The Phantom Killer, The Phantom Slayer, or simply The Phantom. These were the names given to an individual, presumably a man, who terrorized the southern town of Texarkana in the winter and spring of 1946.
The town of Texarkana straddles the border of both Texas and Arkansas, earning its name that way. The federal building sits directly in the middle, right on the border, making it the only federal building in the United States to be part of two states.
Each side has their own law enforcement jurisdiction, Sheriff’s departments, police forces, and county jurisdictions, making law enforcement an intricate dance of communication, and ensuring toes aren’t stepped on. Despite these differences, each side shared utilities and industry – it was not, and still is not, uncommon to reside in Texas, but work in Arkansas.
The town was also known locally as Little Chicago, as the rail line that ran through the town was used profusely during the prohibition era to smuggle bootleg alcohol to and fro. Following the end of WWII, the town became an idyllic conception of post-war rebuilding – families were reunited, and neighbours rejoiced.
The community was tight knit and very trusting. The community often left their doors unlocked, and their windows wide open. They couldn’t imagine anything worse happening to them than the war.
Then the winter of 1946 happened.
On Friday, February 22nd, 1946, 25-year-old Jimmy Hollis was parking with this girlfriend, 19-year-old Mary Jeanne Larey. They’d seen a movie with friends earlier in the evening, and weren’t quite ready to end the night.
Around 11:55 PM, a man approached their parked car. He wore a hood over his head, described as a pillowcase with eye holes cut out of it. He approached the driver’s side of the car, shining a flashlight into their faces. The man then told Jimmy: “I don’t want to kill you, fellow, so do what I say.”
The man then ordered the couple out of the car through the driver’s side, where he ordered Jimmy to take off his pants. After Jimmy did as he was told, the man hit him in the head twice with a pistol. When Mary Jeanne initially heard the sound, it was so loud she assumed that Jimmy had been shot. What she actually heard was his skull fracturing in three places.
Mary Jeanne then showed the man Jimmy’s wallet, imploring with him to take it, believing that they were being robbed. She was then struck with a blunt object for her trouble, sending her to the ground. The man then ordered her to get up, and to run. When she began running towards the ditch, the man ordered her to run in a different direction, towards the road.
Mary Jeanne did as she was told. Along the road, she came across a parked car. She stopped to check it out, but saw that it was empty. In her panic, it never occurred to Mary Jeanne that the car may have belonged to her attacker. By this time, the man had caught up with her, and asked her why she was running.
When Mary Jeanne answered that he had told her to, this seemed to anger the man. He then knocked her to the ground, calling her a liar. While on the ground, the man sexually assaulted Mary Jeanne with the barrel of his gun.
Afterwards, Mary Jeanne fled on foot. She attempted to call out to a car that was passing by a house, but the car ignored her. As she approached the house, she managed to wake up the residents, who called the police.
As Mary Jeanne was being attacked, Jimmy had regained consciousness. He flagged down a passing car, hoping to catch a ride in order to call the police. The driver of the car wouldn’t let him in – Jimmy was filthy, bleeding, and pantsless. The driver did end up driving to a nearby funeral home, where he proceeded to call the police.
Roughly half an hour after the initial call was place by Mary Jeanne, Sheriff W. H. “Bill” Presley arrived at the scene with three other officers. By this time, the attacker had fled. Police found Jimmy’s pants roughly 100 yards away from his car.
The couple were taken to hospital, where Mary Jeanne stayed overnight, while Jimmy would stay for several days in order to recover from a fractured skull. The couple’s credibility was called into question during the investigation, as they each gave differing accounts of what the attacker looked like.
While Mary Jeanne believed that the man was Black, Jimmy believed the man was white, and around 30 years of age. Both Mary Jeanne and Jimmy conceded that it was difficult for them to see any distinguishing features as they were blinded by the the flashlight shining in their eyes. However, they both agreed that the man was undeniably around six feet tall, or 180 cm.
The police were incredulous in regards to their statements. While Jimmy seemed credible, they believed that Mary Jeanne knew the identity of the man who attacked them, and was protecting him. This claim was never substantiated.
On March 24th, 1946, between 8:30 AM and 9:00 AM, 29-year-old Richard L. Griffith’s Oldsmobile was spotted by a passing car. The driver called the police, finding the lone car suspicious. The driver had seen people inside the car, but merely thought they were asleep.
When police arrived, they found Richard on his between between the front seats, his head resting on his crossed hands, and his pockets turned inside out. His companion, 17-year-old Polly Ann Moore was found face-down in the backseat. Evidence at the scene concluded that Polly Ann had been killed on a blanket outside of the car, and then later placed int he backseat. Richard had been killed in the car.
The couple were fully clothed, and both had been shot in the back of the head. A .32 cartridge shell was found at the scene, wrapped in a blanket. It was theorized that it had come from a Colt rifle.
In response to the murders, police launched an investigation with the assistance of the Texas and Arkansas city police forces, the sheriff’s departments of each county – Miller and Cass County – and the FBI. They would work in conjunction with each other for the majority of the investigation.
By March 27th, 1946, nearly fifty to sixty witnesses had been interviewed by the investigators. A few days later, on March 30th, police posted a $500 reward. They were hoping that the reward would be enough incentive for members of the community to come forward with information, and help in identifying the killer. Instead, the reward incentivized hundreds of false leads.
On Saturday, April 13th, 1946, 15-year-old Betty Jo Booker was playing alto saxophone with her band, The Rythmaires, at the local VFW Club. At around 1:30 AM Sunday morning, the set wrapped up at its usual time, and Betty Jo was ready to go home. Her friend Paul Martin, 17, picked her up in his car, and her bandmates watched them leave. This was the last time they were seen alive.
At 6:30 AM, five hours later, Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Weaver, along with their son, found a body lying on its left side along North Park Road. When police arrived, the body was identified as that of Paul Martin. They found blood further down the other side of the road, near a fence, and that Paul had been shot four times.
Two miles down the road, or 3.2 km, the body of Betty Jo was found at around 11:30 AM. A search party had been formed when police heard that Paul had picked Betty Jo up from her gig in the early hours of the morning. She was found by members of the Boyd family, and their friend Ted Schoeppey. Betty Jo was found fully clothed, her right hand in the pocket of her buttoned up overcoat, and shot twice.
The weapon used to kill Betty Jo and Paul was found to be the same weapon used to kill Richard and Polly Ann. Sheriff Presley, along with Texas Ranger Captain Manuel Gonzaullas, determined that Paul and Betty Jo had put up a fight before they were murdered.
Three miles, or 4.8 km, police found Paul’s car. It was parked just outside of Spring Lake Park, with the keys still inside. However, they were unable to locate Betty Jo’s saxophone. It wouldn’t be found until October 24th, in the underbrush near where her body was found.
A reward fund had been collected for $1,700 for information leading to the identify of the killer, or killers, or Richard, Polly Ann, Betty Jo, and Paul.
On April 16th, 1946, the Texarkana Daily News rand the headline: “Phantom Killer Eludes Officers as Investigation of Slaying Pressed. A day later, the Texarkana Gazette ran a story titled: “Phantom Slayer Still at Large as Probe Continues”. From then on, the title ‘The Phantom’ stuck, marking the town of Texarkana.
On Friday, May 3rd, 37-year-old Virgil Starks was at his ranch-style house, located roughly 10 miles, or 16 km, northeast of Texarkana, on the Arkansas side. He sat in his armchair around 9:00 PM, turned on his favourite radio show on the wireless, and began reading the paper.
In the next room over, preparing for bed, Virgil’s wife, 36-year-old Katie Starks asked her husband to turn down the radio, thinking she’d heard something in the backyard. Mere seconds later, two shots were fired through the window, into Virgil’s head. Katie thought Virgil had dropped something, and went to investigate.
As she entered the living room, Katie saw Virgil slump in his chair, bleeding. She went to her husband, lifting his head. Then, she realized that he was dead, and ran to the phone to call the police.
When she reached the wall-crank phone, she managed to ring it twice before being shot twice in the face through the same window. One bullet went through her right cheek, exiting behind her left ear, while the other went in below her lip, breaking her jaw. Katie dropped to her knees, but quickly got back up and ran to get a pistol. She found it difficult to navigate, as she was blinded by her own blood.
As she was searching for the pistol, she saw her husband’s killer trying to ender the house through a loose screen on the porch. Katie stumbled through the house, as she heard the killer round the back of the house, and try to get in through the kitchen window. Leading him astray, Katie wound a trail through the house, leaving what has been described as a “virtual river of blood” in her wake.
Katie made it out the front door, eluding the killer, and ran, barefoot and blood-soaked, across the road to her sister and brother-in-law’s house. She banged on the door, but no one was home. She ran 50 yards down the road, to the home of A. V. Prater, who answered the door. As he took Katie in, she gasped: “Virgil’s dead”, then collapsed.
Prater fired a rifle in the air, calling attention to another neighbour Elmer Taylor. Prater asked Taylor to fetch his car so that the two may take Katie to Michael Meagher Hospital – now the Miller County Health Unit.
At hopsital, Katie was questioned by Miller County Sheriff W. E. Davis, but could scarcely tell him anything. She’d been blinded by blood, and could barely describe the man who’d shot her except to say that he was tall.
As word got around about the attack, blockades were set at various points along the road, trying to catch the killer before he escaped. Sheriff Davis called in various officers, including two FBI agents, Captain Gonzaullas, Arkansas State Police Officers Charley Boyd and Max Tackett, Sheriff Presley and his deputies, Sheriff Jim Sanderson from Little River County, Arkansas State Police, and other law enforcement officers to assist in the investigation.
As investigators took in the scene, they found three clues: The first was that the bullets used in the attack were .22 caliber bullets; the second was the flashlight that was found in the hedge under the window the killer shot from, and; the third were bloody prints found around the house, including shoe-prints on the kitchen floor, and smudged fingerprints all over the house.
Early the following morning, bloodhounds were brought into the house in order to chase the trail of the killer. The bloodhounds found two trails, leading to the highway, before the scent was lost.
Twelve people were detained for questioning, though none of them panned out. The flashlight was sent to Washington, D.C by the FBI for further investigation.
Despite the difference in type of attack, and caliber of bullet used, it was universally accepted by the community that the attack on the Stark family was the work of the Phantom.
After the attack on the Stark family, the reward fund was up to $7,025 for information leading to the identification and apprehension of the elusive killer.
On Thursday, May 9th, 1946, Sheriff Davis was informed that the flashlight contained no fingerprints, though it was in perfect working order. It was as though the killer had wiped it down prior to inserting the batteries, and knew to wore gloves when handling it.
By May 19th, rumours were running rampant through the community. Many believed that the Phantom had been caught, while others were naming various people as the killer. Sheriff Presley implored with the community to refrain from doing so, as innocent people were being accused without reason.
The false accusations were a result of sheer panic. Texarkana was a town accustomed to leaving their doors unlocked, and their windows open. But now, they had a killer in their midst; a killer who had yet to be caught.
Residents were arming themselves, obtaining guard dogs, placing bars on their windows. Homes were shutting themselves up tight, and businesses were closing early. A curfew was put in place, which was adhered to willingly. Fear that the Phantom could strike at any moment gripped the community.
Despite this, some kids would try to do what the police were doing – parking, armed, with dolls of manequins to lure the killer out. At no point did the Phantom take the bait.
The Phantom was described as attacking young couples, using a .32 caliber bullet, and that he attacked during the weekend, three weeks apart, and always late at night.
(Again, the Stark attack does not quite fit this pattern, but it is still considered the work of the Phantom.)
A psychologist from the Federal Correctional Institution in Texarkana, Dr. Anthony Lapalla, profiled the killer, long before profiling became a mainstream investigative tool. Dr. Lapalla firmly believed that the same man was responsible for all the attacks, and that he had changed his method of attack when he attacked the Starks. He also believed that the killer would strike again in the same manner – going after a secluded home on the outskirts of town.
Dr. Lapalla went on to state that the man would be between his mid-30s and 50s, and motivated by sadism, and a strong sex drive. He further theorized that the kind of person who could commit such crimes was “intelligent, clever, shrewd, and often not apprehended”. He went on to state: “This man is extremely dangerous. He works alone and no one knows what hs is doing because he tells no one.”
Through the course of the investigation, almost 400 suspects were arrested, and ultimately let go.
One such suspect was a 30-year-old man who walked into a music store on a Thursday ain late April, before the Stark attack. The man asked the salesperson if the store wanted to buy a saxophone. The sales clerk informed the man that she would need to speak to her manager. The man seemed nervous, and when the manager appeared, the man took off. The store manager proceeded to call the police.
Two days later, the man was arrested at a waterfront hotel. He had just purchased a .45 caliber revolver from a pawn shop. He was identified by the sales clerk as the man who had come in to sell a saxophone, though none was found in his possession. However, the police did find bloody clothes in his hotel room.
The man claimed that the clothes were his, and they’d gotten bloody as the result of a bar brawl. By Friday, May 3rd, the man was released, having been completely eliminated. His bar brawl story thoroughly checked out.
Arkansas State Police officer Max Tackett was investigating a stolen car on the night of one of the murders. He also found that a previously stolen car had been abandoned.
By Friday, June 28th, 1946, Officer Tackett found yet another car that had been reported stolen. Tackett staked out the car, hoping to apprehend any person who returned for the car. He soon arrested 21-year-old Peggy Swinney, a newlywed who told police that her husband was in Atlanta, Texas, who was there to sell another stolen car.
That man was soon apprehended by Atlanta chief of police Homer Carter for trying to sell a stolen car to one of the community’s citizens.
In July, Tackett, with the cooperation of the citizen who nearly purchased the stolen car, walked into the Arkansas Motor Coach bus station, where a man saw the citizen, and ran out the back of the building. Tackett gave chase, and caught up to the runner on the fire escape. Tackett then apprehended Youell Swinney.
With both Swinneys in custody, Youell apparently made incriminating statements about being a murderer, while Peggy confessed in detail that her husband was the Phantom. However, across several confessions, Peggy’s story changed. It was believed that she was protecting herself, and changing details with every telling to avoid incriminating herself.
However, investigators were able to locate the possessions of one of the victims in a location that Peggy described as her husband had described it to her, lending credence to the claim that Youell Swinney was, in fact, the Phantom. However, these details were circumstantial at best.
Youell Swinney, as described by James Presley in his book The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders, was afraid of going to trial for the murders, and thus being sentenced to death. As a result, he pleaded no contest to a sentence as an habitual offender, despite such cases requiring a jury. Youell Swinney was imprisoned from 1947 to 1973.
Youell Swinney died in 1994. There has been no evidence to prove, without a reasonable doubt, that he was the Phantom.
The investigation continued, but as the months wore on with no leads, the community relaxed, the Texas Rangers went back home, and law enforcement relaxed the curfew. Many law enforcement officers believed that their man was behind bars. Many thought the Phantom was still out there.
On November 5th, 1948, Henry Booker “Doodie” Tennison was found dead in bed at his home in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Police discovered that two days earlier, Tennison had bought cyanide of mercury, claiming to be using it for rat poison.
On his desk, police found a lockbox, which they forced open. A note at the bottom of the box was written by Tennison, allegedly confessing to the Texarkana murders. An investigation was immediately launched with urgency. Tennison’s fingerprints were taken in order to match them to fingerprints found at the scenes of the Texarkana murders.
Many friends and family members came forward to quash the notion that Tennison may be the murderer. For one, Tennison didn’t know anything about guns, let alone how to shoot one. For another, he would not have been able to drive a car, as he wasn’t taught to drive until 1947.
On November 9th, 1948, Sheriff Presley was notified that Tennison’s prints did not match those found at the murder scenes. For that matter, neither did Youell Swinney’s.
As time wore on, tales of the Phantom turned from warning, to folklore. It’s believed that the “Hookman” urban legend – the one that states a man for a hook for a hand targets young couples parked along lovers’ lanes – was inspired by the Texarkana murders – later dubbed the Texarkana Moonlight Murders.
The film The town That Dreaded Sundown was also based on the investigation into the murders – though very loosely. For years, the town would show the movie in October, near Halloween, as part of their “Movies in the Park” event.
The Phantom remains the stuff of legend – inspiring many works of fiction and non-fiction alike. For 75 years, his identity has remained a mystery, though many believe that the right man was caught, and imprisoned, in 1947.
— — —
Like what you’re reading? Follow me on Twitter or Facebook for all the latest updates!
Sources:
Texarkana Murder Mystery – Prudence Mackintosh – Texas Monthly
The Creepy Truth About the Texarkana Murder Mystery – Cody Copeland – Grunge
Some Light Reading About The Texarkana Moonlight Murders – Chrissy Stockton – Thought Catalog
FBI Releases Phantom Killer Archive – Karl Richter – Texarkana Gazette
The Texarkana Moonlight Murders – Emily Thompson – Morbidology
The Dark Histories Podcast – Phantom: The Texarkana Moonlight Murders
Texarkana Moonlight Murders Wikipedia page