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

[FromGermany1]

IIRC the alarm company first attempted Liz, Sergio, then her parents when neither Liz nor Sergio responded. Then when Liz's parents were reached they attempted contacting Liz, couldn't reach her, I can't remember if they attempted to reach Sergio or not.

As an overly worried parent, I would be worried and calling the entire way to my child's house with my concern growing for each unanswered call, especially if they were typically reachable. Perhaps Liz was the sort to always have her phone by her side and quickly respond to texts/ phone calls.

The parents would know, why Liz protected her home with alarm, even when she was outside on the drive way herself. If the parents couldn't help the investigation, then who can?

 

[fridaybaker]

IIRC the alarm company first attempted Liz, Sergio, then her parents when neither Liz nor Sergio responded. Then when Liz's parents were reached they attempted contacting Liz, couldn't reach her, I can't remember if they attempted to reach Sergio or not.

As an overly worried parent, I would be worried and calling the entire way to my child's house with my concern growing for each unanswered call, especially if they were typically reachable. Perhaps Liz was the sort to always have her phone by her side and quickly respond to texts/ phone calls.

The alarm company attempted to call Sergio? He didn't answer?

 

[Cedars]

There was the apartment robbery, ..

RSBM

I don't know anything about this event, but was it a robbery or burglary?

Legally, a robbery involves confronting /threatening a person with a weapon in order to commit theft; burglary is breaking into a home when no one is there in order to commit theft.

I assume the incident was burglary. I think theft is common in peaceful suburbs, typically young people lurking around to quickly grab something they can sell (often to buy drugs). Bikes, tools, electronics, a wallet. They have no interest in robbery, have no weapon, etc.

Such a person might easily sneak into a house while the owner is preoccupied with a garage sale. Grab something and be gone. I think that's why she would set the alarm.

Actually, it's more likely she just always, automatically, set the alarm. If you only do it sometimes, you're more likely to forget when it matters.

Then you would always, automatically, have to disarm it before you enter. Again, that way, you're less likely to forget and accidentally trip the alarm.

Even if you do trip it accidentally, you have time to reverse it before it goes to the alarm company.

Only if it goes off, and a considerable amount of time passes without it being corrected, does the alert go out to homeowners/backup.

People I've known with that type of system are not lackadaisical about turning off the alarm before the alert to the alarm company/family members gets triggered. It only takes a moment. It makes a loud, urgent noise. Everyone will get on your back if you're negligent. If for some reason you miss the window, you contact everyone to say it's a false alarm.

If, say, Liz and S had left on their trip, and an alert was sent to the parents about the alarm, they'd need to get to the house to see whether it was burglary, so that they could call police. Again, that's a pretty big responsibility, if you weren't willing to do that, you'd better not agree to receive the alert.

However, in this instance, they knew Liz was supposed to be home. Why would she allow the alarm to go on that long without turning it off? Why hadn't she texted them?

In their situation, I too would have sensed something was seriously wrong, and since they were very close by, just head there.

JMO

 

[Cedars]

The alarm company attempted to call Sergio? He didn't answer?

It's all automated, no actual humans involved. We don't know how their system was set up, but probably alerts were sent to parents at same time, since they/one of them, would often be closer to the house than the owners.

JMO

 

[fridaybaker]

It's all automated, no actual humans involved. We don't know how their system was set up, but probably alerts were sent to parents at same time, since they/one of them, would often be closer to the house than the owners.

JMO

Cedars, thanks for all the insight here. Very helpful.

 

[61Montcalm]

So that is interesting. I just mapped her parents address (in 2019) to cedar walk dr. It's 9.7 miles with a current drive estimate of 25 minutes (a few minutes of traffic is playing into that). So for there to be only 18 minutes between the alarm going off and their arrival at the scene - it means not only did her parents get in the car immediately, they really hustled from there... to me that implies they were *very* worried something was wrong.

All MOO.

And in morning rush hour traffic as well!

 

[KindMind1ofA]

RSBM

I don't know anything about this event, but was it a robbery or burglary?

Legally, a robbery involves confronting /threatening a person with a weapon in order to commit theft; burglary is breaking into a home when no one is there in order to commit theft.

I assume the incident was burglary. I think theft is common in peaceful suburbs, typically young people lurking around to quickly grab something they can sell (often to buy drugs). Bikes, tools, electronics, a wallet. They have no interest in robbery, have no weapon, etc.

Such a person might easily sneak into a house while the owner is preoccupied with a garage sale. Grab something and be gone. I think that's why she would set the alarm.

Actually, it's more likely she just always, automatically, set the alarm. If you only do it sometimes, you're more likely to forget when it matters.

Then you would always, automatically, have to disarm it before you enter. Again, that way, you're less likely to forget and accidentally trip the alarm.

Even if you do trip it accidentally, you have time to reverse it before it goes to the alarm company.

Only if it goes off, and a considerable amount of time passes without it being corrected, does the alert go out to homeowners/backup.

People I've known with that type of system are not lackadaisical about turning off the alarm before the alert to the alarm company/family members gets triggered. It only takes a moment. It makes a loud, urgent noise. Everyone will get on your back if you're negligent. If for some reason you miss the window, you contact everyone to say it's a false alarm.

If, say, Liz and S had left on their trip, and an alert was sent to the parents about the alarm, they'd need to get to the house to see whether it was burglary, so that they could call police. Again, that's a pretty big responsibility, if you weren't willing to do that, you'd better not agree to receive the alert.

However, in this instance, they knew Liz was supposed to be home. Why would she allow the alarm to go on that long without turning it off? Why hadn't she texted them?

In their situation, I too would have sensed something was seriously wrong, and since they were very close by, just head there.

JMO

Great perspective - thanks!

 

[arielilane]

According to linked video, they were burglarized prior to buying their home in Tomball. Also, in this video, Liz’s parents speak about Liz’s security practices prior to that day, and on that day

In addition, on the way to Liz’s house S called Liz's parents and said that he could see police tape but didn’t know if it was in front of his house or from his doorbell or the neighbors and that he tried to call Liz and she didn’t answer.

 

[KindMind1ofA]

According to linked video, they were burglarized prior to buying their home in Tomball. Also, in this video, Liz’s parents speak about Liz’s security practices prior to that day, and on that day

In addition, on the way to Liz’s house S called Liz's parents and said that he could see police tape but didn’t know if it was in front of his house or from his doorbell or the neighbors and that he tried to call Liz and she didn’t answer.

Wow - this was such an informative interview.

Would encourage watching it - answers so many questions.

Couple of takeaways pertinent to our recent conversations:
- Liz set the alarm to 'instant trigger' that morning, so the normal delay that cedars brought to our attention wasn't in play this time.
- parents were sleeping when contacted, and talked to reps at the alarm company before attempting to call Liz themselves. They were out of the house within a couple minutes of getting the call.
- the family wasn't aware of any fears of the type I insinuated earlier in this thread, but the burglary at their apartment did shake them somewhat.. it sounds like they were simply a cautious family and raised Liz to be cautious as well, and the burglary put an exclamation point on the need for caution for Liz.

And here's a couple details that I've questioned that they've addressed:
- Liz's camera was a nest cam, not a ring camera.
- they seem to genuinely like Sergio. I've occasionally wondered if their relationship since Liz s death might be partly a "keep your enemies close" kind of thing, but i don't get that vibe at all from this interview.

 

[Cota332]

RSBM

I don't know anything about this event, but was it a robbery or burglary?

Legally, a robbery involves confronting /threatening a person with a weapon in order to commit theft; burglary is breaking into a home when no one is there in order to commit theft.

I assume the incident was burglary. I think theft is common in peaceful suburbs, typically young people lurking around to quickly grab something they can sell (often to buy drugs). Bikes, tools, electronics, a wallet. They have no interest in robbery, have no weapon, etc.

Such a person might easily sneak into a house while the owner is preoccupied with a garage sale. Grab something and be gone. I think that's why she would set the alarm.

Actually, it's more likely she just always, automatically, set the alarm. If you only do it sometimes, you're more likely to forget when it matters.

Then you would always, automatically, have to disarm it before you enter. Again, that way, you're less likely to forget and accidentally trip the alarm.

Even if you do trip it accidentally, you have time to reverse it before it goes to the alarm company.

Only if it goes off, and a considerable amount of time passes without it being corrected, does the alert go out to homeowners/backup.

People I've known with that type of system are not lackadaisical about turning off the alarm before the alert to the alarm company/family members gets triggered. It only takes a moment. It makes a loud, urgent noise. Everyone will get on your back if you're negligent. If for some reason you miss the window, you contact everyone to say it's a false alarm.

If, say, Liz and S had left on their trip, and an alert was sent to the parents about the alarm, they'd need to get to the house to see whether it was burglary, so that they could call police. Again, that's a pretty big responsibility, if you weren't willing to do that, you'd better not agree to receive the alert.

However, in this instance, they knew Liz was supposed to be home. Why would she allow the alarm to go on that long without turning it off? Why hadn't she texted them?

In their situation, I too would have sensed something was seriously wrong, and since they were very close by, just head there.

JMO

What alarm system was this?

I ask because I currently work for a rather sizable alarm company, and nearly all of those instances are dependent on a multitude of factors.

 

[glassheater]

Just a thought - I wonder if she had mentioned to her parents her safety plan. She seemed close to her parents so I can see them urging caution with a garage sale and her telling them of the alarm plan ahead of time. Perhaps that’s why they rushed so quickly, especially when the alarm company couldn’t get a hold of her. I’m sure her parents knew Liz and Sergio would have been the first point of contact.

 

[arielilane]

There is no perfect crime, this is not a perfect crime- this is a solvable crime. It’s going to take an investigation willingly to deep dive - an expert investigator who wants to catch the killer more than anything else. An investigator whom is willing to put in the hours … countless hours and do the work. Willing to live and breathe the case. The information is right there in the case file, start over, and look at the most obvious, the ones you least expect would kill Liz and move out from there. This case will be solved one day.

Amateur opinion. moo

 

[ilovewings]

There is no perfect crime, this is not a perfect crime- this is a solvable crime. It’s going to take an investigation willingly to deep dive - an expert investigator who wants to catch the killer more than anything else. An investigator whom is willing to put in the hours … countless hours and do the work. Willing to live and breathe the case. The information is right there in the case file, start over, and look at the most obvious, the ones you least expect would kill Liz and move out from there. This case will be solved one day.

Amateur opinion. moo

As an intense true crime watcher- I have seen cases that went cold until a great out --of- the- box type thinker investigator was brought in- looking at it with new eyes and a great mind---and the cases were solved. I am not sure the level of investigation by the detectives in this case--- not all detectives are Joe Kenda or Pat Pistiglione in Nashville Tenn. He is a genius--- Any case that is caught on camera is not a perfect crime- and the vehicle was caught on camera as well.

One case I saw on ID- a hotel guest was found in his bed- dead. None of the detectives could figure out how he died-- I believe there was no autopsy as it was thought he may have died of a heart attack, but the detectives couldn't figure it out- they had the brains to bring in a sharp investigator- he noticed something none of them had ever noticed before- a bullet hole in the wall- they finally figured out there were several guys in a room next door and one of them had a gun- he thought he was cute and shot thru the wall and as luck would have it for the poor man lying in bed in the next room, the bullet hit him and he died. It was not obvious he was shot. The shooter was charged, arrested and went to prison for his crime.

This case needs that type of investigator.

 

[spivey]

Agreed. Not to say that there are not also very expensive Chevys and Fords because there certainly are, but in Texas especially, I am just venturing a guess that a lot more buyers want 'American Made' trucks, and they are cheaper to boot overall, and just a lot more Chevys and Fords sold than Toyotas and Nissans to begin with nation wide. If this was say, a White Chevy pickup, it would be like lookin for a piece of hay in a hay stack. A Nissan Pro 4x theoretically should be much easier to find. But then comes the questions, did the killer own the truck, borrow it, rent it, steal it>? If they went through the trouble of disguising themselves I would bet that they would not drive their own truck there.

The last line of your post reminded me of a theory of mine. One thing I’ve considered is the lengths a perpetrator would go to, to disguise not only themselves, but any “tool” used to commit the crime.

I think most people would agree that the killer appears to have disguised themselves. What if they took it to the next level (or two), and disguised the vehicle. Easy disguises could include adding decals or adding/removing a roof rack. A more difficult disguise would be to “wrap” the vehicle prior to committing the murder, and then pealing it off afterwards. If you aren’t familiar with wrapping a vehicle, it usually involves purchasing a vinyl “skin” that is applied to the outside of the vehicle to give it a new look. If done correctly, it doesn’t damage the underlying paint.

I’ve never had it done, but from what I’ve seen, it may require an experienced installer to make it look good. This would be similar to getting an incriminating vehicle painted after commiting a crime, except it would be infinitely easier to apply and remove compared to getting it painted. Another benefit would be that you wouldn’t arouse the suspicion of those around you by getting your fairly new car painted.

Although it sounds like a lot of work, consider the inconvenience of wrapping a car to the inconvenience of living out the remainder of your life in a 6 x 8 cell.

 

[arielilane]

The last line of your post reminded me of a theory of mine. One thing I’ve considered is the lengths a perpetrator would go to, to disguise not only themselves, but any “tool” used to commit the crime.

I think most people would agree that the killer appears to have disguised themselves. What if they took it to the next level (or two), and disguised the vehicle. Easy disguises could include adding decals or adding/removing a roof rack. A more difficult disguise would be to “wrap” the vehicle prior to committing the murder, and then pealing it off afterwards. If you aren’t familiar with wrapping a vehicle, it usually involves purchasing a vinyl “skin” that is applied to the outside of the vehicle to give it a new look. If done correctly, it doesn’t damage the underlying paint.

I’ve never had it done, but from what I’ve seen, it may require an experienced installer to make it look good. This would be similar to getting an incriminating vehicle painted after commiting a crime, except it would be infinitely easier to apply and remove compared to getting it painted. Another benefit would be that you wouldn’t arouse the suspicion of those around you by getting your fairly new car painted.

Although it sounds like a lot of work, consider the inconvenience of wrapping a car to the inconvenience of living out the remainder of your life in a 6 x 8 cell.

It's possible, is it probable? Thought I'd include a link about car wrapping. Appreciate the critical thinking.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/features/how-much-does-it-cost-to-wrap-a-car

 

[Curiousobserver]

I think the exact opposite. What strikes me is that the person made virtually no attempt to conceal themselves.

They drove by multiple times over multiple days risking their face or plates being captured on a camera. Imagine if a pedestrian had spotted them, or someone's dashcam, or they had been stopped by traffic, or a kids ball going out into the road etc...

They walked right up in a silent neighborhood and fired 4 shots, then drove back past the same address where anybody could have been out front of their houses by then.

And, according to police were captured on some other cameras on their way out of the area.

It is far from certain they wore a disguise.

I am shocked at how lucky this person was.

 

[Betty P]

I think the exact opposite. What strikes me is that the person made virtually no attempt to conceal themselves.

They drove by multiple times over multiple days risking their face or plates being captured on a camera. Imagine if a pedestrian had spotted them, or someone's dashcam, or they had been stopped by traffic, or a kids ball going out into the road etc...

They walked right up in a silent neighborhood and fired 4 shots, then drove back past the same address where anybody could have been out front of their houses by then.

And, according to police were captured on some other cameras on their way out of the area.

It is far from certain they wore a disguise.

I am shocked at how lucky this person was.

Luck is often a factor in cold cases.

 

[JnRyan]

I stumbled across an interesting case in "48 Hours", Season 34, Episode 35, "The Plot to Kill Jamie Faith". A guy walks behind Jamie Faith while out walking in the morning near his house and shots him multiple times. Then drives off in a black Nissan pickup. In Texas. LE track the truck with commercial CCTV's but eventually lose it and never get a plate. LE would later find out the killer drove there from 600+ miles away in TN.

LE does find out who the killer is and his wife was involved. It involved a romance from decades earlier in high school. But other than that the similarities are eerie. I've often wondered if this killer is from outside the Houston metro area, if not out of state. LE must have considered that as well otherwise why go to Florida to talk to someone. I believe, like many of us on here, that this was personal and there was personal connection to Elizabeth. Elizabeth had to know her killer OR someone close to the killer.

 

[JnRyan]

It's possible, is it probable? Thought I'd include a link about car wrapping. Appreciate the critical thinking.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/features/how-much-does-it-cost-to-wrap-a-car

Wow! This just muddies the water even more for LE.

 

[JnRyan]

There is no perfect crime, this is not a perfect crime- this is a solvable crime. It’s going to take an investigation willingly to deep dive - an expert investigator who wants to catch the killer more than anything else. An investigator whom is willing to put in the hours … countless hours and do the work. Willing to live and breathe the case. The information is right there in the case file, start over, and look at the most obvious, the ones you least expect would kill Liz and move out from there. This case will be solved one day.

Amateur opinion. moo

I can't remember - are the Texas Rangers or FBI involved here?