Elizabeth Barraza was up early on Friday, January 25, 2019. The 29-year-old was preparing her Tomball, Texas, home, where she lived with her spouse, for a yard sale. To raise extra money for their vacation, the couple decided to sell some of the items they no longer needed in order to fund their fifth wedding anniversary trip. About seven in the morning, as Elizabeth was arranging some things in her front yard, a black truck passed by her house, turned around, and came to a stop. Elizabeth was shot three times by someone who had just gotten out of the truck. He shot her once more before turning to walk away as she fell to the ground.
The street was usually quite quiet, so when three different neighbors heard gunshots, they reported the incident to 911. The neighbors were shocked to learn what had happened. Elizabeth was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital via helicopter, where medical professionals worked nonstop to preserve her life. Unfortunately, they were unable to stabilize her because of the severity of her wounds. The next afternoon, she passed away.
Investigators from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office were astounded to see the full m*urder captured on camera by a neighbor’s security system. “There is no doubt that the video is highly graphic,” Lieutenant Jeff Stauber acknowledged. It showed Elizabeth standing in her front yard when the driver of the black pickup truck—an unidentified man with long hair—got out of the car. It seemed like they said something, but the assassin moved to shoot Elizabeth eight seconds after he got close. Then they bolted out of the neighborhood, back to their truck.
When Elizabeth was shot, Sergio, Elizabeth’s husband, was at work and hurried to the hospital to be by her side. Reporters were told by his mother, Margarita Barraza, that she couldn’t understand why anyone would want to harm Elizabeth. “They lead such a typical life…I’m not sure what happened. She didn’t know about any issues the couple might have had with other people.
According to the neighbors, the couple was popular. Cindy Gilchrist mentioned that upon moving into the neighborhood, Elizabeth and Sergio had gone out of their way to greet her. “They were helpful when I needed it, and they are gregarious and friendly.” M*urder was essentially unheard of on the sleepy residential street, where there was little crime. Everyone was tense and hoping that the police could apprehend the suspect quickly.
Reporters were informed by deputies that they were still investigating the reason for the ruthless murd*er. According to Lt. Stauber, Elizabeth looked as though she had been singled out in the footage. “It appeared extremely intentional to me.” He mentioned that since no shell casings had been discovered at the scene of the crime, investigators had concluded that the m*urderer had used a revolver.
There was a lot of conjecture about the identity of the shooter on social media and in online forums, as is common in situations when no suspect is named right away. The ki*ller had long hair, and despite the grainy surveillance footage, some people believed it to be a female. There was no proof that Sergio or Elizabeth had been seeing other people, although some wondered if it might have been a jealous wife or mistress. Another theory put forth was that Elizabeth was actually a victim of mistaken identity and had not been the intended target.
It seemed that the m*urderer had either been keeping an eye on the house that morning or knew when Elizabeth’s husband left for work. At 6:48 a.m., Sergio was observed departing for work, and four minutes later, at 6:52 a.m., the assassin’s truck passed by.
Elizabeth’s friends and family came together to hold a candlelight vigil in her honor one week after she was k*illed. The vigil was held in the driveway where Elizabeth was k*illed, and over a hundred people showed up. Some of the guests held glowing lightsabers in place of candles, as Elizabeth had been a huge fan of Star Wars. Sergio said, “She deserved to live a long and happy life; she didn’t deserve this.” I’m so happy that saying goodbye to her and giving her a kiss was one of my last experiences.
Sergio revealed that he and Elizabeth had merged their love of Star Wars with their philanthropic endeavors, contributing significantly to volunteer work at a nearby hospital — the same facility to which Elizabeth was admitted following her shooting. “My spouse Liz was a remarkable individual. a lovely individual with a good heart. She had a really large heart.
Bob Nuelle, Elizabeth’s father, was baffled as to why a ki*ller had chosen Elizabeth as his target. “We lost a really inspirational young woman, as well as a daughter, sister, wife, and friend. The most crucial thing is to concentrate on getting Liz justice. Elizabeth, he pointed out, was well known for her generosity, which persisted even after her passing. Her family granted her wish to donate her organs; as a result, four people were granted new leases on life.
Updates on the mur*der investigation were given to the public at a press conference held by officials on February 6, 2019. They said they thought the murd*erer was driving a black, four-door 2013 Nissan Frontier pickup truck, even though they still had no leads. The truck was thought to have been hiding in the neighborhood that morning, possibly waiting for Sergio to leave for work, since it had been seen there the night before the m*urder. Hundreds of black trucks, including rental cars, that fit the description were inspected by detectives, but none of them could be connected to the k*illing.
According to the detectives, Elizabeth had only put up a few signs that morning and had not previously advertised the yard sale in any local newspapers. Two days after the yard sale, she and Sergio were going to take off for Orlando, Florida, as part of their anniversary trip, which she intended to partially finance with the money she made. “I had to trade our fifth wedding anniversary for her funeral,” Sergio remarked. Liz needs to receive justice.
The distraught father of Elizabeth was present at the press conference as well. “A coward shot an unarmed and defenseless woman and changed our lives forever,” he said to reporters. The murd*erer must bear consequences for their deeds. We think there is someone who can direct law enforcement. Kindly step forward. The family declared that Elizabeth’s k*iller would be apprehended and found guilty for a $20,000 reward from Crime Stoppers. Numerous friends from the Star Wars had made donations to the reward fund.
Detectives are still searching for the k*iller’s motive and are unsure if the gunman was a man or a woman, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. All the things Elizabeth had brought outside to sell were still undisturbed, including a cash box containing $100. The hope of the detectives was that someone would identify the subject of the video and come forward. “I promise to use every resource at our disposal to hold Elizabeth’s ki*ller accountable. Someone is aware of something, somewhere.
Wallace Wyatt, a Harris County Detective, gave reporters a description of the gunman. “This person is dressed in what I’m referring to as ‘go-go boots,’ possibly paired with a muumuu dress and a wig.” He was still unsure about the gender of the murd*erer. “Person steps up, shoots her three times, then shoots her once more.” He sort of trots or runs back to the truck and leaves.
The lead detective on the case, Detective Michael Ritchie, stated that while the sheriff’s office had gotten a few tips, no solid leads had emerged that would have identified the mu*rderer. “From what I could see during my investigation, and after observing Elizabeth and gathering a great deal of information about her using various sources, this woman did not have a mean bone in her body. She was respectful to everyone. She was a kind person, so this certainly wasn’t fair.
Elizabeth’s k*iller remained a mystery for several months. Friends and family gathered for a vigil in Elizabeth’s honor on the first anniversary of the murd*er. They wanted to make sure that no one had forgotten about Elizabeth and that the public was still aware that the case remained unsolved. Sergio said, “I’m sad for her. She was not worthy of this. They tore apart a portion of my existence. I wake up every morning believing that this is going to be my turn and that the person who did it is just waiting to come get me.
Sergio’s grief over losing his wife had not lessened with time. The worst day of my life was that one. The news was the worst you could have received. It’s time to start discussing our upcoming anniversary trip plans. We ought to remain together. Unable to move past the fact that Elizabeth had died in the driveway, he had sold the house he shared with her.
Though they acknowledged that they didn’t know much more than they did on the morning Elizabeth was k*illed, detectives had investigated every lead they had received over the previous 12 months. “I do believe there were multiple people involved in this, and I do believe there are some people out there that maybe have a suspicion that somebody they know might have been involved in this,” Detective Ritchie said to reporters. Noting that there remained a $20,000 reward for information, he expressed hope that someone would at last act honorably and come forward.
Elizabeth’s family was left without answers for an additional year. Police made available doorbell camera footage from Elizabeth’s residence, which showed the exact moment she was ki*lled, on the second anniversary of the mur*der. The murd*erer’s vehicle was captured on camera as it drove past the house before it was parked, even though you couldn’t see the shooting happen. Elizabeth was heard saying, “Good morning,” to someone about a minute later. A few seconds later, shots were fired.
According to Detective Wallace Wyatt, the audio from the doorbell cam showed how brutal the crime was. Liz screams in response.The suspect, whose words are unknown to us, then shoots the woman three times. She collapses to the floor. She is shot in the head once more by this dreadful, cold-blooded, deliberate, and heartless kil*ler as he walks over her.
The black pickup truck, which had been left running during the crime, was where the shooter fled to. Two minutes later, the truck was spotted driving by the doorbell camera again, but this time it was passing the house as if it were going to leave the subdivision. The gunman seemed intent on making sure Elizabeth was dead.
For the mur*derer, Detective Wyatt had a message. “I hope you have trouble falling asleep at night and that you understand that we won’t give up on finding Liz’s k*iller.This case has no time restriction. It was his hope that making the audio and video from the doorbell camera public would encourage someone to come forward. “We’re hoping this gets noticed by someone.Hopefully, they are troubled and knowledgeable, and they wish to return and share their knowledge with us.
Elizabeth’s father expressed his shock at the k*iller’s level of planning. “My daughter was purposefully ki*lled by something incredibly evil. This wasn’t a heist. This wasn’t an introduction to a gang. This was a person who actually k*illed my daughter because they wanted to. That is absurd. It’s simply not conceivable.
Rosemary Nuelle, Elizabeth’s mother, was devastated by her daughter’s passing and refrained from discussing it in public until March 2021. “Maybe I can reach out to somebody who knows something and they can see my pain and will actually come forward,” she said to journalists.We are unsure of the perpetrator and the motivation behind their actions. She pleaded with the public to assist in identifying Elizabeth’s murd*erer.
Although investigators persisted in making every effort to apprehend Elizabeth’s ki*ller, it soon became apparent that the investigation was beginning to stall. Elizabeth’s family increased the reward for information to $50,000 as the third anniversary of the crime drew near. Robert delivered a message to his daughter’s murd*erer during a press conference: the family would not give up on pursuing justice.
Sergio told reporters in January 2023 that he was aware that some people thought he was somehow connected to his wife’s mur*der, but he maintained that he was not. “I am aware that people instantly assume the husband did it…Though you had to know Liz and me, I do understand. You needed to view us. I adore her still today.Liz was terrific. We had an experience together that resembled a fairytale.
Sergio clarified that he met his current wife more than a year after the mu*rder, dispelling some of the rumors surrounding his brief second marriage to Elizabeth. She had recently lost her sister, and their mutual grief brought them closer. Sergio claimed that he had always cooperated with investigators and that he had passed polygraph tests with his current spouse.
Robert stated that there had been no indications of trouble in the relationship between Sergio and his daughter, who were reportedly very much in love. “Those two were amazing individuals, and their quality increased significantly when they were together.” Rosemary pondered whether her daughter had caused jealousy for anyone. Liz was a really nice person; perhaps someone was envious of her. Perhaps they were envious of Liz and Sergio’s relationship.
Detectives are still looking into Elizabeth’s mur*der as of May 2023, but they acknowledge that they have no leads. Detective Wyatt is hopeful that someone will eventually identify the subject of the surveillance footage and get in touch with the police. “Until we identify this person, everyone is still a suspect.”
In January 2019, Elizabeth Nuelle Barraza, then just 29 years old, was brutally shot to d*eath in her Tomball, Texas, home’s driveway. She was a kind and giving young lady who enjoyed going to Star Wars events with her spouse and cosplaying. She was only two days away from traveling to Disney World to commemorate her fifth wedding anniversary when she passed away. Even though her mur*der was captured on camera, detectives have never been able to identify any credible suspects. A reward of $50,000 is being offered for information that results in Elizabeth’s ki*ller’s capture and conviction. Please call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477 if you have any information regarding the mur*der. You can stay in anonymity.
