New Evidence Shows Sheriff Pusser killed his wife

Authorities say the case file reveals inconsistences in Buford Pusser’s account of what happened the day Pauline was murdered.

TBI says evidence suggests Pauline was shot outside of the vehicle and later moved inside the vehicle. Evidence also suggests the gunshot wound Bufford received was self-inflicted.

It was said that if Buford was alive today, there would be probable cause to charge him in connection to the shooting.

This investigation is predicated on a request from the Honorable W. I. Abernathy, District Attorney General, 13th Judicial Circuit to conduct a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the facts and circumstances surrounding the murder of PAULINE PUSSER and the shooting of McNairy County Sheriff Buford Pusser, which occurred on the New Hope Road in IcNairy County, Tennessee on the early morning

of August 12, 1967. BUFORD PUSSER, Sheriff, McNairy County, Scott Drive, Adamsville, Tenn., telephone no. 632-6190, advised that on Friday night, August 11, 1967, he was on duty and did not arrive at his home until between 4:30 to 5:00 a.m., Saturday morning, August 12, 1967. Stated that he had been at home about ten minutes when he got a telephone call at his home from an unknown man. The unknown man making the telephone call said, "This is a friend of yours. If you will come down on the Stateline Road, you will run upon something either big or important. If you don't see it on the road, come on to Hollis ¿ordon'

s and I will see you there." Sheriff Pusser stated that he had just gotten home; that he told the man on the phone that he had just gotten in and was given out and asked it it was something that would wait until tomorrow. This unknown man said, "No, it won't be there

tomorrow. " The man said further, "I don't want to go into detail on the phone. There might be somebody listening that will tip them off." Sheriff Pusser stated again that he wastired and this made him mad and he told the man calling, "Okay", and slamned the telephone receiver down. After he had gotten home and before receiving this telephone call his wife, PAULINE, told him that someone had called

for him a while ago and wanted to talk to him and had said that it was important.

PAULINE PUSSER did not know who this caller was. Buford Pusser states that both he and his wife got in his car and they left Adamsville and went out Highway Cu. They turned off at Gilchrist and went through the blacktop road to Stantonville and came across to Michie. On getting to Highway 57 he went toward Eastview and turned left on the New Hope Road. Sheriff Pusser was asked if he knew what time this was. He stated that he did not know the exact time but said it was still dark but was beginning to break day but that he still had tp have the car headlights on to see how to drive. He was asked if he had met or passed any cars. Advised that he did not meet or pass any cars from his home in Adamsville until he arrived on the New Hope Road. When asked the speed he was traveling, he stated he had been going between 80 to 90 miles per hour but that he had slowed down to the New Hope Road to about 50 miles per hour because of the condition of this road. Advised that they were playing the stereo tape on his car and PAULINE was trying to get the speaker balanced. He had slowed down real slow for a bridge on the New Hope Road and he didn't know anyone was

behind him. The first thing that he realized of anyone being behind him was when he heard some shots. Then he noticed a front end of a car that had pulled up beside him just as he was pulling across a bridge on the New Hope Road. This car had it's

headlights off and the headlights came on just about the time the shooting started. He believes there were some shots first and then the headlights on this car popped on but that it was all about the same time in the headlights coming on and the shots being fired. Advised that there were four, five or six shots in a burst fi~ from this automobile that pulled up beside him as if to pass him. There was one two, or three shots that hit his car. One of these bullets hit PAULINE.

AGENTS' NOTE: It is a distance of one mile and nine tenths from the scene of the first shooting at the bridge on the New Hope Road to the scene of the second shooting on the New Hope Road at it's intersection with the Acton Road. It is a distance of exactly one nile from the scene of the second shooting on the New Hope Road (at it's intersection

with the Acton Road) to U. S. Highway 45. Sheriff Pusser advised that after this 196 or 1965 blue Cadillac had driven off toward Highway 45 on the New Hope Road that he had gone back to his car and had

in mind to get in his car trunk as he did have a high powered rifle in the trunk. He fumbled around and couldn't find the key to the trunk and then he remembered that he had this trunk key on a key ring which was laying in the front seat of his car. After he had fumbled around a few seconds and couldn't find the key, it dawned on him that he had loaned this rifle, a 30.06 to Charles Cox a week or two before that. States that he then believes that he got down in a ditch on PAULINE's side of the car and was hollering for her. States that he then got back into his car and PAULINE way laying in the seat with her head over toward the steering

wheel. He straightened her up and put her head over against the window. Sheriff Pusser stated that he then took off in his car thinking that he could catch up with and try to kill the people in the Cadillac who had shot them. He knew that he still had a shotgun in the car and had a .357 magnum on his right hip. Stated that the shotgun was laying on the front floorboard of his car and that he never

did pick it up but just took off trying to catch this Cadillac. Advised that he tried to use his car radio and radio to report what haa happened and to call for help while on the New Hope Road but never could get anybody to answer him. Advised that he couldn't hardly talk because of the injury to his jaw where he

had been shot. Advised that when he got to Fighway 45 he looked toward Corinth, Mississippi and he didn't see the Cadillac so he turned toward Selna. He drove on toward Selmer and turned around on the hill after he had passed Hollis jordon's Beer joint as he

didn't see the Cadillac and then went back toward Corinth with his car wide open. When he got to the state line he whirled around to the front of the Shamrock Votel, where he could see the front of the Plantation Club; that when he saw the blue Cadillac on the New Hope Road he thought it was the car owned by W. o. Hathcock, jr.

who lived at the Plantation Club. Advised that upon looking over toward the Plantation Club that he saw two or three cars over at the club but none of them fit the description of the blue Cadillac, and then he did not see the blue Cadillac at the Plantation Club he had it in mind to go down the Stateline Gravel Road that comes out at Acton as he felt the Cadillac had

possibly gone in this direction. Stated he missed this road as he was about to pass out and instead of taking the gravel road that comes out at Acton he went back out the New Hope Road. Stated that he really didn't know what made him miss the road except that he was ver grogsy. It dawned on him that he was on the New Hope Road and he turned arou

at Eber Henry's house or at a negro's driveway and then went back to Highwa

TENNESSEE Advised that he was still just about to pass out a time or two as he would g where he couldn't see very well but the Selmer Police and highway patrol bot.. came to where he was on Highwav 45. Sheriff Pusser advised that an ambulance

arrived and carried him and PAULINE on to Selmer, Tennessee in the ambulance.

AGENTS' NOTE: The distance has been measured from Sheriff Pusser's home in Adanaville, Tenn. to the scene of this first shooting with the distance being 23 7/10 miles

and it takes approximately 2u minutes to drive this

distance driving the speed Sheriff Fusser advised he was going. Glass was found on the New Hope Road at this location along with two •30 caliber cartridge cases which were found by Lester Burns no lives at Midway in McNairy

County, Tenn.

Sheriff Pusser states that upon this car pulling up beside him and the occupants started shooting into his car that the sheriff immediately gunned his car and reached over and pulled PAULINE over to him. When he had gunned his car motor he went on a good ways and checked his rearview mirror and thought that

he had lost this car.

PAULINE was making a chocking sound and he tried to talk to her and said "PAULINE" but he doesn't think that she ever said anything. She was gurgling like she wss choking and she was bleeding from the face and part of

her head.

Said he didn't know then whether the blood was coming from her nose or

her head but that when she breathed she would gurgle. Sheriff Pusser advised that PAULINE started stiffening and jerking and her hands and feet went up and she started gurgling and he thought she was choking to death

stopped his car real quick and kicked his car door open and turned

PAULINE's head up where he could look her in the face.

The fact that he thought that she was choking to death being the reason that made him stop. When he turned her face to him he saw some blood coming out of her hairline and some out

of her mouth. He advised that he had one leg out of his car but was still sitting in the car seat. About this tine a blue 1964 or 1965 Cadillac pulled up about even with him and stopped. The headlights on this Cadillac were on. This Cadillac pulled off to the left side of the road a pretty good ways to where a car could have possibly passed between them as he had pulled off to the right side of the road when he had stopped his car. When the blue Cadillac pulled up beside hin he had his door about half open. As soon as the blue Cadillac drove up and stopped the occupants of this blue Cadillac started shooting into the sheriff's car and he said that glass was

flying everywhere.

The occupants of this blue Cadillac started shooting just as they drove up and

Sheriff Pusser advised that he was looking directly at PAULINE when she

was hit again in the forehead. le had not been hit by a bullet then. PAULINE hit again he was trying to pull her over in the seat and trying to get down himself. Then he was hit by a bullet and it knocked hin down in the car seat. He sat back up in just a few minutes when the gun stopped firing. After he sat back up in the car seat, he noticed that the blue Cadillac had pulled up to where the

back of the Cadillac was about even with the front of his car.

The sheriff had been hit in the left side of his jaw by one of the bullets. Upon sitting back up he saw a man in the right front seat of the Cadillac and this man had a rifle about

half stuck out of the car window.

The gun had a big long clip and he had the gun kind of sideways. The gun was looking at his car to see if he had gotten them and was working the gun bolt like the gun had hung up. As soon as he sat back up and saw this he got out of this car and made a lunge for the Cadillac. hollering as he made a lunge for the man with the gun and saying to the driver of the Cadillac, "Get out of here. Get out of here." At about this time he believes

that they killed the car motor on the Cadillac.

He got to the car window and had just got hold of the gun at the time the car motor on the Cadillac started and car started off and jerked hin loose from the gun. The sheriff stated that

started seeing double or just like a dream fron the gunshot wound in his c

that when he got hold of the gun barrell that the nan holding

gun had leaned back into the Cadillac.

After the car had started up and je him loose from the gun the Cadillac drove off leaving the sheriff standing c

the New Hope Road. The Cadillac took off going toward Highway 45.

Sheriff Pusser advised that when he had gotten to the Cadillac window and got hold of

the gun that he noticed somebody moving in the back seat of the Cadillac.

The car had tinted glass and he stated that he thought that it was W. O. Hatheock, Jr.'s blue Cadillac. Stated he noticed that there wasn't any license plate on the back of this blue Cadillac. The man with the rifle was the

passenger in the front seat.

Stated he did not know this man, but feels sure that he

will know him if he sees him again.

He advised that this man was a white male, age between 30 and 40, he was bareheaded, had thick black hair, parted and combed back, no glasses, had a lull round lace, was of dark complexion but not real dark. He

would say from his lace that he was heavy set.

Stated that he does not believe he had ever seen this man before. The man had on a short sleeve plaid shirt and he noticed his sleeves came down to his elbows. Advised that he did not see the driver of this Cadillac or the passenger in the back seat well enough to know

whether he recognized them or not and ofcourse could not recognize them again. Sheriff Pusser was asked why he had not pulled his .357 magnun revolver that he was carrying when he got out of his car and made a lunge for the man with the

rifle who was a passenger in the front seat of this blue l96u or 1965 Cadillac. Sheriff Pusser stated that as he had been shot and was in severe pain and bleeding badly that when he set back up and saw the man racking the bolt on the rifle as if the gun had jammed that he sensed that the rifle had possible jammed

and without even thinking about his own gun he had

gotten out of his car and

made a lunge for the rifle.

Stated that he did not even think about his gun but just

made a lunge for the rifle as he saw the man racking the bolt as if the rifle had jamned.

TENNESSEE