Original subtitles

(calm music)

- [William] Elizabeth Barraza, known to her family

and friends as a fiercely compassionate

and imaginative woman was creative, resourceful

and sought to live life to the fullest.

Her deep rooted passion for charity works

as well as her unparalleled dedication

to bringing joy to the world around her was cut short

by an unexplainable unsolved murder

in the early morning hours of January 25th, 2019.

Leaving all who knew her across Northwest Harris County,

Texas, and the entire State at large grasping for answers

in a sea of evidence that drowned us all in doubt.

As a hope to provide more substantial reasoning,

built upon observable evidence and situational analysis,

this is an examination of the murder of Liz Barraza.

And the gut wrenching video captured that fateful morning,

giving us a critical window into her final moments of life.

This is "Cold Case Detective."

(calm music)

I believe that everyone on earth has the potential

to do wonderful things, but there are undoubtedly

those who exemplify the absolute brightest version

of humanity, who go out of their way to bring peace

to others, to bring a smile to the faces

of everyone they meet seemingly without any efforts.

People who look after their friends and families

and even strangers before themselves,

who know that the only way to push us forward

as a society is to surround ourselves

with happiness, selflessness and charity.

People who are quick to encourage, slow to judge

and effervescently authentic, everyday heroes.

Elizabeth Barraza was one of these people,

the shining star and great influence on all she met.

A child of the 1990s are native of Southeast Texas,

Elizabeth, called Liz by all who knew her grew up infatuated

with fantasy storytelling and pop culture.

Her love of imagination and specifically,

science fiction fandom was nurtured

by her father, Robert Jr.

She was particularly fond of "Star Wars" growing up

with the movies and later exploring the rich worlds provided

in television series, comic books and novels.

If there weren't any new expanded universe books

to pick up, Liz would turn

to her rather escapist entertainment, "Harry Potter."

Liz was a self-described Potter head,

an expert in all things, witchcraft and wizardry.

She was first in line to grab a copy of every new release

and like "Star Wars," spent endless hours

of childhood wrapped up in the comforting confines

of their creativity.

Her own imagination molded by the adventures

she was so absorbed with.

Alongside her love of the premiere pop culture lexicon,

Liz also discovered a strong skill set in arts and crafts.

She was a meticulous costumer,

able to construct complex designs

and outfits matching her favorite movie

and comic book characters.

As she grew older, she discovered there was

an entire community of hundreds of thousands

of fellow costume fanatics and creatives.

This turned Liz onto comic conferences

around the United States where fans

would come together dressed head to toe in homemade costumes

and show off their intricate creations,

a hobby known as cosplaying.

It was through cosplaying and a love of "Star Wars,"

that Liz became quite close to Sergio Barraza,

a fellow Texas native and entranced

by the escapist pastime himself.

In the winter of 2014, the pair got married

and combined their love of "Star Wars"

and cosplaying together.

The newlywed couple would travel

to various Comicons around their home state

and America at large,

showcasing Liz's expert crafting capabilities.

When they weren't dressing up for comic conventions,

Liz and Sergio were taking part in the 501st Legion,

a world renowned group of the biggest "Star Wars" fans

who dress up in screen accurate replicas

of "Star War's" most notorious villains on their costumes.

This wasn't just any old hobby, however,

the 501st Legion consists of over 14,000 volunteers

who use their costumes and cosplaying skills

to attend charities and hospitals,

visiting sick children and adults alike,

raising money for research efforts, medical fundraisers

and the fight against countless diseases.

These charitable contributions were a linchpin

in Liz's vision for her life.

She went above and beyond to attend these visitations

and events, bringing joy to so many people

whose very lives were in jeopardy.

And most importantly, Liz didn't think twice.

It was just her nature to give hope to who needed it.

Through their five years together, Liz and Sergio

were an immeasurably happy couple.

Their tireless work ethic at both their jobs

and their recreation did not push them apart,

but drew them closer together.

To celebrate their five-year anniversary,

Liz planned a magical vacation to Orlando, Florida,

where Universal Studios awaited them.

The couple was excited to visit

the new immersive "Harry Potter" attractions

and Liz prepared specially homemade costumes

for the pair to wear during their travels.

To make things easier on their finances

and enjoy the upcoming anniversary without a worry,

Sergio and Liz got together some old things

from around their house to sell at a garage sale.

However, things swiftly took a tragic turn.

When this innocence attempt to make ends meet resulted

in a terrifying murder.

Let's now turn to a timeline of events

that led to the unsolved murder of Liz Barraza.

(calm music)

It's just after new year's day in the year of 2019.

Liz and Sergio Barraza celebrates another year

of love and success together and prep

for their upcoming fifth year anniversary.

The two plot out the perfect celebration,

deciding that the new "Harry Potter" fantasy attractions

at Universal Studios, Florida would be their dream locale.

They chart a course for an end of the month departure

and begin preparations.

As January progresses, Liz and Sergio realize

all of their expenses for the anniversary trip

will push them to the max of their budgets.

Liz also hopes to buy Sergio a couple of gifts herself,

and the pair decide to hold a garage sale

right before they leave, selling a few odds and ends

and items they no longer need from around their house.

Hoping to raise some spending money for the trip.

The end of the month nears and Liz and Sergio finalize

the garage sale details.

They schedule it mid days before they leave for Florida

and inform their close friends, families

and co-workers of their plans.

They do not broadcast it on social media or around the town,

however, keeping it close knit until the day arrives.

The final full week of January arrives

and Liz requests time off work for both the vacation

and the garage sale.

Employed as a data reporter

for a pipeline inspection company,

Liz is able to get the extended dates approved.

On the night of January 24th,

Liz and Sergio make their final preparations.

Sergio is to go into work as per usual,

and Liz says, she'll get up early with him

to start putting up signs, advertising their sale

before the sun comes up.

The two go to sleep, excited at the prospects

that are wait them,

unknowing of the horrors lurking as well.

The rooster crows the following morning on Friday,

January 25th, 2019, it is barely dawn,

and Sergio Barraza gets ready for work,

while Liz gathers the signage supplies.

She goes outside with her husband

as he climbs into the truck, concurrently security

and CCTV cameras capture a 2013 or newer, four door,

dark colored Nissan Frontier Pro-4X drive around

the Barraza's Tomball suburb.

A vehicle not recognized by the neighbors

and never seen driving around the area

at such an early time of day.

At around 6:48 AM, Sergio kisses Liz goodbye

and departs in a truck of his own captured by CCTV cameras,

leaving the housing complex,

heading towards his place of employment.

Over the next four minutes, Liz takes the signage

and begins setting them up in her front lawn

for any passers-by to notice their pending garage sale.

She works alone and seemingly doesn't expect a visitor

or anything particular to happen.

At around 6:52 AM, the same Nissan Frontier truck

seen driving around earlier is captured once more

on a security camera set up on the doorbell

of a neighboring house in the Tomball suburb,

facing the front yard of Liz Barraza's home,

where she continues working outside.

The dark colored truck passes the house

and parks in another home's driveway.

From the driver's seat, a person with either long hair

or a wig exits the vehicle and walks towards the spot

where Liz places her sign.

The pursuant, wearing what could either be a trench coat

or a long robe, conceal something as they walk up to Liz.

Liz looks up, startles, but doesn't run away.

Only eight seconds pass of what appears

to be a quiet conversation

before the figure in the long garments

pulls out a gun. (gun banging)

And shoots Liz three times at points blank range.

The killer then steps over Liz's body,

seemingly checking for something before firing off

one final point blank shot.

As the clock ticks forward to 6:53 AM,

the shooter sprints from Liz's body back to their truck.

They hop inside, back out of the driveway

and drive up and down the street once more,

almost as if observing the crime scene

before peeling out from the neighborhood,

away from the cameras and forever into anonymity.

At the same time, a male subject who heard the gunfire

and saw the truck escape runs outside

and calls 911 to report both the shooting

and asked for an emergency medical response.

Meanwhile, another neighbor who comes outside in response

to the commotion quickly understands what has happened

and personally called Sergio to inform him,

Liz has been shot.

Not even 10 minutes go by and Sergio returns

to the neighborhood to tend to his critically injured wife.

Medical and emergency response personnel join him,

and Liz is rushed to the hospital.

Meanwhile, police begin interviewing neighbors

to try and find out exactly what transpired.

Liz makes it to the hospital,

still breathing with a heartbeat.

However, after surviving through the nights,

the following day on Saturday, January 26th,

she succumbs to the gunshot wounds and passes away.

Soon after, on the investigation side of the ordeal,

authorities are quick to label the death a murder,

as the crime scene suggests an execution

like shooting combined with the eyewitness testimony

of the male subject who saw the killer flee.

Within a matter of weeks, police canvas the Tomball suburbs

for any and all security footage

that may give them a better glimpse

of what happened on January 25th at 6:52 AM.

One of the Barraza's neighbors then gives law enforcement

a copy of their doorbell cam tape from that morning,

the now infamous recording of Liz's final moments.

In the coming days, detectives study the security footage

and release it to media outlets,

hoping someone will come forward to identify

either the truck or the shooter.

Tips pour in, but nothing substantial rises

to the forefront of the case.

A case growing colder by the minutes.

It wouldn't be for another year

until the Barraza family finally receives a major update

in the investigation.

During a one-year memorial held by family members,

community members and members of the 501st Legion

in honor of Liz's life at the tail end of January, 2020,

reporters hear from a lead detective on the case,

the police have obtained a warrant

that could lead them directly to the party responsible.

There are no other details given

and the exact type of warrant is not revealed

whether it be an arrest warrant or an evidentiary warrant.

Again, however, the leads stop there

without any major announcement until June 30th of 2020.

A breaking news bulletin reveals that police unveiled

an additional nugget of information stemming

from the CCTV footage capturing Liz's murder.

Authorities announce after analyzing discernible audio

from the recording, it can be said confidently

that as the suspect approached Liz at 6:52 AM,

Liz could be heard saying good morning in response.

It is not a major clue, but it does make detectives wonder

if Liz didn't actually know the suspect

as opposed to earlier theories.

Sadly, that news alerts on June 30th is the last piece

of evidence the public has received in Liz Barraza's case.

As of today, Liz's brutal murder remains unsolved.

The investigation did undergo a change in top leadership,

so that must be considered as to why there

are apparently no sizable leads despite almost two years

of sleuthing, as well as the global pandemic slowing down

the world in general, beginning in March of 2020.

All that being said, police maintain that this case

is still very much solvable and will continue to pursue any

and all leads provided by the public or otherwise.

Without a doubt, the biggest, and really the only case point

in the Barraza investigation is the CCTV security footage

procured from around the crime scene by police

in the direct aftermath of January 25th's senseless murder.

The video shows the murder take place,

albeit from a distant and grainy point of view.

However, it also shows the suspect flee,

and most importantly, the side profile

of the Nissan Frontier Pro-4X driven by the shooter.

Before I play the video in its entirety, as first released

by authorities, I want to be upfront

about the disturbing nature of the footage.

The shooting depicted is real, and if you understandably,

wish to avoid seeing any sort of extreme violence,

it would be best to fast-forward or turn away

for the next few minutes.

I wanna give you fair warning, so please be advised

what you're about to witness may be hard to watch.

(gun banging)

What do you have just seen is the murder of Liz Barraza.

As you saw, a figure with long hair, a long coat or robe

and what could be boots, parks across the streets

from the Barraza residence, walks over to the front yard

where Liz works on the garage sale sign,

confronts her with eight seconds of unknown dialogue,

then shoots her four times at point blank range

before standing over her body and running off.

The most contested part of the video

is whether or not the shooter is a woman, as it might seem

at first glance or a man dressed to appear as a woman.

It truly is hard to tell, some point to the end

of the video where the killer runs away,

stating that the gate is most often attributed

to the form of a female run.

However, it is also widely believed

that the killer was wearing boots

as a part of their peculiar get-up

and that may have changed the appearance of their movement.

Nevertheless, we don't share this video to determine

whether or not the killer was male or female

or disguised or in plain clothes,

it's meant to spread awareness and hopefully catch the eye

of someone who hasn't seen it before, recognizing something

that could be game changing, a vital clue.

If anything in this video rings a bell,

even the slightest memory in the back of your mind

whether it be the identity of the shooter or the origin

of the Nissan Frontier truck,

contact Crimestoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

Let us now turn to the most prominent theories

that attempts to explain the unsolved murder of Liz Barraza.

(intense music)

Because of how recent the Liz Barraza murder case is,

the theory surrounding it are few and far between.

Both its recency and the withholding of most case details

by law enforcements are to blame for this,

but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Police usually keep important clues and even pieces

of evidence that don't seem relevant close to their chest,

in order to avoid tipping off the real suspects

of their findings or threatening their chances

of making an arrest.

It's why studying cold cases within their first few years

of investigation are so tricky.

There simply isn't enough yarn to thread together

a solid board of theories, at least not yet.

However, there are still some ideas.

One of the very early hypothesis speculated

by case followers was that either Sergio or Liz

was involved in a secret love triangle.

And the shooter from the video is an enraged lover

or person who was intimately involved

with one of the members of the couple.

However, we don't believe this is the case.

Personal and melodramatic gossip often circulates

after a murder and it can be harmful to the Barraza family

and disrespectful to the memory of Liz herself,

if presented without any real evidence.

In fact, there is a very simple

and straightforward observation regarding this theory

that helps deal legitimize it from rampant belief.

If there was indeed a love triangle

and a secret partner involved,

there would be a paper trail, or at least a digital one.

There would be emails or texts

or some sort of communication remaining on a phone

or a computer, a forgotten voicemail or letter,

or something left over to make a connection.

The absence of any evidence

of this nature speaks for itself.

It also shouldn't have to be said

but Sergio himself has been very clear and concise

with police and has fully cooperated

with both law enforcement and the media.

He has shown no signs he has something to hide,

and until police uncover something to the contrary,

we must focus on other possibilities

than those that likely end up in a tabloid magazine.

Of course, the shooter could be connected

via a close relationship to either Liz or her husband,

but to immediately point fingers towards

a scandalous extramarital affair would be jumping the gun.

Another commonly held belief about who the killer could be

is that they met Liz somewhere at a comic book convention

or similar cost playing events, and for whatever reason,

fixated on her with the intent to murder.

But why or how could this happen?

One explanation is the passion

behind fan based activities such as Comicons

and other global events is normally brought

to the absolute extreme.

It regrettably doesn't take long

when investigating some pastimes, such as these

to find there is a history of toxic fandom misogyny

and elitism, certainly not in the majority,

but that 1% is known to exist.

Of course, cosplaying and passionate fandoms

are a good thing, full of good people with good intentions

and are meant for escapism and passion.

But there are cases where people have taken

their favorite pop culture iconography a little too far,

and that bad blood has been known in the past to spill over

into nefarious and criminal territory.

Thus, it is suggested that somewhere along their travels

or even in an online community, Liz met someone

who became overly jealous of her or Sergio, made advances.

And when they didn't get what they wanted,

went after her in the most horrific way possible.

Now, while this is also somewhat unlikely

to not have a trail of communication somewhere

on the internet for police to track,

it's possible, this connection was made in person

and the killer was an unknown stalker,

following Liz around and waiting for her to be alone.

There have been confirmed cases of women being stalked

at comic conventions before and as even led

to abuse and assaults.

It is not a common occurrence,

but it has happened frequently enough for some to consider

it's in connection with Liz's case.

The biggest criticism to the cosplay related stalker theory

is how out of place the subject was in Tomball itself.

The neighbors never reported seeing

the Nissan Frontier truck in the housing complex

prior to that night.

And it wasn't recorded on CCTV cameras

in the hours or days leading up to the murder.

For the stalkers who have been following Liz,

leading up to the shooting, they would have had

to stalk her discreetly using another vehicle

and tracking her every movement to confirm

that she would be alone when she was.

Because the garage sale was not widely broadcast

or marketed to the public, the stalker wouldn't have known

to go out to the neighborhood that morning.

Coincidentally showing up would require

an intense amount of dumb luck.

And by all accounts, this was a calculated assassination

beyond the odds of pure fortune.

We must also remember that the stalker

was wearing what some believe is a disguise

in the security footage with a long robe

and possible wig hiding their true identity.

It is possible that the stalker was going an extra mile

to hide who they really are.

But that also goes against what a stalker typically is,

someone in the shadows undetected, a disguise not necessary.

That is unless the shooter wasn't a random stalker,

but someone with a more personal relationship to Liz

who somehow knew about the garage sale.

Again, this is banking on the idea

that detectives did not obtain a list of everyone

who knew about the garage sale

and clear them of involvements.

If they did, which frankly should

have been routine investigative work,

it would be immensely difficult to slip through the cracks.

This is unless the friend or coworker rented a car

or better yet, borrowed one from a friend or family member.

This way, if the cops searched car rentals

from around the area for that exact model

of a Nissan Frontier Pro-4X,

the subject would sneak through the cracks without a public

or even private records connecting them with anything.

And while it seems perhaps overly elaborate

for a killer to rent a car for use in a murder plot,

keep in mind that many think the shooter

was also wearing a disguise.

The longer hair appearing more like a wig

than a natural hairstyle.

Of course, this is impossible to discern

on such a low quality camera feed,

and can neither be confirmed nor denied.

But if the killer dressed up,

they may also have used a car under someone else's name,

knowing there could be many prying eyes identifying the make

and model of their getaway vehicle.

Overall, however, the idea that the killer

was a personal friend is hard to make sense of

when considering the most recent update

from law enforcement regarding the first word spoken by Liz

when the shooter approached her.

An unexcited good morning that was described

by law enforcement as a greeting someone would extend

to a stranger or passer-by, doesn't give much credence

to the thought that Liz knew her killer.

Again, this loops back to the disguise theory,

Liz simply may not have recognized her killer

at first glance.

We also must remember that it was just 6:50 in the morning,

in the very early phases of daylight.

The shadows of twilight may have cloaked the face

of the perpetrator.

We also don't know what exactly the killer

and Liz spoke about in the eight seconds

between good morning and gunfire.

Once the killer got close, Liz may very well

have realized who it was.

The CCTV footage doesn't reveal any sign

of alarm or attempt to flee by Liz,

but the gunman also drew their weapon quickly,

allowing very little time to react.

There are admittedly many holes with this theory

but it is also only one breakthrough

or piece of evidence away from explaining everything.

Sadly for now, it is too vague to be counted on.

The final theory most discussed by sleuths so far

is that the shooter is a contract killer.

Someone who is hired by an associate

or even a stalker of Liz's to kill her that fateful morning.

This would explain all the irregularities

of the video and the situation at large

as we currently see them.

A contract killer who has no connection

to the Barraza households, wouldn't be identified

by Liz herself, the vehicle would not be traced

to any of her family and friends.

And they would have been given the garage sale information

by whoever hired them or asked them to do

such a terrible thing.

Obviously, this depends on the idea

that it was someone who knew about the garage sale

that sealed Liz's fate.

But the way that the perpetrator's truck drove

around the neighborhood that morning makes us believe

that they knew Liz would eventually be alone that day,

understanding Sergio would go to work

while Liz set up the supplies.

There's even a hypothesized conversation

to go with this theory with some thinking

that the eight second conversation

before the muzzle flashes consisting of the killer

asking if Liz was who she really was.

If her garage sale was really a garage sale,

and then firing the gun when Liz confirmed this.

It should be noted that if the killer was hired by contract,

they were by no means a professional assassin

or had much experience in violent crime.

Someone who murders with intent per contracts,

surely wouldn't have been so obvious,

would have used silencing techniques for maximum stealth.

And most certainly wouldn't have done it wearing a pair

of boots and a long flowing rope.

There are of course, thousands of characters

around the country that might fit that bill,

but a hired gunman likely isn't one of them.

Is this by design, another way

to camouflage intent with ridiculousness?

It can't be ruled out, but at this point,

everything is still in play.

Before we divulge our hypothesis

of Liz Barraza's unsolved murder, we want to make known

that our conclusions presented in "Cold Case Detective"

are purely logical speculation based on evidence,

circumstance and factual subtext.

We are only privy to the same information presented

in each episode, and we do not attempt to promise certainty

or an expert guarantee on the findings we reach in closing.

We simply observe, research and report.

In the case of Liz Barraza, we believe that she was

in fact murdered by an associate,

whether it be a coworker or someone she met

at either a cosplay in convention

or other fandom related events.

Who this could be, whether it was a male or female

is impossible to specify.

However, we are confident that whoever it was,

committed murder due to an unsolved confrontation with Liz.

It was someone who was silent in their rough,

but instead of sorting out whatever differences

they may have had, turned into a cold blooded murderer

to try and solve their problems.

Whether the long hair was a wig or the robe

and boots are disguise, can't be proven at the moment

but it can be assumed that in those eight seconds

after Liz cautiously greeted them with a good morning,

the killer laid out what they were about to do

before firing the gun four times at point blank range.

Whoever the killer was then ran off,

got rid of their vehicle when its description hit the rounds

of local news, and either seamlessly embedded themselves

back into society like nothing ever happened

or dropped off the map completely.

We also believe that whoever it was,

did know about the impending garage sale

and used that to their advantage.

They probably canvas the tumble suburbs previously

and maybe even visited the Barraza residence prior

to January 25th to decode Sergio's movements

and know the window in which to strike.

It's all additional support to the fact

that this was premeditated murder,

not a whimsical dark fantasy born from someone's nightmare.

Nobody just woke up one morning and decided to drive

to Southeastern Texas and kill an innocent young woman.

This was no serial killer, this was no escaped convict,

this was someone who chose with every fiber in their body

to commit an evil act.

They picked the red paint for the walls.

They were not forced or held at gunpoint themselves.

And therefore they shall be pursued as such

as the cold blooded killer they are,

deserving of all the justice

that is awaiting to befall them.

There are not a lot of details to pour out into the world

but there is always the chance for more to come in.

If you have absolutely any connection to Liz or Sergio

or may know something not yet expressed

in this episode or other case coverages,

we employ you to let the proper or authorities know,

so that the offender out there who is still running around

in the dark is thrust into the light.

Until then, let us return to the moments mentioned

in the opening of this episode about the brilliant

and beautiful way Liz Barraza lived her life

until her final breath.

It may sound cliche, but Liz truly embodied

the idealistic lifestyle of charity and goodness.

She never lost her will to make the world around her

the best version of itself, impacting each

and every person she came into contact with

and ensuring their lives would be improved as well.

She tackled issues with the utmost dignity,

helping those in need with endless charity.

Her tireless work in the 501st Legion was a testament

to creative empathy and passionate imagination,

a reminder for everyone that it doesn't matter

about outside opinions or how the world will view you,

if you love something that brings you boundless joy,

undiscovered anywhere else, hold onto it

with all of your heart.

In the end, doing what we love and surrounding ourselves

with things that give us hope will bring upon

the same atmosphere for others.

Liz was the best of her community.

And as a community ourselves, we owe it to her memory

to preserve the goodness she spread.

We will remember Liz Barraza and all the while,

continue working tirelessly to solve the question

of why she was taken away from the world to begin with,

making the Tomball terror unsolved no more.

This is "Cold Case Detective."