A murder suspect phoned Texas police and confessed to a couple of slayings, telling them, “You’re looking for me,” triggering a manhunt that resulted in his arrest this week, government stated.
Marshals and police captured Raul Meza Jr., 62, in Austin on Monday, 5 days after his chilling name to murder detectives, officers stated.
Meza have been known as an individual of pastime within the deadly stabbing of Jesse Fraga, an 80-year-old guy whose frame used to be discovered on May 20 in close by Pflugerville.
Meza known as police on May 24 and advised them he used to be mindful he used to be being sought, Austin police Detective Patrick Reed advised journalists on Tuesday.
“The caller stated, ‘My name is Raul Meza, and you’re looking for me,'” Reed stated.
Meza confessed to killing Fraga, revealing main points of the murder no longer disclosed to the general public, prior to admitting to any other murder, Reed stated.
“’I were given out (of jail) in 2016, I finally end up murdering a woman quickly afterwards. It used to be on Sara Drive,'” Meza advised police, in line with Reed.
Jail information didn’t point out whether or not Meza had employed a attorney or had a public defender assigned to him.
The 2019 strangulation of Gloria Lofton, 66, on Sara Drive in Austin have been unsolved, however DNA from the crime scene matched Meza’s, police stated.
Meza have been identified to stick in motels on the subject of Interstate 35 in and round Austin, and a fugitive activity power arrested him at one in all them on Monday night.
“Raul Meza was considered armed and dangerous,” Deputy U.S. Marshal Brandon Filla stated. “He was suicidal and had violence tendencies.”
Authorities discovered zip ties, duct tape, a flashlight, a .22-caliber pistol and rounds on Meza when he used to be arrested, Filla stated.
Reed stated that Meza on Monday evening admitted to making plans extra murders.
Meza “was ready and prepared to kill again, and he was looking forward to it,” Reed stated.
Police stated they’re looking into conceivable hyperlinks between Meza and a number of unsolved murders going again to the Nineteen Nineties.
“There is a good possibility that we will find additional cases,” Austin police Detective Katy Conner stated.
“Right now, we have between between eight and 10 cases that kind of fit these similar circumstances that we’re looking at, but that can obviously grow,” she stated.
Meza served 11 years in the back of bars for the Jan. 3, 1982 murder and sexual attack of an 8-year-old woman, police stated.
Bruce Mills, now the period in-between assistant town supervisor of Austin, used to be a town police sergeant main the investigation in that 1982 case.
He advised journalists Tuesday that police had been creating a robust case in opposition to Meza prior to prosecutors made a plea cut price with him for a 30-year sentence, which became out to be 11 years of exact time in the back of bars.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Mills stated of the murder investigation. “We were shocked, disappointed with no real explanation as to why this case didn’t go to trial. We never got solid answers to that.”
“Here’s a serial killer that justice was not served,” Mills added. “It was a travesty of justice.”
A consultant for Travis County District Attorney José Garza may no longer be right away reached for remark Thursday.
The county’s best prosecutor in 1982 used to be Ronnie Earle, who died in 2020. A consultant for his circle of relatives may no longer be reached for remark.
The development that now properties the Travis County DA operations used to be named in honor of Earle in 2018.