Attorney for accused serial killer Billy Chemirmir charged with soliciting prostitution
The defense attorney for Billy Chemirmir, who police believe killed at least 18 women who lived at senior living facilities in Dallas and Collin counties and is expected be on trial next week, was arrested and charged with solicitation of prostitution, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
Phillip Wayne Hayes, 48, of Dallas, was booked Friday and released later in the day on $2,000 bond, the Tyler newspaper reported. The Morning Telegraph added that in an obtained arrest warrant affidavit, Smith County undercover officers said they caught Hayes by using online ads then cross-checking his phone number after the attorney began exchanging text messages with an undercover officer in early October.
The affidavit says that Hayes offered to pay $110 for an hour of sex, the Tyler newspaper reported. The undercover officer gave Hayes a location to meet, and he was arrested when he arrived, according to the affidavit.
When reached Wednesday by the Dallas Morning News, Hayes said, “Things aren’t always as they seem. When it is all said and done, we can sit and talk about it, but I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize Mr. Chemirmir at this point.” Hayes said he doesn’t expect his arrest to impact the trial.
Although detectives’ investigation into Hayes began Oct. 5., the attorney wasn’t charged until a month later due to an ongoing murder trial that began Sept. 28 and didn’t end until Oct. 27. He was defending former Tyler nurse William George Davis, who after the trial was sentenced to death for killing four patients by injecting air into their arteries.
Jury selection for Chemirmir’s trial is expected to begin Wednesday, and testimony is set to start Monday. Chemirmir is accused of suffocating at least 18 women at senior living facilities and stealing their jewelry. The cases will be separated into two trials, with the first beginning with jury selection this week.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 9:50 AM.
