“Hero” Cop Who Inspired “Walking Tall” Movies Likely Murdered His Wife

Investigators with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have determined that Buford Pusser, the tough-on-crime sheriff whose exploits inspired the 1973 film “Walking Tall” and its sequels, likely murdered his wife Pauline in 1967 and staged the scene to look like an ambush.

The findings, announced Friday, mark a stunning reversal in a case that has long been part of Tennessee lore, with authorities stating that if Pusser were alive today, they would seek an indictment against him for first-degree murder.

Pusser, born in 1937 in Adamsville, Tennessee, built a reputation as a no-nonsense lawman after serving as McNairy County sheriff from 1964 to 1970. A former professional wrestler known as “Buford the Bull,” he targeted organized crime syndicates like the State Line Mob and Dixie Mafia, surviving multiple assassination attempts and earning fame for his aggressive tactics against moonshiners, gamblers, and other criminals along the Mississippi-Tennessee border.

His story captured national attention, leading to books, songs, and Hollywood adaptations, including the original “Walking Tall” starring Joe Don Baker as a club-wielding sheriff, as well as remakes in 2004 with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and in 2007.

For decades, the official narrative held that Pusser and his wife Pauline were victims of a roadside attack on August 12, 1967, while responding to a reported disturbance near Guys, Tennessee. According to Pusser’s account, assailants in a passing car opened fire, killing Pauline instantly and wounding him severely in the jaw and face, requiring extensive surgeries. He blamed figures like Kirksey Nix of the Dixie Mafia, though no charges were ever filed in the case. Pusser continued his crime-fighting crusade until term limits ended his tenure as sheriff, and he later served as Adamsville constable before dying in a suspicious single-car crash in 1974 at age 36.

The case remained dormant until 2022, when TBI Director David Rausch reopened it as part of a broader cold-case review. A tip in spring 2023 about a potential murder weapon accelerated the probe, leading to the exhumation of Pauline’s body from Adamsville Cemetery in February 2024 for a full autopsy—something that had never been done after her death. Investigators uncovered glaring inconsistencies: blood-spatter patterns on the vehicle and ground did not match Pusser’s description of the shooting occurring from inside the car.

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