A convicted murderer and suspected serial killer was killed in prison after Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot refused to seek the death penalty in his case.
Billy Chemirmir, 50, was found dead in his jail cell while serving multiple life sentences for several murders he was recently convicted of. He was being held at the Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony.
Two Dallas County juries had found Chemirmir guilty of murdering two elderly women, sentencing him to life in prison, as reported by The Dallas Express. He allegedly targeted elderly individuals living alone in apartment complexes, killing them and taking their valuables.
Outside of Dallas County, Chemirmir faced four more indictments for the murders of four other elderly women aged 79, 82, 90, and 93.
The Dallas County District Attorney’s office confirmed Chemirmir’s death, and prison staff said his cellmate was “identified as the assailant,” per WFAA.
Phillip Hayes, the convicted murderer’s attorney, denounced the killing, saying, “Despite how you feel about him, no one deserves to be murdered in prison.”
Creuzot had refused to seek the death penalty in Chemirmir’s case despite initially signaling his openness to the punishment, as reported by The Dallas Express. Instead, he sought multiple life sentences.
The district attorney defended his decision by saying the man suspected of murdering at least 22 elderly women was as “quiet as a mouse.”
“There’s nothing about him to suggest that he would inflict any kind of meaningful harm or violence on anybody in the penal society,” Creuzot added.
His refusal to seek the death penalty and his alleged soft-on-crime approach to public safety led to a vigorous challenge in the 2022 election by former Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson. Creuzot prevailed, winning reelection.
Information about Chemirmir’s death is still being released, and the Office of Inspector General has opened an investigation into the matter.
Commenting on the news, State Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco) remarked, “Liberal District Attorney [John Creuzot] wouldn’t seek the death penalty for [serial] killer Billy Chemirmir who murdered three dozen innocent senior citizens in the Dallas-Plano-Frisco area.”
“But alas, Justice has now been served,” he added.