Unsolved: The Texarkana Moonlight Murders

The Phantom Killer's reign of terror left the town in constant fear, and law enforcement, led by Chief Deputy Tillman Johnson, faced challenges in solving the case. Despite exhaustive efforts and assistance from the Texas Rangers, the elusive killer remained unidentified. Less than two months later, on March 24, Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore became victims of the Phantom Killer. Their bodies were discovered on a rural road, intensifying the fear that had gripped Texarkana.
The second being a flashlight which was found in the hedge underneath the window that Starks was shot from. The last clue was of smudged fingerprints as well as bloody footprints on the kitchen floor. Early Saturday morning, bloodhounds were brought in from Hope by the Arkansas state police. They found two trails that led to the highway before the scent was lost.

Like him, she appeared to have been shot multiple times. She was an only child and her father left her at a young age. Betty attends Fairview Kindergarten, where she befriends a boy named Paul Martin.
Betty Jo Booker and an older photograph of Paul Martin.As the days went by with the killer remaining on the loose, fear overran the area. A voluntary curfew was put in place and businesses closed early; nobody wanted to be caught outside as sundown approached. Terrified citizens raised thousands of dollars which could be offered to whoever could provide information that would lead to the arrest True crime books of the perpetrator. The town was truly on edge and fearful for another attack and they had every reason to be; the killer was still lurking, eyeing up his next victim. A still from the 1976 movie “The Town that Dreaded Sundown” which was based on the murders.He shoved a gun at the terrified couple and ordered them out of the car where he proceeded to pistol-whip Hollis to the ground.

"Smoke was filling the room and was coming up all around the man and between his legs." She was found by members of the Boyd family, along with their friend Ted Schoeppey, who had joined the search party. Her body was lying on its back, fully clothed, with the right hand in the pocket of the buttoned overcoat. Booker had been shot twice, once through the chest and once in the face. Griffin had been shot twice while still in the car; both had been shot once in the back of the head, and both were fully clothed. The motorist left Hollis at the scene and drove to a nearby funeral home where he was able to call the police.
While some sources say he later died in prison, others say he died in 1994 at a nursing home in Dallas. An unidentified assailant often known as the Texarkana Phantom Killer committed a number of murders and assaults in Texarkana through the spring of 1946. While there was one major suspect, he was never convicted of these crimes. The attacks served partially as the basis for a motion picture, The Town that Dreaded Sundown.

Dr. Anthony Lapalla, a psychologist at the Federal Correctional Institution in Texarkana, believed the killer was planning to continue to make unexpected attacks such as that of Virgil Starks on the outskirts of town. He also believed that the same person committed the murders of Virgil  Starks, Betty Jo Booker, Paul Martin, Polly Ann Moore, and Richard Griffin. He also believed the killer was between the ages of the middle 30s to 50 years old. He said that the killer was apparently motivated by a strong sex drive and that he was a sadist.
The bodies were then tied in plastic sheets and thrown in one of three mass graves Corll had carved out for his victims. In a final, cruel trick, before killing them, he'd make the boys write letters to their parents explaining their absence, which caused police to assume the victims had simply run away.  The police's main suspect in the murders, Charles Albright, was a taxidermist and just the type of person who'd know how to perfectly remove an eye. He was eventually caught by police after allegedly attempting to murder a fourth victim who narrowly escaped. Many people believe that Albright was wrongly convicted, but he's still serving time in a Lubbock, Texas psychiatric unit. Still, some of the most brutal crimes in the history of the United States happen to have occurred in Texas.
The Phantom Killer committed his atrocities across and around the Texarkana region. He first attacked his victims along the lovers’ lane and later moved his attacks to a farmhouse. His fourth attack took place at a very isolated farmhouse in Arkansas. These murders and attacks were reported nationally and caused a state of panic which made residents arm themselves at dusk and locked themselves in early. Some youths tried to bait and ambush The Phantom Killer without success.

Please disregard all other messages which I have written, they are only thoughts which I was thinking about as possible reasons for taking my own life. There are instances in which the Texarkana Gazette contradicts claims made by the Northwest Arkansas Times with regard to characteristics of Doodie's notes. In instances where such contradictions occur, my analysis has usually assumed the Northwest Arkansas Times to be more accurate. Yates was thensentenced to life in prison, which was eventually overturned during an appeal. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2006 after suffering from postpartum psychosis.
He indicated in several of the notes found by investigators that he took his own life so that his father, J. D. Tennison of Memphis, Tenn., and his mother, Mrs. Jimmie Tennison of Texarkana, would not have to worry about him. A. Schroeder, instructor in chemistry at the University, showed he had swallowed cyanide of mercury, the coroner reported.

They both agreed that he wore a light colored cloth sack on his head with cutouts for his eyes and mouth and that he was around six feet tall, though neither had a clear estimate of his height. "She called herself Virginia. She talked properly, had long brown curly hair that touched her shoulders, and wore a white hat with a feather in it, a striped dress and blue sweater," she wrote. She said while they were eating at a cafe, the girl claimed to have run away. They all departed thinking that she was telling a story. It was not until later they believed that the girl was Carpenter, but the police were unable to substantiate Bass's report.
The term "serial killer" wasn't around yet, but the town knew they were dealing with an unknown killer who was attacking couples on "lovers' lanes". The attacks became known as the "Texarkana Moonlight Murders" by the news media. Since the killer was never identified or apprehended, the description of the killer came from the only two survivors.

Also, this is the first – and only – attack to occur on the Arkansas side of the city. Police immediately began investigating, interviewing witnesses and processing the crime scenes. Booker’s alto saxophone was not found right away, but Martin’s 1946 Ford was located three miles away from where Booker’s body lay. Rewards were increased and were publicized over local radio stations and in the area newspapers. Some clues were revealed, but others were intentionally withheld.