Billy Chemirmir Murder Trial: Prosecutors look to establish pattern of preying on elderly women
DALLAS - Testimony continues Tuesday in the trial of accused serial killer Billy Chemirmir for one of the 22 murders he's charged with.
This case is over the death of 87-year-old Mary Brooks, but Tuesday's testimony had little to do with the woman Chemirmir is accused of killing.
Instead, prosecutors spent the day talking about other attacking, trying to build its case against Chemirmir.
Previous coverage:
- Suspected serial killer Billy Chemirmir on trial again, accused of killing 22 elderly Texas women
- Alleged serial killer Billy Chemirmir to go on trial Monday for another murder charge
- Billy Chemirmir Retrial: Alleged serial killer found guilty in murder of Lu Harris
The jury heard from a witness who said he noticed a suspicious man standing in the parking lot at Preston Place on May 15, 2018, for several hours.
"What came to mind was ‘let me get the make, model, color and license plate,’" said witness Richard Plank.
Plank says he then reported the vehicle information to management at the complex.
Four days later, Mary Bartel, who lived at Preston Place, would be viciously attacked in her apartment. She lived to tell about it.
Management provided Plano police with Plank's information. The Nissan Altima he saw was tracked back to Billy Chemirmir.
At the time, Chemirmir had an outstanding warrant for a 2016 Public Intoxication arrest.
Plano detectives set out to find him.
"It was March 19," said Plano Police Detective George Johnson. "We got up really early on the 20th and devised a plan to arrest him."
Detectives arrested Chemirmir near his home.
He had been observed throwing items in a nearby dumpster.
Investigators found a jewelry box and other valuable items, including $2 bills, that belonged to a woman named Lu Harris.
Keys found on Chemirmir were able to unlock Harris's front door.
"Time was of the essence because we believed we had another victim," said Detective Johnson.
That gave detectives probable cause to search her Dallas home.
Once inside, they found Harris dead on the floor inside her bedroom.
Her lipstick was smudged. Officers noticed a pillow on the bed with lipstick on it.
Chemirmir was found guilty of Harris' murder back in April of this year.
These incidents occurred two months after 87-year-old Mary Brooks was found dead inside of her Richardson home in Jan. 2018. Groceries were still on the counter and Brooks' safe and jewelry were missing.
Prosecutors are trying to show a pattern of Chemirmir preying on elderly women, 22 in all.
The majority of Chemirmir’s alleged murders happened at senior living facilities, where prosecutors say he posed as a maintenance worker.
Relatives of several other victims sat in the courtroom Tuesday listening to the testimony.
Prosecutors are looking for a second life sentence for Chemirmir, making it less likely his sentence is thrown out on appeal.
The trial is expected to resume Wednesday morning.