Raul Meza Jr: Suspected serial killer arrested for multiple murders possibly connected to a 2018 unsolved murder case

AUSTIN, TEXAS: A suspected serial killer dialed the authorities last May and said, "I think you are looking for me," before his arrest for multiple murders. Raul Meza Jr is now sitting behind bars in a Texas prison for allegedly strangling Gloria Lofton, 65, in 2019, and the capital murder of a former probation officer, Jesse Fraga, 80, in 2023.

Although Meza has not been tied in any of the cases, the authorities are currently continuing their investigation to unravel Meza's alleged killing spree that could include as many as 10 other homicides, Austin police said. "Here's a serial killer that justice was not served," former Austin Police Sgt Bruce Mills said, according to Fox 7 Austin.

Police issued a search warrant for Raul Meza Jr's Google account 

Law enforcement issued a search warrant for Meza's Google account from November 1, 2016 to May 29, 2023 on Tuesday, January 2. Investigators believe there is information that will tie him to a 2018 Austin cold case as well as information that links him to at least two homicides in San Antonio. 

Raul Meza Jr's long history of crimes

Meza has a lengthy criminal past that goes back to 1982 when he sexually assaulted and strangled an 8-year-old girl outside an Austin elementary school. He served 11 years of a 30-year sentence before his release. He violated parole in 1994, went back to prison and was released in 2002. Meza was on parole until 2016. 

"Meza committed additional sexual assaults after his supervised release ended in 2016 and believe data associated with the Google LLC account herein will assist investigators in corroborating Meza as a suspect in the murder of Gloria Lofton, Jesse Fraga and the shooting he admitted to in San Antonio as well as additional cold case homicides," the search warrant said, according to a report by the Austin American-Statesman.

One of the victim's parents speaks out 

There is speculation that one of Meza's victims is college student Nicole Coleman whose naked body was found in a wooded area of Austin in 2018 with signs of trauma. Her unsolved homicide has been haunting the city for years. 

"That's definitely a huge concern for us," Nicole's mother, Dawn Coleman, told KVUE in December when asked about the possibility her killer is still lurking in the area. "Another family having to lose someone – because I don't understand how someone could be that aggressively angry and just be a one-time thing," she added.

Coleman's family said she was a 4.0 GPA student with a bright future as a writer and poet, according to KVUE's report.