DALLAS — Two civil lawsuits filed this week provide new details regarding the victims of suspected serial killer Billy Chemirmir.
Chemirmir, 47, is charged with 12 counts of capital murder in connection with the deaths of elderly women in Dallas and Collin counties.
Martha Williams, 79 and Ann Conklin, 82 were both allegedly robbed and killed by Chemirmir at the Preston Place retirement community, the lawsuits say.
The lawsuit for Conklin accuses the living facility of negligence. The lawsuit for Williams does the same, along with an accusation of wrongful death.
Court records show each woman was killed in the same way — smothered by a pillow.
Preston Place marketed itself as an upscale gated senior living community that was gated with 24-hour security surveillance, the suit says.
Documents state some apartments at the facility cost up to $3,000 per month to rent.
The lawsuits claim Preston Place failed to protect itself residents and inform them of previous crimes that occurred in the community.
Martha Williams:
Martha Williams moved to Preston Place on May 11, 2017. She had picked the community because she thought it was a safe place for elderly residents that live alone, the lawsuit says.
But less than a year after Williams moved into the community, she was allegedly killed by Chemirmir. She died on March 4, 2018.
The lawsuit says Martha's daughter, Hollyn Williams was unable to reach her by phone, so she drove to Preston Place to check on her.
When Hollyn entered the apartment, she found her mother, lying on the floor dead. Four other women were killed before Martha, eventually, seven women in total would be killed in the community, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit says Chemirmir’s victims were susceptible to being targeted and killed for their valuables.
The victims' families say the apartment management failed to take meaningful measures with previously reported incidents and security in the community. According to legal documents, workers at the complex were not required to wear any ID badges so residents were unaware if people were actually employees.
The lawsuit states the management was aware of suspicious activities going back to September 2015 and that both Conklin and Williams' deaths could have been prevented.
Ann Conklin:
Ann Conklin was allegedly robbed and then suffocated by Chemirmir on March 18, 2018, inside her apartment.
The lawsuit says Conklin was the last of seven elderly women killed by Chemirmir between October 2017 and March 2018 in the senior living community.
List of seven women allegedly killed by Chemirmir at Preston Place:
- Minnie Campbell was killed on Oct. 31, 2017
- Diana Delahunty was killed on Dec. 5, 2017
- Mamie Dell Miya was killed on Dec. 8, 2017
- “Jane Doe” was killed on Dec. 10, 2017
- Martha Williams was killed March 4, 2018
- Miriam Nelson was killed on March 9, 2018
- Ann Conklin was killed on March 18, 2018
Plaintiffs Gloria Ross, Jennifer Basset, Susan Earle and Frederick Stucker are Conklin’s children and named in the lawsuit.
A few weeks prior to Conklin’s death, she allegedly told her daughter, Jennifer Basset, that she had heard from other residents at the community that her friend Martha Williams was missing jewelry at the time she was killed.
Conklin commented to her daughter that Martha "did not seem ready to die at all," the lawsuit says.
Documents state that Conklin was unaware that thousands of dollars worth of jewelry was missing from Martha William and Miriam Nelson’s apartments because Preston Place failed to disclose the information.
The day before Conklin died, she was texting her daughter "Jennie" about baby birds that were on her neighbor’s back patio. According to the lawsuit, Conklin said she was excited to go pick out plants with Jennie the next day.
"I love baby birds," Jennie responded to her mom around 11:45 a.m. but Conklin never texted back, the lawsuit says.
The next morning, Jennie drove to Preston Place to pick her mom up for a day of shopping and lunch.
Jennie’s sister, Gloria Ross, informed her that Conklin had not answered her calls.
Jennie told Ross that she was on the way to Preston Place and would call her back when Conklin was in the car, according to the lawsuit.
But when Jennifer Bassett walked into Conklin’s apartment, she saw her mother’s dead body on the floor and began screaming.
The lawsuit says Conklin was on the floor fully dressed, with her dog Helen, still on a leash.
Soon, a police officer was next to Bassett, asking her questions. The lawsuit says police were already in the community because a woman named Mary Bartel had just survived an attack by Chemirmir.
Conklin’s family later discovered that Chemirmir had forced his way into Conklin’s apartment and smother the woman with a pillow. The same way he did with his other victims, the lawsuit says.
Conklin’s wristwatch was reported missing after the incident, the lawsuit states.
The Collin County District Attorney’s Office has indicted Chemirmir on capital murder charges in Conklin's death.
Other victims:
Prior to the slayings at Preston Place, Chemirmir allegedly killed eight people at The Tradition, a different lawsuit claims.
Those lawsuits allege that Chemirimr used similar tactics on these victims. He would pose as a maintenance worker and then burglarize people’s residences, eventually killing them.
He has been charged in the deaths of Doris Gleason and Norma French, who were found dead in their homes at The Tradition.
A previous lawsuit alleges that Chemirmir is also responsible for the deaths of Margaret White, Glenna Day, Juanita Purdy, Leah Corken, Joyce Abramowitz and Solomon Spring, who were all residents at The Tradition.
Authorities have confirmed the six other deaths are connected to Chemirmir, according to the lawsuit.
The seven women found dead at The Tradition all appeared to have been smothered, the court records show. Solomon Spring, however, was found in a pool of blood inside his residence.
Those who died at The Tradition:
- Joyce Abramowitz, 82, on July 20, 2016
- Juanita Purdy, 83, on July 31, 2016
- Leah Corken, 83, on Aug. 19, 2016
- Margaret White, 87, on Aug. 28, 2016
- Solomon Spring, 89, on Oct. 2, 2016
- Norma French, 85, on Oct. 8, 2016
- Glenna Day, 87, on Oct. 15, 2016
- Doris Gleason, 92, on Oct. 30, 2016
Here is a full list of Chemirmir's alleged victims. The asterisk shows that he has been criminally indicted in those deaths:
- Phyllis Payne, 91, on May 14, 2016 *
- Phoebe Perry, 94, on June 5, 2016 *
- Joyce Abramowitz, 82, on July 20, 2016
- Juanita Purdy, 83, on July 31, 2016
- Leah Corken, 83, on Aug. 19, 2016
- Margaret White, 87, on Aug. 28, 2016
- Solomon Spring, 89, on Oct. 2, 2016
- Norma French, 85, on Oct. 8, 2016 *
- Glenna Day, 87, on Oct. 15, 2016
- Doris Gleason, 92, on Oct. 29, 2016 *
- Minnie Campbell, 83, on Oct. 31, 2017 *
- Diana Delahunty was killed on Dec. 5, 2017
- Mamie Dell Miya was killed on Dec. 8, 2017
- “Jane Doe” was killed on Dec. 10, 2017
- Carolyn MacPhee, 81, on Dec. 31, 2017 *
- Rosemary Curtis, 76, on Jan. 17, 2018 *
- Mary Brooks on Jan. 31, 2018 *
- Martha Williams, 79, on March 4, 2018 *
- Miriam Nelson, 81, on March 9, 2018 *
- Ann Conklin, 82, on March 18, 2018 *
- Lu Thi Harris, 81, on March 20, 2018 *
