Revisiting the Legacy of Sheriff Buford Pusser: A Cold Case Reopened
A late Tennessee sheriff who inspired a Hollywood movie about a law enforcement officer who took on organized crime killed his wife in 1967 and led people to believe she was murdered by his enemies, authorities said Friday. The revelation is likely to shock many who grew up as fans of Buford Pusser and watched 1973’s “Walking Tall,” which immortalized him as a tough but fair sheriff with zero tolerance for crime.
According to Mark Davidson, the district attorney for Tennessee’s 25th judicial district, there is enough evidence that if Pusser were alive today, prosecutors would present an indictment to a grand jury for the killing of Pauline Mullins Pusser. Investigators also uncovered signs that she suffered from domestic violence. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation began reexamining decades-old files on Pauline’s death in 2022 as part of its regular review of cold cases.
At the time, some residents in the community told CBS affiliate WREG-TV that they were caught off guard as agents swarmed the cemetery and moved Pusser’s headstone. “This case is not about tearing down a legend. It is about giving dignity and closure to Pauline and her family and ensuring that the truth is not buried with time,” Davidson said in a news conference streamed online.
New Evidence Contradicts Sheriff’s Story
The case dates to Aug. 12, 1967. Buford Pusser got a call in the early morning hours about a disturbance. He reported that his wife volunteered to ride along with him as he responded. Buford Pusser said that shortly after they passed New Hope Methodist Church, a car pulled up and fired several times into the vehicle, killing Pauline and injuring the sheriff. However, investigators found inconsistencies between Buford Pusser’s version of events and the physical evidence.
Dr. Michael Revelle, an emergency medicine physical and medical examiner, studied postmortem photographs, crime scene photographs, notes made by the medical examiner at the time, and Buford Pusser’s statements. He concluded that Pauline was more likely than not shot outside the car and then placed inside it. The gunshot wound on Buford Pusser’s cheek was in fact a close-contact wound and not one fired from long range, as Buford Pusser described, and was likely self-inflicted.
Closure for the Family
Pauline’s autopsy revealed she had a broken nose that had healed prior to her death. Davidson said statements from people who were around at the time she died support the conclusion that she was a victim of domestic violence. Pauline’s younger brother, Griffon Mullins, said the investigation gave him closure. He said in a recorded video played at the news conference that their other sister died without knowing what happened to Pauline and he is grateful he will die knowing.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation plans to make the entire file, which exceeds 1,000 pages, available to the public by handing it over to the University of Tennessee at Martin once it finishes with redactions. The school will create an online, searchable database for the case. For more information, visit Here
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