Mistrial declared in case of man charged in 18 Texas deaths

By JAKE BLEIBERG
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — A Texas judge has declared a mistrial in the first murder case against a man charged with killing 18 older women in the Dallas area over a two-year span. Judge Raquel Jones issued the ruling Friday when a jury deadlocked after deliberating since Thursday afternoon in the capital murder case against Billy Chemirmir. The case charged the Chemirmir with killing 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris. Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot says he’ll retry the case. Authorities have accused Chemirmir of being a prolific killer preying on the elderly. His defense attorneys dismissed the prosecution evidence as “quantity over quality.”