TX TX - Elizabeth Barraza, 29, murdered setting up garage sale, Harris Co, Jan 2019 #7

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So, I got really curious about some cases of other people who had been gunned down in their driveways.

John Harden, Florida. March 22nd 1975. Shot after being lured out to his burning car in the middle of the night. Motive: unknown Status: Unsolved. Lots of speculation about labor unions he was involved with, and some sideyes at his wife at the time as well as ex-wife. Murder weapon: Antique style shotgun. John Harden

Dan Markel, July 19th 2014. Shot in his driveway by unknown assailants later to be uncovered as paid hitmen. Motive: Custody dispute. Perpetrators: The victims ex-wife and former brother-in-law. Murder weapon: Revolver. *Interesting note: The ex-wife booked a ticket to Vietnam in order to escape prosecution. A Florida dentist was convicted of having his brother-in-law killed. His mother was charged in the plot days later.

Robert and Robbie Ford, Conway South Carolina. August 17th 2018. Gunned down in their driveway before their car was set on fire. Motive: Both to be killed so the Robert's daughter would inherit his money and not have to share it with Robbie. Murder weapon: Unspecified handgun (looking for a source but possibly also a revolver, no shell casings at the scene. Used footprints and cigarrete butts as evidence) Interesting note: The weapon was provided by the daughter, stolen from her father about a year earlier. Perp: The daughters on again off again boyfriend. Aynor woman found guilty in murder-for-hire killings of father, half-brother

Micheal Doerr, February 26th 2019. 51 year old fighfighter gunned down in his driveway after a shift at work. Motive: Life insurance money and pension. Perpetrator: Wife's lover. Murder weapon: "The Judge" revolver. *Interesting note: It was stolen from a pawn shop by the wife's lover's son working their at the time.
I believe the Mo Wilson murder is A LOT more like Liz's case, and it was hard not to mention the similarities. I am trying to stick to the point of examining people who were murdered in their driveways.

Comparing the cases:

A revolver was used in each case, minus the shotgun case. I did not choose these cases specifically looking for revolvers, either.

In nearly every case, the murder weapon was provided to the perp. My mind has always jogged about how the shooter in Liz's case obtained the revolver. I go back and forth on it being all they had available to them, it being provided to them, or them choosing it strategically in order to not leave casings and avoid jams. *Side note - I believe Liz's shooter is female and I think there is a strong case they stole or "borrowed" the weapon.

In nearly each case, the murder was schemed by a woman and the perps were men acting on their behalf. Once again, I did not choose these cases to cherry pick. They are cases that I remember listening to on true crime episodes and noted the victims were all shot in their driveways.

What does this mean for Liz?

Possibly nothing. One could easily argue Liz was a female victim likely shot by a female perpetrator. One could also argue Mo Wilson's murder is a better example for comparison than any of the cases I mentioned.

Either ways, this is just some food for thought comparisons about victims who were gunned down in their driveways.
 
Nice post, @lonewanderer. Here is a Houston woman who was also killed in her own driveway about one month after Liz was murdered. I've always believed they are not connected. What are your thoughts? TIA


Eleticia Rios Cano Martinez was shot and killed in her own driveway Wednesday night.

Updated: 5:55 PM CST February 28, 2019
 
Someone else besides the killer knows something, knows who killed Liz Barraza, and a simple phone call would be sufficient.

Believe that the killer knew about the garage sale and took the opportunity to kill Liz Barraza at that time. It was a
better opportunity than to approach Liz Barraza (she would have had a chance to run/hide) outside or at the front door. moo
 
Think of all the things you could do with $50,000!!!! Call the tip line! You can collect the $50,000 anonymously.
Tip lines and award are great, but they need to be directly presented to the right audience in some cases. Maybe:

- Set up a booth at Star Wars and Harry Potter cosplay / fan conventions and other dress out events. This covers the 501 Legion derived motives.

- The same booth gets set up at her High School football homecoming and class reunions. The goal is cover any motives stemming from home town drama.
 
Someone else besides the killer knows something, knows who killed Liz Barraza, and a simple phone call would be sufficient.
I agree completely. This simply was not the act of a lone and super silent wolf.

Sometimes, it can be matter of presenting the idea of a simple phone call- and a 50k reward directly to the right audience to nudge the reluctant into doing the right thing.

Every Wednesday, I "nerd out" 'till late into the night building models at a store selling a variety of War Hammer type games. I just dont have the interest in fantasy figures, nor the attention span to actually play the games.

Anyways.....

A decent number of Warhammer guys and girls have a deep (well to me) knowledge of Star Wars. They know old, the old old, the new and the brand new characters. They also know the movies, the various streaming series and the plot twists- or recently, the lack there of.

Getting to the point....

I would bet "dollars to donuts" that there is some cross pollination between War Hammer enthusiasts and Star Wars Cosplayers. There appear to be Star Wars based miniature games as well. Somebody into cosplay could well be into Warhammer games or Star Wars based variants. In the end, the "group culture" could well be very similar.

So.... Why not ask permission to put up posters at these gaming stores? Somebody might be willing to talk- especially if they have drifted away from cosplay. I know of four such gaming stores in my part of the vast metroplex / "Imperial Capital". My guess is that there would be no more than say, 12 such gaming stores in the entire metroplex.
 
Getting to the point....

I would bet "dollars to donuts" that there is some cross pollination between War Hammer enthusiasts and Star Wars Cosplayers. There appear to be Star Wars based miniature games as well. Somebody into cosplay could well be into Warhammer games or Star Wars based variants. In the end, the "group culture" could well be very similar.

So.... Why not ask permission to put up posters at these gaming stores? Somebody might be willing to talk- especially if they have drifted away from cosplay. I know of four such gaming stores in my part of the vast metroplex / "Imperial Capital". My guess is that there would be no more than say, 12 such gaming stores in the entire metroplex.
rsbm

Do you lean toward the killer being associated with cosplay?

I've not really thought this was associated with someone in cosplay, but keep all options open since the killer and anyone else involved have not been apprehended yet.

However, revenge is all over this case.

I'd like to see an exclusive news commentator or reporter put up Liz's case to keep it in the news on a regular basis. Maybe a Dateline show/podcast?

I'd say even a few Tomball residents maybe are unfamiliar with this case?

My thoughts only - nothing factual
 
Do you lean toward the killer being associated with cosplay? However, revenge is all over this case.
Yes, I lean cosplay, or a romance motive linked to cosplay for the following reasons:

- Internal family dispute: Small number of "players", no evidence of an on going bitter dispute, thinking something would have surfaced by now.

- Marital: No evidence of infidelity. Other party does not appear to be noticeably sophisticated or to have resources for a uhmm.... "skilled contractor". Thinking something would have surfaced by now as an "amateur hour" crime would be likely.

- Home town: Better possibility. Far larger number of "players". Far larger number of potential motives, including those from "back in the day".

And..... moving on to Cosplay

Cosplay: A forum member and cosplayer of a different genre stated that a very visible minority of cosplayers are "in deep". No blurring of fantasy and reality. But.... they derive nearly all, or all, of their sense of belonging, self esteem, prestige, and in some cases, "chosen family" from the cosplay world.

She (seemed feminine in writing style, avatar) described a close cosplay friend fly into a jealous rage after a genre actress gave her a very brief personal acknowledgement at a fan convention. This could indicate that there are a good number of cosplayers who view their cosplay world as their "last chance" for socialization etc.

In short.... Cosplay has a lot of "players", alot of motives- especially if one includes mixed motives, and.... a certain number of uhmm...."high maintenance" players. One then become unhinged over a status threatening "'diss"?
 
Someone else besides the killer knows something, knows who killed Liz Barraza, and a simple phone call would be sufficient.

Believe that the killer knew about the garage sale and took the opportunity to kill Liz Barraza at that time. It was a
better opportunity than to approach Liz Barraza (she would have had a chance to run/hide) outside or at the front door. moo
Someone at least has or had a strong suspicion about someone. We covered early in the threads how unusual it would be for nobody close to Liz to recognize the truck or the peculiar gait of of the killer. Of course there are ways to get a vehicle without it being traceable to you but I go back to something a mentor once told me: Whether you realize it or not, someone is always watching you and noticing your behavior and your habits; the context of that was why you have to role model the behavior you want to see in your peers. Nobody goes completely un-noticed or anonymous. Somebody Liz knows noticed something about someone and they may not feel comfortable bring this to the attention of the police, or the police may have simply not realized the importance.
 
Elizabeth Barraza's name is spelled incorrect as Eliza Barra in the linked article.

It’s a Friday morning, and Elizabeth Barraza picks up Starbucks coffee to sip with her husband before he heads off to work and she sets up for a garage sale.

Full article at link:

August 2, 2024


Additional Guests

  • Rosemary Nuelle – Mother of Elizabeth Barraza
  • Bob Nuelle -Father of Elizabeth Barazza
  • Sergio Barraza – Husband of Elizabeth Barraza
  • Sgt. Michael Ritchie – Harris County Homicide Investigator / Lead investigator in Elizabeth Barraza Murder
  • Corley Peel – News Reporter for KPRC2 Houston; Instagram: @KPRC2Corley, X: @KPRC2Corley, Facebook: @KPRC2CorleyPeel
 

Wife Shot Dead Prepping Garage Sale, Was it a Hit?​


It’s a Friday morning, and Elizabeth Barraza picks up Starbucks coffee to sip with her husband before he heads off to work and she sets up for a garage sale.As Elizabeth sets up in the driveway, a black truck pulls up. The driver gets out and approaches Elizabeth. She says good morning and they interact for a moment before the driver pulls a handgun and shoots Elizabeth three times. While she is on the ground, the driver shoots her again, then runs back to the truck and drives off.Eliza Barra is life-flighted to a hospital where Doctors determine she will not survive her injuries. Husband Sergio Barraza and parents Bob and Rosemary Nuelle make the impossible decision to let Elizabeth go and donate her organs.
 

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