Texas police investigate suspected Austin serial killer 

Texas police are investigating claims about a man that admitted to killing two people and is thought to have been involved in at least ten other murders, Austin Police Department officers said in a news conference on Thursday. 

Raul Meza Jr., 62, called Austin police officers on May 24 to confess that he has killed his roommate Jesse Fraga, 80, and Gloria Lofton, 66, in Austin in 2019, police officers said. 

“The caller stated, ‘My name is Raul Meza, and you are looking for me,’” said Detective Patrick Reed, who answered Meza’s call.

“Meza then went on to detail his relationship with Jesse Fraga and detailed the manner in which he murdered Mr. Fraga, including details that had not yet been released to the public.

“The phone call provided me with enough probable cause to file a capital murder arrest warrant for the murder of Gloria Lofton,” Reed continued.

The call prompted a five-day manhunt to find him. The U.S. Marshals Service Lone Star Fugitive Task Force found Meza on May 29 with a bag full of duct take, zip ties, a gun, and additional ammunition, ready to commit another crime, according to police. 

“Mr. Meza said he was ready and prepared to kill again and he was looking forward to it,” Reed added.

Meza was finally arrested and jailed on Tuesday. He is being charged with four charges, including capital murder. Meza is being held on a $1 million bond, according to court records. 

Meza had been arrested in 1975 for aggravated robbery and in 1982, after being charged with the murder of an 8-year-old girl. He was released after serving 11 years of a 30-year sentence. Police are investigating Meza’s involvement in at least ten additional murders. 

“Right now, we have between eight and 10 cases that kind of fit the similar circumstances that we’re looking at, but that could obviously grow,” Austin Police Detective Katy Conner said at the news conference.