TX TX - Elizabeth Barraza, 29, murdered setting up garage sale, Harris Co, Jan 2019 #6

[Duper's Delight]

Why no casings? We didn't see the killer collecting them?

Unless I am mistaken the video doesn't seem to show the killer collecting casings. But right now I can't seem to find an unedited version of the video.

Revolvers don’t leave casings.

 

[PrairieWind]

Revolvers don’t leave casings.

Correct. Which leads to the assumption the killer used a revolver. But the preliminary statement (that I don't think is official yet) that the projectile recovered is a .380, leaves a relatively small number of firearms. Sure, there are various makes and models of .380 revolvers, but it is not all that common.
Why was only 1 of four bullets recovered? The others went somewhere in that driveway area.

 

[Ajs1004]

Ok - I do agree on availability - I was responding to the question of why they didn't do a drive-by with this particular weapon.

Also, a lot of guns are stolen in Houston. Even from friends.

I think in the Henry Segura case, the gun was stolen from a friend and then replaced.

edited: to add think

I don’t think it was a drive by because 1)they weren’t an expert shot given that they missed and the bullet went into the house and 2)it was personal because the last shot was to the face/mouth. The likelihood of getting a shot directly to the mouth with a drive by is unlikely.

 

[Duper's Delight]

Correct. Which leads to the assumption the killer used a revolver. But the preliminary statement (that I don't think is official yet) that the projectile recovered is a .380, leaves a relatively small number of firearms. Sure, there are various makes and models of .380 revolvers, but it is not all that common.
Why was only 1 of four bullets recovered? The others went somewhere in that driveway area.

LE has stated a revolver was used. It is not an assumption.

The recovered bullet was a through and through (her neck); recovered at the crime scene. The other bullets were recovered at autopsy.

added source:

Harris County investigators confirm murder weapon used in 2019 Tomball woman's murder

Elizabeth "Liz" Barraza was shot and killed in her driveway almost four years ago while setting up a garage sale to pay for an anniversary trip.

abc13.com

 

[Duper's Delight]

I don’t think it was a drive by because 1)they weren’t an expert shot given that they missed and the bullet went into the house and 2)it was personal because the last shot was to the face/mouth. The likelihood of getting a shot directly to the mouth with a drive by is unlikely.

The parents have stated otherwise. They did not miss. It was a through and through and it bothers them this speculation exists. They saw the X-rays at the hospital.

Whether it missed or not? IDK it might be something they wish to hold back...but they say it went through her neck.

You would not use this weapon for a drive-by. They are manufactured/marketed for close-range shooting. Personal protection weapon. It is not the type of weapon you would ever choose for a drive-by shooting. It has nothing to do with shooting expertise. It does not have the range to shoot long distances.

edited: it is a possibility a revolver using a mechanism (star clip) was used. i.e. a 38 revolver can use .380 ammo

 

[PrairieWind]

LE has stated a revolver was used. It is not an assumption.

The recovered bullet was a through and through (her neck); recovered at the crime scene. The other bullets were recovered at autopsy.

added source:

Harris County investigators confirm murder weapon used in 2019 Tomball woman's murder

Elizabeth "Liz" Barraza was shot and killed in her driveway almost four years ago while setting up a garage sale to pay for an anniversary trip.

abc13.com

Oh, it is good to know they know the revolver. That will help.
So they do have all four projectiles then? Also helpful.

 

[10ofRods]

Mostly DMB. @PrairieWind already asked my question and got an answer. I'm starting to feel about one-third caught up here.

Thanks everyone for all your questions and the patience of those answering.

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

Oh, it is good to know they know the revolver. That will help.
So they do have all four projectiles then? Also helpful.

There is a misunderstanding or misremembering of what is said by the detective in the mentioned broadcast. At 5:16 he is asked what kind of gun was fired, he answered that one round was recovered, small to medium size caliber, possibly a .380. If he is talking about the ammo, as it sounds, it cannot be claimed a .380 Revolver is the gun that was used. The recovered round does not identify the bullet or the gun type that was used. He said "Possibly".
Moo

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/video/on-the-case-with-paula-zahn-investigation-discovery-atve-us/a-fairy-tale-ruined

 

[Duper's Delight]

There is a misunderstanding or misremembering of what is said by the detective in the mentioned broadcast. At 5:16 he is asked what kind of gun was fired, he answered that one round was recovered, small to medium size caliber, possibly a .380. If he is talking about the ammo, as it sounds, it cannot be claimed a .380 Revolver is the gun that was used. The recovered round does not identify the bullet or the gun type that was used. He said "Possibly".
Moo

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/video/on-the-case-with-paula-zahn-investigation-discovery-atve-us/a-fairy-tale-ruined

No memory loss or misunderstanding. It wasn’t just in the PZ broadcast it was in a news article quoted in thread 3 . The article has been scrubbed of the reference. I spoke of this several pages above..

All we have is Paula Zahn now.

The weapon is confirmed as a revolver which remains in the article below.

Harris County investigators confirm murder weapon used in 2019 Tomball woman's murder

Elizabeth "Liz" Barraza was shot and killed in her driveway almost four years ago while setting up a garage sale to pay for an anniversary trip.

abc13.com

 

[PrairieWind]

No memory loss or misunderstanding. It wasn’t just in the PZ broadcast it was in a news article quoted in thread 3 . The article has been scrubbed of the reference. I spoke of this several pages above..

All we have is Paula Zahn now.

The weapon is confirmed as a revolver which remains in the article below.

Harris County investigators confirm murder weapon used in 2019 Tomball woman's murder

Elizabeth "Liz" Barraza was shot and killed in her driveway almost four years ago while setting up a garage sale to pay for an anniversary trip.

abc13.com

If the police are correct in stating that the gun used IS a revolver, then they have more information that what we have (which would not be surprising). Or are they saying that because no casings were found? We don't know. The detective says the recovered round might be a .380. I find that comment odd. .380 revolvers are not common. .38 are. The diameter of the bullets is the same but the size is slightly different. For the detective to say .380 leads me to think they have a reason think it is actually a .380, otherwise, why not just say ".38 size" which would cover both? Why does it matter? This crime should be solvable. If the gun is identified as a .380 revolver (not common) they have video of the killer, the killer's vehicle, exact times, etc. Why is this not being solved? Or, has the killer not only disguised themselves, but also done something to disguise the gun/bullet? There is plenty of evidence here, why is this not solved?

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

No memory loss or misunderstanding. It wasn’t just in the PZ broadcast it was in a news article quoted in thread 3 . The article has been scrubbed of the reference. I spoke of this several pages above..

All we have is Paula Zahn now.

The weapon is confirmed as a revolver which remains in the article below.

Harris County investigators confirm murder weapon used in 2019 Tomball woman's murder

Elizabeth "Liz" Barraza was shot and killed in her driveway almost four years ago while setting up a garage sale to pay for an anniversary trip.

abc13.com

The fact that a revolver was used was known to everyone as soon as the video was released, and/or was assumed by many by the absence of ejected casings.

The issue is that it is being discussed as if it is a fact that the gun was a 380 revolver when the detective only describes the one spent round recovered as "small to medium" size and then says what he thinks that could possibly mean.

He didn't do the recovery of the bullet and would not have done the ballistics examination. I think he is repeating what he heard or read.
MOO

 

[SnowAngels]

If the police are correct in stating that the gun used IS a revolver, then they have more information that what we have (which would not be surprising). Or are they saying that because no casings were found? We don't know. The detective says the recovered round might be a .380. I find that comment odd. .380 revolvers are not common. .38 are. The diameter of the bullets is the same but the size is slightly different. For the detective to say .380 leads me to think they have a reason think it is actually a .380, otherwise, why not just say ".38 size" which would cover both? Why does it matter? This crime should be solvable. If the gun is identified as a .380 revolver (not common) they have video of the killer, the killer's vehicle, exact times, etc. Why is this not being solved? Or, has the killer not only disguised themselves, but also done something to disguise the gun/bullet? There is plenty of evidence here, why is this not

“Why is this not being solved?”

I think it may be in the process. Hoping.

 

[x_files]

Even if someone knows your (or my) password?

You can track someone if you have access to their phone, computers, and passwords, super easy to do.

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

If the police are correct in stating that the gun used IS a revolver, then they have more information that what we have (which would not be surprising). Or are they saying that because no casings were found? We don't know. The detective says the recovered round might be a .380. I find that comment odd. .380 revolvers are not common. .38 are. The diameter of the bullets is the same but the size is slightly different. For the detective to say .380 leads me to think they have a reason think it is actually a .380, otherwise, why not just say ".38 size" which would cover both? Why does it matter? This crime should be solvable. If the gun is identified as a .380 revolver (not common) they have video of the killer, the killer's vehicle, exact times, etc. Why is this not being solved? Or, has the killer not only disguised themselves, but also done something to disguise the gun/bullet? There is plenty of evidence here, why is this not solved?

Yes, the detective's answer adds to the confusion as he is answering a question about the gun, not the ammo. I can't tell if the film is edited, but the answer is odd.
Anyway, it appears they don't know for a fact what model of revolver was used.
But I don't see how knowing what gun was used is going to solve the case. There are thousands of 380 Charter Arms and Taurus revolvers in this country. MOO

 

[x_files]

Trying to look at it from a different side.

Liz had life before she married Sergio, she lived in FL, and to me it seems that she was an independent person. She might have had a personal enemy, a person hating her, and especially if that person knew about the life insurance, there was no better way to make this case never solvable.

If a woman lives alone, the first line of suspects is her intimate partner; if there is no such person, then, her relatives and family and then her circles of friends.

But if there is a husband and a life insurance, he is automatically the first suspect. It takes years to clear him and in a way, there is always a cloud of suspicion hanging around him in the court of public opinion.

That arithmetically close timing before his departure and the murderer’s arrival doesn’t provide him with an alibi. The opposite: it casts a suspicion on SB…but what if this is exactly what the murderers wanted?

So what happens: there can’t be two task forces about the case. Logically, everyone is suspecting the husband, and even if his alibi stays, there is always this “what if?” question. So he and his alibi distracts police’s force and attention.

It takes time. And the longer the time, the less chance of the case being solved.

JMO - an absolutely theoretical situation. But just hypothetically, imagine that there might be other people with own financial gain. (An example: In any family there potentially can be an eccentric millionaire grandfather and Liz being one of five people standing to inherit a lot from him. That fact, theoretically, would be totally obscured by her husband and his gain.) No one is looking further than her husband. Ideal for the killers.

At least S. mentioned a woman disliking Liz. People who say “everyone loved her” are either unaware, or don’t want to give information. No one lives in vacuum, and we all have people disliking us. The trick is to make this comprehensive list.

Someone mentioned MO’s killing. I think KA thoughts were: they will either blame it on robbers, or if not, CS was the last person to see Mo. KA’s execution was bad, so she got caught.
The person who killed LB might think the same, they’ll blame it either on random robbers, or the husband.

Great points!
I wish they'd name a person of interest so we could publicly discuss.

 

[x_files]

It makes no sense to me, to have a garage sale without another person as a deterrent, starting in the dark, if I fear so much danger, that I have to prepare an escape route. All that for measly $100 at the end, perhaps.

Missy's case wasn't much different re the fears about the early morning hours in the dark. Also Missy's husband was worried and afaik, advised her to get a weapon for self-defense (or bought the weapon himself). Though it was Missy's job and no hobby, what she had to do in the dark.

I'm NOT a morning person so the thought of getting up before DAWN to do anything freaks me out! I don't think I'd feel safe setting up a garage sale or a workout at a Church at early pre-dawn hours or after Dusk either.
Especially without better security. These women are far braver than I am.

 

[PrairieWind]

Yes, the detective's answer adds to the confusion as he is answering a question about the gun, not the ammo. I can't tell if the film is edited, but the answer is odd.
Anyway, it appears they don't know for a fact what model of revolver was used.
But I don't see how knowing what gun was used is going to solve the case. There are thousands of 380 Charter Arms and Taurus revolvers in this country. MOO

There are thousands, not millions or tens of millions like there would be if this was .38 or 9mm. If no other leads are working, they could begin working back on those thousands of .380 revolvers. If this was a .380 revolver, one of them, somewhere could be traced to someone that has a connection to Elizabeth.

 

[x_files]

It makes no sense to me, to have a garage sale without another person as a deterrent, starting in the dark, if I fear so much danger, that I have to prepare an escape route. All that for measly $100 at the end, perhaps.

Missy's case wasn't much different re the fears about the early morning hours in the dark. Also Missy's husband was worried and afaik, advised her to get a weapon for self-defense (or bought the weapon himself). Though it was Missy's job and no hobby, what she had to do in the dark.

It would almost be easier to just sell on eBay vs a garage sale. Not sure an extra $100 is worth it. But maybe she had much higher ticket items for sale.

 

[PrairieWind]

It would almost be easier to just sell on eBay vs a garage sale. Not sure an extra $100 is worth it. But maybe she had much higher ticket items for sale.

Garage sales are very common and popular in my area. Lot of people show up and you can have your sale done by noon. But usually do have more than one person doing it.

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

There are thousands, not millions or tens of millions like there would be if this was .38 or 9mm. If no other leads are working, they could begin working back on those thousands of .380 revolvers. If this was a .380 revolver, one of them, somewhere could be traced to someone that has a connection to Elizabeth.

Those guns have been passed around, stolen, and resold for many years, without records. It is not possible to do what you are suggesting, the only thing close to that would be to see if there are any records of anyone known to her having owned any type of revolver.

There is nothing from LE that verifies they know what make/model of revolver was used.