Active case
Texarkana Moonlight Murders
Between February 22 and May 3, 1946, a series of violent attacks on young couples near Texarkana, Texas and Arkansas were attributed by contemporary press to an unidentified assailant nicknamed the "Phantom Killer," "Phantom of Texarkana," or "Phantom Slayer." Investigators attributed eight attacks, five of them fatal, to this hypothetical single perpetrator over a ten-week period, though the connection between the first and final attacks was later disputed by some officials.
The first attack occurred February 22, when Jimmy Hollis and Mary Jeanne Larey were assaulted at a lovers' lane outside Texarkana, Texas, by a masked man who beat Hollis and sexually assaulted Larey with a gun barrel; both survived. On March 24, Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore were found shot to death in Griffin's car at another lovers' lane. On April 14, Paul Martin and Betty Jo Booker were found shot dead in separate wooded locations after Martin picked Booker up from a musical performance; ballistics tied the same .32 caliber pistol to both double-murders. On May 3, Virgil Starks was shot to death through a window at his farmhouse, and his wife Katie Starks was wounded but survived after fleeing to a neighbor's home.
Investigations spanned city, county, state, and federal law enforcement, including the Bowie County Sheriff's Office, Texarkana Police, Miller County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas State Police, Texas Rangers, and the FBI. Nearly 400 suspects were investigated over the course of the inquiry, including a German prisoner of war on the run, an unknown armed hitchhiker, a man attempting to sell a saxophone matching Booker's missing instrument, and a University of Arkansas student, Henry Booker "Doodie" Tennison, who left a suicide note in 1948 confessing to three of the murders but for whom no corroborating evidence was found.
The most substantial suspect identified was Youell Swinney, a 29-year-old car thief and counterfeiter arrested in July 1946 by Arkansas State Police investigator Max Tackett during a car-theft inquiry. Swinney's wife, Peggy, gave a detailed confession implicating her husband in the Martin-Booker killings, and some details were independently corroborated by police; however, she later recanted and could not be compelled to testify against her husband under law at the time. Investigators could not otherwise tie Swinney conclusively to the murders — records showed the couple sleeping in their car near San Antonio on the night of the Martin-Booker killings — and prosecutors decided against pursuing murder charges. Swinney was instead tried and imprisoned as a habitual offender on the car-theft charges. Two lead investigators reportedly believed Swinney was guilty, and a 2014 book by James Presley, nephew of Sheriff William Hardy "Bill" Presley, concluded that Swinney was the culprit, though this remains a published theory rather than a legal adjudication.
The murders caused significant public panic in Texarkana throughout the summer of 1946, prompting residents to arm themselves, install new locks, and observe curfews. No one was ever formally charged with any of the murders, and the case remains officially unsolved. The events later inspired the 1976 film "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" and its 2014 remake, among other media.
Key facts
- Victims
- Virgil Starks, Paul Martin, Jimmy Hollis, Richard Griffin, Katie Starks, Mary Jeanne Larey, Betty Jo Booker, Polly Ann Moore
- Date
- 1940s
- Location
- Texarkana, Texas/Arkansas border region
- Case status
- unsolved
Case timeline
1946-02-22
Jimmy Hollis and Mary Jeanne Larey are attacked at a lovers' lane outside Texarkana, Texas; both survive.
1946-03-24
Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore are found shot to death in Griffin's car at a lovers' lane in Bowie County, Texas.
1946-04-14
Paul Martin and Betty Jo Booker are found shot dead in separate wooded locations near Texarkana after Martin picked Booker up from a musical performance.
1946-05-03
Virgil Starks is shot to death and his wife Katie Starks is wounded at their farmhouse near Texarkana, Arkansas.
1946-07
Youell Swinney is arrested by Arkansas State Police investigator Max Tackett during a car-theft investigation; his wife Peggy later confesses implicating him in the murders.
1948-10-24
Betty Jo Booker's missing saxophone is located in underbrush near where her body had been found.
1948-11-04
Henry Booker "Doodie" Tennison dies by suicide, leaving a note confessing to the Booker, Martin, and Starks murders; no corroborating evidence is found.
1948-11
By this time, authorities no longer consider the Starks murder connected to the two double-murders.
2014
James Presley publishes 'The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders,' concluding Swinney was the culprit.
Best coverage
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People
Youell Swinney
CHARGEDPrime suspect linked to the murders via his wife's statements and circumstantial evidence; never charged with murder after his wife refused to testify, but was tried and imprisoned on separate habitual-offender car-theft charges.
Tillman Byron Johnson
LAW ENFORCEMENTMiller County sheriff's deputy and leading investigator on the case.
William Hardy "Bill" Presley
LAW ENFORCEMENTBowie County sheriff and first lawman on the scene of the first three attacks.
Max Andrew Tackett
LAW ENFORCEMENTArkansas State Police detective, first on the scene of the Starks attack and the arresting officer of lead suspect Youell Swinney.
Virgil Starks
VICTIMShot to death in his farmhouse on May 3, 1946.
Paul Martin
VICTIMFound shot to death on April 14, 1946, after picking up Betty Jo Booker.
Jimmy Hollis
VICTIMSurvived being beaten by an assailant at a lovers' lane on February 22, 1946.
W. E. Davis
LAW ENFORCEMENTMiller County Sheriff who headed the investigation of the Starks murder.
Richard Griffin
VICTIMFound shot to death in his car on March 24, 1946.
Katie Starks
VICTIMWounded by gunfire on May 3, 1946, but survived by fleeing to a neighbor's home.
Manuel T. Gonzaullas
LAW ENFORCEMENTTexas Ranger captain who became the public face of the investigation.
Mary Jeanne Larey
VICTIMSurvived a sexual assault by an armed attacker on February 22, 1946.
Betty Jo Booker
VICTIMFound shot to death on April 14, 1946, following a musical performance.
Jackson Neely "Jack" Runnels
LAW ENFORCEMENTTexarkana chief of police, among the first called to the scenes of the two double-murders.
Polly Ann Moore
VICTIMFound shot to death in Griffin's car on March 24, 1946.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
Virgil Starks' Grave Marker
Credit: JeremeK · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
portrait victim
Jimmy-hollis
Credit: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Source
crime scene press
Morris Lane search (cropped)
Credit: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Source
crime scene press
Morris Lane search
Credit: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Source
unclassified
Officers
Credit: Tillman B. Johnson, Sr. · Public domain · Source
archival location
Polly Ann Moore Grave
Credit: JeremeK · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
archival location
Richard Griffin Grave
Credit: JeremeK · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
archival location
Paul James Martin's Grave Marker
Credit: JeremeK · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
archival location
Tillman Johnson's Grave Marker
Credit: JeremeK · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- In early 1946, an unidentified attacker dubbed the "Phantom Killer" struck eight people over ten weeks near Texarkana, Texas/Arkansas, killing five; the case remains legally unsolved though officials later focused on career criminal Youell Swinney, who was never charged with murder.
- Where did the murders happen?
- Texarkana, Texas/Arkansas border region.
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: unsolved. Last verified July 2026.
Related cases
View all cases
Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDICTexarkana Moonlight MurdersWikipedia · 2026-07-05
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — txkphantom.site11.comtxkphantom.site11.com · 2026-07-05
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — theautry.orgtheautry.org · 2026-07-05
Record history
- First published
- JUL 05, 2026
- Last verified against sources
- JUL 05, 2026