Shock Twist Unveiled: Legendary Buford Pusser May Have Killed His Wife Instead of Avenging Her Death
So, here’s a twist straight outta a noir film that makes you wonder if truth really is stranger than fiction—or just more cleverly disguised. You remember Buford Pusser, right? The Tennessee sheriff who strutted onto the silver screen in Walking Tall, the tough-as-nails, crime-busting legend? Well, buckle up—turns out the story doesn’t end with heroic ambushes and vendettas against the Dixie Mafia. Nope, a fresh dive into the cold case of his wife Pauline’s death reveals a disturbing underbelly: domestic abuse and a sinister plot where Buford himself allegedly killed Pauline, then staged her body in his car to mask the crime. Talk about rewriting history—how does a hero’s mask slip so badly that the public face turns into a shadow? As the layers peel back, you’re left chewing on a bitter truth wrapped in Hollywood glamor and decades of hushed whispers. Intrigued yet?
A reexamination of the death of Pauline Pusser revealed that she was a victim of domestic abuse and had been killed by her husband with her body placed in his car to make it seem like she was the victim of an ambush.
Sheriff Buford Pusser Museum/FacebookPauline Mullins Pusser, the wife of Buford Pusser.
A Tennessee sheriff whose story inspired a Hollywood film was not the tragic hero he made himself out to be — in fact, new evidence shows that he killed his wife, then led people to believe she had been slain by his enemies.
Buford Pusser became famous in the 1960s for taking on organized crime, but his story turned tragic in 1967 when his wife, Pauline Mullins Pusser, was killed during an ambush.
In 1973, the movie Walking Tall portrayed Pusser’s story on the big screen, immortalizing him as a tough but fair sheriff with no tolerance for crime. The film was later remade in 2004, inspiring a new generation of officers to enroll, district attorney Mark Davidson told the Associated Press.
Rumors that Pusser killed his wife had been circulating for years, but in 2022 prosecutors and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation began reexamining the decades-old file on Pauline’s death as part of a regular review of cold cases. During the review, agents discovered glaring inconsistencies between Pusser’s version of events and the physical evidence.
This, and a tip about a potential murder weapon, prompted them to exhume Pauline’s body for an autopsy in 2024. Now, they have put together a “voluminous” file of more than 1,000 pages that shows Buford Pusser was responsible for Pauline’s death — with plans to make the full file available to the public.
Who Was Buford Pusser?
Sheriff Buford Pusser Museum/FacebookBuford Pusser, the sheriff who inspired multiple Hollywood films.
Buford Pusser grew up in McNairy County, Tennessee. He excelled in high‑school sports, enlisted briefly in the Marines, then became a Chicago wrestler known as “Buford the Bull.”
In 1959 he married Pauline Mullins, and by 1964 he was elected sheriff, becoming Tennessee’s youngest. He aggressively targeted the Dixie Mafia and State Line Mob, who trafficked moonshine, gambling, and vice. He destroyed illicit stills, personally wielded a pick‑axe, survived eight shootings and seven stabbings, and even a hit‑and‑run.
On August 12, 1967, Pusser answered an early‑morning disturbance call. Pauline rode with him. En route, a car ambushed them. During the attack, Pauline was killed — allegedly by their ambushers — and Pusser was gravely wounded in the jaw. After 18 days and numerous surgeries, he recovered but was left with permanent scars.
He vowed vengeance and cracked down harder on crime than ever before. He named suspects — especially Dixie Mafia leader Kirksey Nix Jr. — but none stood trial. However, the alleged killers later died under mysterious circumstances: White was shot in Mississippi in 1969 as well as two others in Texas in 1970. Rumors linked Pusser indirectly to their deaths.
Sheriff Buford Pusser Museum/FacebookBuford Pusser with a poster for Walking Tall, the film inspired by his story.
His crusade inspired the 1973 film Walking Tall starring Joe Don Baker, followed by sequels, a TV movie, a series, and a 2004 remake with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Then, on August 21, 1974, seven years after Pauline’s death, Buford Pusser died in a fiery car crash mere hours after signing to star in a film sequel. Many suspected sabotage, but no autopsy was performed.
Now, however, a new story has begun to emerge — one in which Buford Pusser is not a tragic hero seeking revenge for his wife’s killing, but one in which he himself was Pauline’s killer.
Pusser’s Story About His Wife Doesn’t Match The Evidence
Sheriff Buford Pusser Museum/FacebookPauline and Buford Pusser’s marriage was not a happy one.
Mark Davidson believes that if the McNairy County sheriff were still alive today, there is sufficient evidence for prosecutors to present an indictment to a grand jury for the killing of Pauline Mullins Pusser. During the new investigation, authorities also found evidence that Pauline had suffered from domestic violence.
Post Comment