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Suspected Texas Serial Killer Of Elderly Women Convicted Of Second Murder
Billy Chemirmir was convicted of the smothering death of 87-year-old Mary Brooks, and received his second life sentence. It's his second conviction, and he faces 20 more murder charges.
A suspected serial killer of elderly women in Texas has been convicted of a second murder — and has 20 charges still pending against him in two counties.
Billy Chemirmir, 49, was convicted by a Dallas County jury on Friday of the 2018 murder of Mary Brooks, 87, Dallas CBS affiliate KTVT reported. The jury took only 30 minutes to deliberate before rendering their verdict of guilty on the capital murder charges, Fox affiliate KDFW reported, which netted Chemirmir his second life sentence without the possibility of parole.
He currently faces another 11 murder charges in Dallas County and nine in nearby Collin County, local ABC affiliate WFAA reported; neither jurisdiction has set trial dates in those cases.
Brooks' son found her body on the floor of her condo on Jan. 31, 2018, KTVT reported, with bags on her counter from a trip to Walmart the previous day. Authorities initially insisted that she had died of natural causes, which her family didn't believe because of her still-active lifestyle and the fact that her jewelry — including her diamond rings and a coral necklace she often wore — were missing.
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Prosecutors presented evidence at trial that a car matching the description of Chemirmir's had followed Brooks out of the Walmart parking lot on the day she died, and that he had sold women's jewelry at the Diamond Gold and Exchange in Dallas — where he often sold women's jewelry — on that same day, KTVT and KDFW reported.
Prosecutors also presented the jury with evidence from several of Chemirmir's other alleged and proven crimes, including: a witness statement from a woman who survived his attack, Mary Annis Bartel, 91, (who has since passed); his April conviction for the murder of Lu Thi Harris, 81, who was smothered in her own bed; and DNA and other evidence from the murder of Martha Williams, 80, in 2018, who was also smothered to death, according to KTVT.
All the women had items stolen from their homes, much of which turned up in the possession of Chemirmir.
The twice-convicted killer has maintained his innocence in all the murders. His defense called no witness in either the mistrial and trial for the murder of Harris or the Brooks trial.
Though Dallas County prosecutors have said they will not pursue the death penalty in the cases Chemirmir faces in their jurisdiction, Collin County has made no such assertions, KTVT reported.
"We have accomplished what we set out to do," Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said of the conviction, WFAA reported. "There is no question that Billy Chemirmir will spend the rest of his life behind bars. We thank the family of Mary Brooks and the family of Mr. Chemirmir's other alleged victims for putting their faith in this office to ensure justice was done."
