People Magazine Investigates Recap for The Serial Killer’s Playbook

-This week’s episode of People Magazine Investigates takes a closer look at the work of a serial killer, aka The Serial Killer’s Playbook.

-Shannon Dion’s mom Doris Gleason was a victim of one of the most prolific serial killers in recent history. She recalls her mom being loving, caring and beautiful inside and out.

-In 2000, Shannon’s sister Nancy was diagnosed with terminal cancer and gave both Shannon and Doris a special necklace to wear in her honor. Nancy would die in 2003 and soon after, Doris and her husband moved to Tradition Prestonwood, a local retirement community.

-After Doris’s husband passed away, Doris would stay at the community.

-On October 30, 2016, Shannon went to get Doris for church, but she was not in her usual waiting place or answering her phone. Shannon got a copy of Doris’s key from concierge, where she would find Doris’s lifeless body on the floor.

-The authorities were called and said nothing seemed out of the ordinary and there were no signs of foul play. However, once the funeral people arrived, it was learned that Doris’s necklace from Nancy was missing, as was her money. There were also several other things missing or messed with, which made Shannon realize that something was very wrong.

-At first, Doris’s death was declared as natural, despite there being signs of petechia. The missing jewelry and money investigation was also inconclusive.

-Funeral services were held for Doris, but Shannon could not let go of the fact that something was wrong.

-A year later, a 91-year-old woman named Mary Bartel would also die in her own retirement community called Preston place. Her daughter Carol Gambrel recalls her being the perfect mother. Mary and her husband moved into the community with her husband to be closer to her family.

-On March 19, 2018, Mary, who was active in her community, went about her usual routine of going for a walk and to mass. She also would go to an exercise class. Later that day, her friends went to visit her, but she did not answer her door. When they go to check on her, they find her unresponsive and call 911.

-Paramedics find her pacemaker firing and barely alive. When Mary came to, she told them she was attacked by a male intruder. Since there was no evidence of a break-in, they wonder if she was hallucinating. Carol, however, believes her mother and authorities agree to look into the matter. Mary would tell them her story and claims she was at her computer when someone knocked at the door. When she went to answer, she was attacked and robbed. Due to the details of what was missing and the bruising on her face, as well as the petechia on her face, they believed her and her home became a crime scene.

-At the same complex, a woman named Ann Conklin was also attacked. Her daughter Jenny Bassett says Ann loved change and move quite often. On the same day Mary was attacked, Ann and Jenny made plans to go shopping. Jenny went to pick her up, but Ann didn’t answer. She used her keys to go in and found her mother on the floor unresponsive. She went to get help and ran into a policeman, who was already there due to Mary’s case. He would declare Ann dead, leaving Jenny in a state of shock, anger and confusion.

-Police wondered if this was a coincidence or there was a connection, so an investigation began.

-Jenny noticed several things amiss, including the drawn shades and missing jewelry. At this point, people began to wonder if there was a serial killer on the loose.

-A few days earlier, a man had called the complex’s front office to report a suspicious male sitting in a car. He was there when he’d taken his mother to the doctor and still there when they had returned. On March 17th that week, a car matching the description the male gave was in an accident and impounded. Further investigation would reveal that it belonged to a man named Billy Chemirmir, who had a long criminal history. The one that stood out the most was in 2016, for criminal trespassing. It was believed that he was posing as a maintenance man in a senior community at the time of his arrest.

-An investigation begins and authorities find Billy throwing things in a dumpster, including a red jewelry box belonging to Lu Thi Harris. Police immediately go to do a welfare check on her, only to find her dead in her apartment in a similar manner as the other victims.

-Billy is soon in custody and the investigation continues. More victims, including Martha Williams. Her family provide the police her bedding, which they hope can give DNA proof that Billy is indeed the murderer.

-A receipt from Walmart and a set of keys belonging to Lu are found in Billy’s car. Surveillance footage from Walmart show them both in the store at the same time.

-Billy is questioned by police, where he says he is from Kenya and that he buys and sells things on Craigslist for money. He gives them his usernames and claims the jewelry box was something he was selling to ‘a Hispanic man.’ The police tell him they know he is lying, but Billy remains unbothered and sticks to his story.

-A number is found on Billy’s phone and when the police call it, they find out that Billy worked as a home health care worker, making people wonder if he used this job to lure his victims. A search of his apartment found several pieces of jewelry, one of which belonged to Jenny’s mom Ann.

-A look into Billy’s online sales showed that Mary’s wedding ring was also for sale and put on the OfferUp website the same day as the attack.

-More victims are connected to Billy, including Mary Brooks, who was murdered in 2018. It is believed he followed her around Walmart prior to her death.

-Shannon recalls getting the call that Doris’s death was being investigated. Despite the sadness due to the way she died, Shannon was glad to finally have answers.

-The trial began for Lu’s murder, with Mary Bartel being able to testify before her death in 2020 due to natural causes. Several pieces of evidence were shown, including the Walmart tape showing Billy following Lu, as well as several other key pieces.

-In a shocking turn of events, a mistrial was declared due to a hung jury.

-A second trial was held and Billy is found guilty of Lu’s murder. He is given life in prison.

-Billy is then put on trial in 2022 for the murder of Mary Brooks, where is again found guilty. He is sentenced to life in prison without parole.

-The other cases are dismissed.

-Mary Bartel was given a Citizen’s Hero Award prior to her death for helping in the case.

-Billy was stabbed and killed by a cellmate in prison in September 2023.

-Shannon and Jenny got to meet and bond over what happened to their moms. They began a program to help with the safety of senior citizens in their honor.

-Billy was facing nine murder charges at the time of his death, all of which were dismissed posthumously.