Families Seek Recognition for Alleged Billy Chemirmir Murder Victims Whose Cases Were Dismissed

Friends and relatives of victims believed to be murdered by convicted killer Billy Chemirmir gathered in the rain Friday to pay tribute to the Dallas County victims whose cases were dismissed.

Members of the group said they hope justice is not over for the man who authorities say preyed on senior citizens.

“This is not rain. These are the tears of our aged ones,” relative Dan Probst said.

Under umbrellas outside the Tradition Prestonwood senior living facility, they said prayers and read the names of the Dallas County victims whose cases will not go to trial.

“We are bonded together because it was a very unique experience of, ‘oh, your mom died,' or, 'your mom died and she was robbed,'” relative Shannon Gleason Dion said. “The thought was, 'how can we connect our loved one's names to the terrible crime that happened?'"

Dion’s 92-year-old mother Doris Gleason was murdered at Tradition Prestonwood exactly six years ago Friday. She said she kissed her mother goodbye that afternoon.

“She lived in the apartment up there with the flowers on the balcony. And I did not know that was the last time I would see my mother alive,” Dion said.

The daughter said her mother was one of eight victims at Tradition Prestonwood who Billy Chemirmir was indicted for killing. In some cases, he gained access to victims by posing as a maintenance man.

The relatives said death certificates that initially attributed the cause as natural were changed to homicide as investigators connected Chemirmir.

Dion said her mother was in excellent health the day she died.

"We had just taken my mom on an Alaskan cruise two months before and she climbed four flights of stairs because she could not wait for the elevator. She was very spry, very spunky," she said.

Dion spoke directly to Chemirmir in a victim impact statement two weeks ago after Chemirmir’s second life sentence for killing two other victims.

Last week prosecutors dismissed the remaining Dallas County cases. The relatives knew the dismissals were planned but felt a demonstration was necessary Friday.

"Today we’re here to remember our loved ones and make that recognition," Dion said.

After the second sentence on Oct. 7, Dallas County District Attorney John Cruezot said those two cases were the strongest. He said death sentences are sometimes never carried out due to appeals.

"Mr. Chemirmir will die in the penitentiary and that was my goal. I stated it. And I said we're going to do this twice to accomplish it and here we are,” Creuzot said.

Some of the relatives remain disappointed with the lack of a death sentence and individual justice for their cases.

“I don't think that is strong enough for Texas law and for the gravity of these crimes,” Probst said.

His aunt was killed at a different Dallas location in another 2016 murder.

“We reported her robbery and murder within 24 hours and nothing ever came of that,” Probst said.

But when other similar cases became public in 2018, Probst said investigations blamed his aunt’s death on Chemirmir without ever filing charges. Probst said it goes to show there are likely even more than the 22 known crimes that have been connected to Chemirmir.

“There are family friends who took this guy out to dinner because he was so lovable. And that changed when they started missing jewelry. This is all prior to my aunt’s death,” Probst said.

Also in the group Friday was Karen Harris, the daughter of another murder victim.

“My mother is Mary Melton. She lived in Plano. She's one of the nine indictments in Collin County,” Harris said.

The relatives said there have been meetings with the Collin County District Attorney but his office has declined public comment on the cases.

The relatives said they hope Collin County will pursue a death sentence.

Through a spokesperson, Tradition-Prestonwood Senior Living issued the following statement.

"The deaths by an alleged serial killer in peoples’ homes and at multiple senior living communities in the DFW Metroplex were a true tragedy.

The Tradition-Prestonwood regards all our residents as family.

The Tradition-Prestonwood relied on the investigations of the Dallas police, its detectives, and other reputable, established governmental entities, including the Dallas County Medical Examiner, the Collin County Medical Examiner, and more.

Any death was investigated by Dallas police and the Dallas County Medical Examiner and was ruled as attributed to natural causes.  Additionally, there were two autopsies that also confirmed death by natural causes.

The Tradition-Prestonwood cooperated with all the authorities and continues to do so."