February 22, 1946

The first assault happened near the current site of the Central Mall parking lot, somewhere near the intersection of Robison and Richmond roads. In 1946, this was the undeveloped countryside surrounding Texarkana. In 1946, this is where friends and lovers met to neck and spoon, to park and pet and talk and make out.

On Feb. 22, it was also where the Phantom Killer found his first victims. Mary Jeanne Larey, 19, and her date, Jimmy Hollis, 24, went to a movie with his brother and his brother's date. Jimmy dropped the other couple off in town and then, on the way to Mary Jeanne's house, parked on a secluded lane just off Richmond Road. They parked about 11:45 p.m. just off the Richmond Road about a mile north of Beverly, They had been there about ten minutes when a man walked up. He wore a white mask over his head with holes cut out for eyes and mouth. He pointed a flashlight and pistol at the couple and came up on the driver's side of the car and told Jimmy "I don't want to kill you, fellow, so do what I say" They both got out of the car on the driver's side and stood by the man. The man then told Jimmy, "take off your britches" Mary Jeanne told Jimmy to please take them off so they wouldn't be hurt. After taking off his pants, the man hit him over the head twice with his gun with such force, his skull was fractured in two places. The man told her to run and while she ran down the road she heard him kicking and stomping Jimmy. He ran and caught up with her and knocked her down several times. Mary Jeanne said later that he did not rape her but did abuse her terribly.

Mary Jeanne's head wounds were stitched up at the local hospital but Hollis' injuries left him hospitalized for several months. Mary Jeanne left to live with relatives in Oklahoma and did not return. This couple would be the only two persons who would be able to describe their attacker but even then it was pretty vague and police were not able to make any arrests. As far as they new at this time, it was an isolated incident.

March 24, 1946

Early on the morning of March 24th, the bullet-riddled bodies of Richard L. Griffin, aged 29, a Texarkana War Veteran and Miss Polly Ann Moore, aged 17, employed at the Red River Arsenal in Texarkana were found in Mr. Griffin's parked 1941 Oldsmobile on South Robison Rd. road outside the city limits on the Texas side of the city. Mr. Griffin was found in the front seat of the car and Miss Moore was found face down in the back seat although she was killed outside the car and placed in the car. The girl's body had been abused. Bullets found at the scene were from a .32 caliber pistol. It had rained most of that night and most all footprints had washed away.

Mr. Griffin had served as a Navy Sea Bea in the war and was discharged in November of 1945. He had attended school at Linden, Texas and Miss Moore had graduated from Atlanta, Texas High School earlier that year. and was living with a cousin on Magnolia Street.

The photo above of Polly Ann Moore was found in her purse beside her body

April 14, 1946

On the morning of April 14th, the bodies of Paul Martin, aged 17, of Kilgore, Texas and Betty Jo Booker, aged 15, of Texarkana were found on a country road in the vicinity of Spring Lake Park [ see MAP ] on the Texas side of the city. Paul's coupe was found near the entrance to the park but Paul's body was found about 1.5 miles from his car near what is now Cork Lane North of I-30. Betty Jo's body was found about a mile and a half away near what is now Fernwood, also North of I-30. They had both been shot to death and it was discovered later that Betty Jo had been raped. Betty Jo's Saxophone was found in the area several months later.

Paul and Betty Jo both went to school on the Arkansas side and later Betty Jo had moved to the Texas Side, while Paul moved away to Kilgore, Texas and attended school there. Betty Jo was a Junior at Texas High School. Paul was a Senior at Kilgore High School when he came to Texarkana on Saturday, April 13.

Betty Jo was playing the Saxophone at the VFW for the "Rhythmaires" in their regular Saturday night gig. Paul had come for a visit and had offered to take Betty Jo across town to a slumber party after the dance. Her friends said they were only friends and could not understand why they ended up on that secluded road.

Betty Jo's photo was recent while the one of Paul was 4 years old

After the Martin-Booker murders, the famous Texas Ranger investigator, Capt. Manuel (Lone Wolf) Gonzaullas was called in to help with the investigation along with a Company of Rangers.

May 3, 1946

On the night of May 3rd, in the farm home of Virgil Starks, age 38, the Texarkana Killer strikes again. Mr Starks' farm was located on Hwy 67 about 12 miles northeast of the city in Miller County, Arkansas. Mr Starks was siting in his living room near a window listening to the radio when the killer fired two shots to the back of Mr. Starks head with a .22 caliber rifle. Mrs. Kate Starks who was in an adjoining bedroom, heard the sound of breaking glass and ran into the living room where she discovered her husband slumped in the floor and ran to her telephone where she was shot twice in the face. Mrs. Starks, hearing the intruder breaking in the screen door in back, stumbled out the front door and made her way across the road to a neighbor to get help. It was discovered later that the killer entered the house and dabbled his hands in the pools of blood. Mr. Starks died from his wounds and his wife was taken to Michael Meagher Hospital (Now St. Michaels) in Texarkana where she was listed in critical condition. Mrs. Starks later recovered from her wounds.

Roadblocks were set up on Hwy 67 and bloodhounds were brought in but they lost the trail at the edge of the highway. Miller County Sheriff W.E. Davis disclosed two major clues in these slayings: The killings were committed with a .22 caliber rifle and a flashlight dropped by the killer near the window from which he fired, was sent to Washington for FBI investigation after it was checked for fingerprints by the Arkansas State Police. Many investigators believed that this was NOT the work of the Phantom Killer since a different weapon was used and the murder may have been the lover of one of the Starkses

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