Serial killer admits to 38-year-old cold case murder of 19-year-old mother
William Lester Suff, 70, who is on death row in California, admitted he murdered Cathy Small, a 19-year-old mother of two in the L.A.-area in 1986, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said this week. (Credit: FOX 11)
Investigators in Texas believe that a convicted serial killer, who is serving life in prison, could potentially be connected to more cold cases in Austin.
Raul Meza Jr., was convicted of killing Jesse Fraga and Gloria Lofton in September 2024
Back in March 2023, Meza called the Austin Police Department and turned himself in, Fox 7 Austin first reported.
"This time was a little bit different than any other time I've ever answered the phone. The caller said, my name is Raul Meza and I think you’re looking for me," Austin Police Homicide Unit Detective Patrick Reed described to Fox 7.
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Investigators said a convicted serial killer may be connected to more cold cases in Austin. (Fox 7 Austin)
During the 14-minute call, Detective Reed said Meza revealed a lot of information before hanging up the phone.
"He was giving dates and locations, so we were trying to just corroborate the dates, locations, names that he would provide and try to narrow down the timeline," Detective Reed said.
While on the call, Meza also admitted to Reed that he killed the man he was living with in Pflugerville, Jesse Fraga. He continued and said he also killed a woman who lived on Sara Drive back in 2019.
Investigators then put together a case for the murder of Gloria Lofton and Jesse Fraga. A warrant for Meza's arrest was issued, law enforcement tracked him down at a bus stop in North Austin, where he was then taken in for questioning. Detective Reed described the conversation to Fox 7 as "unique."
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Raul Meza Jr. was convicted of killing Jesse Fraga and Gloria Lofton in September 2024 (Austin Police Department)
"Someone like Mr. Meza has been incarcerated, he's been through the system quite a bit, he's been interviewed by the police probably countless times, more than most, so he’s very attuned to the situation he was in, so he wasn't caught off guard or seemingly concerned in any way," Detective Reed said.
Meza was previously sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of 8-year-old Kendra Page in 1982, but was released on parole after only serving 11 years of the sentence.
Last month, Meza pleaded guilty to the murders of Lofton and Fraga and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Fox 7 reported.
Raul Meza, 63, allegedly killed at least two people, but law enforcement said he's connected to at least 10 homicides in Texas. (Austin Police Department)
"I think that sentence highlights the work that was done just as much as it may highlight what it means to the community for someone like him to be incarcerated for life without parole," Detective Reed said.
However, Detective Reed told Fox 7 that the work was far from over.
"We're still working to kind of corroborate some of the stuff that he said in the phone call," Detective Reed said.
Detective Reed told Fox 7 that so far, Meza has been eliminated from connection to eight cold cases in Austin.
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"We still have four cases that we're still waiting for DNA testing to come back on to determine if we have any linkage to him or not," Detective Reed said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Austin Police Department for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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