Texas police said on Tuesday that a convicted child killer has been linked to two more slayings — but he may have killed as many as 10 people.
Raul Meza Jr., 62, received a 30-year sentence for killing 8-year-old Kendra Page in Austin in 1982. However, The Austin-American Statesman reported that he was charged with recently killing Jesse Fraga, 80, in Pflugerville and for the 2019 slaying of Gloria Lofton, 66, in Austin.
On May 20, officers performing a welfare check found Fraga deceased with a belt around his neck. Detective Paul Reed alleged that on May 24, Meza called a detective and said, “I got out (of prison) in 2016 and ended up murdering a lady soon after, and it was on Sara Drive.”
In Fraga’s case, the medical examiner found a puncture wound on his neck, and his cervical spine was severed. Meza stole Fraga’s car but he eventually abandoned it, according to The Austin American-Statesman.
Meza served 11 years of the 30-year sentence for killing Page — who Interim City Manager Bruce Mills said was found assaulted behind Langford Elementary School. The news outlet reported that Meza was released in 1993, but he was imprisoned the following year for violating parole. He was released in 2002.
Fraga was a retired probation officer who had reportedly known Meza since the 90s and offered help after he was released from prison. Fraga’s niece said that Meza lived with Fraga and his wife and son, who both died of COVID. Meza and Fraga continued to live together until May 12, according to WXAN.
Fraga was last seen alive on May 12 as a neighbor’s doorbell camera filmed him mowing the lawn.
Lofton’s death in 2019 was considered suspicious at the time. Lofton was found dead in her bedroom, and investigators at the time suspected she had been strangled, according to WXAN. The Austin American-Statesman reported that Meza confessed to killing Lofton and DNA evidence linked him to the crime scene.
WXAN reported that Austin police are now investigating Meza’s possible involvement in eight to 10 more unsolved murders. Following his arrest, Meza allegedly told police that he was ready to kill again. He allegedly was arrested with a backpack containing duct tape, zip ties, and a .22-caliber gun.
Meza is charged with capital murder. Police said they do not think he was involved in the deaths of two people who were found in Lady Bird Lake this year as they do not believe foul play was involved.
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[Featured image: Raul Meza Jr./Handout]
