HOUSTON — Elizabeth Barraza was shot to death while she was setting up for a garage sale in front of her Tomball home on Jan. 25, 2019. Now, five years later, loved ones are still holding onto hope that her killer will someday be found.
Barraza was 29 when she was shot and killed in her driveway. Investigators said the killer appeared to be wearing a disguise when they walked up the driveway and shot Liz just after her husband, Sergio Barraza, left for work. The deadly shooting was captured on a neighbor's surveillance video.
The shooter walked up to Liz and fired three shots. The killer fired one more shot after Liz hit the ground.
“If I had known it was the last night, I would have done so much more," Barraza said during an interview in January 2023. "I would have held her longer. I would have said so much."
The shooter's getaway vehicle is also seen in the video. It was a black Nissan Frontier truck. The truck can be seen circling the neighborhood before and after the shooting.
Despite the video evidence, no arrests have been made.
"It has really made me live in fear just because they haven’t found anyone," Barraza said.
Five years later
Five years after her death, several agencies and Barraza's family came together for a news conference to renew their push for justice and hopefully, find her killer.
Barraza's parents and then-husband were joined by Crime Stoppers of Houston, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Homicide Sgt. Michael Ritchie and the Texas Rangers.
Authorities said throughout the investigation, they've received Crime Stoppers tips from around the world, but they still aren't any closer to finding Barraza's killer.
"Somewhere out there knows who killed Elizabeth that morning. Please come forward and assist. You've already heard of the $50,000 reward. That's significant," Gonzalez said.
Ritchie assured the public that for the past five years, this case has been actively worked on.
"It's not really ever been considered a cold case," he said.
With how much technology has advanced, Ritchie said they're reaching out to other agencies that could maybe provide more resources to solve this case.
He said Barraza’s family has been nothing but cooperative during the investigation.
"Definitely the most frustrating case that I’ve had as a homicide investigator," Ritchie said.
Bob Nuelle said his daughter was a person dedicated to helping others. They want her killer off the streets so that no family ever has to go through what they went through.
"I don't want them to ever have a chance to hurt anyone else because my beautiful daughter could have done so many wonderful things if she was here and she isn't," he said.
Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers said they've lived and breathed this case for five years.
"We want justice for Liz. That's what this is about and she deserves it. So, we're asking you to give it to her," he said.
Ritchie said the most recent tips they've received haven't been significant enough to make a break in the case, but every tip is important.
"You never know. So again, we will take every tip we can and look at it to the furthest degree that we can, to help try to solve this case and again, bring justice for Liz," he said.
Elizabeth Barraza's husband
Barraza said he only watched the video one time to see if he could recognize the killer. He said he knows a lot of people think he killed his wife. Barraza has since remarried but said he still loves Liz.
"I know I’m, like, the prime suspect in people’s eyes. I know people immediately say it was the husband who did it. I understand that but you had to know Liz and I," he said. "You had to see us. I still love her to this day."
Investigators scrubbed the couple's digital footprint and found no reason anyone would want to hurt them. The couple was days away from celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary in Orlando. They were big fans of Star Wars and Harry Potter.
"Liz was amazing," Barraza said. "It was like a fairytale that we had together."
He said he has been cooperating with police and hopes they're able to solve her case.
"I don’t know how they are going to do it, I just hope they do do it," Barraza said.
Barraza still holds onto the Harry Potter suitcase she packed for their anniversary trip.
"I kept it because it's a time capsule of her," he said.
Barraza said he and Amber, the woman he married after Liz's death, connected through similar life experiences.
“I found Amber ... it was about a year and a half after Liz passed away. Amber had lost her sister and we just connected," Barraza said. "I didn’t want to give up on life and give up (on) Liz, too. I know she wouldn’t want me to just stop."
Barraza said he believes only a few people knew about the garage sale.
“The only people that I know knew about the garage sale was some of her co-workers, myself, her parents and I think my mom," he said.
He said they put up a couple of signs.
“We placed signs the night before. We placed two signs -- one at the entrance to our neighborhood and one just down the road at Hufsmith Kuykendahl," Barraza said.
Elizabeth Barraza investigation
Barraza said he and Amber have spoken with investigators numerous times. They also took lie-detector tests.
“I’ve always been an open book for police and I know Amber has as well. We both have gone through polygraphs,” he said.
He said they passed the tests. They also still care for "Diesel," the dog Barraza and Liz shared.
He said Liz's death still is hard to comprehend.
“It doesn’t make sense. It’s like I’m living in a totally alternate reality from what I was supposed to," he said. "I drive by the house every so often, looking at the life I could have had."
Reporting information
Last January, Crime Stoppers increased the reward to $50,000 for information that leads them to the shooter.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).