Report: Billy Chemirmir, suspected serial killer, was beaten, stabbed by prison cellmate
Convicted Dallas murderer and accused serial killer Billy Chemirmir was beaten and stabbed to death by his cellmate on Sept. 19, according to a report by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Chemirmir, the 50-year-old man convicted of capital murder in 2022 in the deaths of two elderly women, was beaten and stabbed, possibly with a pen, then dragged into the hallway of the prison, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot told Star-Telegram media partner WFAA.
The name of the cellmate has not been released, but Creuzot said he was also a convicted murderer, possibly from Harris County.
Chemirmir was being held at Coffield state prison in Tennessee Colony, about halfway between Dallas and Houston.
Chemirmir was convicted in April 2022 of capital murder in the death of 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris and, in October 2022, was convicted of the same charge for killing 87-year-old Mary Brooks. While he was appealing the convictions, authorities in Dallas County suspect he was responsible for many more deaths.
In total, Chemirmir was facing charges of killing 22 North Texas women. He mainly targeted older women, many of them living in senior apartment communities, and stole their jewelry after killing them.
The report from the Texas Attorney General’s Office did not offer any details as to what led up to his death, only saying that he died of blunt force trauma and was also stabbed. Creuzot told WFAA Chemirmir was killed after arguing with his cellmate and he “said something inappropriate.”
The prison was on a lockdown, but the cellmate somehow managed to drag Chemirmir out of the cell, where he laid for 20 to 30 minutes before he was found, Creuzot said in the interview with WFAA. Other people saw what happened but did not call for help.
This story was originally published October 2, 2023 at 7:07 PM.