The Texarkana Moonlight Murders

In the spring of 1946, a series of violent crimes unfolded under the cloak of night in Texarkana—a city straddling the border between Texas and Arkansas. Dubbed by the press as the *Texarkana Moonlight Murders*, these crimes involved attacks on young couples in isolated areas, leaving five people dead and several more injured over a span of just ten weeks. The perpetrator came to be known as the *Phantom Killer* or *Phantom Slayer*, an enigmatic figure who vanished as suddenly as he had appeared. The case ignited widespread panic and remains one of the most haunting unsolved mysteries in American criminal history.

The first known attack occurred on February 22, 1946. Jimmy Hollis, age 25, and Mary Jeanne Larey, age 19, parked along a secluded road after a movie date. A masked assailant approached with a flashlight, forced them from their car, and assaulted them—Hollis suffered a fractured skull, and Larey endured a horrifying assault with the barrel of the attacker's firearm. Both survived. Although local rumor at the time suggested the attack included a sexual assault, contemporary sources have since disputed those claims. Just weeks later, on April 14, another tragedy struck. Paul Martin (16) and Betty Jo Booker (15) were brutally murdered—Martin with four gunshot wounds and Booker with two—both delivered with a.32 caliber Colt semi-automatic pistol matching the weapon used in the earlier double homicide. The brutal slayings of two respected teenagers shook the small community, prompting deep public alarm and ushering in a wave of protective vigilance. The series culminated on May 3, when Virgil Starks, 37, and his wife Katie, 36, were attacked inside their farmhouse northeast of Texarkana. Virgil was shot twice in the back of the head while reading a newspaper. Katie, answering the phone, was shot in the face, but survived and fled to seek help, going barefoot across the road while wounded.

- February 22, 1946: **Hollis–Larey attack** on lovers' lane—both survive. - March 24, 1946: **Griffin–Moore murders**—Richard Griffin (29) and Polly Ann Moore (17) found shot to death in Griffin’s car; evidence suggested the killings occurred outside the vehicle. - April 14, 1946: **Martin–Booker double homicide**—Paul Martin and Betty Jo Booker murdered, same weapon used as in March. - May 3, 1946: **Starks farmhouse attack**—Virgil Starks killed; his wife Katie wounded but survives and flees for help. These crimes unfolded with a chilling regularity over approximately ten weeks, each occurring on weekend nights and suggesting a singular, serial killer at work.

The investigation rapidly expanded into a multi-jurisdictional effort, involving city police departments, county sheriffs, the Texas Rangers, and the FBI. Investigators included prominent figures such as Bowie County Sheriff William Hardy “Bill” Presley, Texarkana Police Chief Jack Runnels, Miller County Sheriff W.E. Davis, Arkansas State Police Detective Max Andrew Tackett, Deputy Tillman Byron Johnson, and Texas Rangers Captain Manuel T. Gonzaullas. Officers attempted inventive tactics—using decoy couples in vehicles, patrolling dark roads, and even deploying undercover decoys—and followed hundreds of leads while interrogating over 200 individuals. As the murders continued, public panic intensified. Communities implemented curfews, purchased locks, safeguards, and firearms in a frenzy of fear, and law enforcement even resorted to using sirens and lights to announce their presence when responding to calls in case frightened residents might mistake them for the Phantom.

Ballistics evidence tied the.32 caliber Colt pistol used in the Martin–Booker murders to the earlier Griffin–Moore case, strengthening the theory of a single, repeat attacker. In the Starks case, though a.22 caliber firearm was used, similar tire tracks and circumstances led investigators to treat it as connected to the other crimes. Descriptions from Hollis and Larey portrayed a man about six feet tall wearing a white mask—roughly a pillowcase with eyeholes. Hollis assumed the attacker was a light-skinned white man under 30; Larey believed him to be a light-skinned African American. No consistent description emerged from the later attacks, leaving uncertainty about whether a single individual was responsible, though investigators leaned toward that conclusion. Numerous rumors and false leads complicated the case. Some alleged the killer had already been caught or was even in local jail—claims investigators publicly denounced as harmful to the investigation. Numerous false confessions surfaced; nine people confessed but lacked consistency with known facts.

Despite extensive investigation, the case remained unsolved. The primary suspect emerged as Youell Swinney, a career criminal known for car theft and forgery. Swinney was apprehended on unrelated charges, and his wife Peggy Swinney provided a confession implicating him in the Phantom murders, including details such as the location of victims’ possessions. However, Peggy recanted, and prosecutors deemed her unreliable—a decision solidified by her refusal to testify. With no witness cooperation and only circumstantial evidence, no murder charges were ever filed against Youell Swinney. Instead, he was convicted as a habitual offender for unrelated crimes and sent to prison. Later retrospectives—including the 2014 book *The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders* by James Presley, nephew of Sheriff Presley—argue that Swinney was indeed the Phantom. But as of today, no formal conviction ever materialized.

Though historical records are sparse on personal accounts from the victims’ families, the community’s reaction stands out. The murder of two popular teenagers—especially high school junior and sorority member Betty Jo Booker, celebrated for her musical and literary accomplishments—shattered the sense of safety in Texarkana. Schools closed early so that hundreds could attend the funerals. The terror unleashed by the attacks echoed beyond Texarkana. Citizens installed window bars, armed themselves, and vigilante behavior proliferated. Some youths even patrolled roads hoping to spot the killer, prompting Texas Ranger Gonzaullas to publicly warn that amateur sleuthing could be fatal.

The Texarkana Moonlight Murders remain a wrenching glimpse into how a serial predator can terrorize a tight-knit community. Over the course of ten weeks in 1946, the Phantom enacted a deadly pattern—starting with assaults, escalating to murders, culminating in the horror at the Starks home. Despite tireless efforts by law enforcement across multiple agencies and decades of speculation and suspicion, the case remains officially unsolved. Legal and ethical constraints prevented the sole serious suspect, Youell Swinney, from being held accountable for these crimes. Though circumstantial evidence and his wife’s later testimony point in his direction, the law requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt—and that proof was never achieved. For victims and survivors, the impact was profound, disrupting social trust and altering daily life in Texarkana. Nearly eight decades later, the memory of that fear endures—preserved in books, film, and local lore. Perhaps the most enduring legacy of the Phantom Killer is the unsettling reminder that sometimes, evil can slip back into the shadows without resolution, forever altering the peace of a town. In revisiting the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, we confront not just a criminal tragedy, but a community’s fractured psyche, the limits of justice, and the unsettling permanence of uncertainty.