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The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services will come to order. The clerk will please call the roll.
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It's a Wednesday morning in Austin, Texas. Legislators and their staffers mingle on the floor of the Texas Senate Chamber. Lobbyists and members of the public find seats along the wall.
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Thank you for reconvening this morning. Those wishing to testify are to remain either along the rail or if you're in the gallery. When your name is called, please make sure that you are speaking into the microphone as I am doing, as it is very difficult to hear in this beautiful but cavernous chamber.
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The Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services has a full schedule. The lawmakers here are set to consider bills that deal with immunization requirements, health insurance, pre authorizations, accessibility to psychiatric care, and more. In the room are two of the women you heard from in season two of this podcast, Shannon Dionne and Lauren Smith. Shannon is the woman you heard from throughout the series, the daughter of Doris Gleason, who filed a records request and found a pattern of deaths and thefts at the Tradition Prestonwood.
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You could have knocked me over. There's an old term, gobsmacked. I don't have a word to describe when I think about what my mother's last moments. I have nightmares of that.
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You met Lauren in the finale of season two. Her mother, Phyllis Payne, was killed at Edgemere in 2016.
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I just, you know what I do sometimes? I just get in the car so I can let out a scream and not scare the dog and just yell just to get it out. It's like, how could you have done this to her, you know, and to all these people for a little bit of jewelry or, you know, just. Just sick.
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Shannon and Lauren came to Austin to the Senate Chamber to testify at this hearing in support of Senate Bill 1283. The bill was introduced by two Republicans from North Texas in the months after our podcast aired. If it passes, it will be the most comprehensive improvement to security at Senior Living Communities since Billy Shamirmere killed at least two dozen older adults in and around Dallas. But Shannon and Lauren have been here before, and they know they have a long way before their bill becomes law. I'm Charlie Scudder, and this is a special bonus episode of the Unforgotten. So season two. Since the last time you heard from me back in December, there have been a few updates to the case. I'm also going to fill you in on this renewed push in Austin to close some of the loopholes that allowed Billy Shamirmuir to become the most prolific serial killer in Dallas history. Oh, and I have some new information that I can finally bring on the record, which shows just how hard the senior living communities you've already heard about worked to keep information about the killing spree secret from residents and police. This is the unforgotten unnatural causes Chapter 10 the lawmakers I was supposed to be at that hearing too. While we were putting together season two, Shannon told me that Secure Our Seniors Safety or soss, would be pushing for new laws during the current legislative session. That's the political nonprofit founded by the families of Billy Shamirmir's victims. Remember, he's the former in Home caregiver who smothered dozens of older adults with a pillow before stealing jewelry and cash from their luxury apartments and private homes. If the SOSs bills were scheduled for a hearing, I planned on being there to report this bonus episode, but I'm excited to say that life got in the way. I'm recording this voiceover from my home studio, AKA my bedroom closet because I'm technically on paternity leave right now. My wife and I just had a new baby a few weeks ago, so traveling to Austin for a few days wasn't in the cards. You'll hear more from the livestream of the hearing on SB 1283 in a few minutes. But first, there's a few updates since our last episode aired that I want to share with y'. All. First, an update from the civil lawsuits against the Tradition president. You may remember from our third episode, many of the families of Shamima's victims had sued the communities where their mothers lived and died. A batch of those suits, filed by attorney Trey Crawford were still being litigated when we started publishing the podcast, more than five years after they were first filed in Dallas County. Here's Trey, who you heard from in episode three. The number of police reports that we were getting back at a single location that's supposed to be kind of the Ritz Carlton of independent living facilities was a little bit shocking. From what we know now, it's one of the most prolific serial killers probably in the history of the us. Here's Mary Jo Jennings, one of his clients.
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We're paying premium price to have our mothers protected there. And he was in there all the time and they did nothing. And then to have nine murders when it comes out that Shamir Mir is arrested and they all knew he was all over the building, what did they do?
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Nothing. Nothing. As we were wrapping up production on season two, we got word that those suits had been settled out of court. The settlement included an undisclosed payout from Tradition Senior Living for Crawford's clients and a clause that bars those families from talking about the case. That means that both the civil and criminal legal battles around the Shamimir case are over. No more investigations. No more trials. Like we discussed in season two, it's not an individual criminal that's to blame for the string of murders and thefts, but a system that ignored and dismissed the signs of the crimes over and over. Now that these legal challenges are settled, it is likely that no one else will be held accountable. The other news update since we recorded the final episode broke just before Christmas, and you may have even heard about this one straight ahead, Ms. Votes retiring Fort Worth Congresswoman Kay Granger acknowledges she's had health issues after a report found she hasn't voted on bills since late July. Why the Kay Granger was elected to the U.S. house of Representatives in 1996 and has been a fixture in North Texas politics for more than 30 years. Growing up in Tarrant County, I remember her visiting my elementary school classroom once. Earlier in 2024, Granger announced that she would not seek another term and she also stopped showing up for work. She missed most of her votes in Washington throughout the summer and fall. It wasn't until a conservative pink slime news website called the Dallas Express started asking questions about her voting record that news broke that she was living in a Fort Worth senior living community with memory care. Her son told the Dallas Morning News that Granger had been experiencing some dementia issues. In a season full of raucous politics, especially about the age of our elected politicians, this story was a fairly minor blip, but it did raise a lot of questions about how a sitting U.S. house representative could basically dis disappear into memory care without anyone noticing. The North Texas press corps, once with a robust presence in D.C. completely missed it too. When the story did come out, I noticed something else in the news reports. Granger is living at the Tradition Clear Fork, the Fort Worth property owned by the same company as the Tradition Prestonwood. The Tradition Clear Fork offers independent living and memory care services just like the Tradition Prestonwood. Both are advertised as high end luxury communities with top of the line security. You may remember that the Tradition Prestonwood was sold in 2023 to an out of state firm, but both communities are still operated by Tradition Senior Living, which is owned by Jonathan Perlman. He's the former MLB pitcher you heard from in this 2011 marketing video.
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When people first come, if it's their first time out, to look at a.
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Product like the Tradition there is a little bit of sticker shock until they peel back and really understand the services and the amenities that we provide. I know of no evidence that suggests Shamir Mirror ever worked in Tarrant county, where the Clear Fork community is located. In fact, the Tradition Prestonwood is the only Tradition property with publicly identified cases. So why am I talking about Kay Granger on this podcast? Because based on what her family told the Dallas Morning News, they were looking for somewhere that she could be safe but still active, her son said. There's nothing wrong with someone wanting to live in a community with other folks their age. She's in a building with a lot of other folks her age that are super active, that she really loves. It's wonderful, granger's son told the newspaper. For her, at this point in life, that's a wish that millions of Americans have for their loved ones and for every day. The Tradition says it continues to offer that level of care for all its residents, like the former congresswoman. But as you heard in Season two, even at those kinds of luxury communities, property owners can cut corners to maximize corporate profits at a detriment to residents. This isn't about Billy Shamir, it's not about Kay Granger, and it's not about Tradition senior living either. It's about all our older loved ones, what we expect for them, and the level of care they're actually receiving. Which is why Shannon Dion and Lauren Smith have been going to Austin for the past five years to try and convince legislators to do something to force property owners to do more. We'll get back to their hearing after a quick break. You may remember that in Season two, we established several reasons, several loopholes that allowed Shamirmir to get away with his crimes for so long. He used his knowledge of the senior care industry to target independent communities where security is looser. He got a job at a home health care company despite his criminal record and used it to identify more victims. He then sold his stolen goods at cash for gold dealers and online sales apps, avoiding regulatory oversight of his illegal transactions. We also talked about the ways the families of Shamirmir's victims were working to close some of those loopholes and the obstacles they faced along the way. To recap, in 2019, a group of the families of the victims formed a political nonprofit called Secure Our Seniors Safety, or soss. You may also remember hearing testimony from Shannon Dion and Cheryl Pangburn, the woman who found out about her mother's murder, on Facebook. Message along with Texas House Representative Jared Patterson.
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I'M not expecting you to answer this first question, by the way, but how many of you knew that an alleged serial killer recently operated for years in Dallas and Collin counties targeting elderly residents?
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Here's Cheryl at that hearing.
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My name is Cheryl Pangbro, and I'm representing myself today, and I'm here in support of House Bill 723. I'm here today because I'm the one that Jared was referring to who learned about my mother's death on Facebook.
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And Here's Shannon's testimony.
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SoS primary focus is simple. This cannot happen to another Texas family. No family should ever find out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media their loved one was murdered.
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During that legislative session in 2021, Soss pushed for four bills. One was a comprehensive security program for senior living communities. One would change how next of kin are notified for changes to a death certificate amendment. One would close some loopholes in how Cash for Gold regulations are enforced. And the fourth bill would eliminate forced arbitration clauses in senior living rental contracts like the ones at the Tradition Prestonwood, which were part of why those civil cases dragged on for so long. In that first legislative session, only the bills about the death certificates and the Cash for Gold enforcement passed and became law. But the meat of the legislation the group pushed for, the improvements to senior living security, were seen as too onerous for business owners to implement.
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You know, living next door to a state representative, every time that we would go to Austin, I would go next door and debrief with Jared. And I just learned so much each time that I went that was more helpful. As to the battle that we're up.
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Against legislatively, that's Cheryl Pangburn. You heard part of this interview in episode six. But she had a lot more to say. Part of why she was able to gain some traction in the legislature is because Patterson, a conservative Republican in the Texas House, was her next door neighbor.
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I think one of the problems that exists with independent living is that from a legislative perspective, independent living is considered a business. Like we families look at it as a home for your parents, where you want them to be happy and safe and live a good, quality life. When you go down and try to pass legislation, it's considered a business. And as such, the mindset is that it's up to the families to suss it out for themselves which place is more secure, has better amenities, and is a better fit for their loved one. We're not going to put a regulation on a business because it affects our conservative rating, whatever that point system is. So we'll just let the consumers work it out for themselves.
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There are a lot of groups that keep scorecards for state and national politicians like the one she's describing. Particularly in Texas where far right candidates have been very successful in targeting more moderate Republicans. Those scorecards can mean the difference between another term or a well funded primary challenger. The regulations suggested by soss, the ones that would require measures like background checks for employees and sign in for all visitors at senior communities, are, well, regulations. For some conservative groups, any regulation is a bad regulation. Cheryl mentioned one group in particular, the Texas Conservative Coalition, or TCC for short. It's a powerful caucus in the state legislature and recommends to Republican lawmakers which bills to support and which to vote against.
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That's one of the things that we're now more insightful to is what we're up against, the mindset that we're up against. There's a whole lot of bills and not as enough legislators to look at every single bill and know what's going on. So this TCC group looks at the business related bills and will make a recommendation to the committee where either for neutral or against this bill, the recommendation is based on the very first draft of the bill. So no matter what you do to go in and adapt, amend the bill to be, you know, more passable, they don't go back and review it again and then change their mind so it can make it out of committee and go to the House floor and based on the recommendation of TCC be totally voted down.
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That's exactly what happened to a couple of soss's bills. Because they were viewed as not conservative enough for Texas, they never made it out of committee.
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So the fight is still going on, but we're just becoming more aware of what we're up against.
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Like I mentioned in season two, a lot of this comes down to ideology. Should senior living communities be considered real estate investments subject to the same free market forces as any other multifamily housing community? Or should we think of them as something more like places for long term care which require more oversight? To be clear, I don't have an easy answer for that question and I'm not trying to provide one. I think about my mama who you met in season two. She's still at the age in place community I told you about and recently we've had to add more comprehensive nursing support. She's at the stage of life where she needs that long term care. But my parents, they're not there yet. They've started talking about retirement and although I don't expect them to move into a retirement community anytime soon. I can't imagine they'd want or expect locked doors and 247 security. If they did, they might avoid communities with that much oversight. So where's the line? Here's Cheryl again.
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The problem that comes into play with that is that they can market that they have any security measures that they want, but there's nobody to hold them accountable that they are following through with what they are marketing. So if they say we've got 200 cameras, they may have, but if 195 of them aren't working, there's nobody to hold them accountable for them not working. So you think you're getting, you think you're buying into a property that's going to provide security for your loved one, but the security gate is broken and the person that you go and report that to is the person that's allowing the security gate to stay broken. So you're in this loop and you, when you're looking for independent living, it's usually the first step that a senior makes. Going from their own home into someplace, it's an emotional decision. You want them to be happy, they want to be happy. And so you'll, you'll prioritize movie theaters and hair salons and swimming pools. And you just assume that they're going to follow through on the security that they promise. But they don't. And there's, there's no one to hold them accountable.
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The Texas Legislature meets once every two years. So after those first bills failed, SOSS didn't get another chance to make their case until 2023. That session, after Shamir Mir was convicted twice of capital murder, SOSS offered a single bill to mandate security improvements and senior living communities. It had five measures that included check in badges for every visitor, mandatory background checks for employees, and language that would have required communities to alert all residents whenever a crime was committed on the property. That bill received widespread support from most of the folks you heard from in season two. Even Dallas County Prosecutor Glenn Fitzmartin drove to Austin to testify in support of the bill, saying that if those measures had been in place earlier, Shamirmere could have been caught much sooner. It passed the Texas House, but the committee assigned to review it in the Senate never scheduled the bill for a hearing. I've already mentioned the two main political lobbying groups that pushed against these measures in previous the Texas Assisted Living association, or TALA and Leading H Texas. Those groups said at the time that seniors didn't want to live in a community with so many regulations and that implementing them would be a hit to the bottom line of property owners. You might remember that I asked Shannon about that failure in episode six. Did it surprise you there was so much pushback from the senior industry?
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Not at all.
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Why not?
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It's a money making business. There is no regulation in senior independent living currently and they are very happy with the setup that they have right now.
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By the time the latest legislative session rolled around, by the time we were putting together the second season of this podcast, a lot had changed. Shamir Mir was dead. Many of the families who had fought for so long had moved. Some physically like Cheryl, who recently moved to Georgia to be closer to her own grandchildren. But they've also moved emotionally. Some told me it had become easier to spend a day not thinking about the murder. Others said it was just as fresh as ever and they still felt the need to push the industry to change. Shannon said it was also more difficult getting legislators to sponsor a bill from soss. This time. The legislature has become even more conservative and other priorities have taken the attention of lawmakers. A few weeks into the 2025 session, SB 1283 was filed. Picture that old Schoolhouse Rock song. I'm just a bill, that sad little bill. Yes, it's only a bill. Sitting there on Capitol hill in the 1975 animated short, the bill is waiting for its chance to be heard and debated in committee before going to a vote for the full chamber. That's where this measure is now, over a decade since Shamir Mir's killing spree allegedly began. It's a long, long way from becoming a law and today it is still just a bill. So if it does pass, what would that mean? What would change and what would stay the same? And what chance does it have of actually becoming law? Okay, I promised we'd get back to the Texas Senate committee hearing from the beginning of this episode, so here it goes. Tan Parker, a Republican from Dallas, northwestern suburbs, is the author of SB 1283. The committee chair, Laurie Kohlkhurst, called him to describe the bill. First, you'll hear a few people talk about the committee substitute. That's just a second draft of the bill that was edited after the initial bill was filed.
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The chair lays out Senate Bill 1283 and recognizes its author, Senator Parker, to explain the bill.
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Thank you Madam Chair and members, Great to be with you this morning to lay out the substitute for Senate Bill 1283. Between 2016 and 2018, at least two dozen senior women were murdered in Dallas area senior living Facilities by serial killer Billy Shamirmir. He was employed by several facilities as a maintenance worker, and he used his employment to access the rooms of the victims to murder them. This predator had a criminal history that would have precluded him from employment in these facilities. So he either used a fake ID to bypass minimal checks or was never checked in any way. Lack of sufficient background checks directly led to his ability to access and murder these individuals. Senate Bill 1283 the substitute enhances the safety and security of residents living in senior retirement communities by establishing clear guidelines for preventing and responding to criminal activity.
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Okay, so Parker's got a few mistakes here. First, as you heard in season two, there's at least one male victim we know of, Solomon Spring. So saying only women isn't correct. Also, Shamirmir was never employed by the communities where he found his victims. Instead, he worked as an independent contractor or for a home health company that gave him access to those communities. He was never a maintenance worker, but pretended to be one to get his victims to open their apartment doors. That's an important distinction, but the state senator does get the gist of the story right.
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The Senate bill substitute for 1283 seeks to empower seniors, provide and promote greater accountability among retirement community operators, and ultimately reduce the risk of criminal activity within these communities. This is a horrific situation, as I described that happened in Dallas. It's really beyond comprehension that it happened and so many very nice, very high quality operating facilities to have this kind of thing occur. So it was just absolutely horrific. And so I think this is very timely and very appropriate.
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Parker explained that the bill would require three measures from senior living communities. First, all employees would need background checks. And if a third party was coming to the property, a plumber to fix the toilet, for example, the property managers would need to tell residents that that company does or doesn't provide background checks on its employees. Again, Shamir Mir was not an employee. So if the measure only requires background checks for employees of a senior living community, then that loophole will still exist. SB 1283's second measure would require property owners to tell residents within two business days if there was a crime or trespasser on the property. Again, in the Shamiria case, property owners did not alert residents when and what they knew about the thefts deaths. Finally, the bill would require property owners to give police access to residents when investigating a crime. This one's a big and it deals with some information I had gathered off the record before the podcast aired last year. That means I had agreed with the sources of that information at the time not to share it. Now, since it was mentioned in a public hearing on the floor of the Texas State Senate chamber, I can give you a few more details. Multiple detectives who investigated Shamamiria's crimes told me that when they went to communities with confirmed or suspected murders, property managers refused to let them enter common areas to speak to residents or review security camera footage. Without a warrant, cops couldn't enter the property, review the footage, or question its residents. The detectives said that slowed their investigation and is part of why we still don't know how many people Shamir Mir really killed. Again, this is a tough one. I can see why property owners would want to see a warrant before letting police search the property. If an officer came to my home wanting to take a look around, I'd be asking for the same thing. But again, there seems to be something different about a private residence and a community for long term care. I don't know where I land on it, honestly. After Parker described SB 1283 to the Senate committee, public witnesses were called to testify. The first was a lobbyist with AARP Texas.
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Good morning members of the committee. My name is Andrea Earl. I'm here with AARP Texas, representing our 2.5 million million members. This bill underscores the need for protective measures in these communities. Older adults deserve to live in safe, welcoming environments, free from crime and disruption. This moves towards preventing individuals with dangerous backgrounds from slipping through the cracks. This bill sets clear expectation that these communities must prioritize the resident's safety and critically, it does not constrain law enforcement efforts. Instead, it encourages collaboration between communities and police officers, ensuring residents can report their concerns without fears of retaliation. AARP is grateful to see these provisions introduced. These senseless crimes have inflicted immeasurable pain on our communities, underscoring the urgent need for stronger protections. This is a promising, much needed start.
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Next, Lauren Smith spoke to the committee. Remember, Lauren's mom, Phyllis was killed at Edgemere in 2016. You'll hear her mention a packet When Shannon and Lauren traveled to the Texas State Capitol, they printed a packet of information for the committee members, including a written statement of support from the Collin County District Attorney and a link to this podcast. The front cover was a collage of all the faces of the victims that had been publicly identified. I can't really show you since this is an audio podcast, but it's a powerful image.
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On the morning of May 14, 2016, Billy Shamirmere knocked on my mother's door. He had stalked her, then murdered her and stole from her. My sweet, trusting mother never would have dreamed that a serial killer was roaming the halls as she trusted in the security that management had promised. Over the next two years, he continued to stalk, smother and steal from 24 known elderly victims. These precious lives would have been saved if SB 1283 was in place.
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Lauren was calm and direct. She walked through each of the bill's three measures and why it would have slowed or stopped Shamir Mir at the communities where he found his victims.
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If my mother and so many others knew that there had been a criminal trespasser on, they would never have opened their door. This is a simple crime watch for residents. Included in your packet is evidence that a property knew of a trespasser and did not share the information with residents. Law enforcement should be allowed access to residents when conducting an investigation. Police were denied access to residents when investigating these homicides. Approving SB 1283 guarantees that seniors will have basic practices when needed to ensure their safety from predators.
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For most of her testimony, Lauren kept her head down, reading from a script she kept in a red folder. At this point, she paused. I could see on the livestream that she took a deep breath and looked directly at the committee chair.
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Envision your mom opening the door and instantly realizing that her life was in grave danger. Thank you.
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Shannon was in the gallery listening when Lauren finished her testimony. The two women met just outside the Senate chamber. Lauren's husband took a photo of what happened next. The two women fell into each other's arms, sobbing quietly. Shannon said, this happens every time. Shannon, Lauren, Cheryl, Mary Jo, Jennings, and other family members of Shamir's victims have all testified to the Texas Legislature over the years. It's been a deeply emotional experience for all of them. Shannon once described it to me as overwhelming. It's like they'd finally been given a voice after all these years. But the hearing wasn't over just yet. After a midday break, the committee heard from additional speakers on the bills. First, a Dallas police lieutenant who was not involved in the investigation into Schmear's crimes gave a brief statement in support of the bill on behalf of the department. Then Carmen Tilton, the vice president for public policy at Tala. The group who has lobbied against SOS's other proposals, told the committee something surprising.
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Good afternoon. My name is Carmen Tilton. I'm the VP of public policy for the Texas Assisted Living association, known as talla. I'm here to testify in support of the committee sub for Senate Bill 1283.
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Tilton had given us a written statement while we were putting together season two, and I read that to you in episode six. It said that TALA would support regulations that balance safety and independence for senior living residents. Seeing how they'd opposed these measures in the past, I wasn't sure what to expect in this legislative session. Tilton explained to the committee that this version was the result of negotiations between Parker's office and her own. She said the bill maintained a careful balance between safety and liberty.
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TALA appreciates that this bill directs senior living communities to have a proactive communications policy with their residents, but that it doesn't push into unnecessary scaremongering. Tallah's members want residents to be cautious and aware that their apartments are not Fort Knox. But at the same time, it is important that residents continue to enjoy their independence. When a resident chooses to move into senior living, safety and community are important considerations. We support resident independence. We maintain privacy. We try to keep people safe. We appreciate this careful approach adopted by the committee set for 1283.
B
Kohlkerst, the committee chair, had a few questions about why the previous bills had failed.
A
Carmen, this bill did not make it to the governor's desk. I think it actually died on this side.
G
Correct.
A
We were talking. I mean, it got over here so, so late, I believe. Am I right?
G
It was an extended stakeholder process, and there was a cause of action that was removed in the House. And it was a lot. Quite a bit of back and forth. And then this bill picked up that. That sort of final step, and that was the starting point for this conversation.
A
So you think there's pretty good unity around this?
G
Yes.
A
Consensus would be the word.
G
Yes.
A
Okay, great. We get a lot of handouts, but the handout that was given with all the pictures of those that died from one serial killer, really just incredible that that could happen in our society. So sad. Thank you. Senate Bill 1283 will be left pending at this time.
B
At the end of the day, the Senate committee left the bill pending for now. That's what happens to most bills when they're first considered in committee hearings. It could die there. Last session, the same committee didn't even schedule the SOSs bill for a hearing. So just getting this far is a big step. Or the bill could be referred to the full Senate for a vote. If it passes there, it would go to the House for the same process. If it does, head to the governor's desk to be signed into law. We'll be back with another update. If you're a Texas resident and want to let your state legislators know what you think about these proposals, you can look up your representative@wrm capital.texas.gov that's WRM for whorepresentsme.capital with an o.texas.gov if you'd like to learn more about SOSS and their legislative efforts, you can go to secure our seniors safety.org and that's a plural seniors. So it's S E C u r e O u r s E N I O R-S-S-A F-T-E-Y.org and I know that's a lot, so we'll put both links in the show.
D
Notes.
B
The Unforgotten is a Free range production. Season 2 Unnatural Causes is created, written, and hosted by me. Check Charlie Scudder. Our producer is Wes Ferguson. Theme song by AJ LeGrand Wes Ferguson is the Executive Producer at Free Range.
Podcast Summary: The Unforgotten, Episode 10 – "The Lawmakers"
Host: Free Range Productions | Date: April 15, 2025
This special bonus episode revisits the aftermath of Season 2 ("Unnatural Causes"), which investigated the worst serial killer case in Dallas history—Billy Chemirmir’s killing spree in luxury senior living communities—and closely follows the tireless efforts by victims' families to push for legislative reforms in Texas. The episode reports from a Texas Senate committee hearing in Austin, where a new bill (SB 1283) is debated, aiming to make sweeping changes to security practices in senior living communities. Emotional testimonies, political roadblocks, and industry influence illustrate the complexities in passing much-needed protections for vulnerable older adults.
Key Quote:
“Thank you for reconvening this morning… When your name is called, please make sure that you are speaking into the microphone as I am doing, as it is very difficult to hear in this beautiful but cavernous chamber.”
– [A, committee chair 00:22]
Notable Quotes:
“You could have knocked me over… I have nightmares of that.”
– Shannon Dion [C, 01:15]
“I just get in the car so I can let out a scream and not scare the dog and just yell just to get it out.”
– Lauren Smith [C, 01:35]
Key Insight:
"When you go down and try to pass legislation, it’s considered a business… we’re not going to put a regulation on a business because it affects our conservative rating."
– Cheryl Pangburn [E, 13:17]
Quote Explaining Political Roadblocks:
“The Texas Conservative Coalition… looks at the business related bills… so it can make it out of committee and… be totally voted down.”
– Cheryl Pangburn [E, 14:59]
Bill Author’s Introduction:
“Between 2016 and 2018, at least two dozen senior women were murdered in Dallas area senior living facilities by serial killer Billy Chemirmir… Lack of sufficient background checks directly led to his ability to access and murder these individuals.”
– Senator Tan Parker [D, 21:56]
AARP Texas: Voiced strong support, emphasizing both the need for resident safety and the bill’s non-intrusive approach to law enforcement collaboration. [F, 26:11]
“These precious lives would have been saved if SB 1283 was in place.”
– Lauren Smith [C, 27:41]
"Envision your mom opening the door and instantly realizing that her life was in grave danger. Thank you."
– Lauren Smith [C, 29:15]
Emotional Moment: After testifying, Lauren and Shannon embrace, illustrating the shared grief and solidarity among victims’ families.
“TALA appreciates that this bill directs senior living communities to have a proactive communications policy… But at the same time, it is important that residents continue to enjoy their independence.”
– Carmen Tilton [G, 31:13]
This episode of The Unforgotten underscores the power—and the limits—of victim advocacy in reshaping law after systemic failure. It powerfully connects listeners to the real-world impact of legislative inaction, the heartbreak of survivors, and the persistent tension between profitability and public safety in American elder care. While SB 1283 faces an uncertain future, its progress marks a measured step toward honoring lives lost and safeguarding those yet at risk. The battle for reforms may be long and complex, but, as this episode shows, that’s exactly why it matters.