A foreign national accused of murdering 24 senior citizens will escape the death penalty in the trial against him, Dallas County, Texas prosecutors revealed this week.

Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot announced that his office will not seek the death penalty against Billy Chemirmir, a foreign national from Kenya who is accused of murdering 24 elderly Americans in Texas from April 2016 to 2018.

Instead, Cruezot said prosecutors will seek life in prison while only pursuing two of the 18 capital murder charges against Chemirmir should they win the cases. The other charges would be dismissed.

The Dallas Morning News reports:

In a statement, Creuzot’s office said he spoke with victims’ families last month and explained that he hoped to secure convictions against Chemirmir in two jury trials, each with an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole, and ask a judge to order that those sentences be served consecutively. [Emphasis added]

“In effect, there will be no chance for Mr. Chemirmir to die anywhere except in a Texas prison,” the DA’s office said. [Emphasis added]

…

“[The death penalty] something that’s being turned away from,” Creuzot told the families. “Society is less accepting of it.” [Emphasis added]

Chermirmir’s 24 alleged victims include:

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 in the Dallas County Jail.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here. 

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.