Cheryl Ann Callaway’s brutal murder with ice pick still haunts Arlington, 50 years later
The brutal and seemingly random killing of Cheryl Ann Callaway in 1974 has been called “the most vicious murder in Arlington’s history.”
And 50 years later, the North Texas case remains unsolved.
Callaway was only 18 years old when she was stabbed 46 times by a man with an ice pick outside an Arlington mall, in view of several witnesses who watched in horror. The killer has never been identified, and the case has largely grown cold.
On the evening of Jan. 30, 1974, Callaway stopped by Forum 303 mall after work at a nearby Dairy Queen to buy her fiance a birthday present. The mall, which later became Festival Marketplace before it was demolished in 2007, was at Pioneer Parkway and Texas 360.
Callaway returned to her car in the well-lighted parking lot around 8 p.m. Police were called to the scene less than 10 minutes later. When they arrived, they found Callaway had been stabbed dozens times with an ice pick.
Witnesses told police that Callaway’s attacker was a man dressed in dark clothes. They estimated he was in his mid-20s and said he drove away in a white car with a black top.
Police Capt. Bobby Wiggins told the Star-Telegram at the time that detectives couldn’t establish a motive for the crime. There was no evidence Callaway had been sexually assaulted, and the money in her purse was untouched.
The victim’s father, Billy Callaway, said the young woman didn’t have any enemies.
“I can’t imagine this being revenge for anything,” Billy Callaway said right after the murder. “She liked everybody. I never heard her say anything bad about anyone.”
Arlington police assigned 10 men to work on the case full time. Links between Callaway’s murder and multiple stabbings in other parts of the United States were explored, but her killer was never found.
WBAP-TV, now known as KXAS-TV, reported on Feb. 18, 1974, that a $5,000 reward had been offered for information leading to the arrest and indictment of a suspect.
Herman Perry, the Arlington chief of police from 1971 to 1983, told WBAP that several people had called the department with tips, but they still needed more information.
In a 2007 interview, Perry said he regretted not solving Callaway’s murder. The case has been featured on the “Gone Cold - Texas True Crime” podcast.
While the case remains unsolved, it isn’t closed. This week, Arlington police spokesperson Tim Ciesco told the Star-Telegram that the department doesn’t have a designated unit assigned to cold cases, but homicide detectives still investigate them as time permits.
“What they’ll do is review a cold case file and look for opportunities to employ any forensic technology or other investigative tools available to us now that perhaps were not available back when the incident occurred, in hopes that they may generate a lead,” Ciesco said. “And certainly, if they receive any new leads or information from a tipster about a cold case, they would investigate those.”
According to Ciesco, it’s been a long time since the department has received or generated any new leads on Callaway’s murder, and they would welcome tips from the public.
Anyone with information can contact the Homicide Unit at or 817-459-5772 or Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-8477.
Today's top stories:
→ Fort Behavioral Health abruptly ends remaining treatment programs
→ More homes coming to this Wise County development along U.S. 287
→ Video shows West 7th police chase of suspected drunk driver who hit pedestrians
🚨Get free alerts when news breaks.
