SAN ANGELO, Texas — In 1946 Texarkana was plagued by a Phantom Killer who donned a white mask and hunted town residents under cover of nightfall. These infamous killings became known as the Texarkana Moonlight Murders.
A famous movie, The Town that Dreaded Sundown was based on this Phantom Killer and inspired the following cult classic movies such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Halloween.
These movies pale in comparison to the Texarkana Moonlight Murders that have remained unsolved to this day for 76 years.Authorities believe that the Phantom Killer murdered a total of five people within the span of two weeks with three victims surviving the attacks. These survivors described him as wearing a white mask or sack with holes cut for eyes giving him his nickname as a phantom.
The first attempted victims were Jimmy Hollis and Mary Jeanne Larrey, a young couple parked on the side of the road just outside of town on the night of February 22, 1946. According to reports, the Phantom held the couple at gunpoint outside their vehicle ordering Hollis to remove his pants. Hollis was severely beaten but survived with several severe injuries including a fractured skull. Mary Larrey was ordered to run away with the phantom chasing closely behind her, upon reaching a ditch she was ordered to change course to the road where he caught up and sexually assaulted her with the pistol he carried before letting her run away again.
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