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

[Quiet Time]

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 admire your dedication to this case.
Good luck.

 

[lonewanderer]

I would like to look at another case that I feel like has some similarities.

A woman was shot to death in Texas in 2022. She was shot twice in the head and once in the stomach. The shooters vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, was caught on a Ring doorbell camera in the area, driving by and driving away.

This was the killing of "Mo" Wilson, a rising star in the bicycling world. The shooter (who is scheduled for trial in June) was a woman named Kaitlyn Armstrong. The motive? There was a man, who was also a bicyclist. This man was dating Kaitlyn, but secretly texted Mo, was confronted about it, and took more drastic measures to keep his communication with her a secret. Kaitlyn discovered this, and instead of doing something reasonable like breaking up with him (or something as crazy as popping the tires on his bicycle) she instead decided to shoot and kill Mo. Kaitlyn then took some SUPER crazy measures to flee the country and confuse investigators of her whereabouts.

 

[Ozoner]

I would like to look at another case that I feel like has some similarities.

A woman was shot to death in Texas in 2022. She was shot twice in the head and once in the stomach. The shooters vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, was caught on a Ring doorbell camera in the area, driving by and driving away.

This was the killing of "Mo" Wilson, a rising star in the bicycling world. The shooter (who is scheduled for trial in June) was a woman named Kaitlyn Armstrong. The motive? There was a man, who was also a bicyclist. This man was dating Kaitlyn, but secretly texted Mo, was confronted about it, and took more drastic measures to keep his communication with her a secret. Kaitlyn discovered this, and instead of doing something reasonable like breaking up with him (or something as crazy as popping the tires on his bicycle) she instead decided to shoot and kill Mo. Kaitlyn then took some SUPER crazy measures to flee the country and confuse investigators of her whereabouts.

Yep. There are definitely some nut jobs out there.

It could have been some woman who was sexually obsessed with EB's husband—maybe someone from the Star Wars cosplay community.

If the woman was a psychopath or a vulnerable narcissist, then the motive could really be anything. It could easily be something that would seem minor to most people.

 

[arielilane]

There was a similar vehicle pulled over shortly after Liz’s murder; however, without a search warrant the vehicle could not be searched by LE.

There’s something amiss with the truck, imo… can’t point my finger on it just yet. However, to date, if it’s not been located … why? Why is this truck so difficult to locate?

Would a camera located across the street from Liz’s home possibly catch video of the truck’s interior?

Obviously speculation. moo

 

[Ozoner]

There was a similar vehicle pulled over shortly after Liz’s murder; however, without a search warrant the vehicle could not be searched by LE.

There’s something amiss with the truck, imo… can’t point my finger on it just yet. However, to date, if it’s not been located … why? Why is this truck so difficult to locate?

Would a camera located across the street from Liz’s home possibly catch video of the truck’s interior?

Obviously speculation. moo

If a similar vehicle was pulled over, you'd think that LE would have been able to find some connection between the driver and Liz if the vehicle was actually the suspect vehicle.

Do you happen to know whether the vehicle that was pulled over was being driven by a woman?

 

[lonewanderer]

I know there is a lot of speculation about how the shooter was dressed. Costumes, wigs, etc. To me, this looks like a suburban, middle class, white woman who just rolled out of bed on a chilly morning and is stepping outside to do an activity such as walking a dog and/or smoking a cigarette. Comfortable, and not dressed to interact with anyone in public. The robe, the soft boots (similar to Uggs), and other factors of her appearance remind me a lot of many women I know who fit this description.

I have always wondered if one of the things at the yard sale had some significance to the shooter. Maybe Liz won something they thought was rightfully theirs? Perhaps Liz planned to sell something that was gifted to her, but did not realize it was something the gifter considered extremely intimate? If this was the case, they wisely did not take the item or any items with them.

 

[arielilane]

Do you happen to know whether the vehicle that was pulled over was being driven by a woman?

@Ozoner, I do not know if the driver was female.

 

[PawneeDew]

There was a similar vehicle pulled over shortly after Liz’s murder; however, without a search warrant the vehicle could not be searched by LE.

There’s something amiss with the truck, imo… can’t point my finger on it just yet. However, to date, if it’s not been located … why? Why is this truck so difficult to locate?

Would a camera located across the street from Liz’s home possibly catch video of the truck’s interior?

Obviously speculation. moo

Obviously; I agree, in re: the (Nissan Frontier?) truck that was pulled over...Because I don't know anything about it. Interesting speculation. We do have footage of a neighbour's cam, right? Also neighborhood witnesses....

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1617728090586906625

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1618452879836344320

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1618742286367719424

The shooting​

Barraza was 29 when she was shot and killed in her driveway. Investigators said the killer appeared to be wearing a disguise when they walked up the driveway and shot Liz just after her husband, Sergio Barraza, left for work. The deadly shooting was captured on a neighbor's surveillance video.

The shooter walked up to Liz and fired three shots. The killer fired one more shot after Liz hit the ground.
“If I had known it was the last night, I would have done so much more," Sergio said. "I would have held her longer. I would have said so much."
The shooter's getaway vehicle is also seen in the video. It was a black Nissan Frontier truck. The truck can be seen circling the neighborhood before and after the shooting.
Despite the video evidence, no arrests have been made.
"It has really made me live in fear just because they haven’t found anyone," Sergio said.

 

[santacruztodd]

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 haven't heard anything back yet, but I'm not giving up! I'll find a nerd somewhere that knows the numbers. My initial impression is that Nissan will not assist a layperson in a criminal case, so I am continuing to seek these production numbers, but without overtly referring to any pending criminal matter. Exploring Nissan forums and fan pages as an alternative means of acquiring this data.

 

[SnowAngels]

It would be interesting to get demographic info on type of person that tends to own this make and model of truck.

 

[arielilane]

Liz’s victimology

What type of person was Liz?

Accomplishments:

• College graduate in 2012 (Bachelor’s degree in Psychology)
• Marriage to S in February 2014
• Employment with the Rosen Group as a data reporter
• First home purchase in April 2016
• Was on the command staff as an Event Coordinator for the South Texas Squad
• Volunteer work

Appears that Liz was a dedicated person, committed to husband, family, friends and to community, imo.



In this recent video Liz's mother tells us about Liz:

Liz’s mother advised that Liz was such a kind person. She was silly. She had a lot of fun in her life. But, that she was also so giving. We would joke… if ever I gave her a compliment … good job or I’m proud of you, she’d say “I’m perfect” and laugh. Liz loved Mary Poppins, and we both laughed then, and that Liz didn’t take herself too seriously. There was a real fun side of her. She could be very serious.. she was very dedicated and wanted to do well at her job, she was responsible and so fun and full of life.





In this recent video S tells us about Liz:

Liz was amazing, she was so fun to be with, so genuine and happy. It was amazing being with her, like a fairy tale we had together every single day so happy so many plans…just doing stuff together. It was awesome, it was some of the best times of my life.

S & L met in a math class in college.

Before the murder their life together was fun. Always something to do with the 501st, with our family and our friends. We’re very active. There were vacations, movies and date nights. It was a very happy and active relationship, I was so happy to be a part of.

• Reporter Ms. White: Can you think of anyone that would want Liz dead?
• S: Honestly, no, It doesn’t make sense why anybody would want to hurt her. It just… It’s it. There’s no reason why she’s she’s an angel to me. She’s just. Pure good, she never hurt a fly. She never was mean to people. We were always the type of couple who took the high ground and never like argued or tried to cause a fight or anything like that. We kept to ourselves and our nerdy and our little lives and had fun together… I can’t imagine why someone would hurt her.

Speculation:
Of course, it’s expected that family members will say kind words about their loved one; however, what about Liz’s friends? Anyone know if any of Liz’s friends have come forward with any information or comments?

Moreover, I’d be curious to know if Liz liked to take risk in life, or did she play it safe at all times? Imo, extremely rare that a young married couple gets along so well in the first 5 years of their marriage but then I can understand that a spouse is not going to spill the beans to media. It's also possible that they had the perfect relationship and got along well and a small disagreement never escalated. moo

 

[PawneeDew]

It appears she was very good at financial matters, also....they had multiple savings accounts and were able to buy a house. That's definitely an accomplishment. Says to me she was a planner, not a risk-taker. She had a good head on her shoulders. She might have even been the one in control of the finances...The breadwinner of the household.

 

[PawneeDew]

Liz’s victimology

What type of person was Liz?

Accomplishments:

• College graduate in 2012 (Bachelor’s degree in Psychology)
• Marriage to S in February 2014
• Employment with the Rosen Group as a data reporter
• First home purchase in April 2016
• Was on the command staff as an Event Coordinator for the South Texas Squad
• Volunteer work

Appears that Liz was a dedicated person, committed to husband, family, friends and to community, imo.



In this recent video Liz's mother tells us about Liz:

Liz’s mother advised that Liz was such a kind person. She was silly. She had a lot of fun in her life. But, that she was also so giving. We would joke… if ever I gave her a compliment … good job or I’m proud of you, she’d say “I’m perfect” and laugh. Liz loved Mary Poppins, and we both laughed then, and that Liz didn’t take herself too seriously. There was a real fun side of her. She could be very serious.. she was very dedicated and wanted to do well at her job, she was responsible and so fun and full of life.





In this recent video S tells us about Liz:

Liz was amazing, she was so fun to be with, so genuine and happy. It was amazing being with her, like a fairy tale we had together every single day so happy so many plans…just doing stuff together. It was awesome, it was some of the best times of my life.

S & L met in a math class in college.

Before the murder their life together was fun. Always something to do with the 501st, with our family and our friends. We’re very active. There were vacations, movies and date nights. It was a very happy and active relationship, I was so happy to be a part of.

• Reporter Ms. White: Can you think of anyone that would want Liz dead?
• S: Honestly, no, It doesn’t make sense why anybody would want to hurt her. It just… It’s it. There’s no reason why she’s she’s an angel to me. She’s just. Pure good, she never hurt a fly. She never was mean to people. We were always the type of couple who took the high ground and never like argued or tried to cause a fight or anything like that. We kept to ourselves and our nerdy and our little lives and had fun together… I can’t imagine why someone would hurt her.

Speculation:
Of course, it’s expected that family members will say kind words about their loved one; however, what about Liz’s friends? Anyone know if any of Liz’s friends have come forward with any information or comments?

Moreover, I’d be curious to know if Liz liked to take risk in life, or did she play it safe at all times? Imo, extremely rare that a young married couple gets along so well in the first 5 years of their marriage but then I can understand that a spouse is not going to spill the beans to media. It's also possible that they had the perfect relationship and got along well and a small disagreement never escalated. moo

In my opinion only, it's weird to describe someone you've been in a relationship with as an "angel" Nobody's perfect, like that...he sounds like he's describing someone that has never, ever done anything wrong.
ETA
I lost my fiancé to a brain tumor. I Loved him very much. I would have never described him as an angel. He definitely had issues, was not perfect.

 

[arielilane]

In my opinion only, it's weird to describe someone you've been in a relationship with as an "angel" Nobody's perfect, like that...he sounds like he's describing someone that has never, ever done anything wrong.
ETA
I lost my fiancé to a brain tumor. I Loved him very much. I would have never described him as an angel. He definitely had issues, was not perfect.

@PawneeDew, my sincere condolences for the loss of your loved one.

 

[Ozoner]

Liz’s victimology

What type of person was Liz?

Accomplishments:

• College graduate in 2012 (Bachelor’s degree in Psychology)
• Marriage to S in February 2014
• Employment with the Rosen Group as a data reporter
• First home purchase in April 2016
• Was on the command staff as an Event Coordinator for the South Texas Squad
• Volunteer work

Appears that Liz was a dedicated person, committed to husband, family, friends and to community, imo.



In this recent video Liz's mother tells us about Liz:

Liz’s mother advised that Liz was such a kind person. She was silly. She had a lot of fun in her life. But, that she was also so giving. We would joke… if ever I gave her a compliment … good job or I’m proud of you, she’d say “I’m perfect” and laugh. Liz loved Mary Poppins, and we both laughed then, and that Liz didn’t take herself too seriously. There was a real fun side of her. She could be very serious.. she was very dedicated and wanted to do well at her job, she was responsible and so fun and full of life.





In this recent video S tells us about Liz:

Liz was amazing, she was so fun to be with, so genuine and happy. It was amazing being with her, like a fairy tale we had together every single day so happy so many plans…just doing stuff together. It was awesome, it was some of the best times of my life.

S & L met in a math class in college.

Before the murder their life together was fun. Always something to do with the 501st, with our family and our friends. We’re very active. There were vacations, movies and date nights. It was a very happy and active relationship, I was so happy to be a part of.

• Reporter Ms. White: Can you think of anyone that would want Liz dead?
• S: Honestly, no, It doesn’t make sense why anybody would want to hurt her. It just… It’s it. There’s no reason why she’s she’s an angel to me. She’s just. Pure good, she never hurt a fly. She never was mean to people. We were always the type of couple who took the high ground and never like argued or tried to cause a fight or anything like that. We kept to ourselves and our nerdy and our little lives and had fun together… I can’t imagine why someone would hurt her.

Speculation:
Of course, it’s expected that family members will say kind words about their loved one; however, what about Liz’s friends? Anyone know if any of Liz’s friends have come forward with any information or comments?

Moreover, I’d be curious to know if Liz liked to take risk in life, or did she play it safe at all times? Imo, extremely rare that a young married couple gets along so well in the first 5 years of their marriage but then I can understand that a spouse is not going to spill the beans to media. It's also possible that they had the perfect relationship and got along well and a small disagreement never escalated. moo

She was well liked, and being well liked can lead to jealousy in some cases.

If she was getting special treatment from someone like a boss or a leader within the cosplay community, jealousy could have turned to hatred. There's an old saying: "A favorite has no friends."

If the killer was a vulnerable narcissist, which I suspect, then any perceived slight could have led to murder. If Liz had chosen not to pursue a friendship with someone, that could have been enough. If Liz had gotten a promotion that someone else wanted, that could have been enough. With a vulnerable narcissist, any reason is enough. The desire for revenge overrides everything. The sort of slight could have been something very recent or something that the killer could have been fuming about for years.

 

[fridaybaker]

She was well liked, and being well liked can lead to jealousy in some cases.

If she was getting special treatment from someone like a boss or a leader within the cosplay community, jealousy could have turned to hatred. There's an old saying: "A favorite has no friends."

If the killer was a vulnerable narcissist, which I suspect, then any perceived slight could have led to murder. If Liz had chosen not to pursue a friendship with someone, that could have been enough. If Liz had gotten a promotion that someone else wanted, that could have been enough. With a vulnerable narcissist, any reason is enough. The desire for revenge overrides everything. The sort of slight could have been something very recent or something that the killer could have been fuming about for years.

See, this resonates with me. But so does the possibility of a furious relation if she had had the temerity to confront that person. I just feel like we’re swimming in the ocean with horizon in all directions. No visible landmarks.

 

[Cedars]

I would like to look at another case that I feel like has some similarities.

A woman was shot to death in Texas in 2022. She was shot twice in the head and once in the stomach. The shooters vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, was caught on a Ring doorbell camera in the area, driving by and driving away.

This was the killing of "Mo" Wilson, a rising star in the bicycling world. The shooter (who is scheduled for trial in June) was a woman named Kaitlyn Armstrong. The motive? There was a man, who was also a bicyclist. This man was dating Kaitlyn, but secretly texted Mo, was confronted about it, and took more drastic measures to keep his communication with her a secret. Kaitlyn discovered this, and instead of doing something reasonable like breaking up with him (or something as crazy as popping the tires on his bicycle) she instead decided to shoot and kill Mo. Kaitlyn then took some SUPER crazy measures to flee the country and confuse investigators of her whereabouts.

I agree, that was a case where a woman shot another woman whom she didn't know well.

Respectfully, however, IMO there's much more to a crime than weapon, gender and apparent motive.

Crime analysts talk about 'disorganized' and 'organized' killers.

We don't have video of the murder of Mo Wilson, but her killer allegedly was waiting for her to be dropped off by the killer's boyfriend, ie was reacting immediately, at the height of her jealousy, rather than going home to confront her boyfriend, or taking a yoga class, or going to stay with a friend or family, to allow herself to calm down.

She also took huge risks, doing it in broad daylight, running into the home to shoot MW, stealing the bike to throw it into the bushes to create a robbery scenario: yes, she amazingly got away with it at that point, but could so easily have been seen or even trapped, if the landlord rushed out at the noise, or the roommate arrived home, or a curious neighbour came past...

She used her own SUV, so police could easily find her, she told people how much she hated MW and wanted to kill her, as someone tipped off police about. She used her own gun, which she kept afterwards at home, etc.

So I think criminal psychologists would classify it as a very disorganized killing, which is why she was caught, in spite of her desperate effort to escape.

Whereas, this murder was almost textbook in being extremely organized. No effort was wasted in trying to create a false narrative (except possibly disguising as a female for the sake of the cameras). Every effort went towards concealing the person's identity and connection to the victim.

I think that speaks to a very different kind of motive than jealous rage, since someone in the grip of jealous rage is literally unable to calmly think and plan. It's a different part of the brain, that comes up with such a 'cold-blooded' plan.

JMO