It was interesting to read some of the activity behind the scenes; however, I still have no understanding of why Bugliosi took on this client. Ive not been able to find any information on how she lived out her life since being acquitted in the 80s. Walker, 69, earned release from the U.S. Parole Commission in part because of advancing age and poor health. He had been awaiting sentencing on a drug conviction when he and Stephanie had absconded on The Iola. Get top headlines from the Union-Tribune in your inbox weekday mornings, including top news, local, sports, business, entertainment and opinion. In mid-August, two men arrived at the Palmyra lagoon. Authorities found out that a woman had visited Buck the day before his escape. Buck Bucy was amazed that the remains of slain sailor Eleanor Muff Graham remained unclaimed in FBI storage so long after the trial instead of receiving a proper burial, and he vowed to do something about it. Its been grueling, Stephanie Stearns told reporters after hugging her tearful parents, who sat in the front row throughout the trial. Stearns, 39, who was convicted along with Walker of stealing the couples yacht, testified that she lied to authorities to help him escape capture but knew nothing of the murder. Her husband's body was never found. Roy did not make a good first impression on the other group members either. He had been awaiting sentencing on a drug conviction when he and Stephanie had absconded on The Iola. "You just never expect anything like that to happen in a place that's so beautiful," Fullard-Leo said. But he is known to most people as Buck Duane Walker, the name he was using when he and Stearns sailed into Honolulu in 1974 aboard the disguised 37-foot ketch Sea Wind. We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. Final Argument: An Inquiry into the murders of Mac and Muff Graham on Palmyra Island by Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns Paperback May 1, 2014 by Tom Bucy (Author) 37 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $5.99 Read with Our Free App Paperback $24.95 2 Used from $22.50 6 New from $23.02 He plans to contact sailors up and down the West Coast in hopes of generating interest in the idea. Logically, if there were two boxes, it doesn't make much sense that Walker would have done something different with his body than he did with Muff's, but we'll never know. Buck and Stephanies trials were held separately in San Francisco due to the publicity the Graham case had in the media. Malcolm Graham's body was never found. The author does a reasonable job of analyzing & proving that Stephanie Stearns was definitely involved in the brutal murder of Muff Graham. HILO In 1974, Buck Duane Walker and his girlfriend, Stephanie Stearns, sailed in a leaky boat to Palmyra Atoll and returned to Honolulu Harbor in a beautiful yacht owned by a San Diego couple who had been vacationing on Palmyra. She most likely changed her name multiple times again over the years. Read our revised Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice. But Walker is close. Muff wanted to leave the area, but Mac stubbornly did not. WebStephanie Stearns was tried separately in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. Palmyra Atoll Islands is located south of the Hawaiian Islands. Authorities would later identify them as Buck Duane Walker and Stephanie Stearns. Stearns was acquitted of the murder and Walker was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Your browser's security settings are preventing some features from appearing. Most of those that knew and loved her are gone and she has been shamefully abandoned by the sailing community. Palmyra was privately owned by the Fullard-Leo family until 2001, when the Nature Conservancy bought it for $37 million for preservation and research purposes. San Diego sailors Malcolm Mac Graham III, 43, and his wife Eleanor Muff LaVerne Graham, 41, sailed the 37.5-foot ketch Sea Wind into Palmyra in July. Stephanies Miranda rights were read to her, but she didnt heed the warning about her right to remain silent and begins to repeat what she told Bernard Lennard. he makes a very convincing set of rebuttals to the defenses laid out for Stearns. Stephanie Walker Husband. Please try again. Bernard pointed out to authorities where the yachts appearance had been changed from taking off the nameplate and trying to paint over it and repainting parts of the boat. Stephanie ended up being acquitted of all charges. Wesley G. "Buck" Walker has been paroled from federal prison after serving 22 years of a life sentence for murder in a case that led to a best-selling novel and a TV miniseries. By happenstance, two uniformed officers were eating in the same restaurant. And the Sea Will Tell They arrived from Palmyra Island, 1,100 miles south of Honolulu, later claiming they abandoned their own boat and took the Grahams' after the couple mysteriously disappeared. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Norman Sanders and Thomas Wolf were on their way to Samona. Stephanie Walker Education. A woman acquitted on charges that she helped her boyfriend murder a yachtswoman on a remote Pacific atoll in 1974 says her faith in the American judicial system has been reinstated.. Both were charged with murdering Eleanor Muff Graham of San Diego, who disappeared along with her husband, Malcolm, from Palmyra atoll in August, 1974. Bugliosis careful analysis of the tides revealed Stearns was lying about her activities purportedly occurring on the 30th and 31st of August 1974. The one victim that we know of was Eleanor Graham, called Muff, but her husband, Malcolm "Mac" Graham III, age 43, vanished. Things were not going well and tensions were high. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. Please try your request again later. In 1985, Walker was convicted, despite Partington's defense efforts. Muff and Mac Graham Murders Duane Buck Walker was convicted in 1985 for the grisly murder in 1974 of a San Diego woman on an island paradise on Palmyra atoll about 1,200 miles from Honolulu. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. Mac Graham then took out his .357 Magnum handgun and assured the two men he could take care of himself and wasnt afraid of Roy. Wesley G. "Buck" Walker, the former Big Island marijuana grower convicted in the 1974 murder of a wealthy San Diego couple on Palmyra, has died in California at age 72. On August 30, according to Stephanie Stearns, Buck Walker told her that the Grahams had invited the two of them over for dinner aboard theSea Wind. WebFind helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Final Argument: An Inquiry into the murders of Mac and Muff Graham on Palmyra Island by Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns at Amazon.com. When told that he hadnt seen the Grahams the Coast Guard reached out to the FBI as they felt this might lead to something outside of their jurisdiction. The Grahams were a happily married couple touring the world, and Mr. Graham ran his business remotely. It was revealed that Buck and Stephanie had been living on the island of Palmyra as well and had known the Grahams. Unlike Stephanie when questioned Buck gave away nothing only answering questions with a yes or no. Stephanie, who was in jail, had inadvertently given the FBI more evidence to use against her and Buck. I purchased this book after reading Vincent Bugliosi's fascinating book, And The Sea Will Tell. Do you love reading true crime? IIn October 1974, 37-year-old Buck Duane Walker and 27-year-old Stephanie Stearns sailed into Hawaii on a boat others instantly recognized as the Sea Wind. Walker was a Big Island marijuana grower, he and Stephanie Stearns were on bail for ecstasy drug charges in 1973 and decided to flee to the South Pacific instead of serving time. Stearns was pretty easy to get along with so most of the conflict came from Walker. In October 1974 the Lennards who had taken the letter from Muff to mail were back in Hawaii. After this he wrote an "allegorical" novel about the events on Palmyra, in which he asserted that he was having an affair with Muff Graham, and that Mac went crazy after discovering them in the act. Macs patience with Roy was wearing thin as he did not like Roy destroying the islands natural environment. Other impressions of the young couple were that Roy didnt really fit the image of someone who sailed or even had a lot of experience sailing. He goes to great lengths to show that Sterns couldn't navigate and that the boat was unseaworthy - but Stearns got them to Palmyra and back again, and the boat did get them there. Macs friend in Hawaii would get their mothers letters and would read the Grahams responses during his weekly radio contact. The Grahams were upper-crust people, pretty conservative and reserved. When King asked jurors to consider whether further deliberation would be unproductive, the verdict to acquit was returned less than an hour later. Walker was tried first, convicted and sentenced to life in prison for Muffs murder, thanks, in part, to the testimony of a fellow inmate to whom hed made a jailhouse confession. Dark came, no sign of them. Bernard asked about the Grahams and if they were still alive. On July 13th Muff Graham wrote a letter to her mother. Several years ago I happened upon "And The Sea Will Tell", a book written by VINCENT BUGLIOSI and BRUCE HENDER-SON. I would really like to see her bones interred in San Diego, said Bucy, who is endeavoring to create a fund to bring them here for a proper burial. It was made into quite a good TV miniseries in 1991, but as it aired during the ground phase of the first Gulf War, almost nobody saw it. Stearns, whose defense attorney was Vincent Bugliosi, was acquitted. Mr. Walker and Miss Stearns turned up here in October 1974, sailing the Grahams's yacht, the Sea Wind, which they had partly disguised and repainted. Buck Walker kill the wealthy The Big Book of Serial Killers (An Encyclopedia of Serial Killers), Edmund Kemper: The True Story of The Brutal Co-ed Butcher (Real Crime by Real Killers). starbulletin.com The Grahams had planned on staying around Palmyra for about 6 months. learn from my experience - do not waste your money, Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2017. Mac and Muff Graham WebStephanie Stearns was tried separately in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. Island Search Fearing for the Grahams the FBI agents traveled to Palmyra Islands to see if they had been stranded there. Will Dominion-Fox News lawsuit be different? She had a terrible premonition that she would die a horrible death. That premonition, which she had shared with others before her voyage, turned out to be terribly true. The San Francisco medical examiner confirmed the findings of the FBI examiner. Buck Walker was not as fortunate as Stephanie and was found guilty and received a life sentence. WebStephanie Walker Photo Stephanie Walker Salary. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. Muff and Mac Graham Murders His 70th birthday will be Sept. 18. Stearns told authorities she and Walker had discovered the overturned dinghy on a beach in the lagoon and had only taken the Sea Wind to protect it from vandals. It was revealed that Buck and Stephanie had been living on the island of Palmyra as well and had known the Grahams. While Walker was represented by a public defender, Stearns, from a well-to-do family, was defended by high-profile attorney Vincent Bugliosi, Charles Mansons prosecutor. With no bodies as evidence of murder, Walker and Stearns were convicted only of theft. Reviewed in Canada on February 9, 2018. The ex-con, Buck Duane Walke r, and his girlfriend, Stephanie Stearns, had arrived at Palmyra in their shabby, poorly stocked boat while the Grahams were anchored there. Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Final Argument: An Inquiry into I believe that Walker, and possibly Sterns are guilty, but other possibilities are a murder suicide (husband shoots wife and then himself), or that they really did drown, someone finding a body on the beach at some time later and burying it in a trunk. Macs friend feared the worst. And the Sea Will Tell Experts refer to this as coffin wear and it is not seen when something is buried on a soft surface, such as sand or dirt only on hard surfaces. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights , updated March 2009. Stephanie indicated no saying that they had drowned or at least that is what she thought. WebStephanie Walker Photo Stephanie Walker Salary. After Bugliosi argued that Buck Walker had committed the Palmyra murders himself without Stearns's participation or knowledge, and following her testimony at the trial, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. A writer attempted to raise funds to bury Muff back in San Diego where the Grahams were originally from. The nonfiction book recounts a double murder on Palmyra Atoll; the subsequent arrest, trial and conviction of Duane ("Buck") Walker; and the acquittal of his girlfriend, Stephanie Stearns, whom Bugliosi and Leonard Weinglass defended. Unfortunately, because of Enokis refusal to allow Bugliosis tidal data into the trial, the jury was deprived of this information. Download: English | German. Authorities would later identify them as Buck Duane Walker and Stephanie Stearns. In it, he rebuts some of the trial analyses put forth in Bugliosis 1991 book, And the Sea Will Tell, later the subject of a TV miniseries. Having read the clippings, the couple contacted authorities who identified the remains as those of Muff Graham. Island Search Fearing for the Grahams the FBI agents traveled to Palmyra Islands to see if they had been stranded there. He tried again a couple of days later and over the following weeks. Her broken and bleached bones were spilling out of a half-buried metal chest that apparently had washed ashore. Stearns received a two-year sentence for the theft and Walker a 10-year sentence for the theft to run concurrently with his 5-year sentence for selling ecstasy. Make sure you have Adobe Acrobat Reader v.5 or above installed on your computer for viewing and printing the PDF resources on this site. The Grahams were able to communicate with both of their mothers. The Palmyra Islands are primarily unoccupied but do host a transient population mostly made up of scientists and researchers. In one of the most beautiful settings in the world, Mac and Muff Graham would disappear in the summer of 1974. Final Argument: An Inquiry into the murders of Mac and Muff The book went to No. UPD: Ukiah man arrested for alleged assault at motel, Mendocino County Jail bookings: Friday, March 3, 2023, Mendocino County Jail bookings: Feb. 28, 2023, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. In the morning they began searching and found an overturned boat on the shore of the lagoon. The duo has been together since 2004. Stephanie Walker The other sailing couples had enough supplies for themselves and a little bit left over for emergencies, but not to supply a couple who didnt prepare for their trip. Stephanie Stearns Eager to win every point, when necessary he shaves the truth. She has never received a formal burial. No signs of Mac Grahams remains have been located. You'll receive an email with an opt-in link to complete your subscription. I worked my way through the last half of the book by skimming repetitious portions of the court transcripts. Prosecutors argued that Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns had been trapped on Palmyra with supplies running out and a boat that was not seaworthy. There were other boats in the harbor. Walker pleaded guilty and charges were dropped against Stearns. The book has kept interest in the case alive. VINCENT BUGLIOSI, acclaimed prosecutor of CHARLES MANSON, now working on the other side, defended STEARNS. Wesley G. "Buck" Walker, the former Big Island marijuana grower convicted in the 1974 murder of a wealthy San Diego couple on Palmyra, has died in California at age 72. While researching the case of a San Diego sailing couple brutally murdered on Palmyra Island in 1974, retired L.A. deputy public defender Tom Bucy, made a surprising discovery. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. However, when he dove off the pier he left his wallet behind. Walker and Stearns tried unsuccessfully to grow vegetables and were forced to subsist on coconuts and fish. Where is Mac Graham? He was in his 70s at that time and in poor health. [5], Malcolm Graham's body has never been found.[6]. Sanders had a run-in with Roy where he tried to give him some advice regarding his boat and suggested he and Stephanie set sail for Samoa for more supplies. This revealed that it had been lying against a hard surface, such as a container. She is merely married to her beloved husband whose identity is not known. Not long after The Iola arrived another yacht arrived in the harbor,the impressive Sea Wind. After Stephanie completed her high school education, she received a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University. They had shown Bucks picture to the waitress and she recognized him. Her boyfriend, Buck Walker, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to life in prison. Walker had a stroke early this year and died April 26 after several months in a nursing home, according to several friends. Now, a state hotline is trying to call them out. Time and again she is exposed as a liar and a perjurer, yet the jury forgives lie after lie all the while ignoring the honest and forthright testimony of the Pollocks (The LEONARDS in ATSWT.) The FBI thought Buck was still in prison in Washington state when they went to serve him but soon found out that he had escaped after serving 42 months (3 years of a 10-year sentence). Jurors announced they were deadlocked 6-6 before noon Friday, but were told by U.S. District Judge Samuel King to keep deliberating. Walker has a date of Aug. 28 for his "projected" release from federal prison, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Web site. Please try again. 1 on The New York Times hardcover bestseller list in March 1991 and is still in print as a trade paperback and ebook. Bernard Lenard spotted a 38-foot ketch with distinct lines in a Honolulu marina that looked like The Sea Wind, but it had been repainted. Roy and Stephanie were spotted the next morning coming ashore in a small rowboat. Like Roy and Stephanie, they were surprised to see so many people. Their plans for the bountiful marijuana crop finally faded as the seedlings they had planted had been eaten up by the island insects. Walker receives an annual salary that ranges between $46,796, as per NBC News The jury believed the defenses theory that it was Buck who acted alone and concealed what he did from her. Stearns was arrested in the lower level of the Hawaii Yacht Club for the theft of the Sea Wind,[1] but Walker was able to escape and avoid capture by using a motorized dinghy to race up the "400 row" of the Ala Wai Harbor. MYSTERY ON PACIFIC ATOLL LEADS TO MURDER CHARGE He took half the pack of cigarettes when Mac handed it over to him to take only one. True Crime Stories: 48 Terrifying True Crime Murder Cases (List of Twelve Collection), Killer Moms: 16 Bizarre True Crime Stories of Murderous Moms. But the one body was enough: Walker and Stearns were arrested in Arizona for murder. When they arrived at the atoll, they had already eaten most of the provisions meant to last six months and had to be towed into the atoll with a broken motor. However, the 31-year-old weatherwoman has remained tight-lipped about her husband. The next morning when the Grahams didnt return, they went out looking for them, and that is when they found the washed-up zodiac onshore. Stephanie Stearns Stephanie received 2 years. Discover more of the authors books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more. The agent didnt feel that this would involve the FBI because perhaps the owners had sold the boat or the owners were onshore. , Paperback In so doing I arrive at an opinion and conclusion contrary to that of the jury, and am persuaded STEARNS and WALKER acted in concert, murdered the GRAHAMS for reasons set forth. Betty Fullard-Leo said the Graham case left the family shocked and disturbed. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. By this time the Grahams had been alone for 10 days with Roy and Stephanie. Unfortunately, her remains are still in FBI custody. The two of them were arrested and brought in for questioning. He had a rougher appearance and gave off an aura of being dangerous. Stephanie Walker Bio, Wiki, Age, Husband Now the island did have natural resources, such as fish, crabs, birds eggs, and coconuts, but this young couple didnt know anything about how to go about harvesting them. We pray these resources will enrich the lives of your students, develop their faith in God, help them grow in Christian character, and build their sense of identity with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Teach important lessons with our PowerPoint-enhanced stories of the pioneers! Walker lived off his Social Security check and paid $400 a month in rent. To learn more, click here. As Walker's method of farming became unsustainable, he and Stearns were forced to plan a voyage in the rickety Iola, against prevailing winds and currents, to Fanning (Tabuaeran), a nearby atoll in Kiribati, to restock a voyage close to impossible without a working auxiliary engine. Graham and her husband, Malcolm Mac Graham, had disappeared on Aug. 29, 1974, after sailing about 970 miles south from Hawaii to the Palmyra atoll. Buck Walker was tried and convicted of Muff Graham's murder. MYSTERY ON PACIFIC ATOLL LEADS TO MURDER CHARGE The book is very repetitive and needs a good edit. Try again. Palmyra However, the book does add information and give detail missing in And The Sea Will Tell. There are evidently makeshift memorials to the Grahams on the island, which is private property and illegal to trespass upon, but naturally being so remote it's difficult to police. The box had been wired shut. Wesley Walker (AKA Buck) Stephanie Stearns Buck and Stephanie They buy a boat that had sunk and was raised from the harbor in Maui. So too, there is considerable variance between Bugliosis cross-examination as revealed in the original trial transcript re Pollock and Shoemaker and his recounting this same testimony in his book. Authorities had a difficult time tracking down the other sailors who had run-ins with Stephanie and Buck in Palmyra. After Stephanie completed her high school education, she received a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University. Disappeared: Malcolm Bugliosis book identified an older sister, Dorothy Young, of La Mesa. In June 1974, they set sail with their three dogs for the Palmyra atoll planning to spend two years there. If released, Walker would normally be returned to the place he was tried, Honolulu. Palmyra But there was a problem as there was no record for a Roy Allen. Get your hands on this collection of 48 true crime stories. Stephanie Stearns Cameron Todd Willingham Accidental Fire Or Intentional Arson. Months passed with no word or sighting of the Grahams. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Once in Hawaii, the couple had the Sea Wind repainted and also renamed it, which according to boating superstition brings bad luck. On November 8, 1974, Buck Walker resurfaced at an area restaurant. Forensics suggested Muff Graham had been bludgeoned to death, her body dismembered, and then burned with an acetylene torch. The ex-con, Buck Duane Walker, and his girlfriend, Stephanie Stearns, had arrived at Palmyra in their shabby, poorly stocked boat while the Grahams were anchored there. I hope Stearns will some day pay for what she did. You Cant Fool A Legally Educated Sailor, Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2021. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. Important Note: To access all the resources on this site, use the menu buttons along the top and left side of the page. On August 27th, Mac radioed his friend in Hawaii. He found out that the soil was not amenable to growing marijuana. Including serial killers, cannibals, and mass murderers. Ellen G. White quotes for installing as a screensaver or a desktop background for your Windows PC. Mr. Walker and Miss Stearns turned up here in October 1974, sailing the Grahams's yacht, the Sea Wind, which they had partly disguised and repainted. Prosecutors argued that Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns had been trapped on Palmyra with supplies running out and a boat that was not seaworthy. Mac Grahams remains have never been found. She is merely married to her beloved husband whose identity is not known. Honolulu attorney Earle Partington represented Walker in the murder trial, which was moved to San Francisco because Hawai'i Judge Samuel King didn't think Walker could get a fair trial in the Islands. : A report by Stephens Media said Walker is in "poor health.". Earlier visitors had reported that tensions were high between the two couples remaining at the atoll, due in part to Walkers pit bull attacking Muff in July. The yellow container was similar to the two missing containers that FBI agents had found in the abandoned Navy warehouse years earlier. , CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1st edition (May 1, 2014), Language To an experienced sailor, Stearns account of her navigational skill is grossly overstated to the point where reading Bugliosis book And The Sea Will Tell becomes an exercise that tests ones patience. By late August, the rest of the vessels had left Palmyra atoll, leaving only the Sea Wind and Iola in residence. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. The boat is wooden and they have it covered in berglass to prevent it from leaking. She was acquitted. WebFind helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Final Argument: An Inquiry into the murders of Mac and Muff Graham on Palmyra Island by Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns at Amazon.com.