DALLAS (AP) — A man is accused of killing nearly two dozen elderly women and whoever they were He was convicted last year A man who killed two people was killed Tuesday morning by his cellmate at a Texas state prison, an official said.
Billy Shemirmir, 50, was found dead in his cell, said Hannah Haney, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. She said a cellmate of Şimirmir, who is serving time for murder, has been identified as the assailant, but said she could not reveal the identity of her cellmate or how Şimirmir was killed.
Family members of the victims who gathered at a press conference expressed their shock and relief at this news.
“My mother died of fear. This man did not have a peaceful passage. There is some comfort in feeling that he did not get away easily,” said Shannon Dionne, whose mother, 92-year-old Doris Gleason, was among those charged with murder.
Chemirmir authorities said Preys on older women in the Dallas area over a period of two years, killing them and stealing their valuables. Time and time again, their deaths were initially determined to be natural causes, even when family members raised the alarm about missing jewelry.
Şimirmir was arrested after A 91 year old woman She survived an attack in 2018, telling police that a man broke into her apartment in an independent senior living community, tried to suffocate her with a pillow and took her jewelry.
Police said they found Shemirmir the next day in the parking lot of his apartment complex, carrying jewelry and cash, having just disposed of a large red jewelry box. The documents in the jewelry box led them to a house Lou Thi Harris(81 years old) was found dead in her bedroom.
After Shemirmir’s arrest, police across the region re-examined the deaths, and the charges against him increased. Many of the victims’ children said they were puzzled by the deaths at the time because their mothers, despite their advanced age, were still healthy and active.
Shemirmir’s first capital murder trial for Harris’ murder It ended in a mistrial In Dallas County. He was He was later convicted At the retrial of Harris’ death he was then convicted of a second murder In death Mary Brooks, 87.
After his second conviction, family members of Çemirmir, accused of murder, gathered at a Dallas courthouse to confront him. At the Ellen French House Victim impact statementShe told Shemermeyer she wanted him to see two photos of her mother: one of Norma French alive, and one after the 85-year-old woman was murdered.
“This is my beautiful mother,” House said as she showed the first photo. “This is my mom after she took her wedding ring off her finger to the point where she couldn’t even take it off.”
Shemirmir was indicted on 22 counts of capital murder. Thirteen of the charges were in Dallas County while nine were in neighboring Collin County. After the two convictions in Dallas County, prosecutors dropped the remaining 11 charges there. Meanwhile, Collin County prosecutors said last month they would Do not seek the death penalty In their cases.
Shemirmir, who Maintain his innocenceHe was serving two life sentences without the possibility of parole. He was imprisoned in the Coffield Unit in the Tennessee Colony, located about 100 miles southeast of Dallas.
Earlier this month, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said it was implementing lockdown measures in response to a “rise in serious homicides related to contraband and drugs.” At the time of the announcement on September 6, the department said there had been 16 inmate-on-inmate homicides so far this year.
With the closure, prisons were limiting inmates’ movement and contact with strangers. In addition, inmates and staff are subject to extensive inspections. An enhanced drug testing protocol has also been implemented.
With the completion of comprehensive searches, units have resumed normal operations, said department spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez. As of Tuesday, the closure remained at 25 units and was lifted at 75, she said.
The Coffield Unit, where Chemirmir was located, is among the units that remain closed.
Haney said the Inspector General’s Office is investigating his death.
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This story has been corrected to show that Shemirmir is accused of killing 22 women, not 18.
