Texas Prison Inmate Accused of Serial Murders Dies in Cellmate Attack (Watch)
A man accused of being a serial killer connected to the deaths of 24 women, with convictions for two murders, met his demise on the morning of September 19th in a Texas prison. Billy Chemirmir, aged 50, was serving two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole when he was discovered deceased in his cell, according to Hannah Haney, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
The assailant responsible for Chemirmir’s death was his cellmate, who is incarcerated for murder. However, the identity of the cellmate and the method used to kill Chemirmir have not been disclosed by Haney.
Chemirmir, formerly a healthcare worker, was alleged to have committed the murders of 13 elderly women in Dallas County and nine in Collin County. His modus operandi involved suffocating the victims in their residences or senior centers and then pilfering their jewelry for sale.
Initially, many of these deaths were attributed to natural causes. It wasn’t until one victim, Mary Bartel, aged 91, reported that Chemirmir had attempted to smother her with a pillow at a retirement center and stolen her jewelry after she lost consciousness that the police reopened their investigation into him.
Law enforcement soon located Chemirmir outside his apartment, where he was discarding a large red case containing jewelry and money. Papers inside the jewelry box led investigators to the home of Lu Thi Harris, aged 81, who had been found deceased the previous day with lipstick on her pillow.
Chemirmir was convicted for the killings of Harris and Mary Brooks, aged 87, although he steadfastly maintained his innocence, stating, “I am not a killer. I’m not at all what they’re saying I am. I am a very innocent person.” He further claimed that he came from a good family and had not encountered any problems throughout his life.
Family members of Chemirmir’s victims, who had gathered at a news conference, expressed a mix of shock and relief upon hearing of his death. Shannon Dion, whose 92-year-old mother, Doris Gleason, was one of Chemirmir’s alleged victims, remarked, “My mother died in fear. This man did not have a peaceful passing. There’s some relief in feeling that he didn’t get off easily.”