Billy Chemirmir, a 49-year-old American serial murderer, was found guilty on Friday of killing 22 elderly ladies in the Dallas, Texas, area over the course of two years. He was given two life sentences.
Chemirmir automatically earned a second life without parole term after being found guilty of killing Mary Brooks, an 87-year-old lady, due to his prior conviction.
The evidence, according to the prosecution’s testimony to the jury, demonstrated that Chemirmir followed Brooks home from Walmart, choked her, and stole her jewellery.
Police in the Dallas region reexamined killings after Chemirmir’s arrest, and the number of charges against him increased.
“Many of the victims’ children have said they were left perplexed by the deaths at the time, as their mothers, though older, were still healthy and active.”
The jurors took less than 30 minutes to reach the verdict against Chemirmir, who was already sentenced to life in prison without parole for an April conviction in the death of 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris.
Prosecutors had alleged that the suspect preyed on older women, killing them and stealing their valuables with the deaths often determined to be from natural causes, even as family members raised alarm bells about missing jewelry.
“This is a conscious, dedicated effort to stalk, surveil, kill, steal, strip and sell,” Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said while closing his arguments.
Creuzot said the 11 additional capital murder cases against Chemirmir in Dallas County will now be dismissed while he also has nine other capital murder cases in another court in Collin County.
