Texas retirement home worker indicted of killing 14 seniors might actually be involved in 1,000 cases
DALLAS, TEXAS: A suspected serial killer, facing murder charges for smothering more than a dozen women, mostly seniors, has been indicted in two more murders.
47-year-old Billy Chemirmir who worked at retirement homes in Northern Texas has been charged with the deaths of 83-year-old Leah Corken and 82-year-old Juanita Purdy, two women who lived at The Tradition-Prestonwood in Dallas. The two women died suddenly in 2016.
The women were allegedly suffocated with a pillow before they were robbed, matching Chemirmir's earlier alleged MO. However, the actual nature of death remains unknown at this time and most of the deaths were ruled as natural initially. Only Solomon Spring, 89, another alleged victim, was found in a pool of blood in his own home.
According to investigators, he allegedly pretended to be a worker and went into his victims' home. According to a 2019 NBC report, Purdy's daughter claimed that $28,000 worth of jewelry had gone missing after her mother's death. However, in the case of Corken, her wedding ring was still on, which her daughter called strange.
Chemirmir is suspected to be involved in approximately 1000 cases.
He was initially charged with the murder of Lu Thi Harris, 81, in 2018. At the time, he had allegedly stolen her jewelry box. The cops had already been on his trail after he allegedly attacked another woman and tried to smother her to death before robbing her and running away. He was found to have allegedly put something in the trash of his apartment before he was arrested — it was a box with jewelry inside. The cops also found evidence linking him to the Dallas women. Harris was found dead during a welfare check.
By May 2019, he was charged with 11 other murders by smothering and three counts of attempted murder. His latest charge sheet extends up to 14 capital murder charges in total, involving elderly people. Apart from Purdy and Corken, he is also indicted in the murders of 88-year-old Mary Brooks, 84-year-old Minnie Campbell, 82-year-old Ann Conklin, 75-year-old Rosemary Curtis, 85-year-old Norma French, 92-year-old Doris Gleason, 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris, 81-year-old Carolyn MacPhee, 81-year-old Miriam Nelson, 91-year-old Phyllis Payne, 94-year-old Phoebe Perry and 80-year-old Martha Williams.
He is also a suspect in the deaths of 82-year-old Joyce Abramowitz, 87-year-old Glenna Day, 89-year-old Solomon Spring, 90-year-old Doris Wasserman and 86-year-old Margaret White. He has not been indicted in these cases.
Chemirmir's attorney has told NBC 5 his client maintains he's innocent of the charges.
Depending on the proceedings, he could potentially get a death penalty or life in prison without the chance of parole. He is in Dallas County Jail on $11.6M bond.