Investigators Now Say Sheriff Buford Pusser, the Real-Life ‘Walking Tall’ Figure, Killed His Wife | Crime Alert 6AM 11.04.25

The late Sheriff Buford Pusser, long celebrated as a fearless lawman and the inspiration for the film Walking Tall, is now believed to have murdered his wife nearly sixty years ago.

In Illinois, a jury has convicted former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson of second-degree murder in the death of Sonya Massey, a Springfield woman who called 911 to report a possible prowler.

In Nebraska, a man has pleaded guilty to the murder of a parish priest in a small town north of Omaha.

In northeast Ohio, a Cleveland woman has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the fatal stabbing of a three-year-old boy outside a grocery store.

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alert. I'm John Lemley. We begin this hour in Tennessee,
where investigators have rewritten a story once thought to be legend.
The late Sheriff Buford Pusser, long celebrated as a fearless
lawman and the inspiration for the film Walking Tall, is
now believed to have murdered his wife nearly sixty years ago.

(00:22):
New findings from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation indicate that
Pusser killed Pauline Mullins Pusser in nineteen sixty seven, then
staged the scene to look like an ambush by organized crime.
The Sheriff's original account claimed that the couple was attacked
while driving near the New Hope Methodist church. Pauline was

(00:44):
killed instantly and Pusser was hospitalized with a facial gunshot wound.
The case was closed within days, but investigators reopening the
file and covered major inconsistencies. Forensic testing suggests Pauline was
shot outside the vehicle, then placed inside. Blood spatter patterns

(01:05):
on the hood didn't align with Pusser's story, and his
own wound appears to have been self inflicted at close range,
and autopsy reveals signs of prior injury. Suggesting Pauline may
have been a victim of domestic violence before her death.
Prosecutors say that if Pusser were alive today, there would

(01:25):
be enough evidence to present the case to a grand jury.
The discovery has stunned those who saw Pusser as a
folk hero of law enforcement, while bringing long awaited clarity
to Pauline's surviving family. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation plans
to make the more than one thousand page case file
public through the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Thanks John for the latest crime justice news. Go to
crime online dot com and please join us for our
daily podcast Crime Stories. More crime and justice news after
this Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news
Crime Online John Limley.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
In Illinois, a jury has convicted former Sengaman County Sheriff's
deputy Sean Grayson of second degree murder in the death
of Sonia Massey, a Springfield woman who called nine to
one one to report a possible prowler. Prosecutor said Grayson
fired three shots, killing Massey inside her own home after

(02:27):
she pleaded for help. The jury rejected a first degree
murder charge, instead finding him guilty of the lesser count
which carries a possible sentence of up to twenty years
in prison. Body camera footage showed Massey holding a pot
of hot water just moments before she was shot. The
defense argued that Grayson believed he was in danger, but

(02:49):
jurors concluded the use of deadly force was unjustified. The
case prompted changes in Illinois law, requiring greater transparency and
the hiring and background checks of law enforcement officers. Sentencing
is set for early next year, and legal experts expect
a prison term rather than probation. In Nebraska, a man

(03:12):
has pleaded guilty to the murder of a parish priest
and a small town north of Omaha. Kierre Williams admitted
to killing Reverend Stephen Gutzell inside the rectory of Saint
John the Baptist Church in Fort Calhoun last December. Authorities
say the priest called nine to one one to report
an intruder armed with a knife. Deputies arrived within minutes

(03:34):
and found Gutzell fatally wounded near his kitchen. Investigators later
recovered a broken knife with a serrated blade at the scene. Williams,
who had prior felony convictions and was working at a
meat packing plant in Iowa, faces life in prison without
parole when he is sentenced later this month. Prosecutors decided

(03:56):
not to pursue the death penalty. The murder deeply affected
for fix Calhoun's small community of just over a thousand residents,
who had already been shaken by another unsolved killing earlier
that year. In Northeast Ohio, a Cleveland woman has been
sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole
for the fatal stabbing of a three year old boy

(04:18):
outside a grocery store. Thirty four year old Bianca Ellis
was convicted in October of aggravated murder and several related
charges in the death of Julian Wood. Prosecutor say Ellis
stole two knives from a nearby thrift store, then followed
Julian and his mother, Margot Wood, into the parking lot

(04:39):
of a Giant Eagle supermarket in North Olmstead. There she
attacked without warning, stabbing the child twice as his mother
tried to shield him. The boy died at the hospital
and his mother was treated for a shoulder wound. Defense
attorneys had entered a plea of not guilty by reason
of insanity, but jurors rejected that argument. Cuyahoga County prosecutors

(05:03):
described the crime as one of the most disturbing acts
of violence they have encountered, and the judge imposed the
maximum penalty allowed by law.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Thanks John for the latest crime in justice needs. Go
to crime online dot com and please join us for
our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our best
to find missing people, especially children, and solve unsolved homicides.
With this crime alert, I'm Nitsy Grace