Made famous by the cult classic movie, “The Town That Dreaded Sundown”, the phantom killer of Texarkana is one of the most vexing cases of crime in American history. The killer wore a white hood over his head, and stalked lovers on deserted streets and “lover’s lanes” after dark. By the time he was done, he had attacked and injured at least eight people, killing five of them. The case drew in The Texas Rangers, and was never solved in spite of a huge task force investigation that went on decades after the murders had ended. To this day, nobody knows for sure who the phantom killer was. Here is a time-line of the case, and how it went down:
February 22, 1946 - Mary Jeanne Larey and Jimmy Hollis were the first victims of the Phantom Killer. They were parked in undeveloped countryside around where the current Central Mall is located. The popular make out spot was very secluded, but well travelled by teens at that time to park and make out. On this night, they were the only people parking, so they were alone. Mary Jeanne, who was only 19, and Jimmy who was 24 had gone to a movie with friends and had parked so they could make out and talk. Just before midnight, a man with a white hood approached the driver side door and ordered them out of the car with a pistol. When they complied, he fractured Jimmy’s skull with the butt of the gun in two places, and chased Mary Jeanne down the road. After catching her, he abused but did not rape her, and knocked her around. When an approaching car was seen in the distance, he ran off. Mary Jeanne and Jimmy survived, though Jimmy was in the hospital for months. They were the only victims able to describe their attacker, and the attacks would become more deadly soon. Police thought at the time it was an isolated case. They would soon learn that it was not.
March 24, 1946 - On the morning of March 24th, Richard L. Griffen and Polly Ann Moore were found murdered in Griffen’s car. They were parked on a lover’s lane on South Robison Rd. He was in the front seat slumped over and she was face down in the back seat. It was later detemined that Polly had been raped, killed and then placed into the car in this manner. Though the police did not make the fact that the women were being raped, many in the city were spreading rumors of the same. They were the first murders, though police did not immediately connect them to the Larey/Hollis attack.
April 14, 1946 - Paul Martin and Betty Jo Booker were not thought to be anything more than friends, yet they were found killed early in the morning hours of April 14th. The body of Martin was found near Cork Lane North off I-30, about 1.5 miles from where the car was found near Spring Lake Park. Betty Jo was found about 1.5 miles from there. This murder was the one that set off a huge panic in the city, and let them know a serial killer was now on the loose. The Texas Rangers and world famous Ranger Capt. Manuel Gonzaullas in particular, was brought in to look for the phantom killer. The entire city was gripped with fear.
May 3, 1946 - The next attack sent the city into a complete panic. Until now, the attacks had largely been in areas that were isolated and on people outside their homes. The next murder changed all that. Virgil and Kate Starks were relaxing in their farm house on Hwy 67. Virgil was sitting in the living room in his easy chair, and resting. Someone then shot him in the back of the head twice with a .22 caliber rifle from right outside the living room window. Kate heard the breaking glass and discovered Virgil shot. She then ran to the phone and was shot twice in the face as well. As the killer attempted to enter the home through the back of the house, Mrs. Starks escaped to a neighbors house to get help. This murder is thought by some to be unrelated, though nobody will go so far as to say it is certain. For now, it is part of the Phantom killer legacy.
After the Starks attack, the killings stopped. A number of suspects over the years were questioned, but never charged or proven guilty. Many believe that the killer was arrested for a different crime and spent his life in prison. Some even think that the Phantom killer of Texarkana was also the Zodiac killer. Regardless, the murders are a haunting reminder of the fragile nature of our lives among evil people.
Interesting article but I doubt for a number of reasons that Phantom and Zodiac Killer were the same persons, although there might be some similarities. Possibly the Phantom and the Zodiac Killer had similar motiviations that drove their heinous crimes. While lots of information is available on the Zodiac Killer, there is a very promising and convincing new website that I found the above new site just recently Zodiologists.com
Comment by Aldron — April 10, 2009 @ 6:23 pm