A mistrial was declared in the murder trial of 48-year-old noncitizen Billy Chemirmir, accused of murdering 24 elderly Americans across Collin County and Dallas County, Texas, as the jury remained “hopelessly deadlocked” 11-to-1.
As Breitbart News has reported for years, Chemirmir, a Kenyan national who later secured a green card, is accused of murdering 24 elderly Americans in Texas from April 2016 to 2018.
Dallas County, Texas, prosecutors started the first of two trials against Chemirmir, where they sought a life sentence, detailing evidence that included testimony from 91-year-old Mary Bartel who alleges Chemirmir attempted to murder and rob her as he allegedly did with all of his victims.
Prosecutors told the 12-person jury that Chemirmir would break into a victims’ residence, smother them with a pillow until they were dead, steal their belongings and then sell their belongings online.
Chemirmir’s 24 alleged victims are:
- 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
- 86-year-old Catherine Probst Sinclair
- 90-year-old Marilyn Bixler
- An 81-year-old “Jane Doe”
Late last week, as the jury went into deliberations, messages came back to the court that one juror had effectively stalled the process. The juror did not ask to again see the evidence presented at trial nor did they suggest that they would change their mind in their conclusion.
The jury sent a note to the court stating they were “hopelessly deadlocked.” The judge presiding over the case declared a mistrial as a result of the 11-to-1 hung jury.
“She didn’t even go back to [look at the evidence]. She had her mind made up before she walked in,” a family member of one of the victims told local media.
The Angel Families said they are “sickened” by the outcome of the trial and called on Collins County prosecutors to now move forward with a murder trial against Chemirmir.
“We are sickened that we have to come back and hear the same evidence again, the same correct and just evidence … that Billy Chemirmir has killed so many people. We’re sick that we have to come back and hear this again,” the daughter of Phyllis Payne said.
Cheryl Pangburn, the daughter of Marilyn Bixler, said the Angel Families’ two objectives are securing a life sentence without parole for Chemirmir and reforming the way the state’s senior center facilities operate to ensure such a case never occurs again.
At the start of the trial, the Angel Families were not allowed in the courtroom due to regulations stemming from the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. That decision, they said, was “unfair and unfavorable” and must change at the next trial.
“I think it was very unfair and unfavorable to us that we were not in the courthouse today,” one of the family members said.
“Having a chance to look at Billy Chemirmir … and having the jury to look at the victims’ children here that are … what they felt like and they’re feeling,” he continued. “It was the wrong thing to do. If we had that, we’d have had a much better chance and would have won this hands down.”
Soon after Chemirmir’s arrest in May 2019, 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.
Chemirmir was able to obtain a green card after marrying an American citizen in November 2007.
Chemirmir had a criminal record, Breitbart News exclusively learned, including convictions for drunk driving, trespassing, assault, and obstructing a police officer.
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.
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