A SHERIFF once celebrated as a larger-than-life crime fighter has been exposed as a wife killer nearly six decades later, investigators say.
The shocking twist rips apart the legend of Buford Pusser, the Tennessee law enforcement officer whose story inspired the hit 1973 movie Walking Tall.
Pauline Pusser was killed in an ambush in August 1967[/caption]
Authorities found Buford Pusser shot Pauline in 1967, then staged an ambush and blamed his enemies to cover it up (stock)[/caption]
The bureau exhumed Pauline’s body for a fresh autopsy as part of the probe[/caption]
Buford Pusser’s story inspired the hit 1973 movie Walking Tall[/caption]
Authorities revealed on Friday that Pusser murdered his wife Pauline in 1967 and then blamed it on shadowy enemies to preserve his reputation.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reopened the cold case in 2022, combing through old files, autopsy records and new tips.
By the end, prosecutors said they had enough evidence to indict Pusser if he were still alive.
District Attorney Mark Davidson admitted the findings would shake fans who grew up idolizing the sheriff’s “tough but fair” image, Jackson Sun reported.
“This case is not about tearing down a legend,” Davidson said.
“It is about giving dignity and closure to Pauline and her family and ensuring that the truth is not buried with time.”
Pusser rose to fame after claiming his wife was gunned down during an ambush as the couple drove down a rural road near McNairy County on August 12, 1967.
He told investigators that unknown assailants opened fire on their car, killing Pauline and wounding him in the face.
The case was swiftly closed, built almost entirely on his own testimony.
Pusser spent 18 days in hospital and later leaned into his war-against-crime image, which was dramatized on the big screen.
But the new investigation ripped apart that version of events.
Forensic experts found Pauline was likely shot outside the car and then placed inside, contradicting Pusser’s story.
Blood patterns on the hood and a close-contact wound on Pusser’s cheek pointed to a self-inflicted injury rather than a long-range shot.
Pauline’s autopsy also uncovered an old broken nose, consistent with domestic abuse, prosecutors said.
Who Was Buford Pusser?
- Sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, in the 1960s.
- Claimed his wife Pauline was killed in a mob-style ambush in 1967.
- Survived with a gunshot wound to the face and spent nearly three weeks in hospital.
- His crime-fighting reputation inspired the 1973 film Walking Tall and its 2004 remake.
- Died in a 1974 car crash the day after agreeing to star in a sequel about his life.
Statements from people who knew her at the time supported claims that she was a victim of violence at home.
Her younger brother, Griffon Mullins, said the revelations finally brought him closure.
“She was just a sweet person, and I loved her with all my heart,” he said in a video statement.
“I’ve missed her horribly this last 57 years.”
Mullins said he was devastated but “not totally shocked,” admitting he had known there were problems in the marriage.
Pauline’s sister died never knowing the truth, he added.
Pauline’s autopsy also uncovered an old broken nose, consistent with domestic abuse, prosecutors said (stock)[/caption]
Pusser’s granddaughter accused officials of smearing a man who can’t defend himself (stock)[/caption]
Pusser died in a 1974 car crash, just one day after agreeing to star as himself in the Walking Tall sequel[/caption]
Not everyone accepts the findings.
Pusser’s granddaughter accused officials of smearing a man who can’t defend himself.
“A dead man, who cannot defend himself, is being accused of an unspeakable crime,” she said in a statement to CBS affiliate WREG-TV.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says its evidence is overwhelming.
Agents relied on postmortem photos and, medical examiner notes, crime scene records, and even a tip about a possible murder weapon.
The bureau exhumed Pauline’s body for a fresh autopsy as part of the probe.
Former sheriff Mike Elam, who wrote a book on Pusser, confirmed he had passed along information that helped trigger the review.
TBI Director David Rausch said the original case “closed too quickly – perhaps too quickly.”
He noted that inconsistencies, new witness accounts, and forensic evidence all stacked up against the sheriff, ABC affiliate WKRN reported.
The full case file, more than 1,000 pages, will be turned over to the University of Tennessee at Martin for public review.
Chancellor Yancy Freeman said students and scholars will have access to the records as a rare primary source on justice and transparency.
Pusser himself never faced trial.
He died in a 1974 car crash, just one day after agreeing to star as himself in the Walking Tall sequel.
The 2004 remake of the movie, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, avoided his name entirely and shifted the story to Washington state.
The full case file, more than 1,000 pages, will be turned over to the University of Tennessee at Martin for public review[/caption]
