Families forever linked by the serial killings of Billy Chemirmir celebrated a legislative victory on Tuesday.
A bill designed to protect those living in senior communities passed its last major hurdle on its way to becoming state law.
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WATCH HEREFor three legislative sessions, Loren Smith has shared the painful details of her mother’s death with state lawmakers.
“On the morning of May 14, 2016, Billy Chemirmir knocked on my mother’s door. He had stalked her, then murdered her and stole from her,” testified Smith during an April committee hearing.
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SIGN UP Her mother, Phyllis Payne, was one of 22 women police say were murdered by Billy Chemirmir in North Texas. The serial killer was known to pose as a maintenance man targeting high-end senior living communities.
“If my mother and so many others knew there had been a criminal trespasser, they would have never opened the door,” Smith testified.
For years, Smith and fellow victims’ families have pushed lawmakers for safety regulations at senior communities.
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Tuesday brought a victory.
In an emotional moment, the daughters were recognized at the state capitol as their bill was read on the House floor.
Lawmakers in both chambers unanimously passed SB 1283, which requires background checks for employees and service providers at senior communities, requires criminal activity be shared with residents like a crime watch and officers' access to residents during investigations.
Somethings victims’ families say did not happen in their mothers’ cases.
“For those that followed the case very closely, there were instances were some of the senior centers did not allow individuals to speak with law enforcement and actually kept them from being able to give them very helpful information that potentially could have saved lives,” said one of the bill's sponsors Rep. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez.
For the families, Tuesday's legislative victory is a moment to honor their mothers and reflect on their nearly decade-long journey for change.
“We’ve said that they are cheering us from heaven,” Smith said. “We want people to be safe and secure where they’re living and we can’t stand the thought of this happening to anyone else.”
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.
