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

[itsdev]

Another thing that comes up all the time is whether the killer had a lot of experience with firearms or not. Its safe to say I probably have substantially more firearms experience than a lot of people in this thread, let me just repost what I've said elsewhere.

I strongly believe the shooter is NOT a trained or experienced shooter, for a number of reasons. This killer had basically zero concept of trigger control or recoil control, and it appears they just did what they commonly see in movies.

The first 3 shots were from way less than even 1yd, and even then, one went to her neck and almost missed her. That round actually hit the soffit above their front door. We're talking about a .380 revolver here, and shooting maybe a 14" group at 2ft? That's not incredible shooting. Its shockingly poor shooting. If you did that at an indoor shooting range, you'd be putting rounds in their ceiling, and a range employee is probably going to come talk to you. At an outdoor range, that round would have sailed way over the backstop berm and be a huge safety violation. People saying only a man could do that, it makes me just shake my head. An 8yo kid can do that.

Also, the last round, standing over Liz, the killer shot her in the mouth. Granted, I'm not saying I'd want to be shot in the mouth. But for a murderer standing over their victim to finish the job, they essentially missed.

You can also see the shooter doing the whole cowboy movie thing of 'slinging' the bullet out of the gun with every trigger pull. Trigger control is the main fundamental of marksmanship, and this is the opposite of that.

There's nobody with actual experience or training with a handgun that will attempt the most important and high-stress shots of their life one-handed. Its just not a thing. With a double-action trigger pull? Just no.

Everything about that video tells me that this person was just doing what they have seen in movies.

I know next to nothing about firearms, but after initially watching the video, I had the EXACT same thought—this looked like someone acting out a scene from a summer blockbuster action movie.

Your breakdown really puts that into perspective, and it makes me wonder if they were overcompensating or trying to project confidence they didn’t actually have.

 

[itsdev]

Sure. I've been posting on reddit with a similar username.

I did know Liz and Sergio, and was a member of the 501st there. I've recently been made aware of how big of a following there is regarding the case online, and I'm doing my best to dispel untruths.

Unfortunately there are real people whose lives have been negatively impacted by conspiracy theories, baseless conjecture, and even doxxing attempts stemming from this case.

If you ask me a question that I can respond to with actual knowledge and facts, I'm happy to do so. But I won't name any names, personal info, or conjecture about any other people that were close to this.

I can only begin to understand what it’s like to be close to an unsolved case—the uncertainty, anxiety, and unwanted attention that comes with it. The shooter killed one person, but they created a lot of victims.

If there’s anything you feel comfortable sharing, I truly appreciate it, but if not, I completely understand.
I completely understand if some questions don’t apply based on how well you knew Liz.

• Are you aware of any other routine activities/communities Liz was involved in, such as serving as a poll worker, animal shelter volunteer, HOA, Gym etc.?
• Any side hustles she may have had, driving Uber, Lyft, or DoorDash, or working as a bartender on weekends?
• Any common misconceptions reported in the main stream media/online that you feel need to be corrected?

In your opinion (No Pressure!):
• Do you think the shooter was acting alone or following orders?
• Do you have an opinion on the shooter's gender?
• Do you think the shooter had prior knowledge of Liz’s morning routine?

I’m not looking to drudge up any conspiracies , just trying to explore any aspects of her life that haven’t been widely discussed in main stream media. Enough time has passed that the individuals and groups frequently mentioned in articles don’t seem to be at the top of law enforcement’s list, which makes me wonder if there are other areas of her life that could offer insight into where this perpetrator may have come from.



P.S. Hopefully I don't overwhelm you with the replies/questions. I have free time and ADHD lol.

 

[Sunrise-at-9pm]

Have to disagree, a pro is the furthest thing from what I would call this person.

A double action revolver is what you hand to an inexperienced shooter to ensure they don’t botch it. Its not what an experienced shooter themselves is going to choose.

The thing most likely to cause malfunctions with a semi-auto is limp-wristing, and that’s primarily a problem you’ll see with super inexperienced shooters.

Again, just based on the four rounds we saw them fire, it was in such a poor manner that could cause them to be ejected from a public shooting range for a safety violation. Not pro.

A shooting enthusiast would pick up a cheap chinesium Glock barrel from a local gun show. Or send a rifle round from a few hundred yards away.

 

[Sunrise-at-9pm]

Sorry itsdev, I am on mobile at the moment. I will reply tomorrow when I have a chance to type.

 

[DTPeke]

I remember the statement by police "The driver had a reason to be, where he was." (or very similar wording). For me, this sounded as vague as it can get, somehow. What, if that reason wasn't clear enough, but open to interpretation, and they failed to do a thorough investigation of the circumstances AND especially the car? For example: Not one single hair of a blonde wig in the car?

Agree, with the vagueness. I can say I'm anywhere for any reason. How do they know if I'm lying.

I don't want to sound dumb. How much can they investigate the truck at this point?

Would LE have enough probable cause to enter that car? I'm not sure unless the driver gave permission.

Coincidentally it is very close to the Lowes where Sergio met his father and crew. You can exit Lowes onto that street.

1.6 miles from the traffic stop.

It is the INTERSECTION of the Lowes shopping center. That part never set well with me.

 

[DTPeke]

One other thing to add. If this was a mastermind pre-planned effort to avoid cameras, it makes no sense to park at the Goddard School. If indeed the cameras were offline, the killer wouldn't have known that. Presumably the only people that would have known that would be the school staff.

They don't park though they drive into the Goddard School parking lot. They are only in the school parking lot for 10 seconds.

• Early Morning [06:47:50 AM] The Nissan Frontier arrives and pulls into the neighborhood Princeton Place Drive from Kuykendahl Road and then drives into the Goddard School parking lot.
• Early Morning [06:48:00 AM] The Nissan Frontier leaves the Goddard School parking lot to conceal on a different street.
• Early Morning [06:48:00 AM] Sergio leaves the property to go to work, in a white panel van.
• Early Morning [06:51:40 AM] The Nissan Frontier comes back into view and heads towards the Barraza home.

 

[Sunrise-at-9pm]

I can only begin to understand what it’s like to be close to an unsolved case—the uncertainty, anxiety, and unwanted attention that comes with it. The shooter killed one person, but they created a lot of victims.

I appreciate the thought, and you're right, this one action has created countless victims. I consider myself among them.

• Are you aware of any other routine activities/communities Liz was involved in, such as serving as a poll worker, animal shelter volunteer, HOA, Gym etc.?

Other activities and communities? Not that I know of. When Sergio joined the 501st, she saw how many events and things the group was doing, and then it made her want to join also. To be honest, they both struck me as friendly geeky people who finally found a group where they could have a lot of friends, and so they were both all in on it. That was the friend group, weekend activities, etc as far as I know.

Daily routine? She and I would pretty regularly see each other in the morning commute traffic, right around 6:30-6:45am on Kuykendahl. Her car stood out, with a bunch of Harry Potter and Star Wars related decals on the back glass. I say this because from a timing perspective, all of this seemed to happen right around the time she would have been leaving on any other day. To me, its hard to say whether the garage sale was a factor really at all, but that's just conjecture from me.

• Any side hustles she may have had, driving Uber, Lyft, or DoorDash, or working as a bartender on weekends?

They would sell vinyl cut decals and even had vendor booths at the Houston comic cons selling pop culture related stickers and their artwork (mostly cut vinyl decals applied to plexi sheets or glass). I don't know how much selling they were doing later on by the time of the shooting, but its the only 'side gig' I know of.

• Any common misconceptions reported in the main stream media/online that you feel need to be corrected?

I think its really unfortunate, the amount of flak the 501st has gotten in relation to this thing. There were some ~150 members in the Houston area, and just being associated with it is enough for the worldwide web sleuth and podcast community to investigate you as a potential murderer just because they learn your name.

Liz was a really nice person, and I'd really have nothing negative to say about her. Everything you've heard about her being a genuine person was true. But for good and bad, I think her association with the 501st and the whole 'visiting sick kids' angle is part of what's kept the public attention on this case for so long. On one hand, Liz is sometimes played as a Mother Teresa-like figure because of her involvement with the group, while at the same time, the long-time members who helped them join and had been doing it for years have been treated as 'guilty until proven innocent' in some situations.

There have been names thrown into the meat grinder for youtubers and podcasters, and some of those actions are troubling. Especially if you know those people and situations. If you think there's a real reason someone should be looked at, shouldn't you take that straight to Detective Ritchie? But instead you doxx them on Youtube with a story you know to be false. I don't really want to talk about those people's personal lives, but that whole thing is pretty disgusting to be honest.

 

[arielilane]

Thank you! I hope he can answer.

I remember the announcement he was part of an episode on Liz's case but the network was sold so the show never aired. I was looking forward to his take. fingers crossed

@arielilane asked some really good specific questions

Thank you, @DTPeke, didnt know that the network had sold.

 

[Sunrise-at-9pm]

In your opinion (No Pressure!):
• Do you think the shooter was acting alone or following orders?
• Do you have an opinion on the shooter's gender?
• Do you think the shooter had prior knowledge of Liz’s morning routine?

As far as info on the shooter, I'm no different than you, just a person who has seen the video.

Just my opinion, but I've assumed the shooter was female, although I don't feel strongly either way, and my opinion there is just as good as yours. Whether they were acting alone, following orders, or had knowledge of her morning routine, I don't really have anything valuable to add.

I strongly believe that the shooter was not highly experienced with firearms, but I've already talked about that.

As far as the clothing the shooter was wearing, I don't think it was Star Wars costume related, although I see that come up a lot. Personally I think the boots were just the cheap white rubber boots that you could find at Academy or Home Depot. I think that makes sense if the person was expecting to get blood on on them. Not only do the clothes not really match any SW costume, but some of these movie-accurate costume parts can be pretty hard to come by, and I have a hard time thinking anybody is going to ruin a pretty unique and identifiable piece like that committing a murder.

Heartland 15 in. All-Purpose White Rubber Boot Size 10 44260-10 - The Home Depot

Add this innovative breakthrough in comfort and support to your paving work with the help of this Unbranded AllPurpose White Rubber Boot Size 10.

www.homedepot.com

 

[lonewanderer]

Another thing that comes up all the time is whether the killer had a lot of experience with firearms or not. Its safe to say I probably have substantially more firearms experience than a lot of people in this thread, let me just repost what I've said elsewhere.

I strongly believe the shooter is NOT a trained or experienced shooter, for a number of reasons. This killer had basically zero concept of trigger control or recoil control, and it appears they just did what they commonly see in movies.

The first 3 shots were from way less than even 1yd, and even then, one went to her neck and almost missed her. That round actually hit the soffit above their front door. We're talking about a .380 revolver here, and shooting maybe a 14" group at 2ft? That's not incredible shooting. Its shockingly poor shooting. If you did that at an indoor shooting range, you'd be putting rounds in their ceiling, and a range employee is probably going to come talk to you. At an outdoor range, that round would have sailed way over the backstop berm and be a huge safety violation. People saying only a man could do that, it makes me just shake my head. An 8yo kid can do that.

Also, the last round, standing over Liz, the killer shot her in the mouth. Granted, I'm not saying I'd want to be shot in the mouth. But for a murderer standing over their victim to finish the job, they essentially missed.

You can also see the shooter doing the whole cowboy movie thing of 'slinging' the bullet out of the gun with every trigger pull. Trigger control is the main fundamental of marksmanship, and this is the opposite of that.

There's nobody with actual experience or training with a handgun that will attempt the most important and high-stress shots of their life one-handed. Its just not a thing. With a double-action trigger pull? Just no.

Everything about that video tells me that this person was just doing what they have seen in movies.

I was thinking about this more.

Could the shooting have been off due to massive amounts of adrenaline? I was active duty army as Special Forces support for nearly a decade, but I can’t imagine walking up to someone and calmly shooting them. I would imagine I would be shaking and nervous.

I also think the shooter was showing Liz something with their left hand, a note or tablet or phone or paper picture. I am not sure, I just know the shooter extends their left hand, Liz takes a HUGE scared step back and when she leans in, the shooter starts shooting her. Could explain why they used one hand, if it was me, I would have held the gun on one hand if I was trying to make a point and show her something before I shot her.

 

[arielilane]

There are similarities to victim Marlene Warren’s murder. I am hopeful it won't take 30+ years for justice in Liz's case.


Sheila Keen is disguised as a clown, she is aware that Marlene likes clowns. Sheila Keen knocks at home of Marlene, and is shot in the face after opening the door of her home. Marlene died two days later.

Sheila and Marlene’s husband had been having an affair. Marlene’s husband has never been charged in the murder.

In Liz’s case:

IF the killer’s disguise is Star Wars related, did the killer or somebody involved know that Liz was a fan of Star Wars?

Or the disguise is simply to serve as a shield against getting any blood, evidence on person, something the killer could easily remove and discard afterward.

Its interesting that the garage sale unadvertised?

Only a few people knew about the garage sale.

moo

Sheila Keen Warren pleads guilty to shooting husband's 1st wife in 1990 killer clown case

Sheila Keen Warren pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Marlene Warren in 1990.

abcnews.go.com

 

[Charlot123]

One other thing to add. If this was a mastermind pre-planned effort to avoid cameras, it makes no sense to park at the Goddard School. If indeed the cameras were offline, the killer wouldn't have known that. Presumably the only people that would have known that would be the school staff.

Or the security company that installed the cameras.

 

[Charlot123]

I appreciate the thought, and you're right, this one action has created countless victims. I consider myself among them.



Other activities and communities? Not that I know of. When Sergio joined the 501st, she saw how many events and things the group was doing, and then it made her want to join also. To be honest, they both struck me as friendly geeky people who finally found a group where they could have a lot of friends, and so they were both all in on it. That was the friend group, weekend activities, etc as far as I know.

Daily routine? She and I would pretty regularly see each other in the morning commute traffic, right around 6:30-6:45am on Kuykendahl. Her car stood out, with a bunch of Harry Potter and Star Wars related decals on the back glass. I say this because from a timing perspective, all of this seemed to happen right around the time she would have been leaving on any other day. To me, its hard to say whether the garage sale was a factor really at all, but that's just conjecture from me.



They would sell vinyl cut decals and even had vendor booths at the Houston comic cons selling pop culture related stickers and their artwork (mostly cut vinyl decals applied to plexi sheets or glass). I don't know how much selling they were doing later on by the time of the shooting, but its the only 'side gig' I know of.



I think its really unfortunate, the amount of flak the 501st has gotten in relation to this thing. There were some ~150 members in the Houston area, and just being associated with it is enough for the worldwide web sleuth and podcast community to investigate you as a potential murderer just because they learn your name.

Liz was a really nice person, and I'd really have nothing negative to say about her. Everything you've heard about her being a genuine person was true. But for good and bad, I think her association with the 501st and the whole 'visiting sick kids' angle is part of what's kept the public attention on this case for so long. On one hand, Liz is sometimes played as a Mother Teresa-like figure because of her involvement with the group, while at the same time, the long-time members who helped them join and had been doing it for years have been treated as 'guilty until proven innocent' in some situations.

There have been names thrown into the meat grinder for youtubers and podcasters, and some of those actions are troubling. Especially if you know those people and situations. If you think there's a real reason someone should be looked at, shouldn't you take that straight to Detective Ritchie? But instead you doxx them on Youtube with a story you know to be false. I don't really want to talk about those people's personal lives, but that whole thing is pretty disgusting to be honest.

So, your feeling is, whoever it was, they were bad shooters?

Do you have the same feeling about their driving? Just not good drivers.

 

[Doni]

This has been discussed before, but always good to revisit.

I believe the shooter was pulled over and was either watching the Ring cam to make sure Sergio left, or was watching a Wi-Fi app that shows when devices fall off the network. For instance, my mesh Deco app shows when devices are active or not, even when I am in town using cell data on my phone.

This suggests to me that the shooter was close with Liz and Sergio. I am mighty sure I know who it is but I just do not have concrete definitive proof. The information I have learned about them is just WAY too "coincidental".

May be wise to notify LEO’s of the information you have learned and let them develop the concrete proof.

 

[somequestions]

Have to disagree, a pro is the furthest thing from what I would call this person.

A double action revolver is what you hand to an inexperienced shooter to ensure they don’t botch it. Its not what an experienced shooter themselves is going to choose.

The thing most likely to cause malfunctions with a semi-auto is limp-wristing, and that’s primarily a problem you’ll see with super inexperienced shooters.

Again, just based on the four rounds we saw them fire, it was in such a poor manner that could cause them to be ejected from a public shooting range for a safety violation. Not pro.

A shooting enthusiast would pick up a cheap chinesium Glock barrel from a local gun show. Or send a rifle round from a few hundred yards away.

I agree about the shooter's experience. I do think they had fired the gun before though. I did not realize how loud a gun can be. This person may have wanted to be prepared for the sound.

On the video it looks like the shooter is trying to push the gun towards Elizabeth Barraza as they are shooting. In my opinion, it looked like Elizabeth Barraza had her hands up and was trying to figure out how high or close to her body to put her hands when this person shot her.

The one thing that is so strange about this case is the planning leading up to the shooting. According to what I read, this person in the Nissan Frontier Pro-4x truck was driving around the neighborhood at around 2am on the morning before the murder. If they knew where the Barraza's lived why not park on that street a few houses down and wait for Sergio's van to leave? Then they could drive right up to the house after Sergio leaves. What do you think about the planning leading up to the murder?

Since the Barraza's had a Nest doorbell cam, it seems like the killer would probably be someone who had never been to their house before. This leaves open so many possibilities that it could even be someone who was looking for Elizabeth's car and not the house. After the murder, which surveillance camera locations did the Nissan Frontier Pro-4x truck pass? That would at least give us some type of idea about where the killer drove towards after the murder.

If it was some type of altercation with someone unknown to Elizabeth, then that makes it a very difficult case to solve.

 

[Warwick1991]

Another thing that comes up all the time is whether the killer had a lot of experience with firearms or not. Its safe to say I probably have substantially more firearms experience than a lot of people in this thread, let me just repost what I've said elsewhere.

I strongly believe the shooter is NOT a trained or experienced shooter, for a number of reasons. This killer had basically zero concept of trigger control or recoil control, and it appears they just did what they commonly see in movies.

The first 3 shots were from way less than even 1yd, and even then, one went to her neck and almost missed her. That round actually hit the soffit above their front door. We're talking about a .380 revolver here, and shooting maybe a 14" group at 2ft? That's not incredible shooting. Its shockingly poor shooting. If you did that at an indoor shooting range, you'd be putting rounds in their ceiling, and a range employee is probably going to come talk to you. At an outdoor range, that round would have sailed way over the backstop berm and be a huge safety violation. People saying only a man could do that, it makes me just shake my head. An 8yo kid can do that.

Also, the last round, standing over Liz, the killer shot her in the mouth. Granted, I'm not saying I'd want to be shot in the mouth. But for a murderer standing over their victim to finish the job, they essentially missed.

You can also see the shooter doing the whole cowboy movie thing of 'slinging' the bullet out of the gun with every trigger pull. Trigger control is the main fundamental of marksmanship, and this is the opposite of that.

There's nobody with actual experience or training with a handgun that will attempt the most important and high-stress shots of their life one-handed. Its just not a thing. With a double-action trigger pull? Just no.

Everything about that video tells me that this person was just doing what they have seen in movies.

You say a .380 revolver. In a revolver, .380 would be exceptionally rare, as the .380 caliber, also know as .380.acp or the 9mm short/kurz, was designed strictly for semiautomatic pistols. Firearms designed for .380 are usually semiautomatic pistols. In a revolver, a .38 caliber cartridge is very common. The .38 is a longer cartridge of similar diameter to the .380. If a revolver that fired .380 was used, it was a very unusual firearm that might be identifiable. If a semiautomatic was used, there would likely be empty ejected cases on the ground. If it was a revolver, the empty cases would remain in the cylinder. Is the type of weapon known?

 

[STLBlues]

You say a .380 revolver. In a revolver, .380 would be exceptionally rare, as the .380 caliber, also know as .380.acp or the 9mm short/kurz, was designed strictly for semiautomatic pistols. Firearms designed for .380 are usually semiautomatic pistols. In a revolver, a .38 caliber cartridge is very common. The .38 is a longer cartridge of similar diameter to the .380. If a revolver that fired .380 was used, it was a very unusual firearm that might be identifiable. If a semiautomatic was used, there would likely be empty ejected cases on the ground. If it was a revolver, the empty cases would remain in the cylinder. Is the type of weapon known?

I don't believe we've seen a confirmation from LE of the caliber used.

Like you said, if it were semi-auto, you'd expect shell casings to be at the scene, unless the shooter used a brass catcher. But, a brass catcher would not be something someone inexperienced with firearms would even know about IMO. And, it would be impractical (again IMO) to use a brass catcher during and murder.

Charter Arms and Taurus both offer .380 revolvers. Since we're speculating this is a relatively inexperienced shooter, those brands would make sense in my mind. In other words, if they purchased the firearm just to commit this murder, they wouldn't want to pay the prices for the more respected brands like S&W, Ruger, etc. Or, it could have been a firearm they had access to. So many unknowns in this case.

 

[Warwick1991]

I don't believe we've seen a confirmation from LE of the caliber used.

Like you said, if it were semi-auto, you'd expect shell casings to be at the scene, unless the shooter used a brass catcher. But, a brass catcher would not be something someone inexperienced with firearms would even know about IMO. And, it would be impractical (again IMO) to use a brass catcher during and murder.

Charter Arms and Taurus both offer .380 revolvers. Since we're speculating this is a relatively inexperienced shooter, those brands would make sense in my mind. In other words, if they purchased the firearm just to commit this murder, they wouldn't want to pay the prices for the more respected brands like S&W, Ruger, etc. Or, it could have been a firearm they had access to. So many unknowns in this case.

Since the .380 lacks a rim that is large enough to engage a cylinder, a .380 revolver design such as the Charter or Taurus has to use what are know as moon clips, an extra metal clamping ring to hold the cartridges in place. This, IMO, would not be easy for a new shooter. Also, I've never seen a .380 revolver at a large gun store - these aren't best sellers. I am not sure that the Charter and Taurus .380 revolvers were in production in 2019 or before.

The caliber is apparently a LE hold back, and I don't recall anything about whether cases were recovered.

 

[STLBlues]

Since the .380 lacks a rim that is large enough to engage a cylinder, a .380 revolver design such as the Charter or Taurus has to use what are know as moon clips, an extra metal clamping ring to hold the cartridges in place. This, IMO, would not be easy for a new shooter. Also, I've never seen a .380 revolver at a large gun store - these aren't best sellers. I am not sure that the Charter and Taurus .380 revolvers were in production in 2019 or before.

The caliber is apparently a LE hold back, and I don't recall anything about whether cases were recovered.

Thanks for the info about the moon clips, I was not aware of that. Learn something new everyday. Like you, I've never seen a .380 revolver in any large gun store nor in a small gun store. It's certainly an unusual/unique firearm.

 

[lonewanderer]

I don't believe we've seen a confirmation from LE of the caliber used.

Like you said, if it were semi-auto, you'd expect shell casings to be at the scene, unless the shooter used a brass catcher. But, a brass catcher would not be something someone inexperienced with firearms would even know about IMO. And, it would be impractical (again IMO) to use a brass catcher during and murder.

Charter Arms and Taurus both offer .380 revolvers. Since we're speculating this is a relatively inexperienced shooter, those brands would make sense in my mind. In other words, if they purchased the firearm just to commit this murder, they wouldn't want to pay the prices for the more respected brands like S&W, Ruger, etc. Or, it could have been a firearm they had access to. So many unknowns in this case.

It’s super hard to tell where the weapon came from.

A 380 revolver? That says one of two drastic differences to me.

Either an experienced shooter who knows not to leave shell casings (the murder weapon for every victim minus one in a long list I made of people shot in the driveways/front yard). OR a novice shooter who picked it up from a gun nut boyfriend of just used an old revolver grandpa had laying out.