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

Episode Date: November 4, 2025

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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 60 years ago. New findings from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation indicate that Pusser killed Pauline Mullen's Pusser in 1967, 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 killed instantly, and Pusser was hospitalized with a

facial gunshot wound. The case was closed within days. But investigators reopening the file uncovered major inconsistencies. Forensic testing suggests Pauline, was shot outside the vehicle then placed inside. Blood spatter patterns on the hood didn't align with Pusser's story, and his own wound appears to have been self-inflicted at close range. An 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 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 1,000-page case file public through the University of Tennessee at Martin. Thanks, John. For the latest, crime and justice news, go to crimeonline.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's John Limley. In Illinois, a jury has convicted former Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson

of second-degree murder in the death of Sonia Massey, a Springfield woman who called 911 to report a possible prowler. Prosecutor said Grayson fired three shots, killing Massey inside her own home after 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 20 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 jurors concluded the use of deadly force was unjustified. The case prompted changes in Illinois law, requiring greater transparency,

in 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 has pleaded guilty to the murder of a parish priest in a small town north of Omaha. Kierre Williams admitted to killing Reverend Stephen Gutzel inside the rectory of St. John the Baptist Church in Fort Calhoun last December. Authorities say the priest,

He's called 911 to report an intruder armed with a knife. Deputies arrived within minutes and found Gutsal 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 meatpacking plant in Iowa, faces life in prison without parole when he is sentenced later this month. Prosecutors decided not to pursue the death penalty. The murder deeply affected for 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 outside a grocery store. 34-year-old Bianca Ellis was convicted in October of aggravated murder and several related charges in the death of Julian Wood. Prosecutors say Ellis stole two knives from a nearby thrift store, then followed Julian and his mother, Margo Wood, into the parking lot 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 shoulder wound. a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, but jurors rejected that argument. Cuyahoga County prosecutors 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. Thanks, John. For the latest, Crime Injustice News, go to crimeonline.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 Nancy Grace. This is an I-Heart podcast.