A serial killer previously convicted of another murder could face life in prison for killing two more people.
Raul Meza Jr., 63, is currently accused of the 2019 murder of Gloria Lofton and the 2023 murder of Jessie Fraga. Meza was convicted in 1982 after being convicted of the murder of 8-year-old Kendra Page.
Authorities ask for public help identifying Texas serial killer linked to two murders using DNA testing
He appeared in court on Tuesday, Aug. 27, to discuss a potential plea deal with Travis County Judge Julie Kocurek that would have resulted in a sentence of life in prison for one count of murder and 20 years for one count of murder.
The plea agreement makes Meza eligible for parole after 40 years at age 103.
“Mr. Meza wants this ordeal to end, not just for himself but for the entire community,” said Russell Hunt, Raul Meza Jr.’s attorney.
Raul Meza, 63, is known to have killed at least two people, but law enforcement officials say he is linked to at least 10 other killings in Texas. (Austin Police Department)
Judge Julie Kocurek rejected the defense’s argument and said she would not accept anything less than life in prison without the possibility of parole.
When his plea bargain was not accepted, Meza glared at the prosecutor until Judge Kocurek told him to stop.
“When I heard that story today, it was a huge relief to me. I wish this had happened when they did this to my sister, because then our whole family wouldn’t be here today,” Tracy, the surviving sister of murder victim Kendra Paige, told FOX 7 Austin.
Body found in Lake Austin, same area where other deaths have been reported in recent months
Meza was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Tracy Page, but was paroled after serving only 11 of those years.
“He has expressed remorse to us to the extent that he can,” Meza’s attorney, Russell Hunt, told FOX 7.
Raul Meza Jr., 63, appeared in court Tuesday morning and pleaded not guilty to the charge. (KTBC)
In response, Tracy Page told FOX 7 Austin that Meza “never regretted it.”
Gloria Lofton was 66 years old at the time of her murder, and Jesse Fraga was 80. Fraga was a probation officer who had previously provided Meza with a place to stay.
According to FOX 7, Raul Meza raped and murdered 8-year-old Kendra Paige in 1982 and dumped her body behind Langford Elementary School in south Austin. (FOX 7 Austin)
Meza is believed to be involved in more than a dozen unsolved murders in the Austin, Texas area.
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Meza’s attorneys do not plan to take Gloria Lofton or Jesse Fraga to trial for their murders, but will instead continue to argue for a plea bargain.
Meza is due back in court for a retrial before Judge Kokurek on September 30.
Austin is a tense city. The murder rate has been steadily increasing since 2019. At least five bodies were found in Austin’s Lady Bird Lake last year. And Austin police are asking for the public’s help in another case that appears to involve a serial killer.
