The Phantom Killer /// Part 2 /// 888 | Forensic Files

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>> All right, everybody. Gather around, grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some true crime.
[music] The devil's going to get [music] you in your sleep. The devil's going to get [music] you in
your sleep. [music] The devil's going to get you in your sleep. The devil is [music] going to get 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 [ __ ] 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 3rd, 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. 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. >> Well, 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 of ways
to to get help. >> 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. So the these >> something nobody has ever said before.
Oh well, I think she got lucky by the one shot hit in her cheek. >> Yeah, I it sounds funny to say, but
you're also about two to three inches dis 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 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's
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 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. >> 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. Yes. to 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. Well, and this is so you're already you have a public that is in full panic mode. They're terrified.
The Phantom's 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 fifth killing panics Tex Arcana 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 Tex Arcana was shocked by details
of Friday night's cold-blooded killing of popular Virgil Starks, aged 36, and the serious wounding of his attractive
30year-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 Tex Arcana
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, >> right? >> 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 Tex Arcana. We always say Texas Arcana, 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.
>> Right. 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. That 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 Tex Arcana. This is about uh 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. Texas Arcana 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 and then in this case, you have uh I believe it's
Wright 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. >> 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? Is it by car? Is
it by foot? Is it by bicycle? >> And is anybody targeted? >> 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 lever's 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 Lover's Lane, this could be like the the pinnacle, if I'm making any sense at all.
>> Yeah. And I don't look I don't doubt that those nicities 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 are
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 are you talking about? 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
>> 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 a 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. Um, 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 it it 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 didn't remember. It wouldn't be a true crime garage episode if we weren't wrong about
something. >> 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 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. [snorts] So, we have some evidence here. We have three clues from the Starks murder scene. The flashlight,
a flashlight was found in the Stark's 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.
Why? 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? Uh 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 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, >> right? 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. And I think there was even rumor of a love
triangle or 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. Well, of course you
got a young couple, attractive couple farm seems to be successful there. 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 a mask." Then then you go, "Okay, well that's
very similar to the other attack." Well, this area, this especially Tex Arcana 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 you 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.
>> Or a pair. >> Thank you. A pair would be nice. >> My question though is, do we know where
this couple was coming from? Were they just at the house or >> Yeah, they were just they were just at
their house after dinner on a Friday night. like she 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 >> Let's be clear, the dinner was at their
house because that that's what where I'm unsure. It's like did they go out for dinner and then did this maniac follow
him back? I had seen I had seen one report and I hate to reference one report when I've seen a 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 somebody's following them
>> 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 I don't
think she was reading. He Virgil was in their sitting room and he was listening to a radio program. I believe
>> I heard he was listening to the original true 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, >> right? 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 and I think they're all connected. I I think that they're all connected. One thing that I found really
interesting, uh, 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 or I
have some knowledge of a flashlight similar to that. It was from my understanding in the newspaper, the Tex
Arcana 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
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>> What do you What's your gut tell you here, Captain? Do you think they're connected?
>> Yeah, because of the brutality. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> I think it would be strange if not I
mean I I think you could make a a better argument that the last attack wasn't cuz
you got a different caliber gun and location. And also, it's just the the the fabric of of that crime is a little
different than the others. you 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." Well, here's why 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 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 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. 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 at the beginning of part one, I have a lot of thoughts on
this this killer here, and we 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 writeups out there that say that there
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 Atoa County suspect is is what this man
is often referred to as. It says on May 10th in Atoa, 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 Tex Arcana 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 Tex Arcana. they could prove he wasn't in
Tex Arcana at the time of the Starks murder. So he he could be the Phantom, but did not kill
>> Mr. Starks. Now, >> this man's always unnamed. I'll tell you his name. It's Charles A. Coleman.
>> He went on to make a bunch of grills. >> Well, yeah. And 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. Um, and they arrested him, but do not believe that he was the Phantom. 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 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. Yeah, we got this
great email from a 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
cuz we thought those were our opinions of who the best suspects were. Well, it's some sometimes we bring up suspects
that are not mentioned in other uh forums, but uh you know, that's part of the gig here. So,
Yol 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. Yel Sweeney was a 29-year-old career criminal. I mean, he had been in
trouble for counterfeiting, for theft, for car theft. >> Big loser. Uh, he was arrested in the
summer, so in July after the killings stopped, and we'll circle back to the killings 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 masked 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 Yule 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 Tex Arcana 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, >> right? Because it would be a very harsh sentence for stealing a car. >> 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 this 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,
>> but she might have just hated her husband. >> 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 the confession out of her. I worry that they turn the screws on her
and she confessed to something that wasn't factual. >> Now, back look, it's a lot easier to get
somebody to turn on somebody else than to turn on yourself. And some [snorts] of these investigators went to their
grave believing that Sweeney was the phantom killer. And I'm not trying to dis 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 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." >> Right? >> So, he he he actually agreed to a no contest plea to a habitual offender
charge. This did lend land 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 he didn't he didn't serve the rest of his days in prison. I
believe he got out sometime in the '9s, in the early 90s. I don't think he's as good as the the next suspect. And Yule
Sweeney and Dudy 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. >> Yeah. But 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. >> Yeah.
>> But Tennyson is >> Strong Bourbon. >> 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 and and his suicide
note leads them to a lock box. Inside this lock box, 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." >> Right? 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 we've
discussed. Again, a little bit of a loner, jealous of the guys taking the girls to the lover's lane.
>> Investigators say they were unable to find any concrete evidence linking Duty
Tennyson to the murders beyond that the notes that he left behind, >> the signed confession.
>> So, James Freeman and 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 Dudy, my friend Dudy 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. Then I'd start questioning him.
Were you involved? Was there two people? 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? >> Oh, that's a great title. >> Did Duty do it? And they list several
links that you can go to. Um, I think it's to bolster their argument that he did. I I I I don't know if 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. >> This Yeah, this site is run by John
Tennyson MD. 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 uh 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 Dudy. 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 Tex Arcana. And some people have suggested that that
what separates Dudy Tennyson from some of the other named suspects is that he knew several of the victims.
>> Yeah. Because he would know a lot of the people coming to see movies. And then
again, >> well, he went to high school with some of them as well. >> 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 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. >> 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, >> right? Okay. >> 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. Well, and the one girl was playing at the theater. Was the theater different than the movie
theater? >> Yes. But he has a connection to the saxophone player. The saxophone player
was Mary Joe Booker. Uh Dudy 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."
>> Yeah, I don't think there was much evidence that Dudy had many friends. This is a better description and a more
concise description here. Um, Henry Booker Dudy Tennyson. So, yes, it wasn't until 1948 that 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 Dudy'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 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 Dudy Tennyson was
18year-old an 18-year-old university freshman who committed suicide at using mercury cyanide poisoning on November
4th 1948 leaving behind cryptic instructions which directed instructor investigators to a suicide note in which
Tennyson confessed to being the phantom killer from Tex Arcana 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 Joe 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 asalent 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 Dudy
Tennyson. Does he does he make that six-foot mark where the the first case they said well the guy was 6 foot he was
athletically built or thin and we believed that he was >> 30 years old or approximately 30 years
old. >> But here's the thing though. >> But why did 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 and high school in Tex Arcana. He went
to Tex Arcana 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? 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 emit to. 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
it did his conscience 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? >> Yeah. Or I mean, we've 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. >> 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 Tex Arcana is concerned, did either stop or moved away and and chose a different
hunting ground. As far as when did the killer stop? Let me just say what uh 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 at 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.
>> Did he have access to a gun or guns? >> Did he have access to a vehicle? But 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, but it's Texas. Everybody has guns.
>> Well, technically it's Arkansas. >> Well, it's so damn close. It's one in the same. [laughter]
Come on. >> Uh, so there people had always wondered when the Phantom stopped. This is from
this is from November 10th, 1947 from the Waco News Tribune and the headline is return of Tex Arcana 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 42year-old Tex Arcana 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 ballpeen 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 Wilborn 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 asalent Tex Arcana 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 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. He they very likely could
have found the the person responsible for this, >> right? 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 the police are worried that the Tex Arcana Phantom has returned or has resumed his work as they say. 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. 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. >> Yeah, I I think it's 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 uh 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. I I think that
they are connected by the nature of the crimes, uh 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. Um 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 person's 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 car. 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 the spot at this time of night.
>> 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 the different times he probably have to work a little bit
later and and maybe wouldn't you wouldn't have a clear indication of when he was at
work or when he got off work. Well, to 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 nicely for duty. >> I just stop by Lover's Lane before I
head home. 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 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, uh that the a 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 uh an older killer.
And when I say older, I mean older than 16, >> somebody that has a little more life
experience. And 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 him 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 it last? >> 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
uh 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 had 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 25year-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. >> Right. >> 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 Tex Arcana 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 take 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 Tex Arcana. >> Well, no, that makes a lot of sense because the Lover's Lane are kind of
remote. So, he went to a more remote house. >> Yes, >> if that makes sense. >> 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 might be >> finally tell me he loves me. >> 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
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 Tex Arcana. 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 oftent times when you
the thing that I do enjoy about these serial [snorts] cases that are different from oneoffs 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 there's also a ridiculously great 1990 album by Depeesh 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.
>> But maybe this is also why they didn't release much information about the the
footprint. Is it a bootprint? Is it a would that print lead people to look into law
enforcement? 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 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 crimeolving DNA happens and we figure out who the hammer slayer was.
>> And it doesn't have to be a law enforcement officer from Tex Arcana. It could just be from a neighboring town or
county. >> 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, Dudy 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. >> And we understand that Dudy 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? Cuz 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. >> Exactly. In fact, you have the investigators 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 [music] telling me this guy went
to another location and got picked up for something else. [music] The devil's going to get you in your
sleep. [music] [music] >> 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? >> 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 law men 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 Juper, 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 two 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. Uh, one of these victims unfortunately was it was out delivering newspapers when he was abducted by John
Juper. 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 trimerg.com, click on the recommended page, and you can see all of
our recommendations there. >> And while you're at true crimegar.com, treat yourself to some dopeass
merchandise. Until next week, >> be good, be kind, and don't live. Heat. Heat. [music]
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The Phantom Killer /// Part 2 /// 888 Part 2 of 2

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Few of the True Crime stories we have covered become a legend. This story has. In part that might be because the murderous monster that committed several murders in Texarkana in 1946 seemed to come out of nowhere. The hunter quickly was named the Phantom Killer. Then 10 weeks after the attacks began, the Phantom vanished. The Phantom Killer stalked and hunted young adults and teens on the streets of Texarkana always on the weekend from February 22nd through May 3rd. Texarkana became the "Town that Dreaded Sundown." The killer truly was a phantom in every sense. To this day the folks in the Texas, Arkansas border town still talk about the Phantom Killer and the Texarkana Moonlight Murders.

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Brief Summary

The episode discusses the Phantom Killer case, focusing on the 1946 murder of Virgil Starks and the investigation that followed.

Key points

The Phantom Killer Strikes Again. In 1946, the Phantom Killer escalates his attacks, shocking the community.
A Survivor's Escape. Katie Starks flees barefoot to seek help after being shot.
A Farmhouse Attack. The Phantom Killer attacks a couple in their home, breaking the illusion of safety.
The Flashlight Clue. Police seek public help to identify a crucial flashlight linked to a murder.
The Phantom Killer Suspects. Exploring various suspects over the years, including Charles A. Coleman and Yule Sweeney.
Duty Tennyson's Confession. A suicide note leads investigators to believe Duty Tennyson may be the killer.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This crime shattered the illusion that safety could be found at home.

Analysis of the impact of the farmhouse attack.

7:11WatchNov 26, 2025

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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