North Texas serial killer may be linked to more deaths

DALLAS, Texas - There may be more victims of an accused North Texas serial killer.

Details about the additional possible victims were made public in a lawsuit that family members filed against a Dallas retirement home.

The suit suggests the management at Tradition-Prestonwood in North Dallas was negligent in allowing accused serial killer Billy Chemirmir access to residents.

It also accuses Tradition-Prestonwood’s management of trying to cover up eight deaths after Chemirmir was arrested.

The retirement home replied to the allegations in a statement.

“The deaths by an alleged serial killer in peoples’ homes and at multiple senior living communities in the DFW Metroplex is 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 ruled as attributed to natural causes. Additionally, there were two autopsies which also confirmed death by natural causes. Those rulings stood for more than 27 months. The Tradition-Prestonwood has cooperated with all the authorities and will continue to do so. The allegations against Mr. Perlman that he withheld information are absolutely false," the retirement home said.

Only two victims named in the lawsuit are also named in the capital murder indictments against Chemirmir. He has not been charged for the other six.

Chemirmir was arrested in March of last year after police linked him to the murder of an 81-year-old Dallas woman. Investigators then began reviewing the deaths of other elderly women previously blamed on natural causes.

He was eventually charged with killing 12 people in Dallas and Collin counties.

Police said Chemirmir worked in home health care and sometimes posed as a maintenance worker to gain access to his victims. Then he murdered and robbed them.

He remains in the Dallas County jail.