Dallas Attorney Charged with Solicitation of Prostitution

The defense attorney representing a suspected serial killer from Dallas was arrested and charged with solicitation of prostitution on Friday, according to a report by the Tyler Morning Telegraph.    

48-year-old Phillip Hayes, whose law practice, Phillip Hayes Attorney at Law, is based in Dallas, was charged with solicitation of prostitution in Smith County on Friday and was released the same day in lieu of $2000 bail.

According to the Tyler Morning Telegraph, Hayes sought out sex for payment in the middle of an ongoing trial.    

Police said in an arrest warrant affidavit that Smith County undercover officers posted ads on a website commonly used for prostitution, amongst other things.     

According to the affidavit, Hayes began exchanging texts with the undercover officer (who he thought was a sex worker) and later asked for an hour of time to meet for sex for $110. Upon Hayes’ request, the undercover officer gave him a location to meet around 6 p.m.    

According to the police report, the department sent out an arrest team to the meeting place, and the team saw Hayes arrive at the location in his vehicle. He was then arrested and transported for an interview, according to the affidavit.    

Hayes is one of the attorneys representing Billy Chemirmir, who is accused of smothering about two dozen elderly women in and around Dallas County.

According to the Tyler Morning Telegraph, Hayes also served as a defense attorney for a former Tyler nurse who was sentenced to death for killing four patients by injecting air into their arterial systems while he was a nurse at a Tyler hospital.     

It is unclear whether Hayes’ arrest will impact Chemirmir’s trial; however, it was reported that his involvement in the trial prompted officers to decide to get a warrant at a later date.