.

The biggest issue with this case is motive. I know the Nissan Frontier is a hot topic, and clearly we need to know who that truck belongs(belonged) to, but at this point we don't know if there are any real leads on that. So to me the most interesting thing as a passive viewer of this case, is who wanted Liz dead? Because this isn't a random killing and was very clearly targeted, someone clearly felt compelled to end her life. Someone took the time and resources to murder her. It was not random.

Based on released info to us, the general public, there isn't anyone in her broader circle - work, the Star Wars cosplay group, etc, that we know of that harbored animosity toward her. If someone does exist that meets this criteria, this info is not public.

<modsnip - casting suspicion on family>

I do not believe I have read any where that law enforcement (or anyone with direct connection - like Liz's family), has indicated that Sergio is a suspect. My understanding is that they have not said he is cleared of the murder.

<modsnip - casting suspicion on family>

 

[MntnHiker]

The cars may have been parked on the street that morning because of the garage sale. Likely they already had a garage full of stuff ready to go out in the driveway from the night before, at least that's how it is at my house when we have a garage sale. MOO

 

[arielilane]

Sharing this article dated January 25, 2022. Here we are four years later and still no arrest, but it's coming cause "somebody does know something." IMO​

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$50K reward for information leading to arrest of suspect in Elizabeth Barraza murder

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“I think it can be solved, I whole-heartedly want it to be solved, I don’t know how long it will take but you know what, for as long as it takes, we are going to be out there and we are going to be fighting for it because somebody does know something," Rosemary Nuelle said.

The increased reward will be announced at a news conference on Tuesday. Her parents hope the money will encourage someone to come forward. If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

 

[santacruztodd]

Sharing this article dated January 25, 2022. Here we are four years later and still no arrest, but it's coming cause "somebody does know something." IMO​

​

$50K reward for information leading to arrest of suspect in Elizabeth Barraza murder

​

“I think it can be solved, I whole-heartedly want it to be solved, I don’t know how long it will take but you know what, for as long as it takes, we are going to be out there and we are going to be fighting for it because somebody does know something," Rosemary Nuelle said.

The increased reward will be announced at a news conference on Tuesday. Her parents hope the money will encourage someone to come forward. If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

This helps, for sure, but $100,000 has a nicer ring to it and would definitely perk up some ears!

 

[santacruztodd]

Now that makes the timing very odd, if the killer did their recon in the weeks prior. If the killer didn't find out about the garage sale the night before (from the signs) how would they know S wasn't going to be there as well. That one day S leaves first and they know they have her alone. OR had the killer been there in the past in the school lot hoping S left first and this was finally their chance? But even that doesn't sound likely.

Even assuming that the killer and Sergio "coincidentally" moved their vehicles at 6:48 am (Sergio to work/the killer from Goddard School to the street near their residence), you have to wonder how the killer knew that Sergio was not home? Did it matter to the killer? Would the average person want to be the one to discover their spouse shot 4 times? My theory is that it was part of the plan to not have SB be at the scene when the murder was committed-this accounts for the fact that a very small window existed to pull this off-any sooner, and the husband would still be home, any later and you have neighbors moving about and likely a few people showing up to the sale.

LE cannot link the killer to the mastermind, yet. The increase in reward tells me that they are still not sure.

 

[MntnHiker]

IMO the timing being when S was not home could also have been so there was no witness who knew who they were. If this was someone the Barrazas would have recognized, they may have not wanted S to be home. They knew they were going to kill Liz (yes, she did end up living until the hospital but my understanding is she wasn't conscious to tell them who the killer was if she knew and I don't think their plan was to leave her alive), it appears they wore a disguise so their identity wouldn't be immediately discernible on cameras especially from far away, and they must have known or felt confident that even if neighbors came out of their homes, they wouldn't know who they were.

 

[Ajs1004]

Another question I’ve always wonder is has Sergio ever expressed that he’s scared he’s next? Because I have never heard anything saying that. He still lived in the house that they lived in together for a while. He even took over her job. If that was my husband, I would move probably in the middle of the night to a undisclosed location. And I definitely wouldn’t work where he did. I’d always be watching over my shoulder wondering if I was next.

 

[arielilane]

Been thinking about S’s commentary (from PZ show) that he raced home from work because he knew something was wrong. He used his phone to get a live look at what was happening. He opened doorbell camera and as soon as I saw it I saw there was police tape in front of the house. He saw a police officer walk in front of it. He’s thinking what happened? He panned through the timeline trying to see what’s going on and he heard Liz screaming and then heard gunshots. S listened to the video over and over again and he raced home. He immediately shared the critical evidence with LE.

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1. Was it possible for S to ONLY see police tape and a police officer walk in front of it (whatever that means)?
2. Is it possible there was no view of the driveway? Was Nest camera set to film front door entrance only?

MOO