Convicted murderer Billy Chemirmir killed in prison by his cellmate, officials say

Billy Chemirmir, a convicted murderer accused of killing about two dozen elderly women and one man across North Texas, was killed by his cellmate in a state prison Tuesday morning, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed to The Dallas Morning News.

Chemirmir, 50, was indicted on 22 capital murder charges: 13 in Dallas County and nine in Collin County.

He was convicted by Dallas County juries last year in the 2018 slayings of two women and was given two life sentences without the possibility of parole as Dallas County prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. The Collin County district attorney’s office said last month it also was not seeking capital punishment.

“There were those, some family members, who thought that was the appropriate way to try the case and some did not, but my answer was the same either way: He’s going to die in prison — sooner or later,” Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot told The News on Tuesday.

Hannah Haney, a spokeswoman for the TDCJ, said Chemirmir was found dead in his cell at the Coffield unit near Tennessee Colony, about 85 miles southeast of Dallas.

Haney said his cellmate, who is serving a sentence for murder out of Harris County, was the assailant. The cellmate’s name was not released.

Creuzot said he was told Chemirmir’s cellmate started beating him after Chemirmir made “inappropriate” comments, sexual in nature, about the cellmate’s children.

The cellmate then dragged Chemirmir out of their cell where a few other inmates were watching, but didn’t call for help. About 15 to 20 minutes passed before a staff member was alerted. They tried to revive Chemirmir, but according to Creuzot he was pronounced dead about 6 a.m.

Chemirmir’s attorney Phillip Hayes said the news of his client’s death was shocking, adding that he had spoken to Chemirmir’s family, who were “obviously very upset.”

“Regardless of what people think you did or didn’t do, no one deserves to be killed in prison,” he said.

The Office of Inspector General is investigating.

Justice, redefined

Relatives of four people Chemirmir was accused of killing held a news conference in Farmers Branch on Tuesday afternoon — less than five hours after learning of his death in early-morning phone calls from Creuzot and the TDCJ.

Shannon Dion, the daughter of Doris Gleason, who was killed at the The Tradition-Prestonwood in October 2016, said the news will take time to process.

“It’s shocking, but there is a relief that this part of my nightmare — our nightmare — is over,” Dion said.

While the relatives said they don’t condone murder, they do consider Chemirmir’s killing its own kind of justice.

“My mother died in fear,” Dion said. “This man did not have a peaceful passing.”

“We’ve heard everything from ‘karma’ … to ‘I’m sorry, how are you?’ ” said Loren Smith, daughter of Phyllis Payne. “There’s such a wide range of emotions about it.”

When asked if there was resentment regarding the answers Chemirmir took with him when he died, Robert MacPhee, whose mother, Carolyn MacPhee, was killed in December 2017, said the families never expected him to take responsibility.

“He always said he was innocent, so it doesn’t make any difference,” MacPhee said. “He got his justice at the end, so it all worked out.”

Looking forward, the relatives agreed they want to put their energy into their nonprofit, Secure Our Seniors Safety, which aims to improve transparency at senior living communities.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned in this whole journey is that we treat our seniors worse than any other class of citizen in this country … from petty theft to murder,” said Dan Probst, who lost his aunt, Catherine Probst Sinclair.

“We owe it to our seniors to take care of them,” Smith said. “We cannot stand the thought of this happening to anybody else in the future.”

Killing spree began in 2016

Authorities believe Chemirmir, a former senior-living caregiver, began his killing spree in April 2016. Prosecutors have said he targeted elderly women, stole their jewelry and sold it to make a living.

According to court records, he was accused of killing at least three women at Dallas’ high-end Edgemere community and at least nine people at The Tradition-Prestonwood in Far North Dallas. Many of the victims’ deaths initially appeared to be from natural causes, prosecutors said.

Chemirmir was arrested March 20, 2018, the day after an elderly woman, Mary Bartel, survived an attack at Plano’s Preston Place Retirement Community and reported that jewelry was missing.

At the time of his arrest, Chemirmir tossed a jewelry box belonging to 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris in a dumpster. Harris was found dead in her home earlier that day with lipstick smeared on a nearby pillow.

Harris’ case was the first to go to trial. It initially ended in a mistrial in 2021 when the jury couldn’t reach a verdict, but Chemirmir was later convicted in both her slaying and the death of 88-year-old Mary Brooks.

Authorities have said Chemirmir pulled into a Walmart parking lot and picked a spot with a view of the handicap spots. He then followed Brooks to her Richardson apartment, where he killed her.

Chemirmir maintained his innocence throughout his trials. In March 2022, he told The News he was “100% sure” he would not go to prison.

“I am not a killer,” Chemirmir told The News. “I’m not at all what they’re saying I am. I am a very innocent person. I was not brought [up] that way. I was brought [up] in a good family. I didn’t have any problems all my life.”

Statewide lockdown

Earlier this month, Texas implemented a statewide lockdown of its 98 correctional facilities to combat an increase in “dangerous contraband” and killings behind bars.

In a statement, the department said it would limit the movement of inmates, in addition to their contact with people outside the facilities. The department said inmates and staff would also undergo “intensified” searches to intercept contraband, including the deployment of specialized search teams and narcotic dogs.

As of noon Tuesday, nearly 70 facilities had resumed normal operations. The Coffield unit was still on lockdown.

Staff writer Josephine Peterson contributed to this report.