An American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawsuit is seeking the release of inmates in the Dallas County, Texas Jail considered “vulnerable” to contracting the Chinese coronavirus — a suit that could result in the release of a high-profile accused serial killer from Kenya.
Billy Chemirmir, 47 years old, is facing the death penalty for two elderly women he allegedly murdered, 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris in March 2018 and 91-year-old Phyllis Payne in 2016.
In criminal court, prosecutors say Chemirmir is responsible for at least 14 murders of elderly Americans in the Dallas area. In civil lawsuits, Chemirmir has been accused of an additional eight murders of elderly Americans. Prosecutors say Chemirmir would smother his victims to death and steal property from them.
Chermirmir’s alleged victims include:
- 83-year-old Leah Corken
- 82-year-old Juanita Purdy
- 88-year-old Mary Brooks
- 84-year-old Minnie Campbell
- 82-year-old Ann Conklin
- 75-year-old Rosemary Curtis
- 85-year-old Norma French
- 92-year-old Doris Gleason
- 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris
- 81-year-old Carolyn MacPhee
- 81-year-old Miriam Nelson
- 91-year-old Phyllis Payne
- 94-year-old Phoebe Perry
- 80-year-old Martha Williams
- 82-year-old Joyce Abramowitz
- 87-year-old Glenna Day
- 89-year-old Solomon Spring
- 90-year-old Doris Wasserman
- 86-year-old Margaret White
- 79-year-old Diana Delahunty
- 93-year-old Mamie Dell Miya
- “Jane Doe”
Breitbart News exclusively reported that Chemirmir first arrived in the U.S. on a B-2 tourist visa in July 2003. Though Chemirmir was supposed to only temporarily be in the U.S., he overstayed his visa and became an illegal alien who was eligible for deportation.
Rather than being deported, Chemirmir was able to use the nation’s legal immigration system, allowing him to obtain a green card after marrying an American citizen. In November 2007, Chemirmir was approved for a green card and obtained Legal Permanent Resident status.
Chemirmir had a criminal record, Breitbart News exclusively learned, including convictions for drunk driving, trespassing, assault, and obstructing a police officer. Chemirmir is currently being held on an $11.6 million bail in the Dallas County Jail and his trial date is set for April 2021.
The ACLU, partially funded by billionaire George Soros, has filed a class-action lawsuit against Dallas County officials demanding the release of all inmates in the Dallas County Jail who are “over 50 and those who are most vulnerable to contracting the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.”
The lawsuit is requesting that as many Dallas County Jail inmates are released as possible until the facility is in full compliance with six-feet social distancing guidelines.
“The legal team is asking the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas to immediately remove medically-vulnerable people from harm’s way, and to ensure that the jail is required to adopt sufficient public health protocols, such as regular testing, physical distancing, free access to soap and masks, and sufficient sanitation supplies for anyone inside the jail,” ACLU officials wrote in a statement about the lawsuit.
The lawsuit asks that inmates, regardless of their class of suspected criminality, be released so long as they are not considered “a serious risk of flight or danger to others that no other conditions can mitigate.” In other states with similar standards, accused murderers have been offered release from jail.
The lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. The case number is 3:20-cv-00832-E.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
Correction: This story and headline were updated to reflect that Chemirmir entered the U.S. on a B-2 tourist visa in July 2003. His immigration status became illegal when his visa expired. However, in 2007, the federal government issued him a green card after he married a U.S. citizen.
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