James Presley Talk: When the Phantom Killer Stalked Texarkana

This program is part of the Hot Springs/Cold Blood True Crime Festival, which takes place on Friday, November 4th & Saturday, November 5th at the Garland County Library.

What: James Presley Talk
When: 11/4/22 @6pm
Where: Library Nonfiction Art Wall
Who: Ages 18+
Registration Required

The author of The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders will give a book talk and Q&A. Presley’s uncle, Sheriff Bill Presley, was the first officer on the scene of the 1946 murders. In James Presley’s words: “In the spring of 1946, an angry man with a gun terrorized Texarkana and region as he hunted couples by night during a six-week rampage.  The so-called Phantom, a serial killer who murdered five, critically wounded a survivor, and savagely beat two others, put the town on the map nationally, for an unwelcomed reason. As mystery fueled fear and hysteria–who is he? why does he kill?–Arkansas and Texas officers, often sleepless in a circus atmosphere, worked tirelessly to track down the criminal, finally focusing on a major suspect.”