AUSTIN, Texas — Family members of victims of accused serial killer Raul Meza Jr. are now demanding his case go to trial.
Recently, they sent Travis County District Attorney José Garza a letter saying all of the victim’s families have come to a unified decision. This comes as Meza’s attorneys have been working to get a plea deal for him.
“He’s not terribly interested in having a trial where a bunch of stuff comes out, that nobody really wants to hear, and so Mr. Meza is ready to get it over with,” said Russell Hunt, Meza’s attorney after a hearing in August.
Meza Jr.’s proposed plea deal
In August, Meza’s attorneys presented Judge Julie Kocurek with a plea deal of life for one murder, then 20 years for another. That would mean Meza wouldn’t have been eligible for parole until he was more than 100 years old.
But Judge Kocurek said she wouldn’t be accepting anything less than life without the possibility of parole.
That’s something victims' families have been fighting for, but now they don’t even want Meza to get any type of plea deal. They're asking for a trial so all of the information can be out in the public, and they can seek the death penalty.
Below is an excerpt from their letter to Garza.
“Our family has come to a unified decision…WE do NOT want to accept ANY settlement offer. We demand to take this to a jury trial and fight for the death penalty.”
The letter is signed by Derly Ramirez, who was shot by Meza and survived; the Fraga family, family of homicide victim Jesse Fraga in 2023; the Page family, family of 8-year-old victim Kendra Page who was raped and killed in the 1980s; and the Lofton family, family of homicide victim Gloria Lofton in 2019.
Is the death penalty even probable?
Criminal defense attorney and legal expert Charlie Baird said in Central Texas, families of victims are heavily involved in the legal process and are allowed to give their opinions to prosecutors. But it's ultimately up to the prosecutor to decide how much weight they want to give families' suggestions.
In the Meza case, Baird said because of the crime and how many family members have been impacted, their voices may have more of a sway than they normally would.
“I think that the prosecutor will want to give them a pretty wide berth and a strong say in how the case is resolved,” Baird said.
But with Garza’s fixed stance on the death penalty, that may make it difficult.
“He has expressed publicly before that he would not seek the death penalty in cases, and I think that his policy in that regard would remain true even in a case like Mr. Meza’s,” Baird said. “I don’t see the state actually seeking the death penalty for Mr. Meza.”
Baird also says a high-profile trial like this one would take away from already strained judicial resources in the county, and rack up a large cost to bring in several expert witnesses.
“That means other cases will not get to be tried because the case would take preference over those,” Baird said.
Picking a jury could also be a hinderance to the legal process and end up costing more because of the media attention around the case.
“It is very widespread, it has been a dominant source of news for quite a number of months now, and you know, if you can’t pick a fair jury here in Travis County, then you’d have to change venue, and then that would be additional expenses to move the case to some neighboring county,” Baird said.
What’s next?
Family members and the district attorney’s office said they could not comment on the letter right now, as it is still an active case.
Currently there is a court date set for Meza on Sept. 30, where Kocurek said they will either accept a plea deal at that time or start with the pre-trial hearings.