American serial killer of Texas who raped and killed an 8-year-old girl, charged with killing two people after being released from prison

Raul Meza Jr., 62, served roughly a third of his 30-year sentence in the 1982 rape and killing of 8-year-old Kendra Page, whose body was found in an Austin elementary school dumpster.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A Texas man who was convicted of killing an 8-year-old girl in the 1980s and then run out of several towns following his early release from prison has been indicted on two new murder charges, including one that could carry the death penalty, prosecutors announced Friday.

Raul Meza Jr., 62, was arrested on murder charges earlier this year in the deaths of his roommate in May and a woman in 2019. Austin police said at the time they were also looking at as many as 10 cold cases going back to 1996 that could be connected to Meza, though they have not announced any findings.

The indictments handed up by a Travis County grand jury on Thursday include one count of capital murder in the death of Gloria Lofton, 65, who was found in her home. The grand jury also indicted Meza on one count of murder in the death of Jesse Fraga, 80.

Meza’s attorney, Russell Hunt Jr., did not immediately return a phone message Friday. Since May, Meza has remained in jail on a $1 million bond.

According to court records, Meza called the Austin Police Department on May 24 and confessed to one of the killings when a detective answered the phone.

“My name is Raul Meza,” the caller said, according to an affidavit. “I think you are looking for me.”

Decades earlier, Meza caused an uproar in Texas towns where he tried settling down after serving about a third of a 30-year sentence in the rape and killing of 8-year-old Kendra Page. Her body was found behind an elementary school. He was released on parole in 1993, with credit for time served and good behavior.

After picketers drove him out of six cities, Meza directly pleaded to the public.

“In my heart, I know that I will not willfully bring harm to anyone,” he said during an August 1993 news conference, in which he described himself as a born-again Christian and not a threat to society.

Officers in the Austin suburb of Pflugerville found Fraga’s body May 20 while doing a wellness check after loved ones hadn’t heard from him for several days.

The indictments handed up by a Travis County grand jury on Thursday include one count of capital murder in the death of Gloria Lofton, 65, who was found in her home. The grand jury also indicted Meza on one count of murder in the death of Jesse Fraga, 80.

Meza’s attorney, Russell Hunt Jr., did not immediately return a phone message Friday. Since May, Meza has remained in jail on a $1 million bond.

According to court records, Meza called the Austin Police Department on May 24 and confessed to one of the killings when a detective answered the phone.

“My name is Raul Meza,” the caller said, according to an affidavit. “I think you are looking for me.”

Decades earlier, Meza caused an uproar in Texas towns where he tried settling down after serving about a third of a 30-year sentence in the rape and killing of 8-year-old Kendra Page. Her body was found behind an elementary school. He was released on parole in 1993, with credit for time served and good behavior.

After picketers drove him out of six cities, Meza directly pleaded to the public.

“In my heart, I know that I will not willfully bring harm to anyone,” he said during an August 1993 news conference, in which he described himself as a born-again Christian and not a threat to society.

Officers in the Austin suburb of Pflugerville found Fraga’s body May 20 while doing a wellness check after loved ones hadn’t heard from him for several days.

Austin police said Meza called them May 23 and confessed to killing Fraga, his roommate. Police said he included details that had not been made public, although they did not disclose those details.

Police said Meza also implicated himself in the 2019 death of Lofton. He did not name her, but said the street name where she was killed.

Lofton, 66, was strangled to death.

Eight to 10 cold cases going back to 1996 are being investigated as possibly connected to Meza, and the number could rise, Austin Police Department detective Katie Conner said in a news conference Tuesday. She said there appeared to be no immediate connections between the victims and that the cases “fit the circumstances” that they were looking at, but did not elaborate further on what those were.

When Meza was arrested, police said, he was carrying a backpack containing zip ties, a flashlight, duct tape and a .22 caliber pistol with extra rounds.

“Meza said he was ready and prepared to kill again and looking forward to it,” Austin Police Department detective Patrick Reed said.

After being released on parole in the girl’s killing, residents of Texas cities large and small protested when he moved there. He was forced to move from El Paso, San Antonio, Wichita Falls, Mineral Wells, and Sweetwater. After moving to rural Uvalde County, west of San Antonio, to live with his grandparents, he was jailed again after his family said he had verbally abused them.

“Somebody made a bad decision 41 years ago and let this guy for whatever reason manipulate the system and justice was not served,” said Bruce Mills, Austin’s assistant city manager who was a police investigator on the 8-year-old girl’s case.