11. The Final Vote

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Unforgotten – Episode 11: The Final Vote

Introduction

In Episode 11 of The Unforgotten titled "The Final Vote," hosted by Charlie Scudder from Free Range Productions, listeners are taken through a pivotal moment in the ongoing investigation into the serial killings orchestrated by Billy Tremeremere in Dallas, Texas. This episode focuses on the legislative breakthrough achieved with the passage of Senate Bill 1283, a law aimed at enhancing the safety and security of senior retirement communities in Texas. Released on June 9, 2025, the episode delves into the emotional and procedural journey that led to this significant milestone, highlighting the collaborative efforts of victims' families, legislators, and advocates.

Background

The Unforgotten Season 2, titled "Unnatural Causes," explores the heinous crimes of Billy Tremeremere, dubbed the worst serial killer in Dallas history, who targeted senior citizens in North Texas. His ability to infiltrate senior living communities undetected exposed critical flaws in background checks and security protocols. Prior seasons have detailed the lingering impact of these unresolved murders on the families and the community, setting the stage for legislative action to prevent future tragedies.

The Legislative Journey

Charlie Scudder opens the episode by discussing the legislative landscape in Texas, where over 8,700 bills have been filed in the past five months covering various issues from THC sales to public school funding. However, only about 20% of these bills typically advance to become law. Scudder reflects on the skepticism surrounding the passage of Senate Bill 1283, initially expecting it to falter as similar bills had in previous sessions.

Charlie Scudder [03:00]: "When I recorded the first bonus episode to this podcast in April, I told you about just one of those bills... I expected that bill to be part of the 80% that never made it to the governor's desk."

The Final Vote

The heart of the episode centers on the decisive moment when Senate Bill 1283 was up for debate and voting in the Texas House. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez, a Democratic Representative from northern Dallas County, passionately presents the bill, outlining its necessity to prevent future crimes against seniors by ensuring mandatory background checks and robust security measures in retirement communities.

Cassandra Garcia Hernandez [03:40]: "Senate Bill 1283 enhances the safety and security of our residents of senior retirement communities and would ensure that such an atrocity can never happen again."

Despite a day filled with typical legislative banter and minimal attention, Hernandez's impassioned plea captures the attention of her colleagues, leading to an unprecedented display of bipartisanship. As Hernandez calls for the passage of the bill, the House gallery, including three women who had lost their mothers to Tremeremere, bears witness to this historic vote.

Charlie Scudder [05:14]: "As Garcia Hernandez spoke, more and more representatives, Republicans and Democrats, stood quietly behind her. It was a remarkable and rare moment of bipartisanship in the State Capitol."

The voting process is portrayed with vivid imagery as the House tally board lights up entirely in green, signaling unanimous support.

Charlie Scudder [06:04]: "Senate Bill 1283 has passed the third reading."

Impact and Reactions

Following the successful vote, Charlie Scudder interviews Cheryl Pangburn, Lauren Smith, and Shannon Dion—three women who had previously shared their harrowing experiences with the podcast. Their emotional responses underscore the profound significance of the bill's passage.

Cheryl Pangburn [07:03]: "Holy Charlie. That doesn't happen."

Shannon Dion [08:26]: "We wish you were here to cheer with us with our champagne."

The conversation highlights not only the relief and joy of seeing their fight come to fruition but also the recognition that further efforts are needed to strengthen the legislation.

Cassandra Garcia Hernandez [11:43]: "The bottom line is that it was for our moms and it was an industry that is getting away with too much... It needs to be addressed all over the entire country. So it just started here."

Limitations of the Bill

Despite the monumental achievement, the episode does not shy away from discussing the limitations of SB 1283. While the bill addresses crucial gaps in background checks and security protocols, it acknowledges scenarios where the legislation falls short. For instance, Tremeremere's method of sneaking into facilities through unlocked doors would not have been directly prevented by the new law. Additionally, his ability to commit murders outside these communities, such as at Walmart and private homes, remains unaddressed.

Charlie Scudder [13:00]: "The passage of this law... closes many of the loopholes... But for some of his murders, this particular law would not have stopped him."

This reflection emphasizes the need for continuous improvement and adaptation of laws to cover all facets of such criminal activities.

Future Steps

The episode concludes with discussions about the ongoing efforts to further enhance protective measures for seniors. Shannon Dion mentions plans to refine SB 1283 in future legislative sessions to provide even more comprehensive safeguards.

Cassandra Garcia Hernandez [10:39]: "They're ready to go back next session and do some tweaking to it to give it a little bit more teeth... There's more that we can do."

Furthermore, the involvement of Cheryl Pangburn, who relocated to Georgia but remained committed to the cause, illustrates the widespread impact and the necessity for nationwide reforms.

Cheryl Pangburn [11:43]: "It needs to be addressed all over the entire country."

Conclusion

Episode 11 of The Unforgotten serves as a testament to the power of advocacy, resilience, and collaborative effort in achieving legislative change. The unanimous passage of Senate Bill 1283 marks a significant victory for the families of Tremeremere's victims and sets a precedent for improving the safety of senior living communities. While acknowledging its limitations, the episode underscores the necessity for ongoing vigilance and legislative action to ensure that seniors are protected from such heinous crimes in the future.

Notable Quotes

• Charlie Scudder [03:00]: "I expected that bill to be part of the 80% that never made it to the governor's desk."

• Cassandra Garcia Hernandez [03:40]: "Senate Bill 1283 enhances the safety and security of our residents of senior retirement communities..."

• Cheryl Pangburn [07:03]: "Holy Charlie. That doesn't happen."

• Cassandra Garcia Hernandez [11:43]: "It needs to be addressed all over the entire country."

Key Takeaways

• Legislative Victory: Senate Bill 1283 was unanimously passed in the Texas House, marking a significant step towards enhancing the safety of senior living communities.

• Emotional Impact: The bill's passage holds deep emotional significance for the families of victims, symbolizing justice and closure.

• Ongoing Efforts: Despite the milestone, there is a recognized need for further legislative measures to address all vulnerabilities exploited by serial offenders.

• Advocacy Matters: The episode highlights the crucial role of persistent advocacy and storytelling in driving meaningful change.

Final Thoughts

"The Final Vote" encapsulates a moment of triumph in the fight against systemic failures that allowed serial crimes to go unchecked. Through heartfelt narratives and detailed legislative analysis, The Unforgotten not only recounts past tragedies but also showcases the proactive steps being taken to prevent future ones, offering hope and a blueprint for societal improvement.

Transcript

[Charlie Scudder]

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[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

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[Charlie Scudder]

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[Charlie Scudder]

The past five months, Texas legislators have filed over 8,700 bills. If you follow state politics, you've probably heard of some of them. They tackle big headline grabbing issues like THC sales, abortion, immigration enforcement and public school funding. There's hundreds, thousands of others that haven't made the news, and only about 20% will actually be signed into law. When I recorded the first bonus episode to this podcast in April, I told you about just one of those bills which would be the most significant improvement to senior living security since Billy Shamir Mir's killing spree. I'll be honest, I expected that bill to be part of the 80% that never made it to the governor's desk. Similar bills have failed in the two previous legislative states sessions, and there wasn't a lot to make me think this year would be any different. But I've got news. Big news. I'm Charlie Scudder and this is a special bonus episode of The Unforgotten Season 2 Unnatural Causes Chapter 11 the Final Vote Recognize this? Ms. Garcia Hernandez? This is the Texas House. On May 20th, Senate Bill 1283, the one I told you about, already had passed the Senate unanimously, which is rare enough. Then it made it out of the House Committee on Human Services with a favorable recommendation. Now you're hearing the full House debate. Dozens of bills for what's called the second reading. If it passes here, it will likely become law. Many of the bills are heavily debated at this stage, mostly along party lines.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, please extend me your courtesy of giving me your time, attention and compassion on this bill and the families that are here with us today in the.

[Charlie Scudder]

Gallery high above in the house gallery sat three of the women you've heard from throughout the series. Cheryl Pangburn, whose mother, Marilyn Bixler, was killed at Parkview Frisco, Shannon Dion, whose mother, Doris Gleason, was killed at the Tradition Prestonwood and Lauren Smith, whose mother, Phyllis Payne, was killed at Edgeman. For most of the day, the House Representatives had been paying half attention, making jokes and chit chatting as bills were considered one after another. But the hall fell silent as House Representative Cassandra Garcia Hernandez, a Democrat from northern Dallas county, stood at the front podium to introduce the bill in the.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

2000 and tens through lax security and exploitation of weak protocols in North Texas senior living communities. Over two dozen senior citizens were stalked, robbed and murdered by serial killer Billy Tremeremere. He infiltrated these facilities to prey on his victims. His criminal history should have precluded him from employment at these facilities. These lack of background checks and security procedures contributed to his ability to access and murder these women. Senate Bill 1283 enhances the safety and security of our residents of senior retirement communities and would ensure that such an atrocity can never happen again. The bill establishes clear guidelines for prevention and response to criminal activities by mandatory criminal background checks for employees disclosure whether third party service providers conduct background checks establishment of a resident's safety and communications policy regarding criminal activity. The policy must detail reports made to law enforcement from or within the community reports of criminal trespass and a prohibition on restriction of residents from speaking with law enforcement, social workers, family members or others about safety concerns without fear of retaliation from the retirement community as well as they cannot obstruct law enforcement from conducting voluntary interviews with residents. SB 1283 empowers seniors, provides and promotes greater accountability for retirement community operators and administrators and will ultimately protect the safety and welfare of Texans living in senior retirement communities.

[Charlie Scudder]

As Garcia Hernandez spoke, more and more representatives, Republicans and Democrats, stood quietly behind her. It was a remarkable and rare moment of bipartisanship in the State Capitol.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

And before I move passage, I wanted to recognize Shannon and the group that arose from this tragedy so secure our senior safety, which comprises of family members of the victims from these murders. They're in the gallery with us today. Please stand up. It has been a great honor. It's been a great honor and a pleasure to work with you all and to have your trust on this bill for our seniors. Members, join us in and let's save our seniors. I move passage.

[Charlie Scudder]

Members. The question occurs on passage to third reading of Senate Bill 1283, a record vote has been requested. The clerk will ring the bell when lawmakers vote. In the Texas House, a large board on the wall records the tally. Green lights for yay. Red lights for nay. As the Texas House began casting their votes for SB 1283, the entire board lit up with green lights. Show Ms. Jones of Harris voting aye. Show Mr. Patterson voting aye. Mr. De Ayala voting aye. Have all members voted? Show Ms. Girvin Hawkins voting aye. Have all members voted?

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Oh.

[Charlie Scudder]

Show Ms. Kirk when voting aye. Here we go. There being 128 aye ayes, 128 ayes, zero nays. Senate Bill 1283 has passed the third.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Reading.

[Charlie Scudder]

Just a few minutes after the vote. I called Cheryl, Lauren, and Shannon.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

We're here.

[Charlie Scudder]

All right. Hi.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Hi. So it's Cheryl and Lauren and Shannon.

[Charlie Scudder]

They were already on a rooftop in Austin, drinks in hand.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Was the opening statement. Not powerful.

[Charlie Scudder]

It really was.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

She got him to shut up.

[Charlie Scudder]

Yeah. Especially with all that.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

It was unanimous.

[Charlie Scudder]

Yeah.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Holy Charlie. That doesn't happen.

[Charlie Scudder]

Yeah. That's. I mean, in both houses.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

In both houses. Yeah. You know, murdered grandmoms will do it.

[Charlie Scudder]

Jesus Christ.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

If you can't agree on murdered grandmoms, what can you agree on?

[Charlie Scudder]

Why do you think this was different? I keep going through my head of, like, what made this.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

I'll tell you what I think when we. We walked down the stairs, and it was Republican Jared Patterson and Democrat. Yeah. Cassandra Hernandez Garcia. But Jared said. He's like. That's what I told you. It just takes a minute to catch fire. By the third time that we show up, people are listening. We've been back. We went back for a third time.

[Charlie Scudder]

How does it feel?

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Oh, my God. We wish you were here to cheer with us with our champagne. Yeah.

[Charlie Scudder]

Like, it's really. It's. I'm getting a little emotional. It's really incredible that after so much and so much pushing and so much, like, almost. I never would believe the day kind of thing.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Charlie. Wow. Charlie, you have been there through the whole journey from the very beginning. Thank you. From the very, very, very beginning. So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. You're part of the family.

[Charlie Scudder]

I'm just. I'm just telling the story well. But.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Yeah, but you got emotionally connected way back in the beginning.

[Charlie Scudder]

Sure did.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

So you're doing your job, but you also are invested in a different way than most.

[Charlie Scudder]

I talked a lot in season two of this podcast about how this case has impacted me over the years. That's not very Comfortable for me. I'm a journalist, so I'm not used to talking about myself. It's what other people say and do that's interesting. Not me. It's also hard for me to take credit for things that happen, good or bad, as a result of my work. Of course I want my work to have impact, but how do you measure that? Would this bill have passed without me? Probably. But did this podcast help inform more people about the case and why it matters? I hope so. I know.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

I think in the moment we were all so much more overwhelmed than I think we thought we would be. We all got so emotional. Now we're celebrating, but in the moment, it was. It was overwhelming. It was overwhelming. It was so powerful to just look down. We heard our mother's voice, our mother's name on the house. On the house.

[Charlie Scudder]

House.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Yeah. They had been all chatty, not always paying great attention on some of the others. And it just got it's almost reverence. It was reverent, like. But no, to watch the board, like, light up with all of the. Yay that. It was like, it was amazing. I don't think we ever thought we'd see the day.

[Charlie Scudder]

Yeah, we didn't.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

We weren't gonna believe it. None of us wanted to believe it until we actually saw it for ourselves. The other thing that was cool is that they're not done, like Cassie's office, like, they're not done with this bill. Like they're ready to go back next session and do some tweaking to it to give it a little bit more teeth. Like they've got a cause now. You.

[Charlie Scudder]

Yeah, I was gonna ask that, like, what's, what's next?

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

We, we thought, we thought we were gonna kind of be done because we didn't. We. We were just happy to get this far. They were like, oh, no, no, no, no. And Shannon will have to tell you because Cassie was directly talking to her. Like, no, you're not done. Shannon, you. You, you are a great advocate. You're so good at it. And there are, there's more that we can do is basically what they were telling her. Yeah, they're like, next session you're going to be back. We have people working with us.

[Charlie Scudder]

You may remember that Cheryl had moved to Georgia recently, meaning she flew in for this vote. I asked her why she had stayed so invested even though she now lives out of state.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

The bottom line is that it was for our moms and it was an industry that is getting away with too much. And we, it doesn't matter where I live. It's. It needs to be addressed all over the entire country. So it just started here. It's a problem everywhere.

[Charlie Scudder]

Yeah.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

So yeah, I'd do it again, you know. And it's funny because, yeah, they were like, yeah, we might be calling y' all back next session. We're kind of speechless right now. You know, it's just, it's amazing years, you know. You have it too.

[Charlie Scudder]

Yeah.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

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[Charlie Scudder]

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[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

If my mother and so many others knew that there had been a criminal trespasser, they would never have opened their door. This is a simple crime watch for residents.

[Charlie Scudder]

What about Shimirmer's other victims like those he found at Walmart and followed to their private homes? Like Mary Sue Brooks and Luti Kim Harris? Or Carolyn McPhee who he met while legitimately working as an in home caregiver for her dying husband. A major part of why those murders went unidentified was because of investigative assumptions about the age of the victims. Remember, here's Brandon Garrett, the Duke University expert in forensic science who told us how these so called false negative mistakes can leave killers unidentified. False negatives have enormous consequences too. And in many of these fields there's evidence that false negatives may happen just as often or even more often. And it was sort of widely ignored because, well, that doesn't matter in real life, but of course it matters enormously in real life. It matters to public safety. False negatives are also of enormous consequence and have become more high profile in medical death area. So often when it's a police involved killing, that medical examiner suggests that there might be other explanations or natural causes. This case highlights that these issues may be far more common than appreciated in cases that might never have attracted public attention had there not been this serial killer that was sort of caught in the act of one of the killings. But it sounds like this is the kind of thing that would have gone unnoticed for years had it not been for happenstance. It suggests that also when you have sort of more vulnerable, less privileged people here, it's elderly people who aren't a priority in society, that they may suffer the most from these kinds of false negatives. I called Robert McPhee a few days after the bill passed the house. Remember, his mother Carolyn McPhee hired an in home care company to care for her husband. That company had contracted Billy Shamirmere under the name Benjamin Coitaba. A few months after her husband died, Shamirmere came back to the home and murdered Carolyn. Later the family found out that the in home care company never did a background check on Coydaba Shamirmer. Well, yeah, so I'm doing a bonus episode of the podcast with this law passing. What was your reaction when you heard it passed?

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

I thought it was fantastic. Yeah, it's, it's amazing that, you know, these idiots in Austin can't do it the first time.

[Charlie Scudder]

I was gonna say it kind of surprised me honestly, because of the, I guess struggle it's been the last couple times that it went through unanimously.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Yeah, it makes absolutely no sense but. Well, you know, you're talking government.

[Charlie Scudder]

Sure.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

You know. Yeah, it was, it was a surprise. Great surprise. Now we just have to get it. Next one is law doing background checks for in home health care because there's no. No, nobody requires anything. They say they do it, but they don't. Obviously, you know that.

[Charlie Scudder]

Robert says he wants to see more regulations on in home caregivers. After the bill passed unanimously in the house and the senate, legislators have told SOSS board members like Robert that they want to continue working on this issue in future sessions.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

There has to be, there has to be consequences and penalties like stiff penalties, you know, huge fines. Take, you know, close the business, shut the business down or franchise if it's, you know, really huge, you know, like murder, you know, there should be somebody, you know, possible jail time. There has to be some huge things or somebody goes, you know what? I don't want to risk, you know, $500,000 fine. I'm just happy that stuff is going the, the right way where we can get, you know, regulations in place to keep, you know, the future people safe. It's too bad that it had to get to this for a bill to pass that should have been there the entire time.

[Charlie Scudder]

The morning after the bill passed the House on second reading, it was read a third and final time, a final stamp of approval. Again, it passed unanimously. But because the governor did not veto it before a 10 day deadline last week, it will officially be law in the state of Texas. It is set to go into effect September 1st. Shannon texted me a few minutes later. We're going to build on this, she said. If and when they do, we'll be back. Until then, the Unforgotten is a free range production. Season 2 Unnatural Causes is created, written and hosted by me, Charlie Scudder. Our producer is Wes Ferguson. Theme song by Ha LeGrand Wes Ferguson is the executive producer at Free range.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

Use of flavored tobacco by teens is a crisis. Tobacco companies use flavors like cotton candy.

[Charlie Scudder]

Watermelon ice, and cool mint to hook kids like me. They seem harmless, but they aren't. Addiction to nicotine sets us up for a lifetime of health problems. Organ legislators can do something about it. Passing Senate Bill 702A will keep flavored tobacco away from kids.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

But there are just few short weeks left for lawmakers to act. Take action to protect kids like me.

[Charlie Scudder]

At flavors hook, OR kids.org paid for.

[Cassandra Garcia Hernandez]

By the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Action Fund.