Grand jury indicts on murder, capital murder connected to woman’s 2019 death

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A grand jury has indicted Raul Meza, Jr., 62, in the 2019 death of his neighbor Gloria Lofton according to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.

Online court records show he’s being held on $1,000,000 bond. KXAN is working on getting official copies of the indictment. He was arrested by the Austin Police Department in May capital murder.

In May, he was also charged with murder in the death of his roommate Jesse Fraga, 80.

A grand jury also indicted Meza in that case on charges of murder and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

On May 24, Meza called the APD 311 line and was transferred to the homicide line, police said. Meza told an officer that he killed Fraga, and implicated himself in the murder of Lofton in 2019, said Nathan Sexton, a sergeant with the Austin Police Department Homicide Unit. Police said it is uncommon for a person accused of such crimes to contact the police.

Meza’s arrest affidavit stated that in 2020, a DNA profile obtained from a sexual assault kit for Lofton’s matched Meza’s DNA, but police did not arrest Meza at that time. In June of this year, APD told KXAN it launched an internal investigation into the matter.

When police arrested Meza in the Lofton and Fraga cases, they said Meza may be connected to eight to 10 more murders.

Meza’s criminal history dates back decades.

In 1982, Meza was convicted of murdering 8-year-old Kendra Page. Her body was found in a dumpster at a southeast Austin elementary school.

According to archived reporting from the Statesman, Meza began using drugs at 8 years old and was arrested in 1973 on shoplifting and burglary charges.

In 1975, he was arrested for aggravated robbery.

Meza’s next court proceeding is August 22. KXAN has reached out to Meza’s attorney and will update this article when we receive a response.

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