{
  "title": "The 1946 Texarkana Moonlight Murders and the Elusive Phantom Killer",
  "dek": "For ten terrifying weeks in 1946, an unknown assailant hunted couples in Texarkana, leaving five dead and a city forever changed.",
  "slug": "texarkana-moonlight-murders-phantom-killer-unsolved",
  "canonical_url": "https://crimesandmyths.com/case/texarkana-moonlight-murders-phantom-killer-unsolved",
  "published_at": "2026-10-05T14:06:51.096Z",
  "updated_date": "2026-11-02T12:37:55.512000",
  "word_count": 982,
  "direct_answer": "In 1946, an unidentified serial killer known as the Phantom Killer attacked eight people in Texarkana, Texas and Arkansas, killing five. While career criminal Youell Swinney was the primary suspect, he was never convicted of murder. The case remains the number one unsolved crime in Texas history.",
  "key_facts": [
    {
      "label": "Location",
      "value": "Texarkana, Miller County (AR) and Bowie County (TX)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Date Range",
      "value": "February 22, 1946 - May 3, 1946"
    },
    {
      "label": "Casualties",
      "value": "8 attacked, 5 killed"
    },
    {
      "label": "Primary Suspect",
      "value": "Youell Swinney"
    },
    {
      "label": "Status",
      "value": "Unsolved cold case"
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Who was the Phantom Killer?",
      "answer": "The Phantom Killer was an unidentified serial attacker responsible for the 1946 Texarkana Moonlight Murders. Youell Swinney is the most prominent suspect."
    },
    {
      "question": "How many people were killed in the Texarkana Moonlight Murders?",
      "answer": "There were 8 people attacked, 5 of whom were killed during the attacks in 1946."
    },
    {
      "question": "Was Youell Swinney ever convicted?",
      "answer": "No. Despite being the lead suspect and having circumstantial evidence against him, Swinney was never successfully prosecuted for the murders."
    }
  ],
  "structured_block": {
    "timeline": [
      {
        "date": "February 22, 1946",
        "event": "First attack on Jimmy Hollis and Mary Jeanne Larey."
      },
      {
        "date": "March 24, 1946",
        "event": "Attack on Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore."
      },
      {
        "date": "April 16, 1946",
        "event": "The Phantom Killer attacks the Starks residence."
      },
      {
        "date": "May 3, 1946",
        "event": "Final known attack by the Phantom Killer."
      },
      {
        "date": "September 15, 1994",
        "event": "Youell Lee Swinney dies."
      }
    ],
    "persons": [
      "Youell Swinney",
      "Jimmy Hollis",
      "Mary Jeanne Larey",
      "Virgil Starks",
      "Katy Starks",
      "Peggy Swinney"
    ],
    "evidence_status": "Circumstantial evidence links Swinney, but no definitive forensic match exists.",
    "current_status": "Unsolved cold case, officially classified as the number one unsolved case in Texas.",
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "Texarkana Moonlight Murders",
        "url": "https://historicmysteries.com/major-crimes/texarkana-moonlight-murders/26996",
        "publisher": "Historic Mysteries",
        "tier": "tertiary"
      },
      {
        "title": "The Texarkana Moonlight Murders: Inside The Reign Of The Phantom Killer",
        "url": "https://allthatsinteresting.com/texarkana-moonlight-murders",
        "publisher": "All That's Interesting",
        "tier": "tertiary"
      },
      {
        "title": "Texarkana Moonlight Murders",
        "url": "https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/texarkana-moonlight-murders-4478",
        "publisher": "Encyclopedia of Arkansas",
        "tier": "tertiary"
      }
    ],
    "reviewer": {
      "completeness": 95,
      "narrative_quality": 90,
      "readability": 95,
      "direct_answer_standalone": true,
      "perspective_counterpoints": true,
      "honesty_framing": true,
      "verdict": "pass",
      "reasons": "The article is well-written, follows all formatting constraints, and is supported by the source material."
    }
  },
  "entities": [
    {
      "name": "Youell Swinney",
      "type": "Person",
      "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texarkana_Moonlight_Murders",
      "description": "The primary suspect in the 1946 Texarkana Moonlight Murders."
    },
    {
      "name": "Manuel Gonzaullas",
      "type": "Person",
      "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Gonzaullas",
      "description": "A Texas Ranger who led the investigation into the Phantom Killer."
    },
    {
      "name": "Texarkana",
      "type": "Place",
      "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texarkana,_Texas",
      "description": "The city on the border of Texas and Arkansas where the murders occurred."
    }
  ],
  "place": {
    "name": "Texarkana",
    "address": "Texarkana, TX/AR, USA",
    "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texarkana,_Texas"
  },
  "temporal_coverage": {
    "start": "",
    "end": ""
  },
  "claims": [
    {
      "claim_text": "The murders occurred over ten weeks between February 22 and May 3, 1946.",
      "category": "timeline",
      "agreement_status": "agreed",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "The killer used a .32 caliber Colt pistol in multiple attacks.",
      "category": "evidence",
      "agreement_status": "single_source",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Eight people were attacked in total; five were killed.",
      "category": "outcome",
      "agreement_status": "agreed",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Virgil Starks was killed by a .22 pistol while reading.",
      "category": "evidence",
      "agreement_status": "single_source",
      "confidence": 0.9,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Youell Swinney is the most likely suspect for the Texarkana Moonlight Murders.",
      "category": "person",
      "agreement_status": "disputed",
      "confidence": 0.8,
      "is_quotable": true,
      "quote_text": "Mr. Johnson, what do you think they’ll do to me for this? Will they give me the chair?",
      "quote_attribution": "Youell Swinney"
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "The Texarkana Moonlight Murders occurred in Miller County, Arkansas, and Bowie County, Texas.",
      "category": "location",
      "agreement_status": "agreed",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://allthatsinteresting.com/texarkana-moonlight-murders",
      "title": "Texarkana Moonlight Murders: The Case Of The Phantom Killer",
      "publisher": "All That's Interesting",
      "tier": "tertiary",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://historicmysteries.com/major-crimes/texarkana-moonlight-murders/26996",
      "title": "The Town Afraid of the Dark: The Texarkana Moonlight Murders - Historic Mysteries",
      "publisher": "Historic Mysteries",
      "tier": "tertiary",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/texarkana-moonlight-murders-4478",
      "title": "Texarkana Moonlight Murders - Encyclopedia of Arkansas",
      "publisher": "Encyclopedia of Arkansas",
      "tier": "tertiary",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://missedhistory.com/article/texarkana-moonlight-murders-1946-phantom-killer",
      "title": "The Phantom Killer: Texarkana's Unsolved Moonlight Murders",
      "publisher": "Missed History",
      "tier": "tertiary",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://arkansasonline.com/news/2020/feb/07/fbi-releases-archive-texarkanas-phantom-killer-ove",
      "title": "FBI releases archive on Texarkana's Phantom Killer; over 1,000 pages available online",
      "publisher": "Arkansas Democrat-Gazette",
      "tier": "secondary",
      "type": "news_article"
    }
  ]
}