A 49-year-old man accused of killing 22 elderly women in Texas over a two-year span was found guilty Friday in one of their deaths.
It was his second murder conviction, and with the verdict, Billy Chemirmir, automatically received a second sentence of life without parole, AP News reported. The latest conviction was for the smothering death of Mary Brooks, 87. Jurors took less than 30 minutes to reach the verdict against him. Chemirmir was already sentenced to life in prison without parole for an April conviction in the death of Lu Thi Harris, 81.
Authorities claimed that he preyed on elderly women, killed them and stole their valuables. Their deaths were initially determined to be from natural causes. But family members raised alarm bells about missing jewelry.
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said in his closing arguments, “This is a conscious, dedicated effort to stalk, surveil, kill, steal, strip and sell." Creuzot decided against seeking the death penalty, and after Friday’s verdict he said that the two sentences mean Chemirmir is “going to die in a penitentiary.” He shared that the 11 additional capital murder cases against Chemirmir, who has maintained his innocence, in Dallas County will be dismissed.
Prosecutors in neighboring Collin County haven’t said whether they will try any of their nine capital murder cases against the suspected serial killer.
The evidence showed that Chemirmir followed Brooks home from Walmart after which he smothered her and took her jewelry, prosecutors told jurors. His arrest was set in motion after one woman survived a March 2018 attack. Mary Annis Bartel, who was 91 at the time, told police that a man forced his way into her apartment at an independent living community for seniors. She said that he tried to smother her with a pillow and took her jewelry.
Following Chemirmir’s arrest, police across the Dallas area examined the deaths again and the charges against him just grew. Many of the victims’ children said that they were left perplexed by the deaths at the time. They were suspicious about the deaths as their mothers, though older, were still healthy and active. Most victims lived in apartments at independent living communities for elderly people.
The jury was told by defense attorneys that prosecutors hadn’t presented enough evidence to convict. Defense attorney Phillip Hayes said in his closing argument that they are "begging that you plug in the holes that they cannot." According to ABC News, following the verdict, he told journalists that he plans to appeal.
