Man behind 'Walking Tall' films may have murdered wife

SOMERVILLE, Tenn. (KSNW) -- The man who was the inspiration for the 1973 film and the 2004 remake "Walking Tall" may have murdered his wife.

Mark Davidson, District Attorney General for the 25th district of Tennessee, says new evidence has come to light, casting doubt on the statements of the late Sheriff Buford Pusser. Davidson held a press conference on Friday morning to discuss the new developments.

Our sister station WREG in Memphis reports that a tip in the case led to the body of Pauline being exhumed from an Adamsville, Tenn., cemetery back in February 2024. Davidson says there were inconsistencies with Sheriff Buford Pusser’s story about his wife’s death in 1967 and that it appeared to be a “staged crime scene.”

Pusser, who at the time was the McNairy County Sheriff, had reporte