Billy Chemirmir

Serial Killer

Billy Chemirmir: The North Texas Serial Murder Case

Overview

Billy Kipkorir Chemirmir was a Kenyan-born convicted murderer and suspected serial killer whose crimes centered on elderly residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. Between 2016 and 2018, prosecutors and investigators linked him to a remarkable series of deaths in senior-living communities and private homes. Chemirmir was eventually indicted for 22 murders and convicted of two: the murders of Lu Thi Harris and Mary Brooks. Authorities alleged that his primary motive was robbery and that he deliberately selected older victims whose deaths might initially appear natural. The investigation revealed an especially disturbing pattern. Many of the victims were elderly women living alone, either in apartments inside retirement communities or in private residences. Prosecutors alleged that Chemirmir frequently entered senior communities while pretending to be a maintenance worker, caregiver, or other person who had a legitimate reason to be there. In other cases, investigators believed he watched elderly women while they were shopping and followed them home. Once alone with a victim, Chemirmir was accused of using pillows or his hands to suffocate or smother them before stealing jewelry, watches, cash, and other valuables. Because suffocation can leave relatively little obvious external trauma, and because the victims were elderly, a number of deaths were initially attributed to natural causes. Only after Chemirmir was identified following a survivor's attack did investigators begin looking backward at suspicious deaths throughout North Texas.

The Early Pattern at Senior-Living Communities

Some of the earliest deaths later associated with Chemirmir occurred at Edgemere, a senior-living community in Dallas. Phyllis Payne and Phoebe Perry died there only weeks apart in 2016. Investigators later alleged that Chemirmir killed both women and stole property from their apartments. Another Edgemere resident, Dr. Catherine Probst Sinclair, had died under suspicious circumstances shortly before them and was subsequently considered a possible additional victim. Chemirmir also appeared at Edgemere when he had no legitimate reason to be inside the facility. He was confronted and eventually arrested for criminal trespassing. After his release, investigators believe his activity shifted to The Tradition-Prestonwood, another retirement community in Dallas. During the summer and fall of 2016, a succession of residents died there and valuables disappeared from their apartments. Family members sometimes noticed details that did not fit a peaceful natural death. Wedding rings, necklaces, jewelry boxes, watches, and other personal possessions were suddenly missing. Nevertheless, because there were often no immediately obvious signs of violence, many of the deaths were not originally treated as homicides. Years later, those observations by relatives became important pieces of a much larger investigation. ...

Confirmed Victims: (17)

Phyllis Payne Age: (91), Date of Death: May 14, 2016

Suspected Victims:

Solomon Spring Age: (89), Date of Death: October 1, 2016

Dr. Catherine Probst Sinclair Age: (87), Date of Death: April 8, 2016

Unnamed 81-year-old woman Age: (81), Date of Death: December 10, 2017

Billy Chemirmir - Wikipedia