TX - Elizabeth Barraza, 29, murdered setting up garage sale, Harris County, Jan 2019

[BINGOdinoDNA]

I'm not familiar with the Ring doorbell cameras, but could it have maybe caught audio? Does it only record audio if motion is detected? Also, I remember their neighbor saying she heard the gunshots and called police right away.

 

[borndem]

Sounds like a jealous mistress????

Jealous partner? Saw an item and thought it was something that had been stolen from her? Mistaken identity. Fired by her?
Just now joining this thread, so forgive if these ideas are repeats...

 

[borndem]

Honestly, as a woman to woman encounter and looking at the body language I'd say its possible there's a 'you've been having an affair with my husband' type vibe. I hope that doesn't fall foul of the terms on here but it looks like a crime of passion/jealousy/betrayal/affairs type thing. And how did the killer know that the victim was setting up her yard sale at that time? JMO.

Did she and/or her husband put up a poster where he/she works, and the woman was a coworker of one of them? Did the shooter see a poster somewhere and make a plan?

 

[borndem]

i think it is dressing up as specific characters? She was said to be into Star Wars I think? Some people are very, very into it. Hence the Comic Con conventions which seem to be huge. I don’t know really...

I've never participated in cosplay -- doesn't appeal to me at all, but that's just me.
The Comic Con conventions, etc., were how it was described to me by a work friend -- she and her DH are really into it. A few people or couples, whatever and however many, get together and act out scenes from movies, books, etc., or written by individuals in the play. Costumes, faked accents, props, however fancy you wish to do it, are generally a part of it. Many folks play with the same folks and they really get into it. My work friend and her DH get somewhat off the beaten track, IYKWIM, but I've never wanted to hear about kink, etc., so I've got no details there.

 

[borndem]

I agree. I looked at his page, they seemed like a perfect, fun and loving match.

And darn it, every time I check in, I’m sure that there will be a post of an arrest in her case.

bbm
Oh, how we all do that at check in -- and it's usually not the case, is it?! SMH.

 

[borndem]

I would also refute the statement that the Perp didn't say much before shooting the Victim. While not a minutes long discussion, it appeared there was an exchange.

bbm
That's how it looked to me, too. To me, it seemed that the shooter did most of the talking (yelling?).

 

[borndem]

Even just the risk that within those 4 minutes, the husband may have forgotten something at home or remembered he said he'd help his wife carry out something heavy for the garage sale.

People turn around and head home before work for tons of reasons. What a risk to take. So brazen. Such determination to kill her.

My thoughts, too. Someone else leaving or coming home from work, witnessing it (let us hope -- but that would have been a 911 call); someone going out to get the mail or newspaper; taking a child to school; walking a dog; jogging.
Home cameras, surely, surely.

 

[borndem]

Welcome to Websleuths,
cuea96 !!​

 

[Tripod]

I had never even heard the term "cosplay" before this case, so I had some Googling to do. This 'ol world is moving way, way too fast for me.

Elizabeth's murderer needs to be found, and soon. Even though it seems very clear she was targeted, there is a very evil, brazen killer out there who did, and might again do, the unthinkable.

 

[Wild Rose]

I apologize if already mentioned, I think that woman/man is possibly in a cosplay costume IMO.

 

[Wild Rose]

There is a Galactic Swag event advertised for Arlington, TX next weekend. Is this Star Wars stuff? There are many events in Texas city areas. Maybe very unhinged player?

 

[Wild Rose]

Was her killer there with her saber at the memorial?

 

[realanastasia]

I've never participated in cosplay -- doesn't appeal to me at all, but that's just me.
The Comic Con conventions, etc., were how it was described to me by a work friend -- she and her DH are really into it. A few people or couples, whatever and however many, get together and act out scenes from movies, books, etc., or written by individuals in the play. Costumes, faked accents, props, however fancy you wish to do it, are generally a part of it. Many folks play with the same folks and they really get into it. My work friend and her DH get somewhat off the beaten track, IYKWIM, but I've never wanted to hear about kink, etc., so I've got no details there.

This description largely conforms to what I know about this hobby, but AFAIK, cosplay (by which I simply mean as the act of putting on costumes and/or dressing up like fictional/historical characters and acting as those characters) does not necessarily have sexual connotations. Sure, some folks might put that spin on their "roles," but I'd venture to say they are the minority among cosplayers. It's not uncommon to see whole families at gaming or comics conventions cosplaying together (i.e., parents and kids all dressing up as part of the same fictional world/historical era).

And here's some anecdotal evidence that suggests cosplay, as a hobby, is quickly becoming mainstream: my local JoAnn Fabrics recently added a whole section of fabric/craft cloth--separate from their "Halloween" fabrics--explicitly labeled as suitable for "Cosplay"!

 

[Medstudies]

bbm
Oh, how we all do that at check in -- and it's usually not the case, is it?! SMH.

Big sigh. Yes it is.

But darn, this case? The entire incident was captured and recorded. And yet a big nothing.

When it first happened, I thought this would be an easy peasy case to break.

 

[borndem]

Big sigh. Yes it is.

But darn, this case? The entire incident was captured and recorded. And yet a big nothing.

When it first happened, I thought this would be an easy peasy case to break.

Seems that way, but... we've also seen this kind of thing before, haven't we?! So frustrating, and this one just is so brazen and seemingly "out-there." As suggested earlier, however, if the killer was indeed somehow costumed or covered such that even the sex and true size of him/her was obscured, one seemingly solid thing have IMO is the vehicle.
This is just flippin' odd. But there is always more under the covers. LE may be closer than we think, and if it does involve cosplay, her poor husband could be a good source of helping to suggest possible others who might be of help. Or neighbors -- surely someone saw or heard or have on film something.

 

[Mind your biscuits]

There must be some back story here. I hope LE are able to dig it out, poor woman, you expect people to haggle at garage sales, not shoot you dead.

 

[sl222]

I have been following this case from the start. I hope very much that the police know who did it and are waiting for what they need to make an arrest. The timing is just too suspicious, and the costume and the fact that this person knew how to drive out of this particular street; everything indicates this was a planned hit. It's baffling that the car could not be traced via video on the streets going away from the area and on Kuykendahl Road. Or that the license plate couldn't be seen somewhere. I was really uncomfortable with the husband's demeanor and his wording about trading their anniversary for a funeral. I'm sure the police have looked into a lot of angles. It's the Harris County Sheriff's Office that is over the investigation. Usually crimes get solved quickly. One theory of mine is that the killer was (or was hired by) someone who was interested in the husband, whether or not he knew about this or returned the interest. To me it has always looked like a man dressed as a woman. Bizarre outfit; and are there boots being worn? It's really hard to make out the details on the video. The home had been owned by them for a few years.

 

[SAMS]

Does anyone know if the husband is still actively involved with the case or has he gone quiet? JMO

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Seems that way, but... we've also seen this kind of thing before, haven't we?! So frustrating, and this one just is so brazen and seemingly "out-there." As suggested earlier, however, if the killer was indeed somehow costumed or covered such that even the sex and true size of him/her was obscured, one seemingly solid thing have IMO is the vehicle.
This is just flippin' odd. But there is always more under the covers. LE may be closer than we think, and if it does involve cosplay, her poor husband could be a good source of helping to suggest possible others who might be of help. Or neighbors -- surely someone saw or heard or have on film something.

Ive wondered if all that LE has had to deal with in the area, Maleah Davis and others if that has impacted the investigation. I’ve blanked on the other woman’s name who was shot outside her home in Houston.

I see two angles here. Someone in her cosplay circle. Upthread a poster talked about how much some spend on these costumes. I see jealously as a possibility from this group. Jealously of her position in the group or of husband.

2. Or, her job- Which I can’t remember if it was linked. But the very real possibility of her seeing data or knowledge that impacts large companies was part of her job.

 

[borndem]

I have been following this case from the start. I hope very much that the police know who did it and are waiting for what they need to make an arrest. The timing is just too suspicious, and the costume and the fact that this person knew how to drive out of this particular street; everything indicates this was a planned hit. It's baffling that the car could not be traced via video on the streets going away from the area and on Kuykendahl Road. Or that the license plate couldn't be seen somewhere. I was really uncomfortable with the husband's demeanor and his wording about trading their anniversary for a funeral. I'm sure the police have looked into a lot of angles. It's the Harris County Sheriff's Office that is over the investigation. Usually crimes get solved quickly. One theory of mine is that the killer was (or was hired by) someone who was interested in the husband, whether or not he knew about this or returned the interest. To me it has always looked like a man dressed as a woman. Bizarre outfit; and are there boots being worn? It's really hard to make out the details on the video. The home had been owned by them for a few years.

Good post!
Let's hope LE has more camera info than the one we saw. If the FBI is in on this now, who knoze what they might be able to do with the film we saw? And let's hope that since both the victim and her husband were active -- coworkers, friends, neighbors, fellow gamers -- something will pop soon. Otherwise, this could be a long haul...