In the spring of 1946 in Teaxrkana, Texas, The Phantom Killer attacked 8 people, and killed 5. The attacks all happened on a weekend, which sent residents into a state of panic, believing that the killer could strike again at any moment. The first two victims were Jimmy Hollis and Mary Jeanne Larey. They were parked on a secluded road known as 'Lovers' Lane'. Hollis was beaten with a gun, cracking his skull and Larey was sexually assaulted. Incredibly, both survived the attacks. A month later, Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore were found dead not far from where Hollis and Larey were attacked. They had both been shot in the head by a .32 revolver. A month later, two more bodies were found: teenagers Paul Martin and Betty Jo Booker were shot with a .32 revolver and like Polly Ann, Betty Jo had been sexually assaulted before she died. A weekly newspaper published this announcement...
"Texarkana people are jittery, plain frightened--and with reason. Within a period of six weeks five people have been murdered in cold blood and a sixth seriously wounded, escaping death by a seeming miracle. The question in the minds of most of the citizens is, when, where and how soon will another tragedy shock the community, and who will be the victim or victims, since two deaths seem to be the design of the killer?"
A month after the deaths of Paul and Betty Jo, Virgil Starks was shot and killed by an attacker outside his front window. Although different from the previous killings, the crime scene appeared to link his killing with that of Richard Griffin, Polly Ann Moore, Paul Martin and Betty Jo Booker. In total there were over 400 arrests in connection with this case, however the identity of The Phantom Killer is still unknown some 70 years later.
