The Murder of Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Barraza
For this case, I watched an episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn. It’s season 25 episode 7, titled ‘A Fairytale Ruined.’
A woman’s shocking murder is caught on surveillance.
Background
Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Nuella Barraza was just 29 years old at the time of her death. She and her husband, Sergio lived in Tomball, Texas, about 30 minutes from Houston. They were college sweethearts who bonded over their love of books and movies, especially Star Wars and Harry Potter.
Liz’s parents, Bob and Rosemary Nuella described her as beacon of joy. They said she had an amazing laugh and loved to make people happy.
Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Barraza
Liz and Sergio in their stormtrooper costumes
The Murder
On Friday, January 25, 2019, a neighbor of Liz’s called 911 just before 7 am. She heard several gunshots coming from the direction of the Barraza home.
Liz had been shot in her driveway as she was setting up for her garage sale. She was barely alive when the police arrived and airlifted to the hospital. The following day, January 26, Liz succumbed to her injuries and passed away. She was shot 4 times in the upper torso, head, and neck.
Liz had taken the day off from work. Her husband told the police that he left around 6:47 am that morning for his job. This meant that the shooting occurred less than 10 minutes after Sergio left.
The shooter had left very little physical evidence behind. The police believed that Liz had been shot with a revolver. A small shell casing believed to be a .380 caliber, was recovered away from the scene.
The Surveillance Footage
Sergio told the police that he knew something was wrong. He received an alert from the Ring doorbell app and saw a police officer and police tape around his home.
After seeing this, Sergio rewound the footage on the app. In the footage, Liz wasn’t seen on camera but could be heard saying, “Good morning” to someone. She was then heard screaming which was followed by the sound of several gunshots.
Liz’s parents, Bob and Rosemary were also notified that her alarm had gone off. They tried calling her, but when she didn’t answer they drove to her home. They learned that there had been a shooting and that the police didn’t have much information.
Liz decided to have the garage sale to raise extra money for their anniversary trip. Sergio had been called in to work early at his flooring job. His colleagues backed up his alibi.
The police knew that the killer had probably been watching the house as Sergio left less than 10 minutes before Liz was shot.
The police canvassed the area. They learned that 3 neighbors heard the gunshots but hadn’t witnessed the shooting. A detective found a surveillance camera on one of the houses in the neighborhood which pointed right at the Barraza’s home.
At 6:52 am, a black truck pulled up in front of Liz’s home. It passed the house, turned around, and parked. The truck was left running and had the lights on. The shooter walked into the driveway, wearing what appeared to be a wig, boots, and a bathrobe. After a brief conversation, the shooter took out a gun and shot Liz. The shooter shot Liz 3 times at point-blank range, and 1 more time as she was on the ground.
The police weren’t able to determine if the killer was male or female. However, they were able to determine that the truck was a Nissan truck. The video quality made it difficult to read the license plate.
After the shooting, the truck returned and passed the driveway for a 2nd time. It appeared as if they were making sure the job was done or that Liz was dead.
Footage from the morning Liz was shot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMRhRLOfBqo0)
Possible Suspects
The police asked Liz’s parents and husband if they were willing to watch the surveillance video to see if they recognized the shooter or truck. They weren’t able to identify anyone.
The detectives were able to further identify the truck as a 2013-2019 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X truck most likely black. The police were shocked as to how many people in the area and surrounding areas owned this type of truck.
Before the murder, the same truck had been seen on surveillance driving around Liz’s neighborhood at nighttime.
The police looked into anyone who could have benefited from Liz’s death and the people closest to her. They also looked into anyone who would have known when Liz would be alone on the morning of the murder. On a normal day, Liz would have already left for work.
The police did look into several people who worked with Liz at an oil pipeline inspection company. Many of them knew that Liz had taken the day off. Her colleagues were eventually ruled out as suspects.
Liz and Sergio were part of a Star Wars fan group. The police looked into their friends from this group. One thing stood out to the police. Liz and Sergio had stormtrooper costumes. The white boots that the killer wore looked similar to the boots from their costumes. Sergio was asked if anyone held a grudge against Liz. He didn’t believe anyone from the group was involved. He said the group was a charity that worked events around the community. He said there had been a few arguments between members but nothing huge. The police eventually ruled out this group as well.
A Possible Motive
The police knew that the killer was a professional and they didn’t leave behind any evidence. The killer also did their research. They knew what type of car Sergio drove and that the Barraza’s had a Ring camera. The only thing that didn’t seem professional was how many times the truck had driven around the neighborhood.
Sergio was asked if Liz had any life insurance policies. He said she did through her company but didn’t know how much it was. Liz had one that totaled $500,000 and Sergio was the beneficiary. The amount was originally $200,000 but it doubled due to a double indemnity clause.
The police knew that Sergio wasn’t the actual shooter but that he may have hired someone.
The police described his behavior after he arrived at the crime scene as odd. Sergio stuck around the scene to speak to the media and neighbors instead of going to the hospital and didn’t show much emotion.
The police collected Liz and Sergio’s phones. There was no evidence that either of them had been having an affair.
One of the theories as to why the truck returned after shooting Liz was to tell another person that the shooting was done. Sergio hadn’t contacted anyone after the shooting.
Sergio passed a polygraph. He also told the police about someone close to him and Liz that may have been involved.
Sergio’s Theory
Sergio told the police that they had been having issues with his dad. His dad had been having financial issues and having multiple affairs. Liz had been upset about how the cheating had affected their family. Sergio worked for his dad and his last paycheck had bounced. Liz was upset that they were suffering so that Sergio’s dad could pay for his girlfriends.
Sergio’s dad was asked about the paycheck bouncing. He said he had been waiting for a client to pay him and his business was not in trouble. He admitted to cheating on his wife with multiple women. His phone and bank records were examined. There was nothing in them to link him to the crime and he passed a polygraph.
To this day, Sergio is still skeptical that his father might be involved.
This is not the first time that Sergio has blamed someone. I was reading some of the posts on Reddit. Someone wrote that he had blamed one of Liz’s ex and a co-worker. I will link the Reddit discussion in the sources even though I briefly glanced over it to see what people were saying about this case.
About a year and a half after Liz’s murder, Sergio moved on with a woman named Amber.
Important Information
Three years to the day after Liz’s murder, Houston Crime Stoppers put out a $500,000 reward for any information about the case.
If you have any information about this case, contact the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-221-6000 or Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The surveillance footage is frightening. To me, it seems like a male based on the build and how the person walks and runs. I also believe that either Liz or both Liz and Sergio knew this person. I can’t imagine what Liz had been thinking as this person approached her. If I saw someone in this outfit, I would be terrified too. My heart breaks for her family and I hope this case can be solved soon.
I will post an update if and when there are any.
Sources
https://www.reddit.com/r/LizBarraza/
