Officials with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) have reported that Billy Chemirmir, a man convicted of killing two people and accused in the deaths of nearly two dozen others, was found deceased in his cell early Tuesday.
Chemirmir's cellmate, who is serving a sentence for murder out of Dallas County, has been identified as the assailant.
Chemirmir was serving two life sentences for his crimes. He had been accused of posing as a medical professional or maintenance person to gain access to the properties of at least twenty-two elderly women and smother them with a pillow.
This case had prompted investigations by police in several North Texas communities, as they believed that a number of previously-reported natural deaths might be linked to him.
Collin County law enforcement had identified Chemirmir in at least nine deaths in a retirement community in Plano.