In the spring of 1946, the border city of Texarkana was gripped by a series of violent attacks later attributed to a killer the Texarkana Gazette dubbed “The Phantom.”

The first attack came in February, when a hooded figure assaulted a young couple parked on a lovers’ lane. Both survived, but the young man suffered a severely fractured skull, and the woman was assaulted. The case was not immediately linked to what followed.

In March, 29-year-old Navy veteran Richard Griffin was found murdered in the driver’s seat of his car, two bullet wounds in his skull. In the back seat lay his 17-year-old girlfriend, Polly Ann Moore, facedown and dead.

Then, on April 13, the Rhythmaries dance band played at the VFW on Fourth and Oak Streets. Among them was 15-year-old Betty Jo Booker.

After the dance ended around 1 a.m., Betty Jo left with 16-year-old Paul Martin. It was the last time they were seen alive. His body was discovered shot four times. Betty Jo’s body was found nearly two miles from his, shot twice in the chest. Evidence suggested she had been sexually assaulted.

Panic swept the city. The investigation ballooned into a chaotic effort involving 11 separate law enforcement agencies. At various points, police used hypnotists, officers dressed as teenagers serving as bait, and chased hundreds of false leads.

In May, Virgil and Katie Starks were attacked in their farmhouse. Virgil was killed; Katie survived despite being shot twice in the head. At the time, the attack was attributed to the Phantom, though some investigators later questioned whether it fit the pattern.

A 29-year-old career criminal named Youell Swinney was later implicated by his wife, who claimed he was the killer, but her statements were inconsistent, she recanted, and Swinney was never charged with the murders.

The killer was never charged. 

If you're interested, I wrote a deeper dive on the case here: https://open.substack.com/pub/aid2000/p/hare-brained-history-volume-70-the?r=4mmzre&utm\\\_medium=ios

Katie Starks, 36, photographed after surviving two gunshot wounds to the head during the May 1946 attack attributed to the Texarkana “Phantom.”