In early 1945, the disappearance of a 30-year-old male truck driver named Doyle Mulherin set off a grim investigation. Mulherin, who was employed by a meatpacking company in Little Rock, was last seen leaving for a delivery. He never reached his destination. Hours later, his vehicle was found abandoned near Stuttgart, a city about 40 miles southeast of Little Rock in Arkansas County.
The discovery of the truck prompted a search of the surrounding area.
The search for Doyle Mulherin came to a tragic end when his body was discovered near the Bayou Meto Bridge outside of Stuttgart. An examination revealed that he had been killed by a single gunshot wound to the head. Investigators also determined that Mulherin had been robbed of $125 in company cash that he had been carrying. The weapon used in his murder was identified as a. 38 caliber pistol, the same type of weapon used in another recent murder in the area.
The investigation into Mulherin's death eventually led police to a man named James Waybern Hall. Hall, who went by the nicknames 'Red' or 'Big Jim,' was arrested in Little Rock in March of 1945. During questioning, Hall confessed not only to the murder of his wife but also to a string of other killings, revealing himself to be a serial killer. He was ultimately convicted for the murder of his wife and sentenced to death. On January 4, 1946, James Waybern Hall was executed by electrocution for his crimes.
