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Evidence

POLICE REPORT

POLICE REPORT

February 22nd, 1946

CASE NO: The Phantom Killer DATE: February 22nd, 1946

REPORTING OFFICER: Sheriff W. H. "Bill" Presley

VICTIMS: Jimmy Hollis (25) & Mary Jeanne Larey (19)

INCIDENT: Harassed and assaulted by unknown suspect

DETAILS OF EVENT:

Attacker approached the couple in their parked car in a secluded road outside of town.

Blinded them with his flashlight then held them at gunpoint and ordered them to exit the vehicle.

Beat Mr.Hollis severely, fracturing his skull

Told Ms.Larey to run, then chased her, caught her after she fell then sexually assaulted her with his pistol. Before letting her run away again.

Were able to awaken and flag down passersby on a nearby road and call for help.

Both survived the attacks despite their injuries.

VICTIM STATEMENTS:

Gave varied descriptions of the attacker.

POLICE NOTES/EXTRA: Thought that Mr.Hollis and Ms. Larey knew the identity of the the attacker and were covering for him. But we stand corrected.

POLICE REPORT

POLICE REPORT

March 24th, 1946

CASE NO: The Phantom Killer DATE: March 24th, 1946

REPORTING OFFICER: Sheriff W. H. "Bill" Presley

VICTIMS: Richard Griffin (29) & Polly Ann Moore (17)

INCIDENT: Two murders of a couple found in 1941 Oldsmobile sedan

DETAILS OF EVENT:

Both found dead inside Mr.Griffin's car between 8:30 and 9:00 am by a passing motorist

Griffin was shot twice, Moore once, both in the back of the head and both fully clothed.

Evidence shows that Moore was killed outside of the car and placed back inside and that Griffin was robbed.

.32 cartridge shell was found possibly shot from a Colt pistol that was wrapped in a blanket.

VICTIM STATEMENTS: (DECEASED)

POLICE NOTES/EXTRA: Caused many rumors, did not lead to any clues or suspects, produced over 100 false leads. - written at a later date.

POLICE REPORT

POLICE REPORT April 13th, 1946

CASE NO: The Phantom Killer DATE: April 13th, 1946

REPORTING OFFICER: Sheriff W. H. "Bill" Presley

VICTIMS: Paul Martin (17) & Betty Jo Booker (15)

INCIDENT: Murder of a couple found near North Park Road.

DETAILS OF EVENT:

Martin was found dead lying at the edge of a North Park Road; he was shot four times.

Booker's body was found 2 miles away from Martin's behind a tree. She had been shot twice.

The weapon used was a .32 automatic Colt pistol.

Bodies indicated that they had both put up a struggle.

VICTIM STATEMENTS: (DECEASED)

POLICE NOTES/EXTRA: Our town is filled with crime, until this specific case our townspeople did not think much of the murders. Rumors circulated as news came out we had caught no murderer. Lots of people started to arm themselves, women and children stayed in nearby hotels, and some even left town. This murder was also when the unknown killer received fame and his elusive name the Phantom Killer/Slayer.

POLICE REPORT

POLICE REPORT

May 3rd, 1946

CASE NO: The Phantom Killer DATE: May 3rd, 1946

REPORTING OFFICER: Sheriff W. H. "Bill" Presley

VICTIMS: Virgil Starks, 37 & Katie Starks, 36

INCIDENT: Murder of Virgil Starks and attempted murder of Katie Starks.

DETAILS OF EVENT:

Mr.Starks was in the sitting room when two shots were fired into the back of his head.

Mrs.Starks heard this (thinking glass had broken) and went to check on Mr.Stark. Found him dead.

She went to call the police before getting shot two times in the face, even though she was shot in the face, she still survived.

Mrs. Stark ran, the killer trying to find her, she escaped her house leaving a trail of blood and ran to her brother-in-law's house, although no one was home.

She then ran to A. V. Prater's house for help; Prater answered and called the police.

Mrs. Stark survived the attack, her story becoming the lead story in the paper.

VICTIM STATEMENTS: (MR. STARKS DECEASED) Mrs. Starks could not remember much as being shot in the face twice. Although she did discount that Mr. Starks heard a car outside his house for several nights in a row.

POLICE NOTES/EXTRA: The Phantom usually used a .32 caliber gun but in this case we believe he used a .22 caliber.

THE PHANTOM KILLER

KILLER INFORMATION

AND NOTES

Profile

Dr. Anthony Lapalla, a psychologists, gave an interview to the Texarkana Gazette on what he thought of the Phantom. Here is what he stated of the Phantom.

- The Phantom did in fact commit the murders of Virgil Starks, Betty Jo Booker, Paul Martin, Polly Ann Moore, and Richard Griffin.

- Was somewhere between his mid 30s and 50s.

- Had a strong sex drive which motivated him

- Is a sadist

- Shrewd, intelligent, and clever.

- He knew at all times what was happening during the investigations

- Was probably not a veteran

- Not necessarily a resident of the area

- Evidence shows that the attacks were cunning planning

- Works alone

- Police force strengthening would not scare him away but he would leave due to the difficulty to pull off a crime.

- Did not believe the killer was African American.

Description

Mr. Hollis and Ms. Larey were the only two victims able to give a description.

Mr. Hollis claimed the attacker was white, and around 30 years old, but conceded he could not distinguish his features as he had been blinded with a flashlight.

Ms.Larey claimed that the attacker was African American.

Both agreed that the attacker was around 6 feet tall and was wearing a white bag on his head.

M.O.

The Phantom's M.O. was established that he attacked young couples in empty or private areas just outside the city limits using a .32 caliber gun. (Although in the Starks murder it is believed that a .22 gun was used).

He wore a white bag over his head with holes in it for his eyes and mouth. But its unknown if he wore this mask during his other attacks.

He always attacked on weekends usually three weeks apart, and always at night.

His killings spanned over ten months.

PRIME SUSPECT

YOUELL SWINNEY PRIME SUSPECT

Suspect: Youell Swinney

Details Leading To Arrest:

Max Tackett, a state police officer, realized that a car had been stolen on the night of the Richard/Moore murders and that a stolen car had been found abandoned. On Friday, June 28, 1946, Tackett found the stolen car.

Tackett waited til someone came back to the car, then arrested a 21-year-old woman, Peggy Swinney.

Mrs. Swinney stated had just gotten married in Shreveport, but that her husband was currently in Atlanta, Texas, trying to sell another stolen car.

This led Mr. Tackett to the Arkansas Motor Coach bus station on Front Street.

Mr.Tackett saw a man run out the back of the building, he chased him down, and caught him, this man was Youell Swinney.

Mr.Swinney was then arrested for the stolen car.

Peggy Swinney's Role:

Police questioned Mrs. Swinney's, she confessed in great detail that he was the Phantom Killer She said he had killed Betty Jo Booker and Paul Martin.

Her story changed in some details across several confessions

Police believed she was withholding some facts due to fear of Swinney or fear of incriminating herself.

Police were able to independently verify some details of Peggy's confession, such as locating a victim's possessions in a location she said Youell had discarded it.

Because of law Mrs. Swinney could not be forced to testify against her husband, because she was considered an unreliable witness

Youell's Charges

Youell was not charged for the murders because they only had circumstantial evidence. So although he is believed by some to be the Phantom Killer this case remains unsolved.

Youell was instead was charged for car theft and was sent to prison in 1947 as a habitual offender for car theft.

Youell was released in 1978.

Circumstantial Evidence

YOUELL SWINNEY EVIDENCE

- The car Mrs. Swinney was arrested for stealing was the one reported missing at the night of the Griffin and Moore murders.

- Conversation between Mr.Tackett and Mr. Swinney when Tackett caught Swinney. S: "Please don't shoot me."

T: "I'm not going to shoot you for stealing cars."

S: "Mister, don't play games with me. You want me for more than stealing cars."

- Conversation between Mr. Swinney and Chief Deputy Tilman Johnson:

S: "Mr. Johnson, what do you think they'll do to me for this? Will they give me the chair?"

J: "You won't get much. Maybe five or ten years. They don't give you the electric chair for stealing cars."

S:"Mr. Johnson, you got me for more than stealing cars."

- Lawyer told Mrs.Swinney, Mr.Swinney was being held for murder, she stated, "How did they find it out?"

- Mrs. Swinney's family believed that Mr.Swinney was the Phantom.

- Mrs. Swinney's took officers near the spot where Paul Martin's car was found. Stated she had walked into the woods there. Officers found a woman's heel prints in that area.

- Mrs. Swinney confessed to her husbands actions, and revealed very detailed information that only police knew.

- Mr.Swinney previously owned a .32 Colt caliber, but sold it during a craps game.

- Swinney remained silent instead of pleading his innocence during trial.

Complicating Evidence

- Youell's fingerprints did not match any of the latent prints at the Booker/Martin crime scene.

- Peggy Swinney recanted her confession and also changed her story over multiple confessions and conversations.

- Texas Rangers and Sheriff Bill Presley were not convinced that Swinney was the Phantom.

- Swinney denied being the Phantom and never made a confession.

- Officers, including Bowie County Sheriff Presley, Miller County Sheriff Davis, Texas City Chief of Police Runnels, and both state police departments worked day and night for six months trying to validate Peggy Swinney's story of her and her husband's whereabouts. They deduced that Peggy was not telling the truth.

- Unknown as either a sick prank or a true confession, an anonymous woman contacted family members of two of the victims, one in 1999 and another in 2000, apologizing for what her father had done. Youell Swinney was not known to have ever had a daughter.

DIFFIDENT SUSPECT

H. B. TENNISON

DIFFIDENT

SUSPECT

Suspect: H. B. "Doodie" Tennison

Details of Suspect and Phantom Case:

On November 5, 1948, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Arkansas, Henry Booker "Doodie" Tennison, was found dead in his bed at home in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Tennison committed suicide, as it was discovered that Tennison bought cyanide and mercury. And his suicide note is what put him on the suspect list because of what it confessed.

Although lots of notes from Tennison were found that contradicted his statements and confused the police.

His fingerprints did not match at the Booker/Martin crime scene. And evidence found that Tennison would not have any access to the guns the Phantom used.

So people believed that Tennison as a suspect was not the Phantom Killer because there were lots of other suspects apprehended, like Tennison, and Youell's case had the most evidence;making him the prime suspect and Tennison not.

To Whom It May Concern:

To whom it may concern,

This is my last word to you fine people

I thank you for all the trouble that you have gone to

To bring me up and send me to college,

But please acknowledge,

There is reason to my self-immolation,

I've killed Betty Jo Booker, Paul Martin, and all the rest,

And that is my only explanation.

And to whom it may concern

I fell in love with Belva Jo,

And for Dad, my bankroll,

To Craig give him this typewriter,

And remember to give Belva Jo my View-Master,

This is my last word to you fine people,

Goodbye everyone, see you sometime in the sequel.

Works Cited

Grey, Orrin. “Phantom Killer: The Unsolved Mystery of the Texarkana Murders.” Line, 13 Nov. 2018,

the-line-up.com/texarkana-murders.

“The Horrifying Texarkana Phantom Killer.” YouTube, YouTube, 19 Apr. 2019,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=87y1_IbJRZE.

Mackintosh, Prudence. “Texarkana Murder Mystery.” Texas Monthly, 12 Nov. 2014,

www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/texarkana-murder-mystery/.

Richter, Karl. “FBI Releases Phantom Killer Archive: More than 1,100 Pages Available Online.” Texarkanagazette.com, 7 Feb. 2020,

www.texarkanagazette.com/news/texarkana/story/2020/feb/07/fbi-releases-phantom-killer-archive-more-1100-pages-available-internet/815514/.

Thompson, Emily. “The Texarkana Moonlight Murders • Morbidology.” Morbidology, 7 May 2020,

morbidology.com/the-texarkana-moonlight-murders/.

SOURCES

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