By Jessica Schladebeck
New York Daily News
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas man previously convicted of murder called police to confess to killing his roommate and another woman, prompting authorities to investigate whether he could be linked to other cold cases.
“My name is Raul Meza and you’re looking for me,” Meza allegedly said on the call to authorities, which Austin Police shared during a press conference.
Homicide detective Patrick Reed recalled speaking with Meza, who outlined in detail how he murdered his roommate, 80-year-old Jesse Fraga, before implicating himself in the 2019 murder of Austin woman Gloria Lofton. He is now facing charges in connection with both slayings.
Authorities found Fraga stabbed to death with a belt around his neck inside the Pflugerville home he shared with Meza, ABC News reported. They were performing a wellness check requested by Fraga’s family ― who had not been able to reach him for more than a week ― when they discovered his body on May 20.
Meza also shared “case-specific facts” that related to the killing of Lofton, who was strangled, Reed said. “The phone call provided me with enough probable cause to file a capital murder arrest warrant for the murder of Gloria Lofton,” he added.
DNA recovered from Lofton’s killing was allegedly also linked to Meza, police said.
Meza was previously convicted of murdering an 8-year-old girl back in 1982. He was released from prison in 2016 and “murder[ed] a lady soon afterwards,” Meza told Reed.
Authorities are now probing eight to 10 cold cases “that have a similar M.O. [modus operandi], and we’re looking into those for future leads.”
—
©2023 New York Daily News.
Visit nydailynews.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.