Suvechha Sarkar
Elizabeth Marie Barraza was looking forward to a happy chapter in her life. However, it was tragically cut short by a brutal shooting on a cold morning in January 2019 outside her home in Tomball, Texas. Despite the best efforts to follow every lead, surveillance footage, and national media attention, the horrifying case has remained a mystery after 6 years of the crime. Investigation Discovery’s ‘On the Case with Paula Zahn: A Fairy Tale Ruined’ unravels the haunting details of that fateful morning and the relentless pursuit of answers in a case that still demands justice. It also features interviews with her loved ones and the officials who have continued to work to find the killer.
Liz Barraza was Brutally Shot While Preparing For a Garage Sale
Born on June 26, 1989, in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, Elizabeth Marie Nuelle arrived as a ray of sunshine in the lives of her parents, Rosemary T. and Robert J. Nuelle Jr., AKA Bob. She was lovingly known as Liz and grew up surrounded by the love of her parents and her older brother, Robert J. Nuelle, III. She was a thoughtful person who loved to share her joy with others. Liz pursued higher education after graduating from Klein Collins High School in 2008. She enrolled at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, during her freshman year before transferring to Sam Houston State University to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology for the 2009 academic year. That was when she met the love of her life, Sergio Barraza. After graduating in 2012, Liz and Sergio tied the knot on February 1, 2014.
Liz moved forward professionally by joining the Rosen Group as a Data Reporter. Besides that, she loved reading books and watching movies. Liz was part of a Star Wars Club, 501st Legion—Star Garrison—South Texas Squadron, where she served as an Event Coordinator for the charity events the club participated in. Her zeal to give to the community led her to volunteer at the Peter Mayhew Foundation. Liz and Sergio were happily married and planned to take a trip to the theme park in Orlando, Florida, on January 27, 2019, to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. However, everything turned upside down on January 25, 2019. She had decided to set up a garage sale on that fateful day to raise extra funds for the trip and had put up the signs the night prior.
Since Sergio had an early morning work call, he left the house around 6:47 am while Liz set up for the garage sale outside her home in the 8600 block of Cedar Walk Drive in Tomball, Texas. Around 6:52 am, three neighbors heard gunshot sounds, prompting them to call 911 immediately. When the officials arrived, they found that Liz had been fatally shot four times. She was rushed to the Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas, through Life Flight. At the scene, detectives found one round of a small to medium-sized caliber, possibly 380 caliber, presumed to be from a revolver. However, no murder weapon was found at the scene. Unfortunately, Liz passed away from her gunshot wounds in the hospital on January 26, 2019.
Multiple Theories Led Investigators to Look at Liz’s Inner Circle
When Sergio rushed to the scene after receiving an alert from the home’s alarm system, detectives questioned him first. He promptly provided them with their doorbell camera recording, which recorded the sound of the shooting. However, it did not capture the killer. His coworkers further confirmed his early work schedule that day. They discovered that the three neighbors who had reportedly heard the shooting did not witness the crime. Investigators soon located a CCTV camera pointed towards Liz’s residence. It captured a black pickup truck around 6:52 am, passing her house slowly before turning to the next street and returning. The killer exited the vehicle before walking up to the driveway and shooting Liz at close range. Officials reportedly noted that the killer presumably wore a wig and a long coat to disguise their identity.
The unclear details in the footage made it hard for the detectives to determine if the killer was female or male. They also discovered that the truck passed Liz’s driveway a second time after the crime. The vehicle was identified as a dark colored Nissan Frontier 4X4 with a PRO-4X sticker. Further investigation revealed that the vehicle was scouting the neighborhood the previous night. Police then focused on Liz’s inner circle, who knew about the garage sale. However, none of them led to any possible leads. They focused on the possibility of a murder-for-hire. However, a thorough check of Sergio and Liz’s cell phones revealed no marital problems. Officials found that the latter had a life insurance policy. According to one of its provisions, in case of murder, Sergio was set to receive $500,000, which was double the amount of the claim.
Despite No Leads, Liz’s Family Continues the Fight for Justice Six Years Later
When officials followed up on Sergio’s bank and cell phone records, they found nothing suspicious. Furthermore, when he passed a polygraph test, he was again ruled out as a suspect. However, Sergio raised the possibility of his recent strained relationship with his father, Oscar Barraza, Sr. He informed the police that Oscar was cheating on his mother with multiple women and was financially unstable. He further added how his last paycheck had bounced, which made Liz very upset, and she had possibly confronted him about the same. However, when investigators questioned Oscar, he admitted that he was cheating and claimed that the cheque had bounced because he was awaiting a payment from a client. His bank and cell phone records contained nothing unusual linking him to the crime.
When Sergio’s father took a polygraph test, he passed it and was dismissed as a suspect. As the leads dried up, the case began to get cold. Initially, the Crime Stoppers offered a reward of $5,000 for any information regarding the crime. Sergio’s brother, Oscar Barraza Jr., raised more funds through GoFundMe and collaboration with the Peter Mayhew Foundation, bringing the reward up to $20,000. As of writing, the increased reward stands at $50,000, as announced on January 25, 2022. Although Liz’s murder has been a mystery for 6 years, her loved ones have not lost hope for justice. Expressing grief on his profound loss, her father, Bob Nuelle, said, “Grief comes in waves. Sometimes it’s little waves that come at your feet, and sometimes it’s a tsunami.”
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