Ominous Origins: The Texarkana Phantom Part 3

Giddy up, it’s suspect time! Join us for the conclusion of our three-part investigation into the infamous Texarkana Phantom.

MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

We’ve made it, we got through another series, and we end our look at the Texarkana Phantom Killer with a review of the primary suspects. There were a few, but given when all this took place (1946), pinning anybody to the crimes was tough without a confession — although they may have gotten just that with one very suspicious suspect, even though it wasn’t enough to convict.

The main guy we’re looking at here is Youell Swinney, who when confronted by police, told them not to shoot, and that he didn’t want the electric chair. This, naturally, confused the officers who in turn asked why any of those things would happen to a guy who stole cars, to which he replied, “You have me for more than that, don’t you.” Implying quite a bit there. Oh, also his wife confessed to him killing people. So, there’s that.

Of course, there are a million reasons why his wife might lie. He’s a criminal, and maybe abusive, so if she got him locked up for life, she could start over. It didn’t help that she recanted her confession later on. There was a ton of evidence against him, but most of it was classified as circumstantial.

All in all, there were over 400 suspects interviewed for the crimes, yet, none were ever charged. And the case remains unsolved 75 years later.

LISTEN NOW: THE TEXARKANA PHANTOM PART 3

ABOUT THIS PODCAST:

Welcome to the Ominous Origins Podcast, a Horror Shots production. If you were previously a fan of the Horror Shots Podcast, this is the same great show with the same compelling content focused on myth, mysterious creatures, unexplained events, spooky stories — and even some of the strangest and most disturbing true crime stories. As always, our goal is to entertain, but also to enlighten with short, well-researched episodes on a variety of fascinating topics.

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