The Moonlight Murderer or, more commonly, the Phantom, was a serial killer that operated in Texarkana, Texas between February 23 and May 4 of 1946. He was supposedly given the name Moonlight Murderer because the murders occurred when the moon was full. This is not true. None of the murders occurred during the full moon. Most likely the killer was given this name due to his propensity to strike at night.
The first crime that is attributed to the Moonlight Murderer occurred on February 23, 1946. The criminal approached a car that was parked on the shoulder of a lonely road. Inside the car was a 24-year-old man named Jimmy Hollis and his girlfriend Mary Jeanne Larey, who was only 19 at the time. The man forced the couple out of the car at gunpoint and then proceeded to knock out Jimmy by hitting him with the butt of his pistol. The assailant then sexually assaulted Mary Jeanne with the pistol. The man fled the scene when another vehicle approached. Both Jimmy and Mary Jeanne escaped with their lives, but the killers next victims wouldn't be so lucky.
The Moonlight Murderer's next attack occurred exactly one month later on March 23, 1946. His victims were Richard Griffin, age 29 and his girlfriend Polly Moore, who was only 17 when she was murdered. They were both killed by gunshot wounds to the back of the head that were inflicted by a .32 caliber revolver. Richard's car was discovered the next morning in Bowie County with both victims inside the car. Evidence suggests that they were shot about 20 ft. from the vehicle and then the killer placed them in the car.
The killer struck again on April 14, 1946, in Spring Lake Park. His latest victims were Paul Martin, age 17 and Betty Jo Booker, age 15. Paul's car was found inside the park, apparently the pair had been abducted from it and killed separately. Paul's body was found one and a half miles away from where his car was parked. He had been shot multiple times by a .32 caliber revolver. Betty Jo's body was found 2 miles away from the car. She had suffered the same fate as Paul.
On May 4, 1946, a couple was from outside of their farmhouse, 12 miles North of Texarkana. A man shot Virgil Starks twice through a window, he didn't survive. His wife, Katy Starks heard the din and entered the room where her husband lay dead and was shot twice in the face. The wounds weren't fatal and she managed to get to a neighbor for help. When the police arrived, the killer was gone. This time the bullets used to kill the victims were .22 caliber rounds and the killings didn't quite fit the Moonlight Murderer's modus operandi. Nonetheless, the police attributed these crimes to the serial killer.
On May 6, 1946, a murder victim was found on some train tracks just North of Texarkana. The man, Earl McSpadden had been stabbed to death. This murder was credited to the Moonlight Murderer, although some believe it doesn't fit the bill. Some even believe that Earl was the Moonlight Murderer and that he committed suicide. This is unlikely, due to the nature of the man's wounds.
No one knows for sure whether or not the Moonlight Murderer sexually assaulted any of his victims after Mary Jeanne Larey. Naturally, there were several rumors about the state of the victim's bodies at the time of the killings. It's not even definite that the murders were all the work of the same man, though it is likely that most, if not all of them are.
No one was ever charged with these crimes. The police had one suspect. A 29-year-old man named Youell Swinney. He was taken into custody by the police by he denied any wrongdoing and was later released. His wife claimed that he was the murderer and that she was with him when he committed the crimes, but her story changed so often that the police considered her an unreliable witness.
Like so many other unsolved serial murders the killings in Texarkana stopped abruptly. It is unknown what became of the Moonlight Murderer. Perhaps he moved, died or was incarcerated, the truth may never be known. The only description ever given of the killer described him as being around six feet tall and wearing a mask.