The Phantom Killer

The Phantom Killer is a still unidentified Serial Killer responsible for the so-called Texarkana Moonlight Murders, occured during the spring of 1946 in and around Texarkana, Texas.

First attack
The first reported attack of the Phantom killer occurred at around 11:55 p.m. on February 22, 1946. Jimmy Hollis, 25, and his girlfriend, Mary Jeanne Larey, 19, parked on a secluded road which was known as a lover's lane after having seen a movie together. A man wearing a white cloth mask with eye holes cut out (described later as a "bag" by Larey), and handling a flashlight approached their vehicle by the driver side, and ordered them both out of the car. Subsequently, he ordered Hollis to take off his pants and pistol-whipped him twice, rendering him unconscious. Mary Jeanne was also hit, and was then ordered by the assailant to run up the road. After reaching and old car parked off the road, she was again confronted by her attacker whom, strangely enough, asked her why she was running, to which she replied he had ordered her to. Calling her a liar, the aggressor knocked her out and sexually assaulted her with the barrel of his gun. After the assault, Larey fled on foot and was eventually able to call in the police, while Hollis regained consciousness and was seen by a passer-by. Bowie County Sheriff W. H. "Bill" Presley and three other officers arrived on the scene. They found Hollis pants 100 yards away from the parked car. Later, both Jimmy and Mary Jeanne gave contradicting statements regarding their attacker's lookings, with Hollis claiming he was a white man in his 30s, while Larey described the man as being a light-skinned African-American, and added a detail: the mask that covered his face had also a mouth hole.

First Double Murder
Almost a month later, on March 24, the first double murder occurred. Richard L. Griffin, 29, and his girlfriend, Polly Ann Moore, 17, were found dead in Griffin's sedan, between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., by a passing motorist. The car was found on a another lover's lane named Rich Road, close to a local bar named Club Dallas. They were both shot once in the head, while outside the car, then placed back inside. A .32 cartridge shell was found, possibly shot from a Colt. The police launched a citywide investigation along with other sheriff's departments in the vicinity and the FBI. The authorities interviewed around fifty to sixty witnesses, and posted a reward in an effort to gain new information on the case (which in turn produced more than a hundred false leads).

Second Double Murder
On April 14, 1946, another double murder occurred. The victims were Betty Jo Booker, 15, a saxophone player, and her friend Paul Martin, 16. They were both found within three miles from Martin's Ford coupe, which was parked outside Spring Lake Park, with the keys still in it. Paul's body was lying by the northern edge of North Park Road, he was shot four times: once through the nose, again through his ribs, a third time in his right hand and finally through the back of the neck. Betty, whom was found five hours later than Paul, was lying behind a tree, clothed and with her right hand inside one of her pockets. She was shot twice: once through the chest and once in the face. The weapon used was the same of the first double murder, a .32 automatic Colt pistol. Sheriff Presley and Texas Ranger Captain Manuel Gonzaullas said that examinations of the bodies indicated they both had put up a struggle. Betty's saxophone was eventually recovered six months later, in the nearings of the spot where her body was found. A reward was again posted by the authorities, and rumors circulated regarding the apprehension of the murderer, which were later denied by Captain Gonzaullas.

Aftermath
TBA

Modus Operandi
TBA

Profile
TBA

Known Victims
TBA

Suspects
TBA

On Criminal Minds
TBA