Police in Austin, Texas, reported that a man contacted them and admitted to killing two people, prompting state authorities to investigate his possible responsibility for another 10 homicides.
Identified as Raúl Meza Jr., 62, he called the police on May 24 and confessed that he killed his 80-year-old roommate, Jesse Fraga, and was also related to the death of Gloria Lofton, 66. , in 2019, unveiled the Austin Police Department at a press conference.
The Hispanic was booked Tuesday after a five-day manhunt on four counts, including capital murder, and is being held on $1 million bail, according to court records.
When he was taken into custody, officers said Meza had a bag of duct tape, zip ties and a gun with bullets.
“Mr. Meza said he was ready and prepared to kill again and was looking forward to it,” said Detective Patrick Reed, who responded to the confessed criminal’s initial call and spoke to him again once he was arrested.
“The caller said, ‘My name is Raúl Meza and they’re looking for me,’” Reed said at the press conference. “Meza then went on to detail his relationship with Jesse Fraga and detailed how he murdered Mr. Fraga, including details that had not yet been made public.”
Fraga was fatally stabbed and found May 20 at a home on Camp Fire Trail in the Settlers Ridge neighborhood, and deputies said Meza fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle.
Austin police said they are now looking into the possibility that the man is connected to more homicides, CNN reported.
“Right now, we have about eight to 10 cases that fit the similar circumstances that we’re seeing, but that obviously could grow,” Austin police Detective Katy Conner said.
Meza was charged in 1982 with the murder and rape of 8-year-old Kendra Page south of Austin, leaving her body in a dumpster, and was serving 11 years of a 30-year sentence, following a plea deal, investigators said. .
Acting Austin City Deputy Administrator Bruce Mills, who investigated the 1982 case, said he thought the subject should have served more of his sentence for the girl’s death.
“He commits capital murder, pleads guilty to murder, gets released 11 years later, and how many people has he killed? We don’t know,” Mills said. “Justice was not served. So, there was a total travesty of justice in this case.”
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