The Phantom Killer /// Part 2 /// 888

Summary

True Crime Garage — The Phantom Killer /// Part 2 /// 888

Date: November 26, 2025
Hosts: Nic & The Captain

---

Episode Overview

In the second part of their deep dive into the infamous Texarkana “Phantom Killer” (aka the Moonlight Murders), Nic and the Captain revisit the chilling 1946 crime spree that terrorized the Texas-Arkansas border. They analyze the pivotal farmhouse attack, broaden the scope to later speculation and suspects, and reflect on the case’s enduring mysteries. With their signature mixture of sharp research, banter, and dark curiosity, the hosts aim to challenge assumptions and examine why the case still lingers in the collective imagination.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Farmhouse Attack: A Game-Changer

[04:00 – 07:20]

• Shift in Victim Profile & Location:

  • Unlike the previous attacks on young couples parked at lovers’ lanes, the fourth attack targeted Virgil and Katie Starks, a slightly older married couple in their secluded farmhouse on May 3, 1946.
  • Nic notes: “This crime shattered the illusion that safety could be found at home...the phantom was no longer confined to the shadows of parked cars.”

• Attack Details:

  • Virgil was shot twice through a window while reading in his living room.
  • Katie, in a separate room, heard the commotion, rushed in, and was shot twice herself while trying to call for help.
  • Bleeding and barefoot, Katie managed to flee across their vast property to a neighbor for aid.
  • The attack introduced the idea that nowhere—not even the home—was safe from the Phantom.

Quote:

"This crime shattered the illusion that safety could be found at home, that you were safe from the phantom if you were inside your house at night."
— Nic [06:13]

Timeline & Geography: Are All Attacks Linked?

[12:31 – 14:58]

• The hosts challenge the neatness of the “Texarkana” label: attacks occurred in multiple counties, sometimes on different sides of the state border.

• They observe a shift in modus operandi—not just in location but also in the weapon used (.32 caliber pistol in previous double homicides vs .22 caliber in the farmhouse attack).

• Nic challenges listeners to consider whether all four attacks are definitively connected: “I don't think we have four apples...I think we have an orange, two apples in the middle, and then a banana on the end.” [21:21]
  (Captain quips: "Or a pear." [22:00])

• The issue of evolving police jurisdictions adds to the confusion, as local, Texas Ranger, and even FBI involvement led to disjointed investigations.

Evidence at the Starks Farmhouse

[18:10 – 20:41]

• Physical Clues:
  • A flashlight, .22 caliber bullet, and bloody footprint were found at the scene.
  • Nic laments the lack of specifics in historical reports, especially about the footprint: “Why don't they bother to ever tell us the size of the footprint? That would be key here.”
  • Notably, the weapon caliber differed from earlier attacks—fueling debate about linkage.

Public Panic & Changing Theories

[10:13 – 12:31; 21:23 – 23:49]

• Texarkana was in a panic; “everything was the Phantom until it’s not.”
• Rumors circulated about possible personal motives, including a supposed love triangle, but reporters and police found no substantiated evidence of this.
• Nic underscores the power of local media to shape collective memory and fear:

  “Any crime that contained a heightened element of violence…it really was like everything was the Phantom until it's not.” [21:30]

• Despite differences in victims and details, both hosts believe the community’s terror linked all violent crime to the Phantom during this period.

Motive Theories

[14:58 – 16:28; 29:13 – 30:44]

• The hosts dissect possible motives:
  • Jealousy and resentment, particularly toward men who could attract women.
  • The “threat and the prize” theory: The perpetrator is motivated by overcoming the male (threat) to get to the female (prize), with sexual violence present in several attacks.
• Captain speculates, “This could be like the pinnacle...You got this guy that's popular with a beautiful wife. If I'm going to attack somebody not at Lovers Lane…”

Suspect Rundown

[32:45 – 46:44]

Charles A. Coleman — Atoka County Suspect

• Arrested in Oklahoma after making incriminating statements but had an alibi for the Starks attack. Not believed to be the Phantom.

Youell Swinney

[34:44 – 40:36]

• Career criminal, arrested after the killings stopped.
• Wife Peggy repeatedly accused him.
• Investigators divided: “...some of these investigators went to their grave believing that Sweeney was the Phantom Killer.”
• Nic is skeptical: “I don’t think he’s as good as the next suspect.”

H.B. “Doody” Tennyson

[40:36 – 48:58; 57:35 – 58:24]

• 18-year-old college student who died by suicide and left a series of cryptic notes confessing to the murders.
• Had personal ties to some victims, worked at the local movie theater, and may have been motivated by jealousy from witnessing couples together.
• Alibi provided by a close friend for at least one attack.
• Hosts remain divided: Nic sees problems with age and experience; Captain sees possible connections.
• Nic references a website, “Did Doody Do It?”, showing the ongoing debate over his guilt.

Other Named Suspects

• Other suspects have surfaced but are quickly dismissed as “going nowhere.”
• Discussed for completeness, but the hosts focus on Sweeney and Tennyson as the likeliest historic candidates.

Why Did the Killings Stop?

[44:44 – 51:23]

• Did the killer die, get caught for another crime elsewhere, or simply move or stop?
• Comparison to other serial killers who ceased activity after being arrested for unrelated crimes.
• Hosts believe the killer most likely stopped due to external factors—possibly jail time or leaving the area.

Community Response and Lasting Theories

[61:38 – 64:39]

• Nic’s theory: The attacks evolved due to community vigilance. After curfews and vigilante behavior, the killer shifted from cars to a house out of necessity.
• Suggests the Phantom may have had law enforcement experience, citing confidence, command of scenes, and knowledge of patrol patterns.
• Describes the killer as fundamentally a “violator,” deriving pleasure from power, terror, and controlling victims:

  “He wants to violate your space...the city, its people, its police.” [65:04]

• Captain notes possible suppression of footprint evidence if it suggested a connection to law enforcement.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Changing M.O.:

  “He needs no face for them to see—in those moments he’s more than a man. He’s something else entirely.”
  — Nic [66:31]

• On Local Involvement:

  “I think this guy might be law enforcement or have a law enforcement background... He seems confident...I think he’s absolutely local.”
  — Nic [63:41 and 66:39]

• Philosophy of Evil:

  “There's the kind that's just evil. And then there’s the kind that know they're evil and hate themselves for it.”
  — Captain [50:13]

Final Thoughts and Unanswered Questions

[69:55 – End]

• Hosts agree the killer is likely local, older than the initial surviving victims estimated, and highly confident.
• They debate whether note-based confessions from suspects like Tennyson can be trusted in the absence of confirming evidence.
• Conclude the true identity may never be known:

  “They're not going to solve the Phantom Killer. We're never going to learn who the Phantom Killer was.”
  — Nic [69:54]

---

Important Timestamps

• [04:00] — Introduction of the Starks/Farmhouse attack
• [10:13] — Public panic and changing nature of the crimes
• [18:10] — Evidence discovered at the crime scene
• [21:23] — Are all attacks connected? M.O. differences
• [29:13] — Motive theories (jealousy, threat/prize dynamic)
• [32:45] — Introduction of major suspects
• [40:36] — Doody Tennyson’s suicide and confessions
• [57:35] — Tennyson’s access and “perfect storm” theory
• [61:38] — Evolution in attack sites; law enforcement speculation
• [66:39] — Nic’s psychological profile & law enforcement theory
• [69:55] — On never knowing the killer’s true identity

---

Tone & Style

• Conversational with a blend of dark humor and thorough analysis
• The hosts intersperse research nuggets with banter, sometimes poking fun at their own theorizing and correcting each other on minor details.

---

For Listeners New to the Case

• Essential Context: The Phantom Killer, or “Texarkana Moonlight Murders,” refers to a 1946 series of unsolved violent attacks on couples in cars and, eventually, a farmhouse, straddling two states and sparking massive fear.
• The case is infamous for mystery, rumor, and decades of theory-spinning—no suspect was ever charged.
• Nic and the Captain focus on both the emotional impact (public panic, media influence) and the forensic uncertainties (changing weapons, victimology).
• Key suspects, inconsistencies in the crimes, and why investigators and the public return to the case are all examined.

---

Notable Quotes (with Time Stamps)

• “This crime shattered the illusion that safety could be found at home, that you were safe from the phantom if you were inside your house at night.” — Nic [06:13]
• “I don't think we have four apples...I think we have an orange, two apples in the middle, and then a banana on the end.” — Nic [21:21]
• "There's something with the gun and the flashlight, with the way that he commands everybody ... For some reason, I think this guy might be law enforcement or have a law enforcement background." — Nic [63:41]
• “He wants to violate your space, he wants to violate your vehicle, and then he'll go violate your house. He most certainly enjoyed the terror that it was causing.” — Nic [65:04]
• “They're not going to solve the phantom killer. We're never going to learn who the phantom killer was.” — Nic [69:54]

---

Summary Provided by True Crime Garage Podcast Summarizer

For more insights, case archives, and recommendations, visit truecrimegarage.com

Transcript

[Nick]

It's Black Friday at Paragould, the destination for luxury home. Save up to 30% on the largest ever selection of design's best brands with beautiful quality pieces for every style and space. Plus enjoy free design services and fast free full service delivery on most items. Shop the sale in store and [e-mail], only from November 25th through December 2nd.

[Captain]

Hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right.

[Nick]

Now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half the price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means a half day.

[Captain]

Yeah.

[Nick]

Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra. See Mintmobile do. Welcome to True Crime Garage. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing. Thanks for listening. I'm your host Nick and with me as always is the philosopher, the heartbreaker, the King of Sting, the Count of Monte Fisto. Here is the Captain.

[Captain]

If he dies, he dies. It's good to be seen and good to see you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for telling a friend.

[Nick]

Ah, you know what they say, Captain, you want the truth. Well, you can't handle the truth. Well, we can handle it. And in fact, I'll have another. We are sipping on Truth IPA by the awesome folks down at Ryan Geist Brewery. This one I think has the right amount of hops, right amount of hoppy and a near perfect ABV of 7.2%. Balance out nicely with sweet tropical fruit to hide that bitterness. Garage grade four and a half bottle caps out of five. And let's give some thanks and praise to our good friends. First up, we have Jacob Fields from Big D, Dallas, Texas.

[Captain]

And a big talk, hands in the air and we like your jib goes out to Peter from Melbourne, Australia.

[Nick]

Lend me a hand, Captain, as we have a triple fisted cheers to longtime listeners, father and two lovely daughters. We have Brian, Shannon and Miranda in Frenchburg, Kentucky. And triple up again because here's a Cheers 3X to Simon, Bucky and Lou in Bloomington, Minnesota. Everyone we just mentioned, they helped us fill up the old garage fridge this weekend for that. Oh yes, we thank you.

[Captain]

Yeah, bwr you and Beer run. Go check out the TCG Christmas merch. It's in the store, you'll love it. And that's enough of the business.

[Nick]

All right. Everybody gather round grab a chair, grab a beer let's talk some true crime.

[Captain]

The devils want to get you in.

[Nick]

Your sleep.

[Captain]

The devils want to get.

[Nick]

You in your sleep the devil's gonna.

[Captain]

Get you in your sleep.

[Nick]

The devil's only kiss you in your sleep. We have gone in depth through three crime scenes, each one of them horrific, each one of them terrifying, two of them resulting in double homicide. We have six victims with four of them dead. It's 1946 and we are in Tex Arcana and the phantom, or the Phantom Killer, as he would later be known. The work of the phantom was starting to take form and it was clear young couples, isolated roads, weekends, a pistol and merciless violence. But now we get to the scene of the fourth attack. So this attack is very different, and I say that for two reasons. One, the victims here are older than the 20 year olds and teenagers previously attacked. Not much older, but a little bit. And the major difference here, the attack this time. I call this one the Farmhouse Whore. And as my title suggests, this attack takes place at a house so not a young couple parked in a car in a lover's lane. We're going to go to May 3, 1946, when the Phantom struck again, this time at a farmhouse. We have Virgil Starks was shot twice through his window while sitting in his living room. His wife Katie ran to call for help, but she was shot twice herself. Let me set this up. She's in the other room and she says that she heard a noise that she found to be strange. It was like either her husband, who's sitting in the other room, she's in a bedroom, he's in the living room. She thinks that maybe he dropped something. She thinks she hears breaking glass. She's not sure what the noise is, but it startles her to enter the room where her husband is. And she said that her husband, Virgil Starks, he started to stand up and then he slumped back down and fell down. She goes to their phone, the phone in their house, to call for help. At the same time, gunshots come from the direction of the window that is near where Virgil was sitting. This poor woman, Captain, is shot twice. So she decides she's got to get the hell out of there. Bleeding, terrified, she flees barefoot into the night, racing off to the neighbor's house. Now, keep in mind these two, this is a legit farmhouse, meaning they own acres and acres and acres of land. I think it's something like 300 acres. She has to run a great distance to get to the neighbor's house. But once she makes it there, thankfully she's able to call for help. So unlike the lovers lane attacks that we've talked about, this crime shattered the illusion that safety could be found at home, that you were safe from the phantom if you were inside your house at night. The phantom was no longer confined to the shadows of parked cars where he could strike anywhere when you.

[Captain]

Like you said, they had a lot of land. So you're shot, but now you have to run. And you're not just running next door, you're running quite a bit aways to. To get help.

[Nick]

I think she got lucky with one of the shots that went through her cheek and I believe the other one struck her in the face as well.

[Captain]

So these something nobody has ever said before. Oh, well, I think she got lucky by the one shot hit in her cheek.

[Nick]

Yeah, it sounds funny to say, but you're also about 2 to 3 inches, just depending on the size of your head from the brain. And you ain't running, you ain't running to the neighbors that get shot in the brain. I'm not a doctor, but I can surmise that you won't be. You won't be making it very far if that happens. So she rushes off to, to get help not just for herself but for her husband. Unfortunately, Virgil Starks, he dies at the scene. And there's a little more to this chase from my understanding than what we just went through. We really kind of simplified it there. But from my understanding here, Captain, none of it takes place outside of the house. Right. She. She is shot at. She shot and then she hears someone trying to bust into their back door. They had like a screened in porch and whoever this was, they went around to the back and tried to bust in through the back door to get in to get to Mrs. Starks. And that's why she's. I've got to hang up this phone and go get out of this house. And really truly the positioning of the home where she was in the home and then the attacker, well, killer attempting to come in through the back of the house probably gave her the distance from the killer that she needed to get out of there and successfully get to help. I wanted to hear here what I wanted to see in these reports that was not found and shout out to our, our beautiful listeners if you. Anybody has this information, I want to know it. In any of her statements, does she ever say that she thought the attacker was chasing after her? Because I couldn't find any version of that that states either way that no he didn't chase after her or. Yes, she believed that she was being chased.

[Captain]

Yeah, but we've all been there where you're riding your bike home when you're a little kid and you think something's behind you, so you start riding faster and you think that this thing is coming up on you and then every time you look back, there's nothing there. And this is just your imagination. She was just shot in the face twice.

[Nick]

Well, and this is. So you're already. You have a public that is in full panic mode. They're terrified. The phantoms out there on the streets late at night, on the weekends, killing, targeting young couples in their cars. But now here we have a couple who is attacked inside their home. It's not like they were attacked outside and fled into their home. No, they're just sitting there doing their evening, minding their own business. And the killer came to them. So this is from, this is from the Texas Paris News, printed the Sunday after the murder of Virgil Starks, our fifth murder victim here. The paper had a couple of pictures of investigators at the scene at the Starks home. And they also had a rather haunting close up picture of Virgil. He sort of has this blank, expressionless stare. The headline is 5th killing panics Texarkana citizens and reads, in short, a phantom killer believed to be responsible for five murders here in six weeks continued to elude a concentrated manhunt by both Texas and Arkansas officials. A stunned, tense Texarkana was shocked by details of Friday night's cold blooded killing of popular Virgil Starks, age 36, and the serious wounding of his attractive 30 year old brunette wife in their farm home near home in Arkansas. This is interesting, and this is a part that I don't think gets examined enough by us all these decades later. Right. This case is always referred to as the phantom killer. Who is the unknown killer or where it took place, the Texarkana moonlight murders. Now, none of these attacks or murders took place on a night with a full moon. However, they all took place on a weekend.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

Which I find to be incredibly interesting. Look, if it happens twice, it could be a coincidence. But four times? There's something to that. But then the other part of this, Captain, is we always say Texarkana. We always say Texarkana. But what is lost from this is the first two attacks took place on the Texas side. The third attack I think is kind of difficult to say because we have a body here, we have a body there, and we have a car in a whole different place.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

So I. I Think. I think if I had to guess, I'm not willing to wager Franklin on it, but if I had to guess here, I would. I would believe that the third attack took place where the young man, Paul Martin, was found dead. Then it started there, and that the vehicle where it was found is the last part of that crime scene. That would be my guess here with the Farmhouse attack. This takes place much deeper into Arkansas. So this is. This is not even in Texarkana. This is about. As said, it's. It's near home in Arkansas. So we have a whole different county investigating this. So with the first three attacks, you have different jurisdictions because you have this weird city. And I mean that in a good way. Texarkana, where you have half of it in one state and half of it in the other state. So naturally, you're going to have two different investigating agencies there. You have the Texas Rangers who get involved in this investigation. Ultimately, the FBI will get involved as well. But then in this case, you have, I believe it's right county. I would have to look up what county it was, but it's a completely different county. And this one is out in the middle of nowhere. This one just this location in regard in relationship to the other three attacks. Makes no sense to me.

[Captain]

Yeah. Again, we have to determine whether these attacks are connected. But then I think also if they are connected, then you go, how is the killer getting where he's getting to that by car? Is it by foot? Is it by bicycle?

[Nick]

And is anybody targeted?

[Captain]

Right. And I think you could say if. If this. This guy is a popular guy. Again, see, the. The point I was trying to make, and you didn't rudely cut me off, but you did cut me off. But is, could you imagine, you got some sicko out there, and it's not just, okay, it's a sexually motivated crime, so I'm going to go to Lovers Lane. But it's also like the. The jealousy of the man because I'm out here and I'm gonna. Whatever I'm gonna do, I'm gonna have to do by force. This guy got this girl to come out all on her own, willingly. She wants to be out here with him. So the jealousy towards the guys, the hatred towards the guys, because they. They're doing and they're at where this killer wants to be. So it's not that far to go. Well, if they're all connected and that's part of the motivation or part of the connective tissue of the crimes, then you got this guy that's popular with a beautiful wife. Oh, well, if I'm going to attack somebody not at Lovers Lane, this could be like the, the pinnacle if I'm making any sense at all.

[Nick]

Yeah. And I don't. Look, I don't doubt that those niceties were true with all this popular guy, Virgil Starks or his, his attractive 30 year old brunette wife. I don't doubt that those, I'm not trying to say that those statements aren't true, but coming from a guy that reads a lot of really old newspapers, they, they would do that in every writeup on. They, they would like go out of their way to say something complimentary about the person dead or alive. Yeah. What you're talking about.

[Captain]

We still do it now. Every victim lights up the goddamn room. Well, I've never met anybody that just lights up the damn room.

[Nick]

A lot of times. Well, a lot of times that statements like that are coming from somebody that knew the victim very well, that was good friends with them, or a brother or sister or. Or teacher. Somebody that had a very close relationship with the victim. This, this is just a newspaper writer. A reporter who is filling space with additional words probably, but. And again, we don't need to go too far down this road. For all I know, his wife was incredibly attractive and Virgil was incredibly popular. I'm just pointing out that if you read, if you read the entirety of that day's newspaper that I pulled that little article from, I guarantee you you'd hear a lot of successful such and such attractive so and so. And they all read like that, especially the 40s and 50s. I had mentioned Wright county earlier. I was completely wrong on that one. Captain. Want to clear that up before we go any further? Miller county was what I wanted.

[Captain]

Remember, it wouldn't be a true crime garage episode if we weren't wrong about something.

[Nick]

That's right. So you have multiple jurisdictions involved. And if you look at where these attacks are taking place on a map, again, I find it very interesting that a couple take place in the Texas side and then you have this one kind of deep. It's not deep into Arkansas, but when you consider it in relation to the other attacks that we've gone through, I think deep is a fair description. Now here though, Captain, we have a couple of different things to work with. And those couple of things are what we don't hear much of in the first several scenes. These couple of things are what we like to call what we call in the crime fighting business evidence. So we have some evidence here. We have three clues from The Starks murder scene. The flashlight. A flashlight was found in the Starks yard near their home. So presumably the killer ditched the flashlight. This could be before he was attempting to break into the back of the house. Could be when he was fleeing the house, fleeing the. The large property. They also found a.22 gun. They also found a.22 caliber bullet and a bloody footprint. I would love to get some information on this damn footprint. How and why, when we see these articles and when things are reported, especially 80 years later, if the information was known, why don't they bother to ever tell us the size of the footprint? Very, very rarely do they tell us the size of the footprint. That would be key here. I want to know. Right. And. But what we have yet to hone in on is this is a different caliber of gun that was used when. If you find a.22 caliber bullet, we're talking about a.22 caliber gun that was used at the Stark scene. It was a.32 caliber that was used at the two double homicide scenes.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

There was talk at the time that this case, this part might not be related to the other parts. And some of that was. I think they were really digging into the Starks and trying to figure out what was going on. I think there was even rumor of a love triangle or something. Something going on within the marriage or outside of the marriage, I should say. But I've also seen many reports that state that they couldn't find anything bad about either Mr. Or Mrs. Starks, and that that was just local rumor at the time. So I think I leave it there that it was local rumor.

[Captain]

Well, of course, you got a young couple, attractive, a couple farm seems to be successful. There's reason to believe. But. But I'm kind of with you, though, where you. You have evidence that it's a different gun and it's a different location. So it's hard for me to say that this one is connected or not. And I think if we had the surviving victim say, well, I saw a man with a mask, then you go, okay, well, that's very similar to the other attack.

[Nick]

Well, this area, this especially Texarkana, is in such a panic that any crime that contained a heightened element of violence to it, I mean, it really was like everything was the phantom until it's not. That could have been the case here. And. And you're right there, Captain. When we look at these and try to compare apples to apples, I don't think we have apples. I don't think we have four. Four apples here. I Think we have an orange, two apples in the middle, and then a banana on the end.

[Captain]

Or a pair.

[Nick]

Thank you. A pair would be nice.

[Captain]

My question, though is, do we know where this couple was coming from? Were they just at the house or.

[Nick]

Yeah, they were just. They were just at their house after dinner on a Friday night. Like she was going to be going to bed. I. I believe so. He was sitting in the living room or family room, whatever you want to call it. He's.

[Captain]

He doesn't like, clear. The dinner was at their house because that, that's why. Where? I'm unsure. It's like, did they go out for dinner and then did this maniac follow him back?

[Nick]

I had seen. I had seen one report, and I hate to reference one report when I've seen him. You know, a dozen reports on it, and this, this line item is only in the one report. There is a report out there that says that they. They may have gone to a movie that night. And that's what I'm saying.

[Captain]

Somebody's following them.

[Nick]

Possibly. But again, like I said, the other 11 reports out of the dozen mention nothing of a movie and say that they were they. That they were winding down. It was. It was later in the evening on a Friday night. She was in her room and she was doing something that was a hobby of hers. I want to say it was reading, but I don't think it was. I don't think she was reading. He. Virgil was in their sitting room and he was listening to a radio program.

[Captain]

I believe I heard. He was listening to the original true.

[Nick]

Crime garage and he's attacked through the window. Shot through the window while sitting in his. His chair. I don't know. I. As you could make an argument and you could probably sway me into believing that they're not all connected and that maybe the first one's different than the other three, the last one's different than the other three.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

You could sway me if you. If you. If. If you sat me down and talked to me long enough, I could be convinced. But I sit here in front of you here today in the garage. I think they're all connected. I. I think that they're all connected. One thing that I found really interesting, keeping that. It's 1946 in mind at all times. We talked about evidence. Remember the flashlight? The police called for the public to report anyone who owned a flashlight like, like the one that was found at the Starks murder scene. And they. They put a picture of that flashlight in the newspaper. So they're hoping to get somebody to call in saying either I know somebody that owns a flashlight similar to that or or I have some knowledge of a flashl that it was from my understanding in the newspaper, the Texarkana Gazette, because of the importance of that piece of evidence and trying to identify the person connected to that flashlight. It was the first colored photograph, the first color photograph published in the Texarkana Gazette.

[Captain]

The devil's gonna get you in your sleep.

[Nick]

You see where your business can go. To get there, you may need another 10 trucks. At Century Insurance, we put more than 115 years of industry experience to work to help protect you as you launch a new delivery service or expand into a new region and reach your business goals. Sentry right by you. Property and casualty coverages are underwritten and safety services are provided by a member of the Sentry Insurance group, Stevens Point, Wisconsin. For a complete listing of companies, visit century.com policies, coverages, benefits and discounts are not available in all states. He policy for complete coverage details Sling is changing the way live TV works by putting viewers in charge of their entertainment. Sports, entertainment and news can all be tailored without unnecessary extras. Pay only for the months when TV is actually needed and skip the ones when it's not. I love only paying for stuff when I want it and when I need it. With tv, I'm a big football guy. I absolutely need access to my favorite sports channels during the football season, but I don't even really need a TV when football is out of season. Sling gives me that option. And then once in a while maybe I want to dive in and binge watch something. And it's not during football season. I can sign up for the day pass or maybe the weekend pass for three day viewing. Choose and customize your channel lineup or pause and watch for free. Sling lets you do that. Visit sling.com to learn more.

[Captain]

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. I've been reaching out to friends and loved ones and trying to put extra effort into family members and friends that put the effort back into me. As the seasons change, shorter days don't have to weigh you down. This season, Better Help encourages you to reach out, check in on friends, reconnect with loved ones and remind them you're there. Just like it takes a little courage to send that text or grab coffee with somebody you haven't seen in a while. Reaching out for therapy can feel difficult too, but trust me, it can be worth it. It can leave people wondering, why didn't I do this Sooner? With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is one of the world's largest online therapy platforms. BetterHelp therapists are fully licensed in the U.S. betterHelp does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals. I absolutely love online therapy and I absolutely love BetterHelp. This month, don't wait to reach out. Whether you're checking in on a friend or reaching out to a therapist yourself, BetterHelp makes it easy to take that first step. Our listeners get 10% off their first [e-mail] garage. That's betterhelp.com garage. This show is proudly sponsored by BetterHelp. Check out betterhelp.com garage today.

[Nick]

Listen up. If you guys haven't heard of Gold Belly, let me fill you in. Gold Belly ships America's most iconic foods nationwide. Whether it's the one and only Joe's Stone Crown from Miami, legendary steaks from Peter Luger's in New York, or mind blowing cakes from food icons like Ina Garten or Martha Stewart, Goldbelly's got epic gifts your friends and family will rave about for years. And you can get all of these and more at huge savings and free shipping during Goldbelly's Black Friday sale. So hurry to Goldbelly.com and grab these deals while they last.

[Captain]

All right, we are back, you silly little monkeys. Tall cans in the air. Cheers to you, Colonel Monkey see, monkey.

[Nick]

Do, monkey pee all over you.

[Captain]

I think it's because you said banana made me think of.

[Nick]

Let's try to keep it sophisticated.

[Captain]

Get your potassium, people.

[Nick]

What do you, what's your gut tell you here, Captain? Do you think they're connected? Yeah.

[Captain]

Because of the brutality. Yeah, I think it would be strange. If not, I mean, I think you could make a better argument that the last attack wasn't because you got a different caliber gun and location. And also it's just the fabric of that crime is a little different than the others.

[Nick]

And you would have some people push back and say, ah, but the flashlight, well, it's also late at night. A flashlight would make sense. It would be more odd that the attacker connected or otherwise didn't have a flashlight. I mean, you're out in the sticks.

[Captain]

Well, here's what I wonder. The killer maybe realized this lover's lane type attack, he wasn't able to fully do whatever he was setting out to do in his sick fantasy. So instead of trying to attack somebody that's by their vehicle out in the open, let me try to attack a couple. And that's what I also wonder too, is Is the, is there being multiple people there being a, a threat and then the prize. I'm trying to think like the sicko, right? The threat is the man. The prize is the woman. Is that part of this whole killer's DNA? I mean it's, it's absurd to me.

[Nick]

We know per the reports that there was a sexual assault in at least two of the first three attacks. In this fourth attack, he's unable to get to the woman. So we don't know if there would have been one had he been able to get inside the home before she could make it to the neighbor's house. I think that that is, is probably a big part of it. Again, like I said at the beginning of part one, I have a lot of thoughts on this, this killer here and we'll get, I want to get into those here in just a bit. But beforehand I think we should talk about some of the known suspects or, or the people that have been speculated about over the years. And there's been a lot of them. In fact there are some, some write ups out there that say that they. There were 200 suspects or there over the years or there had been hundreds of people interviewed over the years. There is one that we didn't talk about. Well, there's several that have been named in the news and online that we didn't talk about in our first episode. The first one is a unnamed suspect. Like if you go to most websites, this suspect is listed but not named. And forgive me Oklahoma if I get this name wrong, but it says Atoka county suspect is, is what this man is often referred to as. It says on May 10th in Atoka, Oklahoma, a man assaulted a woman in her home, ranting that he might as well kill her because he had already killed three or four people and that he was going to rape her. He then fled the scene. A widespread search for the man included 20 officers and 160 residents. Two days later, police arrested a suspect but did not believe this man was the Phantom killer. According to the man's story, he could not have been in Texarkana at the time of the Starks murder. So if this guy is the Phantom, it sounds like he had an alibi for the time he wasn't even in Texarkana. They could prove he wasn't in Texarkana at the time of the Starks murder. So he, he could be the phant but did not kill Mr. Starks. Now this man's always unnamed. I'll tell you his name. It's Charles A. Coleman.

[Captain]

He Went on to make a bunch of grills.

[Nick]

Well, yeah. And little else is known about him as far as I, I could find. But I was able to dig deep enough to find his actual name. Charles A. Coleman was considered a suspect at one time, but again, police did interview this man. He did speak with this man and they arrested him. But do not believe that he was the Phantom.

[Captain]

Yeah, but that would also make some sense if he was. Okay, I have this weird fantasy or strategy or whatever and I have the threat and I have the prize. But hey, let me just start trying to find victims that don't have the.

[Nick]

Threat, the better known suspects. And I do want to, I need to go out of my way and point something out here because oftentimes, especially in these serial, unsolved serial killer cases, there's a, there's several talked about suspects over the years. This doesn't. Because the ones we're choosing to present to you here today in the garage doesn't mean that there are suspects. It's just we're trying to be thorough in our coverage of this true crime story.

[Captain]

Yeah, we got this great email from a very informed listener. She just wasn't informed on the idea that the case that we were talking about, we were bringing up other people's suspects and then dissecting them. We weren't just bringing them up because we thought those were our opinions of who the best suspects were.

[Nick]

Well, it's some, sometimes we bring up suspects that are not mentioned in other forums. But you know, that's part of the gig here. So Yul Sweeney is one who's been talked about quite a bit. He is somebody that we examined in our very first episode which was titled the Phantom Killer. Yule Sweeney was a 29 year old career criminal. I mean he had been in trouble for counterfeiting, for theft, for car theft, big loser. He was arrested in the summer, so in July after the killings stopped. And we'll circle back to the killing, stopping. So keep in mind like you have about a 10 week time period with these four different attacks that result in five people being killed. And in each attack the, the massed gunman is attacking a couple, so eight people in total with resulting in five deaths. Now a big part of this equation, the big giant question mark here beyond who was the Phantom is well, why did he stop? So this Yul Sweeney character was arrested in July and in fact he was arrested by one of the investigating officers in the Phantom case. Now keep in mind, anybody with a connection to Texarkana that was in law Enforcement was investigating the phantom case. Okay. Anyway, he's arrested for car theft, and the arresting officer said that Sweeney made some incriminating statement of, well, I'm. I'll be going to prison for life this time, making him think that he was the phantom killer.

[Captain]

Right, because it'd be a very harsh sentence for stealing a car.

[Nick]

Yes and no. Remind me to get back to that. So the first part of this that makes it feel like he might be the guy. A guy that steals cars would have an advantage. Right. Arriving at these scenes in a car that doesn't belong to him, that can't be traced back to him. We. What do we know about the Phantom? He wears a mask to cover his face. He. He is taking efforts to conceal his identity, to hide his identity. So the boosting of cars and stealing the cars and using them in the commission of these murders would make a lot of sense to me. His wife, Peggy, according to the police, independently made some confessions in which she incriminates her husband, saying that he's the phantom killer.

[Captain]

But she might have just hated her husband.

[Nick]

I don't know how far down the road you want me to go on this one. I know I talked about Yule Sweeney in depth and, And. And took a hard look at him in our first episode since then, in reviewing some of the information about the wife. His wife, Peggy, I don't think that she was upset with him. I. I worry that they coerced a confession out of her. I worry that they turn the screws on her, and she confessed to something that wasn't factual. Now, back.

[Captain]

Look, it's a lot easier to get somebody to turn on somebody else than to turn on yourself.

[Nick]

And some of these investigators went to their grave believing that Sweeney was the phantom killer. And I'm not trying to diminish their work if I think you have to leave him on the table because of the good work that those investigators did on this case, whether her confession was pulled out of her, real or otherwise, I can't say. I. It feels like they were turning the screws on her to get her to confess to something that might not be the truth. In regard to Sweeney saying something to the effect of, well, I'm going to prison for life this time, keep in mind, he's a career criminal. He was a habitual offender. They do have the habitual offender sentencing. He did. So he. He pleads guilty. He has a. A plea bargain that he works out, but the plea bargain is for life in prison. A lot of people will point to that, and Say, well, he did that to avoid the death penalty for the murders. And so justice was never carried out here.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

So he, he, he actually agreed to a no contest plea to a habitual offender charge. This did lend land him in prison with a life sentence. He always said he never was the Phantom. He said he never killed anybody. And in fact he didn't serve the rest of his days in prison. I believe he got out sometime in the 90s, in the early 90s. I don't think he's as good as the, the next suspect. And Yule Sweeney and Duty Tennyson are the two that are discussed the most when it comes to this case. In fact, when we did our very first episode, we one, we didn't think anybody would listen. But what did happen is some people listen. We have it. Out of those three people, Captain? Well, we have no clue how many people listen, to be honest with you. But out of those three people, one of them was a person that is very much in the Sweeney is guilty camp. And one of them is very much in the Tennyson is guilty camp. Just like the whether these, all these attacks are connected or not. If you sit me down long enough and give me a nice PowerPoint presentation on Sweeney or Tennyson, I think I could be talked into either one of these guys.

[Captain]

Yeah, but Tennyson, strong bourbon.

[Nick]

Strange because. So Henry Booker Tennyson, he went by the nickname of Duty. He was only 18 years old when he killed himself. So he dies by suicide in November of 1947. I think I need to double check this. My notes say 1948 here, but Captain, I think it was actually 1947. Keep in mind all these attacks took place in 1946. The part that makes him interesting is he leaves behind a suicide note. This note leads the people who find it to other information. He left another note. Then in his suicide note leads them to a lockbox. Inside this lockbox they find a, a pen, like a ballpoint pen. And someone had unscrewed it and put, rolled up a note and put it inside that pen. And on that note, clever mystery. He's confessing to some of the attacks, to the murders. They find this note and I believe the note said something to the effect of I'm guilty of two double murders and the Starks attack or the murder of Mr. Starks.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

So Duty would have been, if my notes are correct, he would have been what, 17 at the time of the murders. And he would have been similar in age to some of our victims that.

[Captain]

We'Ve discussed again, a little bit of a loner, jealous of the guys taking the girls to the lovers Lane.

[Nick]

Investigators say they were unable to find any concrete evidence linking Duty Tennyson to the murders. Beyond that, the notes that he left.

[Captain]

Behind, the signed confession.

[Nick]

So James Freeman, in some reports, states he's a close friend of Duty Tennyson. Other reports state he was a cousin and friend. So I guess both could be true. But James Freeman provided an alibi for Duty Tennyson, saying. For at least one of the attacks, saying that, hey, I. Duty, my friend, Duty could not have been the murderer. Because I remember the night that the Starks were killed or Virgil Starks was killed, that we were hanging out together playing cards. And in fact, we heard the news come over the radio. I was with him when we heard the news come over the radio that night. I'm sure knowing the captain's history and talking cases with him long enough that that alibi seems a little flimsy. Right. Good friend who just says, oh, yeah, we were playing cards that night. Nobody else saw. Sure. Duty Tennyson, sure.

[Captain]

Then I'd start questioning him. Were you involved? Was there two people?

[Nick]

I. His family. Henry Booker Tennyson's family were concerned, and rightfully so, saying, you know, we're worried that our son, our loved one, was extremely mentally ill at the time of his suicide. They have no answer for why he would confess to something that they strongly believe that he did not. Do you want to hear something funny here, Captain? So if you look up, there's a. There is this tiny little website. Did Duty Do It?

[Captain]

Oh, that's great. Title.

[Nick]

Did Duty Do It? And they list several links that you can go to. I think it's to bolster their argument that he did. I don't know if they're trying to say he did it or didn't do it. There's several links here where you can. There's a video presentation by John Tennyson, MD. Oh, yeah, yeah. This site is run by John Tennyson, M.D. it has not been updated in a long time, but it has a link to our 2015 podcast, which discusses Duty Tennyson. Now, if you click on the link, obviously it's a broken link because it's. It's. So the link is very old. I think if I had to go off of memory in that first episode, I seem to be leaning towards Sweeney. You were leaning towards Duty. He's a very interesting one to ponder because I've seen some reports. So he worked at the. I believe he Worked at the Paramount Movie theater in downtown Texarkana. And some people have suggested that. That what separates Duty Tennyson from some of the other named suspects is that he knew several of the victims.

[Captain]

Yeah, because he would know a lot of the people coming to see movies.

[Nick]

And then again, he went to high school with some of them as well.

[Captain]

Yeah, but here's the thing about the fourth attack. Is it possible that he writes this note, he folds it up, puts it in his pen, maybe he forgets about it. You know, he. He's going through a. Some kind of mental break. And then obviously you're attacking individuals, so that's going to cause more mental going on in your head. But we have this couple that might have went to the movies that night, that they're attacked, then the kid kills himself, but he never alters the note. So he still could be responsible for all four attacks.

[Nick]

That doesn't work because he. In his suicide note, that's what led them to the note inside of the ballpoint pen. He. He gave instructions in his suicide note to go look for this other.

[Captain]

Right, okay.

[Nick]

We do know in the first attack that that couple, the couple that survived, they were coming home from the movies that night, and they had gone to the Paramount movie theater.

[Captain]

Well, the one girl was playing at the theater. Was the theater different than the movie theater?

[Nick]

Yes, but he has a connection to the saxophone player. The saxophone player was Mary Jo Booker. Duty played trombone in the same high school band as Booker, and it says here. But they were not friends. Investigators were unable to find any other evidence linking Tennyson to the murders.

[Captain]

Yeah, I don't think there was much evidence that Duty had many friends.

[Nick]

This is a better description and a more concise description here. Henry Booker, Doody Tennyson. So, yes, it wasn't until 1948 that he killed himself. So he was 18 at the time, and he was born in February of 1930. The attacks occurred in February of 1946. A big change in Duty's life would be getting a driver's license at 16. I can't confirm that he did, but it would make sense that he got his driver's license at 16. And starting in February of 1946, when the attack started, he's working. Let's say he's working at the movie theater. He's got a vehicle or access to a vehicle. He can. He can be out driving. And now he has his wheels to get to these attacks and commit these attacks. That makes a lot of sense to me. The same time that he starts would be able to start driving. So this, this says Henry Booker. Duty Tennyson was 18 year old, an 18 year old university freshman who committed suicide using mercury cyanide poisoning on November 4, 1948. Leaving behind cryptic instructions which directed instructor investigators to a suicide note in which Tennyson confessed to being the phantom killer from Texarkana, killing Betty Joe Booker, Paul Martin and Virgil Starks and attempting to murder Mrs. Katie Starks. And then this also states that he was in the same high school band as Mary Jo Booker. So there this guy, there's connections to him. The, the one problem I have is I go back to the first attack and if you're convinced that they are connected, the one part of the description of the assailant that the two agreed upon was they mentioned that he was like 30. They believed him to be 30 years old. I would like to see what was the, the, the physical build of Duty Tennyson. Does he, does he make that six foot mark where the, the first case, they said the guy was 6 foot, he was athletically built or thin. And we believe that he was 30 years old or approximately 30 years old.

[Captain]

But here's the thing though.

[Nick]

But why didn't he continue to kill? Right. So he goes off to university, I believe he went to, I can't remember what school he goes off to, but he goes off to college and then kills himself there in November of 48. So he would have still been in school in high school in Texarkana. He went to Texarkana Arkansas High school. He graduated class of 48. Why wasn't he still killing between May of 46 and when he leaves for college after the summer of 48?

[Captain]

Well, that confession note, the suicide confession note, that might not be the totality of his crimes. That just might be the totality of the crimes he wants to admit to.

[Nick]

That's true. We did say earlier, when did the phantom actually stop? And if he did stop, why did he die? Did he move away? Was he apprehended for some other crime? Or if it were to be duty Tennyson, did he just stop? Or did his conscious conscience take grasp on him and. Or he grew a soul all of a sudden or grew up and decided, learned that you can't kill people.

[Captain]

Yeah. Or I mean again, we've seen some people kill people and they don't, they don't care. There's no remorse. They're just evil. They're the devil. And then there's other ones. They're the devil too. They know they're the devil, but they hate themselves for it. And to me, he would be the latter of that.

[Nick]

The. The other part of this though, could be if he thought he was very close to being caught, it might have inspired him to stop or take a break. Right. Because if it was Tennyson, who's to say that he wouldn't, had he not committed suicide? Go back to killing in 49 or 50 or later. Now, as far as homicides go, we can. I think we can say pretty conclusively that the killer, the phantom killer, as far as Texarkana is concerned, did either stop or moved away and chose a different hunting ground. As far as when did the killer stop?

[Captain]

Let me just say what I'm thinking right now. It goes back to what I was saying. The jealousy. Well, guess who would be also very jealous. If you work, if you worked as a young teen in high school, not a lot of friends, kind of. Kind of in Lonerville and you work at a movie theater and you see these couples coming in on dates and that would just fuel your fire.

[Nick]

Did he have access to a gun or guns? Did he have access to a vehicle? What do we know that that's. I wouldn't say it so definitively without. Without having proof of that. I mean, it seems reasonable that he probably had access to guns.

[Captain]

But it's Texas. Everybody has guns.

[Nick]

Well, technically it's Arkansas.

[Captain]

Well, it's so damn close. It's one in the same. Come on.

[Nick]

So there. People had always wondered when the phantom stopped. This is from. This is from November 10, 1947 from the Waco News Tribune. And the headline is Return of Texarkana Phantom Feared as Man Woman Beaten Officer also shot as Violence flares in city. Okay, so we need to point out here the officer shot is a different. Is not related to the. The man and the woman who were beaten. But listen to this report here. A 42 year old Texarkana Lumber company employee was near death and his attractive 31 year old woman companion was in serious condition Sunday night. That's interesting. It happened on a weekend after they had been attacked by a masked man wielding a ball peen hammer. And authorities fear the phantom killer, who left five victims during a three month killing spree last year, had resumed his work. The masked man assaulted Meek Wilbourne and Mrs. Grace Evans early Sunday morning. When the attack ended after the two victims had been struck time and time again. Wilbourne was in critical condition with brain injuries and Mrs. Evans was suffering from a skull fracture. Mrs. Evans told police the man was an African American Male attempted to rape her after beating Wellborn into unconsciousness. Her description of the assailant, Texarkana police said, was strikingly similar to that of the Phantom killer, hunted since February of 1946, when he took the life of his first victim. So there's a. There's a problem with their write up right there. He didn't take his first victim in 19. In February of 46, Mrs. Evans said the hammer wielder wore a white mask with holes cut out at the eyes. Police said the Phantom killer wore a similar garb. Mrs. Evans said that the African American male demanded money and started the attack when Wilbourne refused to hand over his cash. Police say robbery may have been a partial motive for the Phantom slayer. We also don't know if this attacker was ever apprehended. They very likely could have found the person responsible for this.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

It's just. But that doesn't. Oh, this guy's not the Phantom. That doesn't make headlines. What makes headlines is, oh, the police are worried that the Texarkana Phantom has returned or has resumed his work, as they said.

[Captain]

And if you're a writer, it's like, okay, well, maybe this isn't connected, but I'll throw this in. I'll throw these couple phrases in, and it'll sell some more newspapers.

[Nick]

Well, before we wrap again, back to the idea of these four attacks. Do you think. Because I think they're connected. I think they were all committed by the same individual.

[Captain]

Yeah, I think it's most likely the case. I mean, especially when you talk about one set of couple went to a movie theater, another set is coming from a theater, not a movie theater, but it's probably in similar. Similar location. It's not a giant town. And then you have the other, the last victims that possibly were at a movie theater. There's just some weird similarities. And also, like I said, I think there's something to this. There's something to the attacks because they're couples, because there's a threat, and then there's a prize. So I think, yeah, I think it's more likely that they're connected.

[Nick]

I. I think that they are connected by the nature of the crimes, by the nature of the attacks, and the weapons and tools used to carry them out. Now, as far as the theater or theaters go, I don't think that has. I think that has little to do with any of it. I think that the city was in fact, big enough. I don't know that she was even playing at a theater. It. It may have been A dance hall, it may have been a church. I would want to look into that a little bit more. I'm not saying you're wrong. There could be, there could be something there. But what is there is the first three attacks, they're parked, they're all parked in like lovers Lanes. That's, that's your connection. Not a theater or persons coming from this spot or that spot. To me, it's. To me, again, it goes back to if I'm looking for a young female victim on a Friday, Saturday night, and I live in this town of 40,000 people, the city of 40,000 people. I know that, that young folks go and park at these locations. All I have to do is hop in my car and drive to them and see if I see a car. I'm not going to find two 40 year olds in that car. I don't think that I'm going to. I think I'm going to find some younger folks in that. I'm going to park a distance away, late enough at night and make sure that. I think that I'm going to be the only one. It's going to be the three of us. Me, the phantom and my two victims in this spot at this time of night.

[Captain]

But one of the things I like about duty is that if you have a teenager that's working, especially something like a movie theater, the different times he probably have to work a little bit later and, and maybe wouldn't you want to have a clear indication of when he was at work or when he got off work?

[Nick]

Well, to take that a little bit further, it, it stands to reason, working in a movie theater, that he would be getting off late at night on the weekends pretty frequently. And so he, we can, we can put together very quickly that he might be leaving the movie theater not too long after the folks that attended the movies are leaving. So that would, that would line up.

[Captain]

Nicely for duty to stop by Lovers Lane before I head home.

[Nick]

Duty makes sense for a couple reasons. I feel like when I review, if I, if I, if I review the first attack by itself, there are things to suggest that it's an inexperienced attacker, that it's a younger attacker. There's a lot of psychology in there and I don't want to go too far down that road today, but there's a lot of psychology there. Part one with the. I don't want to go too far down the road because I don't know if the killer was scared off. Right. That changes everything about that scene. If the killer chose to leave after the assault or if the killer was scared off, we don't know what he was going to do, how far he was going to take things that night. And a lot of times this leading all the way up to almost a murder, this sexual assault, that's not a rape in the traditional sense, that the tool was used, the gun was used, that is suggestive and very similar to crimes that we've seen committed by younger. A younger offender. Okay, but I don't see that. I don't see a younger offender. And here's why. I feel like we're talking about somebody that is as the witnesses, as the survivors described, they thought he was 40, they thought he was 30 years old. And I feel like there's a certain level of confidence as to what this guy is doing that is also suggestive of an older killer. And when I say older, I mean older than 16, somebody that has a little more life experience.

[Captain]

You said it right there. Older than the age of the victims. And so you might not know how old the guy is, but especially during that time, 30 would have been, oh, that's an old man. So. But when these younger victims are saying, well, I'm placing them at an age older than me, then duty doesn't make a lot of sense. But to close us out. Do you have a small list of other suspects that we don't have to dive into, but just some that have popped up since we covered?

[Nick]

There's been others that have been named, but very quickly you look into them and there's nothing there. So I don't even know why they are named. Like, it's like, oh, we interviewed this guy and it wasn't him or this guy. People were suspicious of him, but police talked to him. And so those ones go nowhere. Real quick. Where I would prefer to spend my time here wrapping this up is I had said that I, that I had a lot of thoughts about this guy. And it goes back to what I just said where I think there's a certain level of confidence there that requires an older person with more life experience. Again, the first survivors say that they believe he was approximately 30 years old. Keep in mind Jimmy Hollis, who was the first male who was attacked and survived, was 25 years old at the time. He's not a 16 year old boy saying it was an older guy. This is a 25 year old dude who was in close enough contact with the phantom killer that he was struck in the head twice with the butt of a gun.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

And it's him and it's the. And it's his 19 year old girlfriend that are saying they believe the attacker to be 30 years old. And now what I, what I often do with these is again, I think that these attacks are connected and I think that there is a evolution to these attacks. The first three happening in parked cars. That's no mistake. That's where the killer, that's where the attacker went to go look for victims. Okay. The, the fourth one being in a farmhouse. I don't think it had anything to do with Mr. Or Mrs. Starks. I think it had everything to do with what was going on in Texarkana at the time. There's a killer on the street who's killing teenagers parked in cars. Guess what? We have this thing now, we put in a curfew. So there's not many people parked in their cars on the streets anymore. You have to be inside because the phantom killer gave us a curfew. And then so he, he needs to get off the streets. And then number two, another thing that was happening is there was. Everybody was turning into a vigilante at the time. Everybody wanted to catch or kill the phantom killer. So you had people that were sitting in parked cars, armed with guns, waiting for the killer to approach them so they could, so they could apprehend him or kill him. That was something that was regularly happening in those weeks. I think that he killed, Went to the farmhouse, he went to a house instead of a car out of necessity because of what was going on. What, what he had started inside of Texas. Texarkana.

[Captain]

Well, no, that makes a lot of sense because the lovers lane are kind of remote. So he went to a more remote house.

[Nick]

Yes.

[Captain]

If that makes sense.

[Nick]

And I. How many shows have we done? Over 800. You never hear me say this. You never hear me say this. So I think that it should add a little weight to it. For some reason, I think this guy.

[Captain]

Might be finally tell me he loves me.

[Nick]

I think this guy might be law enforcement or have a law enforcement background. I, there's something with, with the gun and the flashlight, with the, with the way that he commands everybody. Here's the reason why there's something. He has a confidence level at these different scenes. He doesn't seem to be rushed or in a hurry. Right. He, he. He's operating out in the open. Anybody could drive by. But he doesn't seem to be so concerned about that. Right. Like that's where he's going to find his victims. Maybe he knows Texarkana. There ain't too many police out running around At. At midnight on a Saturday. Maybe he knows that, or maybe this is my. His territory. I don't know. I. I don't want to go too far down that road either, but there's. There's a hint of that there. But oftentimes when you. The thing that I do enjoy about these serial cases that are different from one offs is it gives you more of the work to look at, and so you get a better. I think you can get a better understanding of the monster if you. If you attempt to look at the monster and examine the monster. And the first things that I ask when attempting to examine these monsters is what is it? What does it do? What is its nature? I think this guy is a violator. I think what he does, he's a violator, which is also a ridiculously great 1990 album by Depeche Mode. But that's neither here nor there. So what is it? What does it do? What is its nature? This guy is a violator, not just a killer. If he only wanted to kill, he would just walk up on the vehicle and shoot Zodiac style. Zodiac was a killer and a terrorist. Our guy here is a violator. He wants to violate your space, he wants to violate your vehicle, and then he'll go violate your house. He most certainly enjoyed the terror that it was causing, because he was. But he wasn't going to make any threats. He doesn't threaten to kill. He kills. He goes to violate. That's his thrill. Then he kills. He violates the victims. He controls the man. He humiliates him in front of his woman, and then he violates the female and he kills. Because it's the ultimate win. It's the best getaway clean.

[Captain]

But maybe this is also why they didn't release much information about the. The footprint. Is it a boot print? Is it a. Would that print lead people to look into law enforcement?

[Nick]

Well, and then the double homicide turns, in turn, violates the city, its people, and its police. And he loves it. To him, there's nothing better. I also think that this is very much about the gun. So much about the gun. The gun is like an extension of himself, maybe the best part of himself, because it allows him to do what he loves most, control and violate. He doesn't need to wear a mask because he. He needs no face. He needs no face for them to see. In those moments, he's more than a man. He's something else entirely. He is what he always wanted to be, and as he believes, what he deserves to be. But I think he's absolutely local. And I think the victims from the first attack were right. The guy was in his mid to late 20s, maybe 30 years old. And the thing with the law enforcement, again, he seems confident and fine being out there at night, but we have multiple jurisdictions, and then he's controlling these victims. I think he's local because of the mask, and I think he knows this area well. And I think that the changing of the gun is significant too. I think that he thought, well, if I'm going to have to go to a house to violate and kill, where before I was going to cars, but because the scenery, the landscape has changed and I have to go to a house now, I might as well switch up the gun. He doesn't want them to know that it's connected. He's not like the Zodiac that's telling you, oh, I did all this, that these are all my crimes. He doesn't care. He's not a terrorist like the Zodiac is. The Zodiac threatens this guy doesn't threaten. This guy just kills. And I think it's the violation part of the act that gets him to go out and do it again and again. Why did he stop? I don't know, but this one reminds me very much of a crime, that series of crimes that didn't involve a gun at all. Remember our Aurora Hammer Slayer Killer? He was going into homes with a hammer, and he was taking out everybody in that house. And his crimes were sexually motivated as well. When we reviewed it, when we reviewed it, we couldn't figure out for the life of us why the guy stopped. Well, he stopped because he. He was picked up in another state, like, two weeks after the murder stopped in Aurora. He's picked up and he's locked up for. For decades. And then, then the golden age of crime solving DNA happens, and we figure out who the Hammer Slayer was.

[Captain]

And it doesn't have to be a law enforcement officer from Texarkana. It could just be from a neighboring town or county.

[Nick]

Yeah, he's local on some level. I feel very confident in that. The law enforcement part of it. Who's to say? That's hard to say. I wouldn't put. I wouldn't put my stamp on that one for sure. But I feel absolutely very strong that he's local. And I think that. I think that. Look, and with Tennyson, okay, so he says that he was the phantom killer in his suicide notes. It would not be the first nor the last time that somebody tries to make a spectacle out of their suicide. Whether he was the phantom killer or not. Duty Tennyson's name lives on in the history books and will so forever. They're not going to solve the phantom killer. We're never going to learn who the phantom killer was.

[Captain]

And we understand that Duty had some mental illness. I mean, that's why he took his own life. And so is there a possibility that he was having some kind of breakdown and just thought he did, thought he was the killer? Because I don't think there's really any. I don't think there's anything in that suicide note or the confession that would be evidence that only the killer would know.

[Nick]

Exactly. In fact, you have the investigator saying the exact opposite of that, saying, we, we looked and we looked and we looked and we couldn't find any evidence linking this poor young man who took his own life to these crimes. Other than this confession that he left after his suicide, we can't find anything. Now, he is interesting and will remain interesting for a long time because he does have connections and personal ties to some of the victims. But I just feel like he was too young, too inexperienced. I feel like we're dealing with a confident killer who has other motivations. And something just keeps telling me this guy went to another location and got picked up for something else.

[Captain]

You could be anywhere, but you're here with us, and we thank you so much. Thank you for joining us here in the garage each and every week. Colonel, do we have any recommended reading for the beautiful listeners?

[Nick]

I am very, very happy to be recommending this one this week. It is called this is one of the best true crime books in existence. That's right, I said it. It's called A Need to Kill by the great Mark Pettit. And as far as I know, I believe this is Mark Pettit's only true crime book. Now, what's interesting about that is I'm holding a copy of A Need to Kill in my hands right now. This is from 1990, back when you could buy a hardback book for $16. The book is so good and tells the story so well that it has gone into print like six times. Six different times sold a bunch of copies in the early 90s, I think, like 80,000 copies. And so it's gone to print six times. Here's the description. Two young boys were kidnapped and brutally murdered for no apparent reason. The manhunt that followed lasted 116 days. The lawmen finally caught their man. He was no more than a child himself. A young man obsessed with death, unable to distinguish between pain and pleasure. Mark Pettit is the only reporter to talk with the killer. His name was John Jupiter and he was executed not too long after the crimes were committed. This is a case that that goes into the state of Nebraska with Peter 2 murders in 1983 and it has some ties to the Johnny Gosh investigation. Anybody that knows this case or has read A Need to Kill will know that it has a lot of ties to the Johnny Gosh still missing newspaper boy. One of these victims unfortunately was it was out delivering newspapers when he was abducted by John Jupiter. Again, that book is A Need to Kill by Mark Pettit. You don't need to write that title down now, no, because you can. Go to truecrimegarage.com Click on the recommended page and you can see all of our recommendations there.

[Captain]

And While you'[e-mail] Treat yourself to some dope ass merchandise until next week.

[Nick]

Be good, be kind, and don't. Amazon Black Friday Week deals are here with everything for everyone on your list. Like your Uncle Ricky who ruined every single one of your wedding photos because his fly was open. Get him a three pack of new underpants. And right now with Amazon Black Friday Week deals you can save up to 40% on the gifts everyone wants, like the latest toys and housewares. And the gifts they need like underpants and Ricky. Wear them please.