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

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santacruztodd said:
I'll say one thing about the female shooter theory-it would explain a lot of things if one chooses to go down that rabbit hole. It would explain why no connection to immediate family has been made. It would also explain why this was a rage-filled killing by a very calculating amateur. It would explain the lack of a financial motive. It would negate the "hired assassin" theory. It would better-lead to a motive. It seems as though the killer planned this extensively and to the last detail. The shooting itself was rehearsed, but shows elements of awkwardness. There was a LOT of emotion present-not something you would find in a more professional hit.

As some here have said, it is possible that Liz was unaware of this person's disdain for her. Is this likely? Not so sure. Unless the killer is completely unhinged, something significant motivated this killing. Liz may have had little reason to expect this reaction from the killer, but some action on Liz' part may have started this wheel in motion. This means that both parties were most-likely aware of the grievance. If this is not the case, it makes it that much harder to establish motive and apprehend the perp. If we assume a female shooter we still have many questions: was it work-related? 501st-related? Romantically motivated? We just don't know. But it does clear the way to pursue with more vigor those specific possibilities.

One last thought regarding the truck: Although many women drive trucks now, I know of quite a few that will on occasion borrow their boyfriend's/husband's trucks or switch vehicles depending on circumstances. I've done this myself many times. Perhaps a boyfriend or husband is unknowingly a party to this event.
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Interesting thoughts here. Below is speculation only…

1. Even if shooter is female, they could still be acting on the wishes of someone else. Although they may have also had their own emotions towards Liz strong enough to carry this out.

2. As others have mentioned, those closest in family and friend circles of SB and Liz (though I’d look much more closely at one side over the other) should be examined. Especially communications and messages between a circle of people in the months/possibly year leading up to this crime.

3. As for the truck, I’m guessing it could have come from out of state- perhaps far enough where it could be brought back to its location of origin, and perp is feeling comfortable it won’t be examined due to the distance and unexpected origin of the vehicle.

Just some thoughts…
 
santacruztodd said:
I'll say one thing about the female shooter theory-it would explain a lot of things if one chooses to go down that rabbit hole. It would explain why no connection to immediate family has been made. It would also explain why this was a rage-filled killing by a very calculating amateur. It would explain the lack of a financial motive. It would negate the "hired assassin" theory. It would better-lead to a motive. It seems as though the killer planned this extensively and to the last detail. The shooting itself was rehearsed, but shows elements of awkwardness. There was a LOT of emotion present-not something you would find in a more professional hit.

As some here have said, it is possible that Liz was unaware of this person's disdain for her. Is this likely? Not so sure. Unless the killer is completely unhinged, something significant motivated this killing. Liz may have had little reason to expect this reaction from the killer, but some action on Liz' part may have started this wheel in motion. This means that both parties were most-likely aware of the grievance. If this is not the case, it makes it that much harder to establish motive and apprehend the perp. If we assume a female shooter we still have many questions: was it work-related? 501st-related? Romantically motivated? We just don't know. But it does clear the way to pursue with more vigor those specific possibilities.

One last thought regarding the truck: Although many women drive trucks now, I know of quite a few that will on occasion borrow their boyfriend's/husband's trucks or switch vehicles depending on circumstances. I've done this myself many times. Perhaps a boyfriend or husband is unknowingly a party to this event.
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I believe the killer hated Liz. Don't think this was a hired killer.
 
One would think that someone who was mad enough to go through the planning of this murder would stick out to family and friends but that obviously is not the case. I've said it before that this reminds me of Poe's "Cask of Amontillado". In it the narrator devises a plan to kill another over unspecified insults or other such injuries. Some readers have viewed these insults as perceived on the part of the killer since his victim doesn't appear to be aware of any animosity between them.

When the killer is finally caught, I wouldn't be surprised if we learn that Elizabeth and Sergio were not even aware of this person's anger. IOW, it is something that Elizabeth thought nothing of at the time, but the killer took offense.

I just had another thought. Elizabeth would have been about the right age to have recently attended a 10 year HS reunion. I wonder if there was one and she attended? Could something have happened there? Or could a grudge from high school have reignited? If so, this might be something Sergio and her parents are not aware of.
 
About the truck..
We talked about the possibility that the truck might have been provided from a car repair service without the owner’s knowledge.
I wonder if LE investigated the car services Sergio and Liz took their own cars to . Maybe they can catch some clues there like a platonic love affair causing jealousy or the customers names having same model cars etc.

Since the Nissan vehicle arrived at Liz's house at around 02:00 the night before, one wonders what the closing time of their repair service is and whether it works until midnight from time to time.
If LE lost the Nissan’s whereabouts at some point, it is as if the vehicle was taken from a garage after working hours and returned to the garage before the shift started.
Just a thought .
 
JnRyan said:
I just had another thought. Elizabeth would have been about the right age to have recently attended a 10 year HS reunion. I wonder if there was one and she attended? Could something have happened there? Or could a grudge from high school have reignited? If so, this might be something Sergio and her parents are not aware of.
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This is an interesting point.

I have entertained the idea, that it's some sort of a romantic motive, but "old" one, nothing active at the time. Someone who dated any of the same men as Liz either before or after her. Someone who felt that Liz stole her happiness from her and who kept that grudge for years, until some new problem with a/the romance prompter her to act out on the anger.

I know several people who still carry intense grudges towards their exes or their exes next/previous partners, even if they both are now dating/married to other people and the original guy the offence was about is not even in the picture any more. So I see that as one of the many options here.

MOO
 
I emailed a gentleman at Nissan Corporate to gain insight into the production numbers for the Pro-4X package within the Frontier line. I will post the email below. My hunch is that the Pro-4X package is NOT very common, and therefore it SHOULD be feasible to whittle down the list of owners. The Nissan Frontier model sells a lot of units, but I called a large Nissan dealer in San Jose, CA this morning and he said that the Pro-4X is very UNCOMMON. He said that his dealership has sold only a handful in the last year. I won't rest until this is solved, and this seems like the best evidentiary avenue to travel down. How do we know the extent that LE has gone to in researching this information? Because there was no license plate captured by video did they ever pursued this angle? I think that we all agree that if you find the car, you find the killer-or someone who is 1 degree from the killer. I'll update the thread as my information from Nissan comes in-hopefully they won't stonewall me.

Dear (redacted):

"I’m working on a case where a Nissan Frontier Pro-4X was used in the commission of a crime, and we are trying to identify the vehicle. Investigators think that it is a 2013-2019 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X and videos of the vehicle clearly shows the Pro-4X decal on the rear fender well.

I am trying to find out how many of the Pro-4X packages were produced in each of these years. Perhaps there is information about the % of sales that the Pro-4X accounts for within the Nissan Frontier family? All I have been able to find is the total number of Frontiers made in any given year.

Anything you can do to assist our sleuth group will be most-appreciated. Perhaps there is someone in another department that possesses this information and I would be happy to contact them if you would kindly direct me. Perhaps someone who has intimate knowledge of the Pro-4X who could offer insight into #s as well as anything else that may help identify this specific vehicle.

Thank you so much for your time. This crime was very heinous and we are desperately trying to bring this person to justice."
 
I posted something a while back on Nissan Frontiers and compared the USA sales to Ford F-150's, Chevy's and Toyotas. Granted this was all of the USA, not TX, and included all versions of the Frontier. Not a very common truck.

I wonder if part of the problem is the motor vehicle records. IOW, TX DMV may only list Nissan Frontiers and is not specific to the version of Frontier. The DMV records are the more readily available to LE. To get more specific LE might have to contact Nissan for the specific Pro-4X sales. Even then that would only be NEW sales within TX. Someone buying their truck, in, say, California or Florida and then moved to TX won't be on the dealer sales list. It also would not include those who bought it used.
 
Sjöberg said:
I know several people who still carry intense grudges towards their exes or their exes next/previous partners, even if they both are now dating/married to other people and the original guy the offence was about is not even in the picture any more. So I see that as one of the many options here.

MOO
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RSBM

Certainly, people are capable of intense, long-lasting grudges, especially about failed, formerly committed relationships.

But has or would any of those people hatch this kind of plot to murder the person, years later?

Sure, maybe if they're hanging out with the hated person, and get really drunk, and a firearm is handy, and the hated person says something mean...something can happen out of rage - and the killer will usually get caught.

But IMO, having a strong grudge isn't why these types of well-planned assassinations happen. I don't recall any such cases, though if people can recall any, I'd like to hear about them.

IMO, this kind of well-planned, carefully executed assassination (which leaves no careless clues for police to find out who did it), is not inspired by overwhelming emotions, but by a cool, unemotional mind.

There is no sign of any Jodi Arias-type emotional acting out in the camera footage.

The cool-headed assassin(s) know perfectly well that this is going to be murder, which can result in life in prison or the death penalty.

Yet still, the assassin(s) decide it is worth the risk, the person must be killed. IMO that tends to be situations involving custody of children (Dan Markel, Pike County murders), or money (Sievers and, potentially, Murdaugh)...

JMO
 
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santacruztodd said:
One last thought regarding the truck: Although many women drive trucks now, I know of quite a few that will on occasion borrow their boyfriend's/husband's trucks or switch vehicles depending on circumstances. I've done this myself many times. Perhaps a boyfriend or husband is unknowingly a party to this event.
Click to expand...

That's a great point!

Also regarding female suspects, we actually have many potentials there but I don't think we know anything about them except for what their indirect relation to Liz is (and the reason they might dislike her)
 
Cedars said:
IMO, this kind of well-planned, carefully executed assassination (which leaves no careless clues for police to find out who did it), is not inspired by overwhelming emotions, but by a cool, unemotional mind.
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That's what I take away from the videos too. This person was relatively calm given what they were about to do - no crazed yelling or arm swinging or obvious visible agitation. We all see it differently tho!
 
I still have a few nagging thoughts on this.
This is a person with a deep hatred toward her. Or acting for someone who did. Why isn't it so obvious to those close to her? A long time ago and something triggered it now? Something that happened fairly recent but she didn't confide about to anyone close to her because she didn't want to worry them or she thought it insignificant?

IF this is someone that no one in her inner circle knows about, why the disguise? Assuming it is a disguise and I believe it is. IOW, if it is someone with a remote or unknown relationship to her then those around her would not recognize them. The video is poor enough that they might have gotten away with it w/o a disguise. Of course, in the Delphi case the killer was caught partially due to his photo so maybe just a precaution on the killer's part.

"Hired killer". Over the last 30+ years in my area we've had 4-5 cases of such things and none of the killers were pros. In fact in one of them I was sitting in a military club next to an officer whose wife was being murdered while we were there. I was his alibi as we were on the other side of the country. He hired one of senior enlisted who needed money to do it. So I do wonder about this aspect.

That DAMN truck! It is so distinctive! It isn't like this is a Ford F-150 or Toyota Camry of unknown color. Yet they can't seem to find it.

The motive. Elizabeth is not into drugs or a divorcee with a known abusive ex. She appeared to be a kind friendly person. No obvious risk factors. I don't get it.

LE's trip to Miami as part of the case. 2-3 years later. Why and who? She did live there at one time, but I believe she graduated HS in TX. That seems she would have been too young to have a direct connection to her. But to a parent?

That 4th shot. That was cold and seemed HIGHLY personal. For that reason I have some doubts about a hired killer.
 
santacruztodd said:
I emailed a gentleman at Nissan Corporate to gain insight into the production numbers for the Pro-4X package within the Frontier line. I will post the email below. My hunch is that the Pro-4X package is NOT very common, and therefore it SHOULD be feasible to whittle down the list of owners. The Nissan Frontier model sells a lot of units, but I called a large Nissan dealer in San Jose, CA this morning and he said that the Pro-4X is very UNCOMMON. He said that his dealership has sold only a handful in the last year. I won't rest until this is solved, and this seems like the best evidentiary avenue to travel down. How do we know the extent that LE has gone to in researching this information? Because there was no license plate captured by video did they ever pursued this angle? I think that we all agree that if you find the car, you find the killer-or someone who is 1 degree from the killer. I'll update the thread as my information from Nissan comes in-hopefully they won't stonewall me.

Dear (redacted):

"I’m working on a case where a Nissan Frontier Pro-4X was used in the commission of a crime, and we are trying to identify the vehicle. Investigators think that it is a 2013-2019 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X and videos of the vehicle clearly shows the Pro-4X decal on the rear fender well.

I am trying to find out how many of the Pro-4X packages were produced in each of these years. Perhaps there is information about the % of sales that the Pro-4X accounts for within the Nissan Frontier family? All I have been able to find is the total number of Frontiers made in any given year.

Anything you can do to assist our sleuth group will be most-appreciated. Perhaps there is someone in another department that possesses this information and I would be happy to contact them if you would kindly direct me. Perhaps someone who has intimate knowledge of the Pro-4X who could offer insight into #s as well as anything else that may help identify this specific vehicle.

Thank you so much for your time. This crime was very heinous and we are desperately trying to bring this person to justice."
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! I know you will keep us posted.
 
JnRyan said:
I still have a few nagging thoughts on this.
This is a person with a deep hatred toward her. Or acting for someone who did. Why isn't it so obvious to those close to her? A long time ago and something triggered it now? Something that happened fairly recent but she didn't confide about to anyone close to her because she didn't want to worry them or she thought it insignificant?

IF this is someone that no one in her inner circle knows about, why the disguise? Assuming it is a disguise and I believe it is. IOW, if it is someone with a remote or unknown relationship to her then those around her would not recognize them. The video is poor enough that they might have gotten away with it w/o a disguise. Of course, in the Delphi case the killer was caught partially due to his photo so maybe just a precaution on the killer's part.

"Hired killer". Over the last 30+ years in my area we've had 4-5 cases of such things and none of the killers were pros. In fact in one of them I was sitting in a military club next to an officer whose wife was being murdered while we were there. I was his alibi as we were on the other side of the country. He hired one of senior enlisted who needed money to do it. So I do wonder about this aspect.

That DAMN truck! It is so distinctive! It isn't like this is a Ford F-150 or Toyota Camry of unknown color. Yet they can't seem to find it.

The motive. Elizabeth is not into drugs or a divorcee with a known abusive ex. She appeared to be a kind friendly person. No obvious risk factors. I don't get it.

LE's trip to Miami as part of the case. 2-3 years later. Why and who? She did live there at one time, but I believe she graduated HS in TX. That seems she would have been too young to have a direct connection to her. But to a parent?

That 4th shot. That was cold and seemed HIGHLY personal. For that reason I have some doubts about a hired killer.
Click to expand...
The DAMN truck is right-- I watch See No Evil every week- one of my favs on ID- the entire show and how they catch the perp is based on surveillance. What I see is that surveillance these days is a great tool because there are cameras all over the place-- so for example, in this case, the police should have had the ability to track this truck for quite a while after the perp left the scene of the crime. I have seen killers caught on See No Evil because they were able to track the vehicle after it left the scene and went down let's say a main road with cameras tracking it for quite a while. It is often the vehicle that winds up as the tool that catches the perp. I am so frustrated with this case and I feel that law enforcement in this case did not do their due diligence in this respect. I could be wrong, but that is how I feel.
 
@santacruztodd, I have to commend you for taking the initiative to contact Nissan Corp. A few months back I had an email typed out ready to send to a youtuber who seemed to like Nissan vehicles and wanted to get their input/thoughts about the year of the truck. Unfortunately, I never sent the email because I didn't want to ask someone to view such a horrific video, and left it at that. It's people like you that make a difference.
 
ilovewings said:
The DAMN truck is right-- I watch See No Evil every week- one of my favs on ID- the entire show and how they catch the perp is based on surveillance. What I see is that surveillance these days is a great tool because there are cameras all over the place-- so for example, in this case, the police should have had the ability to track this truck for quite a while after the perp left the scene of the crime. I have seen killers caught on See No Evil because they were able to track the vehicle after it left the scene and went down let's say a main road with cameras tracking it for quite a while. It is often the vehicle that winds up as the tool that catches the perp. I am so frustrated with this case and I feel that law enforcement in this case did not do their due diligence in this respect. I could be wrong, but that is how I feel.
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Yes-perplexing indeed. I would think that if Liz had done something egregious enough to inspire someone to kill her she would have known about it. But what if she did something and didn't realize that she was found out? We should note that there were no threatening calls or emails, or any warning signs that someone had it in for her. Could someone have over-reacted to what Liz perceived as something minor? Possibly, but this was a VERY violent crime and has the earmarks of someone with a deep hatred for her. At the same time, it is just as plausible that Liz did nothing wrong and that the murder was otherwise motivated. If we assume that LE did their due diligence amongst the family members and close circle, then I for one am leaning toward a perp that acted in line with seeking vengeance. Financially motivated crimes are usually not difficult to solve because potential beneficiaries catch so much heat throughout the investigations, and any small mistake will trip them up.

My mom thought I was an angel, but there were a few things she never knew. If Liz had an affair with someone discreetly and was found out by that person's significant other then that would be a strong motive. Perhaps the man Liz was with came clean to his partner or was discovered by her and he felt guilty about the affair. Maybe the jilted woman pressures him to kill Liz to prove his love and atone for his infidelity (and to exact revenge-"kill the other woman". Maybe Liz threatened to expose him. I have seen quite a few cases where this happens. If the man was not in love with Liz, perhaps killing her was less of a loss to him than destroying his other relationship. This could have been a one time infidelity, or ongoing, but what has to be considered here is that LE most-likely did an extensive phone/email/ workplace investigation and it is fairly difficult to maintain secrecy in matters of infidelity with modern diagnostic techniques. Could the financial problems plaguing the household/father-in-law have caused Liz to feel less "fuzzy all over" about her marriage?

Either way, it is important to keep an open mind and I feel that not enough has been done with regard to the vehicular search. It would be nice to have access to the investigators files, but I think you need to be a private investigator to obtain those, and maybe not even then since this is an on-going case. It would be helpful to know exactly what LE has and has not done with regard to the vehicle AND the video canvassing.

All in IMHO and please-I am not trying to vilify Liz-people who have affairs are not necessarily bad or evil people, and we cannot judge someone who is choosing to act this way. The main focus is to catch her killer and sometimes this means asking the hard questions.
 
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Any time I see that someone thinks the perpetrator was a woman, I just shake my head. If that was a woman, it's the least feminine woman I have ever seen. The exaggerated feminine body, the masculine run, the pulling the wig back on as it starts to slip...it's a man.
 
scruffydog said:
Any time I see that someone thinks the perpetrator was a woman, I just shake my head. If that was a woman, it's the least feminine woman I have ever seen. The exaggerated feminine body, the masculine run, the pulling the wig back on as it starts to slip...it's a man.
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What’s interesting is that I think there is footage of the shooting from two different angles. The original I saw- yes I initially thought it was a man. That angle sort of saw the shooter top view or from behind.

The footage from the other angle, where we have more of a view of the shooter from the right…is where they appear much more female to me.

Challenging to find the two videos that show the different angles as Seeing that footage is difficult.

This is from memory and a recent viewing.
 
scruffydog said:
Any time I see that someone thinks the perpetrator was a woman, I just shake my head. If that was a woman, it's the least feminine woman I have ever seen. The exaggerated feminine body, the masculine run, the pulling the wig back on as it starts to slip...it's a man.
Click to expand...

It sure does seem like a man to me as well - but if they find the perp and it's a woman I'll be happy to be proven wrong :)
 
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