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On Tuesday, May 30, 2023, 62-year-old convicted killer Raul Meza Jr was charged with two additional murders. According to the Statesman, authorities suspect that Meza is a serial killer responsible for approximately 10 other homicides. Meza has previously spent 11 years in prison for the 1982 murder of eight-year-old Kendra Page.
Trigger warning: This article concerns a serial killer, the reader's discretion is advised
Authorities have described Raul Meza Jr as a serial killer and career criminal. He has multiple charges against him, including robbery, assault, and abuse. Authorities reported that on Tuesday, Meza Jr finally turned himself in for more murders. At the time he was arrested, he was reportedly in possession of a bag of zip ties and duct tape.
Raul Meza Jr recently murdered his roommate
Raul Meza Jr first emerged on the police radar on December 31, 1975, when he was implicated in a violent robbery. 15-year-old Meza was accused of robbing a convenience store with three other teens.
He reportedly shot the store attendant, Derly Ramirez, during the course of the crime. Ramirez survived and Meza was convicted of aggravated robbery in 1976. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but released on parole in 1981.
On January 3, 1982, Raul Meza Jr strangled and assaulted eight-year-old Kendra Page near the Langford Elementary school. He reportedly dumped the body in the trash can of the school.
Three days later, Meza turned himself in for the murder and took a plea bargain deal. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but was released after 11 years due to 'good behavior'. In August 1994, approximately a year after his early release, he returned to prison for violating his parole.
In 2016, Raul Meza Jr was officially released. On Tuesday, May 30, 2023, he confessed to the mid-2019 murder of 66-year-old Gloria Lofton. Lofton, who was known as a private woman, was found dead in her apartment, but no one was charged until Meza confessed to the crime.
Meza's DNA matched the traces of DNA at the scene.
Raul Meza Jr also confessed to the murder of Jesse Fraga, an 80-year-old man who was found dead in his apartment on May 20, 2023. Fraga, a retired Travis County Probation officer, had reportedly known Mesa since the 1990s. The two men were also roommates for two years, until May 12.
Detective Patrick Reed summed up Raul Meza's confession.
Reed said:
“I answered the homicide main line, and the caller stated, ‘My name is Raul Meza, and you are looking for me. Meza then went on to detail his relationship with Jesse Fraga and detailed the manner in which he murdered Mr. Fraga (...) Meza described his life in and out of prison and said, I quote, ‘I get out in 2016. I end up murdering a lady soon afterwards. It was on Sara Drive.”
Texas authorities have not disclosed why they believe Mesa is a serial killer. The identities of his 10 other potential victims also remain unknown.
