DALLAS — A Texas man accused in the deaths of 18 older women was found guilty Thursday in one of the cases.
A Dallas County jury took 40 minutes to find Billy Chemirmir, 49, guilty of capital murder, The Dallas Morning News reported. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, the newspaper reported.
The jury convicted Chemirmir in the March 2018 smothering of 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris, according to WFAA-TV.
#Breaking: Suspected Dallas serial killer guilty of capital murder, will spent rest of his life in prison https://t.co/ualVfkn6ch
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) April 28, 2022
Harris was found dead in her Dallas home, KDFW-TV reported. Prosecutors alleged that Chemirmir followed her home from a nearby Walmart and smothered her with a pillow.
Chemirmir was arrested several hours later by officers from the Plano Police Department, who were investigating him for another attack, according to the television station. Investigators said they found Chemirmir with the keys to Harris’ home; her jewelry box was discarded in a nearby dumpster, KDFW reported.
Chemirmir’s retrial began Monday after a jury was deadlocked in November 2021, the television station reported.
Prosecutors said Chemirmir lived in independent living facilities where he robbed his victims of their jewelry and then suffocated them, WFAA reported.
Families hugging as verdict read. Judge sentenced Billy Chemirmir to life in prison without parole. DA did not seek death penalty. @wfaa
— Rebecca Lopez (@rlopezwfaa) April 28, 2022
Chemirmir, who showed no reaction to the verdict, will spend the rest of his life in prison and could face additional trials, according to the Morning News.
Chemirmir did not testify in his trial, according to the newspaper. He is a Kenyan immigrant with permanent resident status in the U.S. Chemirmir had been charged with capital murder in the deaths of 13 women in Dallas County and five in nearby Collin County.
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