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The Phantom Killer


In 1946, someone terrorized the small town of Texarkana.  The ripples on this town are so deep that a 1976 movie was made based loosely on the killings that put fear in the town.  Five people were killed within a ten week span, along with three others that were attacked and survived (Grey).  People in town were locking and blocking doors and windows in their homes, setting booby traps.  Theaters in town were deserted.  People didn’t visit each other unannounced or after dark.  The townspeople were paralyzed with fear (McDonald). 
In February, Jimmy Hollis and Mary Jeanne Larey were parked out at a lover’s lane.  A man with a white hood over his head walked up with a gun and ordered the two out of the car.  Hollis was forced to take his pants off and then beat on the head so hard that his skull was fractured (Stowers).  He cracked Hollis’s skull so loud that Larey thought the gun was fired.  The attacker had told Larey to run, but followed her after attacking Hollis and sexually assaulted her with his gun.  He was scared away by an oncoming car (McDonald).  Both Hollis and Larey said the attacker was about 6 feet tall and very thin (Stowers). 
In March, Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore were murdered and found in a car.  Griffin’s pockets were pulled out and Moore’s purse was open.  On April 13, Betty Jo Booker and Paul Martin were both found dead.  Martin was found near the vehicle and Booker was about a mile away (Stowers).  Both women killed were sexually assaulted and tortured (Hendricks).

The killer appeared to change his modus operandi because police were patrolling lover’s land and parked cars in the area.  The final victims were a husband and wife at home.  Virgil Starks was killed while sitting in a chair in his living room.  His wife, Katy, was shot twice in the face, but lived.  The killer dropped a black and red flashlight outside the Stark home.  The Texarkana Gazette ran the very first color photograph in any newspaper in hopes someone would recognize the flashlight and come forward.  The town was in a frenzy.  False confessions and false accusations were coming in at a frenzied rate.  A curfew was set in town.  Many people in the town chose to stay at the Grim Hotel, instead of staying home (Stowers).  
One of the detectives, Max Tackett, noticed that a car was stolen and later abandoned near the times of each of the attacks.  By following this lead, Tackett was led to a woman in connection with one of the stolen vehicles.  She told police that her husband had stolen the vehicle and that led to Youell Swinney’s arrest.  Upon being arrested in connection with the stolen vehicle, Swinney alluded to the fact that he was being arrested for something more sinister by asking if he was going to be electrocuted and that he knew he was being arrested for more than just car theft.  However, police were unable to get a confession from Swinney.  His wife told of being a witness to the murder of Martin and Booker.  She admitted seeing the two taken at gunpoint by Swinney to the woods and heard gunshots after that.  Swinney’s wife said they had gone to the park to rob someone that night.  The wife’s story matched up with the details the police knew, such as approximate location of the murders and where stolen items were tossed, including Booker’s missing saxophone.  She passed a polygraph test about these questions as well.  The problem with the wife’s statements was that the proof was only circumstantial.   Also, since they were married, she could not be forced to testify against Swinney (Stowers).  It has been suggested that Swinney married her shortly before his arrest only to protect him from being testified against (The Texarkana).  Since there was no hard evidence against Swinney, he was prosecuted for stealing the car, and sentenced to life, since he had many previous offenses.  Swinney was paroled in 1973 from an appeal alleging inadequate legal representation (Stowers).  After he was paroled, Swinney was in and out of jail over the years and ended up passing away in a Dallas nursing home in the early 90’s (The Texarkana). Swinney was interviewed about a year before his death and he vehemently denied being involved in the killings. (Stowers)
James Presley was a teen in Arkansas when the murders occurred, and his uncle was one of the detectives who worked the case.  Presley has written a book about the murders.  He is convinced Swinney was the guy (Mackintosh).  Even though all evidence leads to Swinney committing the murders, the case remains officially unsolved.  As noted in Arkansas Life Magazine article on the killings, “Swinney’s arrest did mark the end of the Phantom killings.” (McDonald).         The alleged murderer is now deceased, so there is no trial to deal with.   Police should set the record straight on this case before all of the factual details of the crimes are lost forever to time. 

 Works Cited
Grey, Orrin. "Phantom Killer: The Unsolved Mystery of the Texarkana Murders." The-Line-Up.com, Open Road Media, 4 Dec. 2015, the-line-up.com/texarkana-murders. Accessed 20 Feb. 2018.
Hendricks, Nancy. "Texarkana Moonlight Murders." The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, The Central Arkansas Library System, 13 May 2016, www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=4478&type=Time+Period&item=World+War+II+through+the+Faubus+Era+(1941+-+1967)&parent=&grandparent=. Accessed 5 Mar. 2018.
Mackintosh, Prudence. "Texarkana Murder Mystery." Texas Monthly, vol. 42, no. 12, Dec. 2014, pp. 37-40. Academic Search Complete, dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=99496848&site=ehost-live. Accessed 20 Feb. 2018.
McDonald, Paul. "Phantom Memories." Arkansas Life, 27 Sept. 2013. http://arkansaslife.com/phantom-memories/#/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2018.
Stowers, Carlton. "The Phantom Menace." Dallas Observer, 1 Feb. 2001, www.dallasobserver.com/news/the-phantom-menace-6392880. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
"The Texarkana Phantom Killer: Part 2." The Texarkana Phantom Killer, produced by Kevin Kelley and Paden Johnson. Fox 16 News, Nexstar Media Group, www.fox16.com/crime/the-texarkana-phantom-killer-part-2/202576974. Accessed 5 Mar. 2018.

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