A Texas man accused of killing 18 elderly women in the Dallas area over a two-year span and linked to 6 others saw the first case against him ruled a mistrial Friday when jurors failed to agree on a verdict according to the New York Daily News.
Billy Chemirmir, a Kenyan immigrant, was accused of killing 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris during a trial in which his lawyers presented no evidence and called no witnesses to the stand. Jurors who began deliberations Thursday told Judge Raquel Jones Friday they were “hopelessly deadlocked” at 11-1. Jones urged them to continue discussions before accepting there would be no resolution.
It is not known which verdict the majority of jurors supported.
Authorities arrested the 48-year-old suspect in March 2018 after he allegedly forced his way into the apartment of 91-year-old Plano, Texas, woman Mary Annis Bartell. That led police to Chemirmir’s nearby apartment, where they allegedly found documents belonging to Harris. When they went to Harris’ Dallas home, they found her dead in her bedroom along with a pillow covered in smeared lipstick.
Bartell, who died in 2020, had recorded a deposition claiming the suspect had tried smothering her with a pillow. That tape was played for jurors.
Jurors also saw surveillance video showing Harris and Chemirmir shopping at the same Walmart hours before her body was found. Prosecutors say the suspect followed another of his victim’s home from that same store before she was killed in a different incident.
Investigators announced, following Chemirmir’s apprehension, that they’d begun reviewing hundreds of open cases involving elderly victims. He was later linked to 17 other deaths while 6 others have been linked by civil suits. The families of some of those senior victims filed police reports following their loved ones’ death once they notice jewelry was missing.
Most of the women he’s accused of killing lived in assisted living communities. He sometimes posed as a handyman, police claimed. He is also accused of killing one woman who was married to a man for whom Chemirmir worked as a caretaker.
Chemirmir, will face life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors opted not to pursue a death sentence.
The magnitude of the accusations against Chemirmir combined with the lack of media coverage is surreal considering Ted Bundy was accused of 28 murders over a 7 year time span.
