A convicted killer who was arrested in May after allegedly confessing to two murders in Texas has reportedly been linked to more slayings.
On Tuesday, Austin police filed a search warrant for Raul Meza Jr.’s Google account — which they believe implicates him in an unsolved 2018 killing. Police said the 2018 slaying fits Meza’s “modus operandi,” and his Google account may connect him to another murder that happened around the same time, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Police did not provide details regarding the two additional murders.
In May, officers performing a welfare check found Meza’s roommate, Jesse Fraga, 80, deceased in Pflugerville with a belt around his neck. The medical examiner found a puncture wound on Fraga’s neck, and his cervical spine was severed. Meza allegedly stole Fraga’s car but he eventually abandoned it.
Fraga was a retired probation officer who had known Meza since the 90s and offered help after being 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 Fraga’s death.
Days after Fraga’s body was discovered, Meza allegedly 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.” Investigators believe he was referring to Gloria Lofton, 65, who was found dead and sexually assaulted in her Austin home in 2019.
Lofton’s death was suspicious at the time. She was found dead in her bedroom, and investigators suspected she was strangled. DNA evidence reportedly linked Meza to the crime scene.
KXAN reported that Meza also confessed in May to fatally shooting two people in San Antonio in late 2018 or early 2019. Months later, the FBI and Austin and Pflugerville police searched a field in Pflugerville and uncovered evidence of a possible burial site — including a rope and tarp.
Meza served 11 years of the 30-year sentence for killing 8-year-old Kendra Page in Austin in 1982 — who was found assaulted in a dumpster behind Langford Elementary School. Meza was originally released in 1993, but he was imprisoned again the next 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. Meza allegedly lived with Fraga and his wife and son, who both died of COVID, and continued to live with him until two weeks before Fraga’s body was discovered.
When Meza was arrested in May, he allegedly had a bag that contained a gun, nylon rope, zip ties, a condom, and a flashlight. Police said the items would allow Meza to commit another sexual assault and murder, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
KXAN reported that Meza was 15 when he participated in an armed robbery which left a store manager shot in the back. The victim survived and testified against Meza at his trial. Meza served five years of a 20-year sentence.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode:
[Featured image: Raul Meza Jr./Handout]
