Texarkana Moonlight Murders was a good articles nominee, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. There may be suggestions below for improving the article. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake. | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Current status: Former good article nominee |
This article is rated B-class on Wikipedia's
content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The contents of the Phantom Killer page were merged into Texarkana Moonlight Murders on 22 May 2013. For the contribution history and old versions of the redirected page, please see its history; for the discussion at that location, see its talk page. |
Daily pageviews of this article
A graph should have been displayed here but
graphs are temporarily disabled. Until they are enabled again, visit the interactive graph at
pageviews.wmcloud.org |
I can't find any evidence of this movie existing, but it's listed under "Movies" along with The Town That Dreaded Sundown and its 2014 remake. It's not on IMDB nor do multiple searches for related terms come up with anything. If it isn't sourced or it's somebody's indie film that isn't notable in any capacity, then it should be deleted from this page. 24.85.113.197 ( talk) 18:45, 5 October 2014 (UTC)
I will work more on this article when Jim Presley's book comes out in November 2014, so look forward to that. JeremeK ( talk) 02:39, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
Article is not written in wiki style, too loose and informal. Definitely needs a clean-up. — Preceding
unsigned comment added by
98.231.14.3 (
talk •
contribs) 00:46, 8 May 2011 (UTC)
Article needs a cleanup... While very detailed, there are sections which are blank.
Paris1127 (
talk) 16:30, 1 August 2011 (UTC)
Also, should merging with
Phantom Killer be considered?
Paris1127 (
talk) 16:30, 1 August 2011 (UTC)
I disagree. For one, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees are fictional (thankfully). Secondly, Wikipedia has a trend of, if there are multiple killers involved, grouping the articles together: David and Catherine Birnie, Speed Freak Killers, etc. If only one killer is involved, the article about their crimes is filed under the killer's name: see Gary Leon Ridgway, Dennis Rader, Dennis Nilsen, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, etc. Even when the killer remains unidentified, there are not two separate articles for the killer him/herself and the killing spree (see Zodiac Killer, Long Island serial killer, Lisbon Ripper, Claremont serial murders, etc), with prime suspects given their own articles in special cases, such as when the prime suspect gets a lot of publicity (see Steven Hatfill). These articles need to be merged. Paris1127 ( talk) 09:11, 15 July 2012 (UTC)
Support merge. As with the Zodiac Killer and other examples above, it makes sense to combine the articles on crimes and criminal. -- Khazar2 ( talk) 00:02, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
Was the description written that way when the person wrote the article? Because I doubt anyone who really cares about swearing will be reading an article about a serial killer. With the exception to the person who deleted it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Antifreezed Haystack ( talk • contribs) 10:44, 12 October 2011 (UTC)
GA toolbox |
---|
Reviewing |
Reviewer: Khazar2 ( talk · contribs) 23:38, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
I'll be glad to take this review. Initial comments to follow in the next 1-3 days. Thanks in advance for your work on this one! -- Khazar2 ( talk) 23:38, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
This article is packed with information and is clearly intensively researched; I really appreciate all your work on it. I do feel like this has some more areas where it needs work to fulfill the Good Article criteria, which I've noted below:
At this length, the article becomes difficult to use for all but the most dedicated readers--those willing to spend an hour or more reading it, which isn't the typical Wikipedia user. This is inevitable for a sprawling topic like History of West Africa, but a topic this limited could make far better use of summary style (criterion 3b). Looking over what's here, I would suggest that this article be cut by as much as half.
Since this one seems to require substantial further work, I'm not listing this as a Good Article at this time. I do wish you luck though and hope you'll find some of the above suggestions helpful. Thanks again for your efforts on these famous crimes! -- Khazar2 ( talk) 00:00, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
Thanks for the compliments. I've worked very hard on all of this. JeremeK ( talk) 07:01, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
Why did they change the title from The Phantom killer to this?-- Paleface Jack ( talk) 23:47, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
Apparently a book has recently been published that concludes that the original; prime suspect was indeed the criminal. The material added to the article here has several problems. I've already removed it twice, but the problems have not been addressed. I've tagged the latest addition for now but it really needs to be looked at. At a minimum the addition needs to be rewritten. Here are some problems I see:
It's probably worth mentioning the book, and any new material covered in the book, but I don't think the current approach is right. Don't put this up as the definitive solution to a many-decades-old case. A historian looked at the case, accessed new material, and concluded that the person already identified as the prime suspect did it. Meters ( talk) 00:33, 18 November 2014 (UTC)
Prohibiting the public's right to know
It is against the public's right to remove content showing that there are people who intend to pursue a Board of Inquiry regarding the Phantom Killer. Your article does nothing to properly inform people on what is going on. Just because you do not believe that a BOI is warranted does not make the issue go away. A Criminal Profiler and retired law enforcement office Glen Owens in addition to a retired local Texas DPS officer, a justice of the peace, and several others are in discussion about carrying out a BOI. Your efforts deny the public to know that a BOI is likely.
Dr. Presley is a documented expert whether you like it or not. Several online reviews have so stated. He is a Professor of History, a proven journalist, and well known for his objectivity in the issues he researches. His book is heavily referenced and has a three page selected bibliography containing a vast array of expert. This is in addition to the people, law enforcement experts, and articles quoted within the context of the book. The public has a right to know. It is important that the public see the published information left intact. If you want to discuss some wording, I'm certainly all ears. But just deleting facts that do not make your vision doesn't make them go away. Clent225 ( talk) 03:13, 18 November 2014 (UTC)
I have had an interest in the Phantom Killer ever since I heard the story of a neighborhood boy shooting my grandmother's front door with his BB gun. It was only a shadow from a tree that the boy saw, but it cost a new window for the door.
I am friends with several past and present law enforcement officers of Bowie and Miller Counties. I am directly related to the late Sheriff Rachael, a Bowie County Sheriff that served after Sheriff Presley. I've heard about this story for years.
That I'm new to Wikipedia rules and methods should not be strange. For years I've been a consumer of Wikipedia, this is my first contribution. I just joined the user group as of yesterday.
I am hearing Law Enforcement and people in law in Texas and Arkansas discuss closing this case by way of Board of Inquiry. It could even be accomplished in the setting of a Justice of the Peace setting. The BOI has been reported in the Texarkana Gazette and online from Little Rock TV Station KLRT. I added the video link as a reference in my post.
The material worked into the article by JeremeK leaves much information unspoken. The new book by Dr. Presley contradicts some of JeremeK assertions, and I don't think that one paragraph representing a well research book is too extravagant. I believe that some of the assertions of JeremeK are misleading to the people that read this article.
I have no financial interest in this or any other book, nor am I an author who intends to write any book. I'm just trying to get the facts accurately represented in this forum.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Clent225 ( talk • contribs)
A reading of "The Phantom Killer" shows multiple sources much like "All the President's Men" showed multiple sources. The quotes come from actual law enforcement reports not listed by JeremeK. This is an indictment on the research of JeremeK. There is a reporting in this article of a teenage nicknamed "Doodie," and his sad tale is reported by JeremeK about as much as Swinney was, even though law enforcement dismissed "Doodie" as the murderer quickly. I have read some of the referenced articles included in "The Phantom Killer." There are police reports, not even alluded to by JeremeK, that point to Swinney. http://www.fox16.com/story/d/story/the-phantom-killer-part-2/14288/c-b_LNWyoUynxMvc9SVEgg Swinney's wife's statements would now be allowed in a Board of Inquiry Hearing. It is a different standard of proof. Circumstantial evidence is admissible in BOI. This case could be closed in the not too distant future. All information that I have tried to be included in this article. http://www.fox16.com/story/d/story/web-extra-extented-interview-with-glen-owens-crimi/55713/3QA-qQvQFEOy61joNjQnvg JeremeK wants to suppress that information. Maybe it should be considered what his motivations are, who is he helping. Clent225 ( talk) 04:32, 18 November 2014 (UTC)
I disagree with your statement that you are not suppressing information. If your ear was to the ground you would know that the people are discussing an inquiry around Texarkana. Dr. Jim Presley's book has summed up the information enough to get a lot of people talking on both sides of the Stateline. An inquiry is at hand, whether you allow it to be known in this article or not.
The Texarkana Gazette did a series of seven articles introduced by Dr. Presley, each one declaring him an imminent expert on the facts of the case. The first can be read at http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2014/10/25/gruesome-story-began-without-a-hint-of-t-753545.php I believe Dr. Presley's book has such accuracy from my checking his bibliography that I believe him over what you say are facts. His statements check out every time I read the content. Swinney was the Phantom Killer.
I read the post you submitted from the Texarkana Gazette. While I was there I decided to search for information on the forum you helped arrange at the high school. I was surprised that there was an entire episode about "Doodie" Tennison. I was also surprised that there was one comment where you said, "“One thing I know is that there are other potential suspects,” Tennison said. Those other suspects include his first cousin once-removed, H.B. “Doodie” Tennison. “The main thing about H.B. is that prior to 1971 he had been the most highly publicized suspect,” he said."" http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2014/11/07/free-public-forum-on-phantom-killer-case-44515.php Curious, I didn't find this information about your association included in your references.
Is that what this is all about? You want your first-cousin, once-removed, in the running for the title of Phantom Killer. Is that why "Doodie" is so prominent in your article, and why you need Dr. Presley and Glen Owens and the others to be so wrong.
Dr. Presley explains the timeline between May 3rd and July 15th. He details in his book what happened on May 4th to Swinney and why he changed his routine. Swinney didn't get arrested until he did something ignorant in Atlanta, Texas with his stolen car.
Peggy Swinney told Sheriff Presley about a little address book from the Spring Lake Park murders that was only know to a handful of law enforcement officers. The book and other facts were not know to the public. Your statements are false.
Back to the forum you helped to put together. I see that for 30 minutes there was "Ann Winger, A Report on Paranormal Activities at the Tennison Mansion." http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2014/11/06/texas-high-to-host-free-forum-on-phantom-288885.php Did she contact "Doodie?" I called a friend from Texas High. Your forum had a lot of empty seats. I went to Dr. Presley's meeting put on by Texarkana Library. The room was packed at the Cabe Center with people from all over the United States.
Thank you for pointing me to the Gazette. I may not win the public's right to know the facts in this forum, but I know what you're about now. Clent225 ( talk) 06:31, 18 November 2014 (UTC)
After reading your last post and rereading your article, I can see that that the article is slanted against poor ol' Doodie as the Phantom Killer. The argument that "Doodie" did it is beyond ridiculous. He was just a poor little mixed up kid without the actual opportunity to commit these murders. The statement of your friend in the Texarkana Gazette shows that he is upset that the articles by Dr. James Presley way back in 1971 did not point to his "Doodie." Dr. Presley's articles from 1971 rightfully removed "Doodie" from the radar. That removed your friend's claim of notoriety, and I doubt that he likes it. Your statement "If our forum was at a little church, I'm sure it would've looked full too" is very telling on you. The Cabe Center is no little church, I was there. You are full of misrepresentations.
You think because you do not have the information that Dr. Presley's research gave him for his book that his writings are beneath yours. The errors are yours. Your representation of Peggy Swinney's visit to the crime scene is atrocious and convenient for your leanings. Glenn Owen's comments are backed up by serial killer experts documented in Presley's book. I have read many of the documented articles of "The Phantom Killer" and it's your writings that are lacking. You merely rework articles from the Texarkana Gazette and its old partner the Texarkana Daily News. Your reference list is amazingly non-diversified. Dr. Presley's bibliography shows a wide variety of creditable sources from Texas and Arkansas as well as from around the United States, not just from the Texarkana Gazette.
Since your hands are not clean and unbiased from your friend in this, and the article has an agenda outside reality, I no longer want to be associated with this garbage in any way whatsoever. It's an article that is mostly derivative of the work of others and contains a most noticeable slant. Even your tombstone photographs cannot replace the actual photos of the victims, the actual crime scenes photos, and the actual murderer as Dr. Presley's book gives us. No, that took hard dedicated actual work.
I will advise you that I will attempt to forward your statements about Dr. Presley and Mr. Owens to people who can make Dr. Presley and Mr. Owens aware of what you have said about them here. I have already completed the copy and paste to a Word document.
Your an agenda hack and a "Doodie" fiend. I don't want to be associated with this article, and I hereby cease to try to correct the leanings of this article. The insertion of one paragraph of actual crime researched truth from Dr. Presley's book, as I attempted to add to this article, under a willingness to compromise the choice of words, cannot save this article. It's a bridge too far, and I've got better things to do. Clent225 ( talk) 16:15, 18 November 2014 (UTC)
James Presley is indeed an expert (which I have never questioned). His research is very impressing. He has done an amazing and thorough job. However, this does not mean that there aren't errors in his book. He claims, "Sometime over the years, decades afterward, far from Texarkana, someone labeled the crimes the 'Moonlight Murders,' [1] However, news from the United Press covered a story in July 1946 that a man was picked up in Florida who had left Texarkana because he did not want to become a suspect in the "'moonlight' murders" there, as can be found in the July 14, 1946 issues of The Lincoln Star, Nebraska State Journal and Lubbock Avalanche Journal. The couple of the first double murder, Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore, are said to have been last seen around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday March 23, 1946 from multiple sources. The author writes things they were doing until 2:00 a.m. that Sunday morning and even writes what happened when the murderer approached them. This is information that can't be known. All sources except James' book, including FBI files, say that Polly Ann Moore was found in the back seat of Griffin's car. James claims that she was found in the front seat. It may be true, but it is very questionable.
Moving on to the second half of the book which deals with the only prime suspect Youell Swinney, there is no new evidence presented to prove the man's guilt. All evidence in James' book is old evidence that has existed through all these years since 1946. This evidence is exclusively based on information gathered from the suspect's wife, Peggy, who was arrested June 28. She claimed in four statements that Youell was the one who killed Paul Martin and Betty Jo Booker. She allegedly told officers what happened, with details only someone who was there could know. Can her statements be proven? Officers were convinced from circumstantial evidence because she "knew" where the bodies were found, where the car was left abandoned, how many times the victims were shot, and where Betty Jo's missing saxophone was located. Two other pieces of evidence which James believes "confirms" Peggy's story, is a datebook that Bowie County Sheriff Bill Presley (James' Presley's uncle) found at the crime scene but told no one about, yet Peggy said it was thrown into the bushes. Also, there was a shirt found in Youell's possession that had the laundry mark "S-T-A-R-K", reminiscent of the Phantom's last victim, Virgil Starks. There was slag in the pocket of this shirt which were similar to the slag found in Starks' welding shop.
First of all, the information on where the bodies of Booker and Martin were found, how many times they were shot and where the car was found abandoned, was all published in the same April 15 edition of the Texarkana Gazette and Daily News, over two months before Peggy's arrest. Peggy gave her first statement on July 23, almost a month after her arrest. This statement mentioned nothing about the Phantom crimes. The next two statements were taken at two different times that following day. The saxophone was only mentioned in the first one taken that day, but said nothing about where it was. The missing saxophone was a piece of evidence Lone Wolf Gonzaullas tried keeping secret, but the information was published in the Gazette at the end of April, many weeks before Peggy's arrest. The fourth statement was taken almost exactly four months later on November 22. This time she mentions what happened to the saxophone. Curiously, the missing saxophone was discovered and its details were published in the Texarkana Gazette four weeks earlier on where it was found. James Presley states on page 231 in his book that her statement meshed exactly with the details of its discovery even though she wasn't informed of them the month before. He provides no proof of this statement, and I find it hard to believe that she talks about the saxophone's location a month after its discovery and only after she had been in custody for five months, without having seen or heard of its discovery in some way. She could have had several ways of finding out, whether she overheard someone talking about it, or if she was asked leading questions, or through letters that were sent to her, or if she had seen it published somewhere. Regardless, everything she spoke of was already known to the public. There's absolutely no information she gave that she couldn't have known through what was already published and/or from possible leading questions. She had also repudiated her statements (as noted by the FBI), and sent a letter to her parents explaining that the officers weren't believing her story and that she felt she needed to lie about Swinney killing the couple because that's what they wanted to hear, but she couldn't mindfully do that without feeling guilty from having an innocent man sent to the electric chair. She led officers all the way to Dallas because she said that's where Swinney burned the clothing he wore. It turned out that she lied about it. Her story/testimony is not reliable nor is it proof that Swinney was guilty.
The datebook that Sheriff Presley apparently found was not "confirmed" by Peggy. He asked her if Swinney had taken anything else out of the boy's pocket (a leading question), she apparently said that he took out some "papers or stuff". Presley asked what did Swinney do with them. She said he threw them into the bushes (could have been a lucky guess). This sounds amazing, but in 1996, in the 50th anniversary article published in the Gazette, James Presley writes that his uncle was not convinced that Swinney was their man. If this datebook was quite the evidence, why wouldn't he be convinced? This is contradictory of Jim's statements in his book that his uncle was convinced of this man's guilt on page 242. In FBI files, Sheriff Presley and Max Tackett (the arresting officer of the lead suspect) sent off thousands of fingerprints to be ran against the latent prints found at the crime scene many years later. If these two officers were so sure of this man's guilt, why did they have thousands of other men's fingerprints checked? The datebook is only mentioned in one FBI file out of a thousand, and it wasn't even about the address book. There are no other official documents on the address book. None. It has barely gotten any mention. There is also no evidence that the datebook was checked for fingerprints -- why not? Sheriff Presley (who apparently found it) never officially mentioned the book. We do not know if it was indeed Martin's datebook. This datebook was apparently found in the bushes somewhere near his parked car. There are no details of confirmation that it was Martin's book either by family, friends or authorities. It could've been trashed by someone else before it was found at the scene. We only hear about this book from hearsay accounts. The datebook wasn't mentioned until 1971 by Max Tackett. He said that the information had been gathered by Texas Rangers (not Presley). There are too many inconsistencies surrounding this discovery. Who found it (Bill Presley or Texas Rangers)? Where was it found (by Martin's car or where Youell changed his clothes)? In summary, not much is known about the address book, it was never officially mentioned by Bill Presley and out of thousands of records and documents, it's only barely mentioned in passing in one FBI file. It's also strange that it was never checked for fingerprints, and despite James Presley's book which claims officers were convinced of Swinney's guilt, Bill Presley and the Texas Rangers were NOT convinced of his guilt (according to what James Presley wrote in 1996 AND FBI files).
About the shirt found in Swinney's possession, it was a shirt given to the authorities by Swinney's brother-in-law. This shirt's laundry mark was fading and it wasn't sure if it read S-T-A-R-K or S-T-A-R-R. Also, if it was really Virgil Starks shirt, why didn't it have all six letters? Max Tackett contradicts this fact when he stated that the shirt was found in a motel room that Swinney stayed in. Swinney claimed that the shirt was stolen in Oklahoma to which Tackett noted that he couldn't disprove that statement. Peggy claimed that she was with a man named Starkes (with an "e") earlier that year. Also, out of all of the things that could've been stolen (Starks' car, Mrs. Starks' purse with money and jewels found on the bed), why was a workshirt stolen? Wouldn't that have been too hot of an item to steal?
Another tidbit worth mentioning is that James Hollis (the first victim) said he couldn't really see the man (didn't even notice the mask). He was then beaten fairly quickly after the encounter began. Mary, who saw the man assaulting Jimmy, saw the mask, and had a more personal encounter with him when he was on top of her sexually assaulting her. She claimed her attacker was black, even though Jimmy believed he was white. I think Mary's description would be more accurate since she wasn't blinded by the flashlight or beaten soon afterwards. She had a more up-close encounter than Hollis. Her perception could have betrayed her, but Swinney did not have a dark complexion. There simply is not enough evidence to conclude Swinney's guilt or to state that he is indeed the Phantom or to say the case is "cracked".
There is only circumstantial evidence on Swinney and just not enough to say that he definitely is the Phantom, or that the case is "cracked." JeremeK ( talk) 15:35, 23 November 2014 (UTC)
References
Mr. Kennington is blowing smoke to try to obscure the facts. I had previously divorced myself from this page, however, a friend told me about the goof ball accusations going in here since I left several days ago, so it was suggested that I should go back in and respond to the misrepresentations.
As I told Mr. Kennington in an Amazon comment under an Amazon review, I have a lot of well educated friends, and Dr. James Presley is one of them. Mr. Kennington has written that he knows Dr. Presley as well. A lot of people in Texarkana know Dr. Presley and his family. I am in no way in the employ of Dr. Presley, nor have I ever been. This is just one of the many misrepresentations that Mr. Kennington makes.
I have had the privilege to see and hear some of Dr. Presley's work product. Along with many of his other friends, I am privy to information not included in his book. But I will not be revealing any of Dr. Presley's work product, just discussing what is already published in his book. I would say that if all the relevant information was printed from Dr. Presley's work product, the book would likely be more than twice as large.
As to my five-star review, a lot of people have written five-star reviews of Dr. Presley's book in various book forums, not just me. His book is receiving great reviews from all around the country. But there are those who are trying to use this forum to put forward their agenda, and I decided it should not go unchallenged.
I will return to doing other things. If you want to listen to the goof balls, at least you have been warned. They even included a séance specialist to talk, at their lowly populated forum, about paranormal activities at "Doodies" old house in Texarkana. http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2014/11/07/free-public-forum-on-phantom-killer-case-44515.php
Mr. Kennington's good friend publicly touts his relationship to "Doodie." (from article referenced above) The Texarkana Gazette article states "After an hour lunch, Tennison will discuss another suspect, H.B. “Doodie” Tennison (1 p.m.), and then aspects of the investigation conducted on the case." "Ann Winger reports on paranormal activity at the Tennison mansion." The Texarkana Gazette article later quotes Mr. Kennington's good friend as saying, "“One thing I know is that there are other potential suspects,” Tennison said. Those other suspects include his first cousin once-removed, H.B. “Doodie” Tennison. “The main thing about H.B. is that prior to 1971 he had been the most highly publicized suspect,” he said."
"Doodie" was a teenage boy at the time of the murders, and he didn't have the opportunity to commit the crimes. The various law enforcement agencies discounted his suicide statements of committing the acts. Is it really necessary for Mr. Kennington to commit so much space for one mixed-up teenager? Does it really deserve any mention at all in a Wikipedia article when there is no real attachment to the crimes?
The 1971 event that Mr. Tennison refers to are the articles that Dr. Presley wrote for the Texarkana Gazette on the 25th anniversary of the Phantom Killings. Do you hear the ax grinding? Why would it bother a relative to have their relative exonerated?
I'm just trying to protect the reputation of a good book written by Dr. James Presley from those that need to discredit it to put forward their vision. It appears that the goof balls are after notoriety since earned fame continues to elude them. They have not yet accomplished work that shows them approaching the level of expertise as that which has been earned by Dr. Presley. 173.185.43.243 ( talk) 11:34, 26 November 2014 (UTC)
PS Please don't respond unless you can actually prove something. Maybe you can prove your accusation that I "misrepresent" the facts. Show me how I'm wrong about the things I've said in the above Objective LOOK at the new BOOK. JeremeK ( talk) 13:51, 26 November 2014 (UTC)
There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Watts Riots which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. — RMCD bot 04:43, 9 December 2014 (UTC)
So, was there any decision made anywhere that is binding on this article? We have had "Texarkana Moonlight Murders", "Texarkana Murders of 1946", "Texarkana murders of 1946" and "Texarkana moonlight murders" used or proposed recently. The move protection has ended and I'm not finding any discussion other than the withdrawn proposal at Talk:Watts Riots , let alone a decision. Meters ( talk) 20:00, 24 February 2015 (UTC)
This article is looking good information wise. However, major portions of this article's information is unsourced and doesn't contain any footnotes which are required. This information needs to be given proper citations/footnotes for its information so that it meets Wikipiedia's guidelines and standards of a properly sourced article. Hopefully these issues are resolved since this article can easily become GA and FA status.-- Paleface Jack ( talk) 15:49, 20 June 2017 (UTC)
General rewrites are also needed since some paragraphs have a style and tone that is not encyclopedic in tone as per Wikipiedia's guidelines and standards.-- Paleface Jack ( talk) 16:35, 22 June 2017 (UTC)
I'm going to start by saying that I for one do not agree with the assessment that this article is B class status. The amount of issues with this article should lower the articles status to a more accurate C class status. That being said, there are so many issues with this article that need to be fixed and this article requires significant attention to solve these issues. For starters, a large amount of information in this article is unsourced and needs to be either removed or given proper citations when necessary. The article does have parts that are poorly written, and it sometimes repeats the same information or quotes in multiple sections. These parts should be rewritten so that they are better quality, and unnecessarily repeated information removed. There are also parts such as unsourced information the reward offered for the capture of the Phantom Killer spread throughout the article. All this information should be moved into its own section and given proper citations. This article has potential to become a GA and FA class article if enough attention is given to it, as there is more than enough information that can be found to make this happen.-- Paleface Jack ( talk) 16:19, 19 August 2017 (UTC)
Thanks. Nice to see that someone has taken notice.:)--Paleface Jack 18:12, 10 May 2018 (UTC)
Texarkana Moonlight Murders was a good articles nominee, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. There may be suggestions below for improving the article. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake. | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Current status: Former good article nominee |
This article is rated B-class on Wikipedia's
content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The contents of the Phantom Killer page were merged into Texarkana Moonlight Murders on 22 May 2013. For the contribution history and old versions of the redirected page, please see its history; for the discussion at that location, see its talk page. |
Daily pageviews of this article
A graph should have been displayed here but
graphs are temporarily disabled. Until they are enabled again, visit the interactive graph at
pageviews.wmcloud.org |
I can't find any evidence of this movie existing, but it's listed under "Movies" along with The Town That Dreaded Sundown and its 2014 remake. It's not on IMDB nor do multiple searches for related terms come up with anything. If it isn't sourced or it's somebody's indie film that isn't notable in any capacity, then it should be deleted from this page. 24.85.113.197 ( talk) 18:45, 5 October 2014 (UTC)
I will work more on this article when Jim Presley's book comes out in November 2014, so look forward to that. JeremeK ( talk) 02:39, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
Article is not written in wiki style, too loose and informal. Definitely needs a clean-up. — Preceding
unsigned comment added by
98.231.14.3 (
talk •
contribs) 00:46, 8 May 2011 (UTC)
Article needs a cleanup... While very detailed, there are sections which are blank.
Paris1127 (
talk) 16:30, 1 August 2011 (UTC)
Also, should merging with
Phantom Killer be considered?
Paris1127 (
talk) 16:30, 1 August 2011 (UTC)
I disagree. For one, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees are fictional (thankfully). Secondly, Wikipedia has a trend of, if there are multiple killers involved, grouping the articles together: David and Catherine Birnie, Speed Freak Killers, etc. If only one killer is involved, the article about their crimes is filed under the killer's name: see Gary Leon Ridgway, Dennis Rader, Dennis Nilsen, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, etc. Even when the killer remains unidentified, there are not two separate articles for the killer him/herself and the killing spree (see Zodiac Killer, Long Island serial killer, Lisbon Ripper, Claremont serial murders, etc), with prime suspects given their own articles in special cases, such as when the prime suspect gets a lot of publicity (see Steven Hatfill). These articles need to be merged. Paris1127 ( talk) 09:11, 15 July 2012 (UTC)
Support merge. As with the Zodiac Killer and other examples above, it makes sense to combine the articles on crimes and criminal. -- Khazar2 ( talk) 00:02, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
Was the description written that way when the person wrote the article? Because I doubt anyone who really cares about swearing will be reading an article about a serial killer. With the exception to the person who deleted it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Antifreezed Haystack ( talk • contribs) 10:44, 12 October 2011 (UTC)
GA toolbox |
---|
Reviewing |
Reviewer: Khazar2 ( talk · contribs) 23:38, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
I'll be glad to take this review. Initial comments to follow in the next 1-3 days. Thanks in advance for your work on this one! -- Khazar2 ( talk) 23:38, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
This article is packed with information and is clearly intensively researched; I really appreciate all your work on it. I do feel like this has some more areas where it needs work to fulfill the Good Article criteria, which I've noted below:
At this length, the article becomes difficult to use for all but the most dedicated readers--those willing to spend an hour or more reading it, which isn't the typical Wikipedia user. This is inevitable for a sprawling topic like History of West Africa, but a topic this limited could make far better use of summary style (criterion 3b). Looking over what's here, I would suggest that this article be cut by as much as half.
Since this one seems to require substantial further work, I'm not listing this as a Good Article at this time. I do wish you luck though and hope you'll find some of the above suggestions helpful. Thanks again for your efforts on these famous crimes! -- Khazar2 ( talk) 00:00, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
Thanks for the compliments. I've worked very hard on all of this. JeremeK ( talk) 07:01, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
Why did they change the title from The Phantom killer to this?-- Paleface Jack ( talk) 23:47, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
Apparently a book has recently been published that concludes that the original; prime suspect was indeed the criminal. The material added to the article here has several problems. I've already removed it twice, but the problems have not been addressed. I've tagged the latest addition for now but it really needs to be looked at. At a minimum the addition needs to be rewritten. Here are some problems I see:
It's probably worth mentioning the book, and any new material covered in the book, but I don't think the current approach is right. Don't put this up as the definitive solution to a many-decades-old case. A historian looked at the case, accessed new material, and concluded that the person already identified as the prime suspect did it. Meters ( talk) 00:33, 18 November 2014 (UTC)
Prohibiting the public's right to know
It is against the public's right to remove content showing that there are people who intend to pursue a Board of Inquiry regarding the Phantom Killer. Your article does nothing to properly inform people on what is going on. Just because you do not believe that a BOI is warranted does not make the issue go away. A Criminal Profiler and retired law enforcement office Glen Owens in addition to a retired local Texas DPS officer, a justice of the peace, and several others are in discussion about carrying out a BOI. Your efforts deny the public to know that a BOI is likely.
Dr. Presley is a documented expert whether you like it or not. Several online reviews have so stated. He is a Professor of History, a proven journalist, and well known for his objectivity in the issues he researches. His book is heavily referenced and has a three page selected bibliography containing a vast array of expert. This is in addition to the people, law enforcement experts, and articles quoted within the context of the book. The public has a right to know. It is important that the public see the published information left intact. If you want to discuss some wording, I'm certainly all ears. But just deleting facts that do not make your vision doesn't make them go away. Clent225 ( talk) 03:13, 18 November 2014 (UTC)
I have had an interest in the Phantom Killer ever since I heard the story of a neighborhood boy shooting my grandmother's front door with his BB gun. It was only a shadow from a tree that the boy saw, but it cost a new window for the door.
I am friends with several past and present law enforcement officers of Bowie and Miller Counties. I am directly related to the late Sheriff Rachael, a Bowie County Sheriff that served after Sheriff Presley. I've heard about this story for years.
That I'm new to Wikipedia rules and methods should not be strange. For years I've been a consumer of Wikipedia, this is my first contribution. I just joined the user group as of yesterday.
I am hearing Law Enforcement and people in law in Texas and Arkansas discuss closing this case by way of Board of Inquiry. It could even be accomplished in the setting of a Justice of the Peace setting. The BOI has been reported in the Texarkana Gazette and online from Little Rock TV Station KLRT. I added the video link as a reference in my post.
The material worked into the article by JeremeK leaves much information unspoken. The new book by Dr. Presley contradicts some of JeremeK assertions, and I don't think that one paragraph representing a well research book is too extravagant. I believe that some of the assertions of JeremeK are misleading to the people that read this article.
I have no financial interest in this or any other book, nor am I an author who intends to write any book. I'm just trying to get the facts accurately represented in this forum.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Clent225 ( talk • contribs)
A reading of "The Phantom Killer" shows multiple sources much like "All the President's Men" showed multiple sources. The quotes come from actual law enforcement reports not listed by JeremeK. This is an indictment on the research of JeremeK. There is a reporting in this article of a teenage nicknamed "Doodie," and his sad tale is reported by JeremeK about as much as Swinney was, even though law enforcement dismissed "Doodie" as the murderer quickly. I have read some of the referenced articles included in "The Phantom Killer." There are police reports, not even alluded to by JeremeK, that point to Swinney. http://www.fox16.com/story/d/story/the-phantom-killer-part-2/14288/c-b_LNWyoUynxMvc9SVEgg Swinney's wife's statements would now be allowed in a Board of Inquiry Hearing. It is a different standard of proof. Circumstantial evidence is admissible in BOI. This case could be closed in the not too distant future. All information that I have tried to be included in this article. http://www.fox16.com/story/d/story/web-extra-extented-interview-with-glen-owens-crimi/55713/3QA-qQvQFEOy61joNjQnvg JeremeK wants to suppress that information. Maybe it should be considered what his motivations are, who is he helping. Clent225 ( talk) 04:32, 18 November 2014 (UTC)
I disagree with your statement that you are not suppressing information. If your ear was to the ground you would know that the people are discussing an inquiry around Texarkana. Dr. Jim Presley's book has summed up the information enough to get a lot of people talking on both sides of the Stateline. An inquiry is at hand, whether you allow it to be known in this article or not.
The Texarkana Gazette did a series of seven articles introduced by Dr. Presley, each one declaring him an imminent expert on the facts of the case. The first can be read at http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2014/10/25/gruesome-story-began-without-a-hint-of-t-753545.php I believe Dr. Presley's book has such accuracy from my checking his bibliography that I believe him over what you say are facts. His statements check out every time I read the content. Swinney was the Phantom Killer.
I read the post you submitted from the Texarkana Gazette. While I was there I decided to search for information on the forum you helped arrange at the high school. I was surprised that there was an entire episode about "Doodie" Tennison. I was also surprised that there was one comment where you said, "“One thing I know is that there are other potential suspects,” Tennison said. Those other suspects include his first cousin once-removed, H.B. “Doodie” Tennison. “The main thing about H.B. is that prior to 1971 he had been the most highly publicized suspect,” he said."" http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2014/11/07/free-public-forum-on-phantom-killer-case-44515.php Curious, I didn't find this information about your association included in your references.
Is that what this is all about? You want your first-cousin, once-removed, in the running for the title of Phantom Killer. Is that why "Doodie" is so prominent in your article, and why you need Dr. Presley and Glen Owens and the others to be so wrong.
Dr. Presley explains the timeline between May 3rd and July 15th. He details in his book what happened on May 4th to Swinney and why he changed his routine. Swinney didn't get arrested until he did something ignorant in Atlanta, Texas with his stolen car.
Peggy Swinney told Sheriff Presley about a little address book from the Spring Lake Park murders that was only know to a handful of law enforcement officers. The book and other facts were not know to the public. Your statements are false.
Back to the forum you helped to put together. I see that for 30 minutes there was "Ann Winger, A Report on Paranormal Activities at the Tennison Mansion." http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2014/11/06/texas-high-to-host-free-forum-on-phantom-288885.php Did she contact "Doodie?" I called a friend from Texas High. Your forum had a lot of empty seats. I went to Dr. Presley's meeting put on by Texarkana Library. The room was packed at the Cabe Center with people from all over the United States.
Thank you for pointing me to the Gazette. I may not win the public's right to know the facts in this forum, but I know what you're about now. Clent225 ( talk) 06:31, 18 November 2014 (UTC)
After reading your last post and rereading your article, I can see that that the article is slanted against poor ol' Doodie as the Phantom Killer. The argument that "Doodie" did it is beyond ridiculous. He was just a poor little mixed up kid without the actual opportunity to commit these murders. The statement of your friend in the Texarkana Gazette shows that he is upset that the articles by Dr. James Presley way back in 1971 did not point to his "Doodie." Dr. Presley's articles from 1971 rightfully removed "Doodie" from the radar. That removed your friend's claim of notoriety, and I doubt that he likes it. Your statement "If our forum was at a little church, I'm sure it would've looked full too" is very telling on you. The Cabe Center is no little church, I was there. You are full of misrepresentations.
You think because you do not have the information that Dr. Presley's research gave him for his book that his writings are beneath yours. The errors are yours. Your representation of Peggy Swinney's visit to the crime scene is atrocious and convenient for your leanings. Glenn Owen's comments are backed up by serial killer experts documented in Presley's book. I have read many of the documented articles of "The Phantom Killer" and it's your writings that are lacking. You merely rework articles from the Texarkana Gazette and its old partner the Texarkana Daily News. Your reference list is amazingly non-diversified. Dr. Presley's bibliography shows a wide variety of creditable sources from Texas and Arkansas as well as from around the United States, not just from the Texarkana Gazette.
Since your hands are not clean and unbiased from your friend in this, and the article has an agenda outside reality, I no longer want to be associated with this garbage in any way whatsoever. It's an article that is mostly derivative of the work of others and contains a most noticeable slant. Even your tombstone photographs cannot replace the actual photos of the victims, the actual crime scenes photos, and the actual murderer as Dr. Presley's book gives us. No, that took hard dedicated actual work.
I will advise you that I will attempt to forward your statements about Dr. Presley and Mr. Owens to people who can make Dr. Presley and Mr. Owens aware of what you have said about them here. I have already completed the copy and paste to a Word document.
Your an agenda hack and a "Doodie" fiend. I don't want to be associated with this article, and I hereby cease to try to correct the leanings of this article. The insertion of one paragraph of actual crime researched truth from Dr. Presley's book, as I attempted to add to this article, under a willingness to compromise the choice of words, cannot save this article. It's a bridge too far, and I've got better things to do. Clent225 ( talk) 16:15, 18 November 2014 (UTC)
James Presley is indeed an expert (which I have never questioned). His research is very impressing. He has done an amazing and thorough job. However, this does not mean that there aren't errors in his book. He claims, "Sometime over the years, decades afterward, far from Texarkana, someone labeled the crimes the 'Moonlight Murders,' [1] However, news from the United Press covered a story in July 1946 that a man was picked up in Florida who had left Texarkana because he did not want to become a suspect in the "'moonlight' murders" there, as can be found in the July 14, 1946 issues of The Lincoln Star, Nebraska State Journal and Lubbock Avalanche Journal. The couple of the first double murder, Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore, are said to have been last seen around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday March 23, 1946 from multiple sources. The author writes things they were doing until 2:00 a.m. that Sunday morning and even writes what happened when the murderer approached them. This is information that can't be known. All sources except James' book, including FBI files, say that Polly Ann Moore was found in the back seat of Griffin's car. James claims that she was found in the front seat. It may be true, but it is very questionable.
Moving on to the second half of the book which deals with the only prime suspect Youell Swinney, there is no new evidence presented to prove the man's guilt. All evidence in James' book is old evidence that has existed through all these years since 1946. This evidence is exclusively based on information gathered from the suspect's wife, Peggy, who was arrested June 28. She claimed in four statements that Youell was the one who killed Paul Martin and Betty Jo Booker. She allegedly told officers what happened, with details only someone who was there could know. Can her statements be proven? Officers were convinced from circumstantial evidence because she "knew" where the bodies were found, where the car was left abandoned, how many times the victims were shot, and where Betty Jo's missing saxophone was located. Two other pieces of evidence which James believes "confirms" Peggy's story, is a datebook that Bowie County Sheriff Bill Presley (James' Presley's uncle) found at the crime scene but told no one about, yet Peggy said it was thrown into the bushes. Also, there was a shirt found in Youell's possession that had the laundry mark "S-T-A-R-K", reminiscent of the Phantom's last victim, Virgil Starks. There was slag in the pocket of this shirt which were similar to the slag found in Starks' welding shop.
First of all, the information on where the bodies of Booker and Martin were found, how many times they were shot and where the car was found abandoned, was all published in the same April 15 edition of the Texarkana Gazette and Daily News, over two months before Peggy's arrest. Peggy gave her first statement on July 23, almost a month after her arrest. This statement mentioned nothing about the Phantom crimes. The next two statements were taken at two different times that following day. The saxophone was only mentioned in the first one taken that day, but said nothing about where it was. The missing saxophone was a piece of evidence Lone Wolf Gonzaullas tried keeping secret, but the information was published in the Gazette at the end of April, many weeks before Peggy's arrest. The fourth statement was taken almost exactly four months later on November 22. This time she mentions what happened to the saxophone. Curiously, the missing saxophone was discovered and its details were published in the Texarkana Gazette four weeks earlier on where it was found. James Presley states on page 231 in his book that her statement meshed exactly with the details of its discovery even though she wasn't informed of them the month before. He provides no proof of this statement, and I find it hard to believe that she talks about the saxophone's location a month after its discovery and only after she had been in custody for five months, without having seen or heard of its discovery in some way. She could have had several ways of finding out, whether she overheard someone talking about it, or if she was asked leading questions, or through letters that were sent to her, or if she had seen it published somewhere. Regardless, everything she spoke of was already known to the public. There's absolutely no information she gave that she couldn't have known through what was already published and/or from possible leading questions. She had also repudiated her statements (as noted by the FBI), and sent a letter to her parents explaining that the officers weren't believing her story and that she felt she needed to lie about Swinney killing the couple because that's what they wanted to hear, but she couldn't mindfully do that without feeling guilty from having an innocent man sent to the electric chair. She led officers all the way to Dallas because she said that's where Swinney burned the clothing he wore. It turned out that she lied about it. Her story/testimony is not reliable nor is it proof that Swinney was guilty.
The datebook that Sheriff Presley apparently found was not "confirmed" by Peggy. He asked her if Swinney had taken anything else out of the boy's pocket (a leading question), she apparently said that he took out some "papers or stuff". Presley asked what did Swinney do with them. She said he threw them into the bushes (could have been a lucky guess). This sounds amazing, but in 1996, in the 50th anniversary article published in the Gazette, James Presley writes that his uncle was not convinced that Swinney was their man. If this datebook was quite the evidence, why wouldn't he be convinced? This is contradictory of Jim's statements in his book that his uncle was convinced of this man's guilt on page 242. In FBI files, Sheriff Presley and Max Tackett (the arresting officer of the lead suspect) sent off thousands of fingerprints to be ran against the latent prints found at the crime scene many years later. If these two officers were so sure of this man's guilt, why did they have thousands of other men's fingerprints checked? The datebook is only mentioned in one FBI file out of a thousand, and it wasn't even about the address book. There are no other official documents on the address book. None. It has barely gotten any mention. There is also no evidence that the datebook was checked for fingerprints -- why not? Sheriff Presley (who apparently found it) never officially mentioned the book. We do not know if it was indeed Martin's datebook. This datebook was apparently found in the bushes somewhere near his parked car. There are no details of confirmation that it was Martin's book either by family, friends or authorities. It could've been trashed by someone else before it was found at the scene. We only hear about this book from hearsay accounts. The datebook wasn't mentioned until 1971 by Max Tackett. He said that the information had been gathered by Texas Rangers (not Presley). There are too many inconsistencies surrounding this discovery. Who found it (Bill Presley or Texas Rangers)? Where was it found (by Martin's car or where Youell changed his clothes)? In summary, not much is known about the address book, it was never officially mentioned by Bill Presley and out of thousands of records and documents, it's only barely mentioned in passing in one FBI file. It's also strange that it was never checked for fingerprints, and despite James Presley's book which claims officers were convinced of Swinney's guilt, Bill Presley and the Texas Rangers were NOT convinced of his guilt (according to what James Presley wrote in 1996 AND FBI files).
About the shirt found in Swinney's possession, it was a shirt given to the authorities by Swinney's brother-in-law. This shirt's laundry mark was fading and it wasn't sure if it read S-T-A-R-K or S-T-A-R-R. Also, if it was really Virgil Starks shirt, why didn't it have all six letters? Max Tackett contradicts this fact when he stated that the shirt was found in a motel room that Swinney stayed in. Swinney claimed that the shirt was stolen in Oklahoma to which Tackett noted that he couldn't disprove that statement. Peggy claimed that she was with a man named Starkes (with an "e") earlier that year. Also, out of all of the things that could've been stolen (Starks' car, Mrs. Starks' purse with money and jewels found on the bed), why was a workshirt stolen? Wouldn't that have been too hot of an item to steal?
Another tidbit worth mentioning is that James Hollis (the first victim) said he couldn't really see the man (didn't even notice the mask). He was then beaten fairly quickly after the encounter began. Mary, who saw the man assaulting Jimmy, saw the mask, and had a more personal encounter with him when he was on top of her sexually assaulting her. She claimed her attacker was black, even though Jimmy believed he was white. I think Mary's description would be more accurate since she wasn't blinded by the flashlight or beaten soon afterwards. She had a more up-close encounter than Hollis. Her perception could have betrayed her, but Swinney did not have a dark complexion. There simply is not enough evidence to conclude Swinney's guilt or to state that he is indeed the Phantom or to say the case is "cracked".
There is only circumstantial evidence on Swinney and just not enough to say that he definitely is the Phantom, or that the case is "cracked." JeremeK ( talk) 15:35, 23 November 2014 (UTC)
References
Mr. Kennington is blowing smoke to try to obscure the facts. I had previously divorced myself from this page, however, a friend told me about the goof ball accusations going in here since I left several days ago, so it was suggested that I should go back in and respond to the misrepresentations.
As I told Mr. Kennington in an Amazon comment under an Amazon review, I have a lot of well educated friends, and Dr. James Presley is one of them. Mr. Kennington has written that he knows Dr. Presley as well. A lot of people in Texarkana know Dr. Presley and his family. I am in no way in the employ of Dr. Presley, nor have I ever been. This is just one of the many misrepresentations that Mr. Kennington makes.
I have had the privilege to see and hear some of Dr. Presley's work product. Along with many of his other friends, I am privy to information not included in his book. But I will not be revealing any of Dr. Presley's work product, just discussing what is already published in his book. I would say that if all the relevant information was printed from Dr. Presley's work product, the book would likely be more than twice as large.
As to my five-star review, a lot of people have written five-star reviews of Dr. Presley's book in various book forums, not just me. His book is receiving great reviews from all around the country. But there are those who are trying to use this forum to put forward their agenda, and I decided it should not go unchallenged.
I will return to doing other things. If you want to listen to the goof balls, at least you have been warned. They even included a séance specialist to talk, at their lowly populated forum, about paranormal activities at "Doodies" old house in Texarkana. http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2014/11/07/free-public-forum-on-phantom-killer-case-44515.php
Mr. Kennington's good friend publicly touts his relationship to "Doodie." (from article referenced above) The Texarkana Gazette article states "After an hour lunch, Tennison will discuss another suspect, H.B. “Doodie” Tennison (1 p.m.), and then aspects of the investigation conducted on the case." "Ann Winger reports on paranormal activity at the Tennison mansion." The Texarkana Gazette article later quotes Mr. Kennington's good friend as saying, "“One thing I know is that there are other potential suspects,” Tennison said. Those other suspects include his first cousin once-removed, H.B. “Doodie” Tennison. “The main thing about H.B. is that prior to 1971 he had been the most highly publicized suspect,” he said."
"Doodie" was a teenage boy at the time of the murders, and he didn't have the opportunity to commit the crimes. The various law enforcement agencies discounted his suicide statements of committing the acts. Is it really necessary for Mr. Kennington to commit so much space for one mixed-up teenager? Does it really deserve any mention at all in a Wikipedia article when there is no real attachment to the crimes?
The 1971 event that Mr. Tennison refers to are the articles that Dr. Presley wrote for the Texarkana Gazette on the 25th anniversary of the Phantom Killings. Do you hear the ax grinding? Why would it bother a relative to have their relative exonerated?
I'm just trying to protect the reputation of a good book written by Dr. James Presley from those that need to discredit it to put forward their vision. It appears that the goof balls are after notoriety since earned fame continues to elude them. They have not yet accomplished work that shows them approaching the level of expertise as that which has been earned by Dr. Presley. 173.185.43.243 ( talk) 11:34, 26 November 2014 (UTC)
PS Please don't respond unless you can actually prove something. Maybe you can prove your accusation that I "misrepresent" the facts. Show me how I'm wrong about the things I've said in the above Objective LOOK at the new BOOK. JeremeK ( talk) 13:51, 26 November 2014 (UTC)
There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Watts Riots which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. — RMCD bot 04:43, 9 December 2014 (UTC)
So, was there any decision made anywhere that is binding on this article? We have had "Texarkana Moonlight Murders", "Texarkana Murders of 1946", "Texarkana murders of 1946" and "Texarkana moonlight murders" used or proposed recently. The move protection has ended and I'm not finding any discussion other than the withdrawn proposal at Talk:Watts Riots , let alone a decision. Meters ( talk) 20:00, 24 February 2015 (UTC)
This article is looking good information wise. However, major portions of this article's information is unsourced and doesn't contain any footnotes which are required. This information needs to be given proper citations/footnotes for its information so that it meets Wikipiedia's guidelines and standards of a properly sourced article. Hopefully these issues are resolved since this article can easily become GA and FA status.-- Paleface Jack ( talk) 15:49, 20 June 2017 (UTC)
General rewrites are also needed since some paragraphs have a style and tone that is not encyclopedic in tone as per Wikipiedia's guidelines and standards.-- Paleface Jack ( talk) 16:35, 22 June 2017 (UTC)
I'm going to start by saying that I for one do not agree with the assessment that this article is B class status. The amount of issues with this article should lower the articles status to a more accurate C class status. That being said, there are so many issues with this article that need to be fixed and this article requires significant attention to solve these issues. For starters, a large amount of information in this article is unsourced and needs to be either removed or given proper citations when necessary. The article does have parts that are poorly written, and it sometimes repeats the same information or quotes in multiple sections. These parts should be rewritten so that they are better quality, and unnecessarily repeated information removed. There are also parts such as unsourced information the reward offered for the capture of the Phantom Killer spread throughout the article. All this information should be moved into its own section and given proper citations. This article has potential to become a GA and FA class article if enough attention is given to it, as there is more than enough information that can be found to make this happen.-- Paleface Jack ( talk) 16:19, 19 August 2017 (UTC)
Thanks. Nice to see that someone has taken notice.:)--Paleface Jack 18:12, 10 May 2018 (UTC)