hello i'm steve eager a survivor of suspected serial killer billy chamirmir described her horrifying near-death experience police say the 48-year-old chamir mir killed at least 18 elderly people most lived in senior citizens homes or senior living centers in dallas or collin county the prosecution went straight into detailing chimera's alleged crimes and how police finally caught him fox 4's alex mourier was in the courtroom today alex hi steve and the prosecution said it will take about four days to lay out their case against billy schemer mayor now the jury is actually seated in the gallery which
is normally open to the public in order to socially distance due to covet safety protocols in place here at the courthouse that means that family members of the deceased had to watch testimony from another rope during opening statements in the capital murder trial against billy shmearmeer the prosecutor glenn fitzmartin said this case revolves around three key points ladies and gentlemen this is a case about stalking smothering and stealing the defense team opted not to make an opening statement on their client's behalf chemier was arrested in march 2018 after mary bartel survived an attack by a
man who forced his way into her apartment at a senior living community in plano i married a bartel bartel has since died but jurors heard her 2018 recorded deposition in court monday bartel said it began with a knock at her front door she opened it believing it was a friend i knew instantly when i saw those two green rubber gloves number one i should not have opened the door number two my life was in grave danger he said don't fight me lie on the bed so i did as he said he just smashed uh pillow
down hard over my my face and my chest and i i just couldn't breathe friends found bartel unconscious on her bed and called 9-1-1 bartel told investigators three rings were missing from her hands investigators developed shamirmir as a suspect based on her account in a suspicious vehicle seen prowling around nearby senior communities the next day shamir mir was tracked to his apartment tell him to get out of the vehicle at that point i got no reaction from him these are photographs of shamirmir taken into custody detectives say he had in his possession an envelope with
cash and jewelry a jewelry box police say he had just thrown away led them to a dallas home where lou harris was dead in her bedroom lipstick smeared on her pillow shamir mayor is on trial for her murder prosecutors say he followed harris home from a walmart and smothered her after her death investigators reopened several cases initially classified as natural causes leading to 18 counts in dallas and calling counties family members representing 11 of those women were in the courthouse today watching from another room due to covet safety protocols among them cowboys hall of famer
cliff harris his mother-in-law is believed to be one of the victims here we are sequestered up here in a room when we can't do it which i think is completely unfair to know that that is what your mom went through as well yeah it's that's hard it's horrifying it's horrifying to think that that's what our dear moms went through getting a conviction will be recognized will be a conviction for us and at this point the defense has not asked a lot of questions under cross examination during the 2018 deposition of mary bartel the defense attorney
did ask bartel if she could identify or describe what the suspect who attacked her looked like she said she could not steve okay alex kind of a side note here last week you were reporting that attorney phillip hayes had been arrested he was the lead attorney had been arrested out in east texas on a solicitation of prostitution charge at that point i think we said we didn't know how this was going to play out if he'd be in court or not was he in court today yeah that's right stephen no he was not in court
today actually co-counsel kobe warren is now handling the defense at least for today now we know again this trial is expected to go on for some time so it's unclear whether or not a hayes may make an appearance i tried to get some clarification today from his co-counsel but was unable to okay
