The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and Austin Police call Raul Meza a ‘serial killer’ after law enforcement arrested him in a murder of an 80-year-old Pflugerville man in May 2023 and an Austin woman whom he killed in 2019.
Raul Meza, a 62-year-old murderer, has a history of taking lives, including his arrest for the Kendra Page murder in 1982.
Investigating officers have stated that he may be responsible for multiple murders.
Meza’s criminal history dates back to when he was 15 years old, as he was arrested for wounding a store worker in a convenience store holdup.
On the evening of New Year’s Eve in 1975, a group of individuals, including 15-year-old Raul Meza Jr., committed a robbery at a convenience store in Austin.
The perpetrators took the store manager to a walk-in refrigerator during the incident and shot him in the back before leaving him behind.
Fortunately, the manager survived the gunshot wound and later testified during Meza’s trial.
After his involvement in the robbery, authorities sentenced Meza to a 20-year term. However, he was released on parole after serving only five years of his sentence.
Tragically, less than a decade later, while still on parole for the aggravated robbery, authorities arrested him again in connection with the Kendra Page murder.
Kendra Page was murdered on January 3, 1982
Her lifeless body was discovered in a dumpster at an elementary school in southeast Austin on January 3, 1982.
The tragic death of 8-year-old Kendra Page sent shockwaves through the community of Austin, causing parents to become more cautious and vigilant.
They stopped allowing their children to walk to school, and concerned residents gathered in large numbers at local meetings, seeking ways to enhance the safety of their kids.
Meza was found guilty of Kendra Page murder and subsequently received a prison sentence of 30 years.
However, he served only 11 years before being granted parole in 1993.
It’s important to note that while Meza was convicted of murder, he was not convicted of r*pe as part of his plea agreement.
Although the Page family labeled him as a s*x offender, a court deemed this label technically unconstitutional.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals clarified that Meza could not be designated as a s*x offender or required to register as one due to the absence of a s*x crime conviction.
Horrifying impact of Kendra Page’s tragic murder extended beyond her immediate family, leaving an unforgettable scar on the Austin community.
Tracy Page, Kendra’s sister, revealed that Raul Meza Jr. abducted Kendra shortly after the Christmas holiday.
During this horrific incident, he r*ped and strangled her and, in the end, took her life.
However, in a controversial turn of events, Meza was granted early release from prison nearly 11 years later in 1993 due to his good behavior behind bars.
Upon his parole, Meza was initially relocated to a halfway house near El Paso.
However, due to intense protests from the local community, officials decided to move him elsewhere.
This pattern of protests and subsequent transfers occurred in almost a dozen cities, indicating a widespread reluctance to have Meza as a neighbor.
The public’s concerns were straightforward.
In response to the rising objection, Meza held a news conference to declare that he had undergone a significant personal transformation during his time in prison.
Meza told reporters, “There’s nothing I can do to change my past, I can only tell you that in my heart, I know that I will not willfully bring harm to anyone again.”