Motivated by her mother’s murder, Loren Adair-Smith is calling on state lawmakers to pass increased safety measures at senior living facilities.
Testifying at the state capitol on Wednesday, Adair-Smith shared how her mother, Phyllis Payne, was murdered inside her senior living facility in May of 2016.
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WATCH HERE“Billy Chemirmir knocked on my mother’s door. He had stalked her, then murdered her and stole from her,” testified Adair-Smith. “My sweet, trusting mother never would have dreamed that a serial killer was roaming the halls as she trusted in the security the management had promised.”
Charged with killing 22 North Texas women over a two-year span, prosecutors said Chemirmir targeted people inside their home or independent living centers, smothering them with pillows to steal jewelry.
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SIGN UP Most of the deaths were initially ruled as natural causes, despite families reporting odd circumstances and stolen items. It wasn’t until a woman survived an attack on her life, leading police to Chemirmir, that the cases were reopened and indictments were filed.
"A lot of people think that these facilities would be secure, but they're not," Adair-Smith told 온라인카지노사이트 5 after the hearing. "They really have no regulations to this point."
Texas Senate Bill 1283 calls for background checks for employees and service providers working on the property. It would also require the facility to alert residents of criminal activity, like a crime watch and allow law enforcement access to residents when conducting investigations.
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Something victims' families said their loved ones' facilities failed to do.
“It’s really beyond comprehension that it happened,” said the bill's author, Sen. Tan Parker. “By setting these standards, the bill sets to create a safer living environment for seniors while ensuring they’re informed about potential risks to their well-being.”
Adair-Smith and fellow victims’ families formed the advocacy group . This is the third time they’ve pushed for legislation in Austin. Prior efforts focused on senior living centers have failed.
"We can not stand the thought that anybody else experiences what our families have experienced. We hope to have truly a secure environment for our seniors to move into," Adair-Smith said.
Andrea Earl with AARP Texas also spoke in favor of the bill before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
“This bill underscores the need for protective measures in these communities,” said Earl. “Older adults deserve to live in safe, welcoming environments free from crime and disruption.”
Billy Chemirmir was found guilty of capital murder in two of the cases. He was serving two prison sentences of life without parole when he was killed by a fellow inmate in 2023.
Chemirmir was the subject of an 온라인카지노사이트 5 streaming series, "Stranger at the Door," that looked into the dozens of deaths attributed to Billy Chemirmir. The series can be watched online here.
