On the afternnon of January 6, 1964 Tama Hallmark had left the campus of Duncan High School only to be found unconscious and near death shortly afterward. Miss Hallmark had been severely beaten about the head. She had been stabbed close to fifty times. "I couldn't even count the wounds," said Dr. W. R. Cheatwood. One of the wounds was a large "Y" shaped laceration on her neck. Cheatwood said that without prompt treatment, Hallmark likely would have succumbed to the injuries inflicted upon her. The attack would leave the high school senior partially paralyzed. She would have trouble walking. Speaking would become a difficult task. Ironically, the physical results of her merciless attack would affect her own credibility, as her mental capacity would later come into question.
Miss Hallmark's most critical injuries were from two blows to her head. She had to have brain surgery to relieve pressure casued by the injuries. Doctors said that she would have to undergo plastic surgery to correct the damage caused by the numerous stab wounds. A small knife was said to have been used in the attack. During her hospitalization, a Duncan physician stated that Hallmark was fortunate that her throat was not cut, as it was apparent her attacker had intended, failed to accomplish that savage task.
She said that the boy got into her car after school on the day of the attack. The boy made her drive to a Stephens County road as he held a knife to her stomach. Hallmark said that the boy "forced me on he floor of the back seat." When she tried to escape, the boy began stabbing her.
She was found at approximately 4:40 PM. There was no evidence indicating that Hallmark had been sexually molested.
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