Unsolved Texarkana Murders Remain a Mystery After 78 Years

For a 10 week period in 1946, Texarkana was ground was ground zero for several brutal murders and violent crimes. Starting on February 22 through May 3, the 'Texarkana Phantom Killer' committed numerous crimes. 5 people were killed, 3 were wounded and an entire area was paralyzed with fear. Then, the killer, vanished without a trace.

78 years later, the crimes are still unsolved. And while some have theories and suspects, nobody was ever convicted of the crimes.

What are the Moonlight Murders?

In short, an unknown serial killer was on the loose in the Texarkana area. 5 people were murdered and 3 others were wounded in Miller County Arkansas & Bowie County Texas.

The first attack happened on February 22, 1946. According to accounts, Jimmy Hollis & Mary Jeanne Larey were forced from their car on a secluded road by an armed man in a burlap sack mask. The unknown attacker beat Jimmy Hollis with a gun and assaulted Larey. Both victims survived this particular attack, allegedly due to the headlights of another vehicle appearing.

However, not all the victims were that lucky. Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore were found shot in the back of the head with .32 revolver on a different Bowie County back road on March 24. On April 14th, Paul Martin & Betty Jo Booker were also shot dead with a .32 near Spring Lake Park.

On May 3, the killer struck again. This time at an isolated farmhouse in Miller County. Virgil Starks was shot twice and killed by the attacker. His wife, Katy Starks, was shot twice in the head but ultimately survived.

Was A Killer Ever Brought to Justice?

The Short Answer: No. But it's not from a lack of trying. Law enforcement in both Texas and Arkansas were working the case. The Texas Rangers were called in. TONS of resources were dedicated into solving the Moonlight Murders and bringing the 'Phantom Killer' to justice.

And while several people claimed to be the killer, none of those leads or confessions panned out. There were 9 main 'persons of interest' in the case, but none were ever charged with any of the crimes. For a while, people believed that a student from Texarkana who killed himself and left behind a poem was the true killer. But, there wasn't any evidence that he was involved.

However, there is one suspect who people believe is really the Phantom Killer - Youell Swinney. 

Was Youell Swinney the Real Moonlight Killer?

Much like the Zodiac Killer and other notorious unsolved crimes, there's one name that seems to show up more than anyone else on the list of possible culprits - in the case of the Moonlight Killings, Youell Swinney is the prime suspect in most people's minds.

In fact, as far as the law goes, he was the only suspect in the case. Swinney was a known criminal with a history of counterfeiting & car theft. The link, made Arkansas officer Max Tackett, is that before each crime a car was stolen and then abandoned. Eventually, while working a stolen car case in 1946, the law caught a woman (Peggy) who claimed to be Swinney's girlfriend.

During her interrogation, she allegedly offered up details that had never been released publicly. Police believed they had their man. Unfortunately, as time went on, her story changed and she married Swinney. Due to her unreliable accounts and the fact you can't force spouses to testify against each other, a case was never made. Also, despite appearing to be the same killer, Swinney & Peggy were allegedly in San Antonio during the Booker-Martin murders. So, was he the killer? Did he know the killer? Was the alibis a lie? We'll never truly know for sure.

Swinney was ultimately arrested in 1947 for car theft and sentenced to life in prison. However, he was eventually released in 1973 due to technicality (he didn't have legal representation during a 1941 conviction). He died in 1994 at a Dallas nursing home.

In books written about the Moonlight Murders, many believe that Swinney didn't fight the habitual offender charge initially and plead no contest because he didn't want to get sentenced to death for the murders.

Cultural Impact of the Moonlight Murders

These unsolved murders spawned several movies, books and plays.

In 1976, the Town That Dreaded Sundown came out. That horror film, is loosely based on the murders and investigation. It was one of the early 'slasher' type horror films that went on to be huge hits in the 80s. While, I've never seen it said anywhere, I'd imagine the movie and murders played a huge part in the creation of the Friday the 13th franchise. I mean, Jason wears a burlap mask and kills teenagers in secluded areas. Sound familiar? In fact, when the film was re-released, one of the taglines was "Before Jason, Before Freddy, Before Michael, there was the Phantom".

There are dozens of fiction and non-fiction books written about the case. A play, titled the Phantom Killer about the case debuted in 2010.

There was a sort of sequel/reboot of the Town That Dreaded Sundown in 2014. Murder in the Moonlight, a documentary, came out in 2018. It just seems like every couple of years, this case comes back into the public eye. And, after 78 years of interest and fascination, it probably always will.