TX TX - Elizabeth "Liz" Barraza, 29, murdered setting up garage sale, Harris Co, 25 January 2019 #7

[CrimeTheorist]

If geofencing hasn't helped find a suspect maybe they could get a warrant for a larger radius than they've already looked at. It's possible the killer had a phone with them but was smart enough to turn it off when they were near the house.

 

[jessarox]

It's forever vexing that the car wasn't a solid lead.

Dig into everyone known to her - cosplay group, coworkers, other friends - someone must drive that car. If they were borrowing a car from a relative, it still shouldn't be *that* hard to narrow down person that could've had a grudge against Liz + person that would've had access to that particular vehicle. I truly think someone (other than the killer) may know what happened or recognizes that vehicle but is deliberately covering for them.

It's so sad that it's been 7 years. If LE didn't find anything from digging into the car from the get go, who knows if it's too late now.

My theory on why the car hasn't been tied to anyone yet is that it was "borrowed" from a used car lot, auto auction, or car repair shop.

My dad and uncle used to be detailers for a used car lot and they were allowed to use vehicles from the lot that hadn't been put up for sale yet so recent trade-ins and cars that just came from the auction. They used dealer plates which are magnetic and can be removed in seconds. We didn't even own a car because my dad could reliably borrow a car from the lot even when we were going on family trips.

If someone was in a higher position (like a sales manager) and had access to the key cabinet, they could borrow the car, commit the crime, and return it before anyone even knew it was gone.

I hope that LE has looked into sales of this particular made and model but maybe they came up empty because the car wasn't sold but instead sent to auction.

 

[moonglow123]

My theory on why the car hasn't been tied to anyone yet is that it was "borrowed" from a used car lot, auto auction, or car repair shop.

My dad and uncle used to be detailers for a used car lot and they were allowed to use vehicles from the lot that hadn't been put up for sale yet so recent trade-ins and cars that just came from the auction. They used dealer plates which are magnetic and can be removed in seconds. We didn't even own a car because my dad could reliably borrow a car from the lot even when we were going on family trips.

If someone was in a higher position (like a sales manager) and had access to the key cabinet, they could borrow the car, commit the crime, and return it before anyone even knew it was gone.

I hope that LE has looked into sales of this particular made and model but maybe they came up empty because the car wasn't sold but instead sent to auction.

Honestly, you're probably right. I know there was speculation an individual close to S worked at a car dealership, and would thus have access to loaners, repairs, trade-ins like you said etc. I could definitely see whoever did it borrowing the car in whatever way. Very frustrating and aggravating that wouldn't have much or any trail.

 

[Lebowski]

My theory on why the car hasn't been tied to anyone yet is that it was "borrowed" from a used car lot, auto auction, or car repair shop.

My dad and uncle used to be detailers for a used car lot and they were allowed to use vehicles from the lot that hadn't been put up for sale yet so recent trade-ins and cars that just came from the auction. They used dealer plates which are magnetic and can be removed in seconds. We didn't even own a car because my dad could reliably borrow a car from the lot even when we were going on family trips.

If someone was in a higher position (like a sales manager) and had access to the key cabinet, they could borrow the car, commit the crime, and return it before anyone even knew it was gone.

I hope that LE has looked into sales of this particular made and model but maybe they came up empty because the car wasn't sold but instead sent to auction.

would the dealer plates have potentially led back to the specific dealer?

AIUI, none of the numerous camera recordings caught a clear view of the plate. but the perp(s) couldn't have been sure of that going into it. so if the dealer plates would have pointed to the dealer using them would have been almost as risky as using a car with regular plates. I think?

 

[jessarox]

would the dealer plates have potentially led back to the specific dealer?

AIUI, none of the numerous camera recordings caught a clear view of the plate. but the perp(s) couldn't have been sure of that going into it. so if the dealer plates would have pointed to the dealer using them would have been almost as risky as using a car with regular plates. I think?

Yes, they're dealer specific and would be tied to the dealership. It would definitely be risky to use a car like this when committing a crime.

It's possible that they didn't even have a license plate on the vehicle at the time of the shooting and then they slapped one on after stopping somewhere. It literally takes seconds and no tools to apply dealer plates and they can stick to any ferrous metal so sometimes they aren't even in the license plate area but to the side of it.

IIRC some of the cars coming from the auction house would still have an old license plate on them so it's also possible that there was a license plate belonging to the former owner on the truck and then the dealer plate was placed on top of that.

 

[Charlot123]

The saddest thing is, there are too many unknown factors

- motive: unknown. Still 50/50 whether related to the husband or unrelated. If related, there is a wide range of possibilities.

If unrelated, even wider. Honestly, some people are nuts. A thing like a bad review for a business or a restaurant could be a reason, nowadays.

- car: I think detective Ritchie overrated his knowledge of cars or underrated the degree of planning that went into the crime. One can’t rely on a car. (Example: in Idaho murders, a car specialist defined the type of a car correctly but missed a year. There may always be some details that make a huge difference but are not seen on the video).

- Give or take, the video is very grainy and the perpetrator did everything to stay away from the Nest Cam. That tells us that the killer either knew the house or got detailed insider’s information. This might be a clue, but Liz was social and had friends visiting them, so the circle might be wide.

All in all, my feeling would be that either the perpetrator got detailed insider’s information or had been to the house before. Potentially, both. This still leaves us with a huge group of suspects.

 

[Curiousobserver]

The saddest thing is, there are too many unknown factors

- motive: unknown. Still 50/50 whether related to the husband or unrelated. If related, there is a wide range of possibilities.

If unrelated, even wider. Honestly, some people are nuts. A thing like a bad review for a business or a restaurant could be a reason, nowadays.

- car: I think detective Ritchie overrated his knowledge of cars or underrated the degree of planning that went into the crime. One can’t rely on a car. (Example: in Idaho murders, a car specialist defined the type of a car correctly but missed a year. There may always be some details that make a huge difference but are not seen on the video).

- Give or take, the video is very grainy and the perpetrator did everything to stay away from the Nest Cam. That tells us that the killer either knew the house or got detailed insider’s information. This might be a clue, but Liz was social and had friends visiting them, so the circle might be wide.

All in all, my feeling would be that either the perpetrator got detailed insider’s information or had been to the house before. Potentially, both. This still leaves us with a huge group of suspects.

The weird thing the killer seems to have made little or no effort to avoid being seen. They pulled into a school just before the crime, which they should have expected to have at least 1 camera. They drove around the area the night before and at any point, or at multiple points, they should have expected to be seen on a camera at a home or business. They drove back past the crime scene a few minutes after the crime while a neighbor was on the phone with police.

They were very lucky that they were not identified and may be shocked of that fact themselves.

 

[FromGermany1]

The weird thing the killer seems to have made little or no effort to avoid being seen. They pulled into a school just before the crime, which they should have expected to have at least 1 camera. They drove around the area the night before and at any point, or at multiple points, they should have expected to be seen on a camera at a home or business. They drove back past the crime scene a few minutes after the crime while a neighbor was on the phone with police.

They were very lucky that they were not identified and may be shocked of that fact themselves.

With a stolen or borrowed car (?) and a blonde wig (?), maybe, it wasn't so very risky in the person's eyes. And .... s/he was right. MOO

 

[Curiousobserver]

With a stolen or borrowed car (?) and a blonde wig (?), maybe, it wasn't so very risky in the person's eyes. And .... s/he was right. MOO

Agree- It seems they were right

Its so confident though, to drive through the area the day before. Someone may have been able to get a great look at you, or maybe even Liz might see you or her parents are visiting, or Sergio etc... going out to get the mail or take out the garbage, or walk the dog or whatever... This person was sure nobody would have the foggiest idea who they were.