A man suspected of killing more than 20 elderly women over a span of two years was killed in prison.
Billy Chemirmir, 50, was found dead in his jail cell at a Texas state prison on the morning of Sept. 19. He was serving a life sentence without parole for two counts of capital murder.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice identified Chemirmir’s cellmate as his assailant but did not release his name or the cause of Chemirmir’s death.
In 2018, an investigation began into Chemirmir after 91-year-old Mary Bartel said she survived one of his alleged attacks. She told police that he forced his way into her apartment at a senior living center and then tried to smother her with a pillow. He ran off with her jewelry after she passed out.
Police found Chemirmir the next day at his apartment complex, holding jewelry and money. He had thrown away a red jewelry box that contained documents leading them to the home of 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris, who was found dead in her bedroom with lipstick smeared on her pillow. He was suspected of killing 13 elderly women inside their homes in Dallas County, and nine in nearby Collin County.
In April 2022, Chemirmir was convicted of capital murder in the death of Harris and was soon after found guilty of killing 87-year-old Mary Brooks.
