Her attorney, Vincent Bugliosi, and Bruce Henderson wrote a book about the case, "And the Sea Will Tell." Bugliosis careful analysis of the tides revealed Stearns was lying about her activities purportedly occurring on the 30th and 31st of August 1974. The murder was the basis of a best selling book And the Sea Will Tell, which was turned into a popular mini-series starring James Brolin. She had some photos sent off to be developed while in jail and those photos were intercepted by authorities. 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. 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. Walker receives an annual salary that ranges between $46,796, as per NBC News The yellow container was similar to the two missing containers that FBI agents had found in the abandoned Navy warehouse years earlier. The night before Sanders and Wolf were to leave Palmyra they had cocktails with the Grahams aboard the Sea Wind. When I read Vincent Bugliosi's book "And the Sea Will Tell," I found it a captivating story. But Walker's former attorney, Earle Partington of Honolulu, warned against putting too much faith in that date. However, Stearns murder plot was masterful. Its been grueling, Stephanie Stearns told reporters after hugging her tearful parents, who sat in the front row throughout the trial. Meanwhile, Mac Graham was keeping up his weekly contact with his friend in Hawaii filling him in on the exploits of Stephanie and Roy. The Grahams were a happily married couple touring the world, and Mr. Graham ran his business remotely. You'll never find him." Well, kind of, Video shows Memphis jailers beating Black inmate before his death. Instead, Stephanie and Buck were charged with interstate transportation of stolen property, which was a pretty open and shut case. In 1985, Walker was convicted of murdering the Grahams and was sent to prison. Although authorities strongly suspected the couple had murdered the Grahams, no bodies were found. While Stephanie is placed under arrest, authorities were still searching for Roy who had evaded police at the marina. The atoll, home to a rich diversity of animals and plants, before that was a little-known getaway for the yachting community. The boat is wooden and they have it covered in berglass to prevent it from leaking. During the years following the Grahams disappearance, Palmyra atoll visitors had maintained a stack of newspaper clippings about the incident in a jungle shack. On June 26, 1974, a small sailboat, called The Iola, docked at one of the makeshift harbors in Palmyra. [2], Walker was released on parole in September 2007 at the age of 69, after serving 22 years of a life sentence, and died of a stroke on April 26, 2010 at the age of 72. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights , updated March 2009. Palmyra Atoll Islands is located south of the Hawaiian Islands. 1 on The New York Times hardcover bestseller list in March 1991 and is still in print as a trade paperback and ebook. Walker never acknowledged committing the murder, self-publishing an 895-word novel he called the true story of an island tragedy.. Prosecutors argued that Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns had been trapped on Palmyra with supplies running out and a boat that was not seaworthy. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Walker receives an annual salary that ranges between $46,796, as per NBC News Forty-fiveyears ago today, on August 30, 1974, at least one and probably two grisly murders occurred in one of the most faraway locales on planet Earth--a small Pacific atoll called Palmyra, a thousand miles south of Hawaii, which has no permanent human population. 'Buck' Walker infamous for high-profile Palmyra deaths. The other sailors noticed that Roy had the name Buck tattooed on his arm. 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. Perhaps he murdered them at different times and different places around the island. Authorities would later identify them as Buck Duane Walker and Stephanie Stearns. Wesley Walker (AKA Buck) Stephanie Stearns Buck and Stephanie They buy a boat that had sunk and was raised from the harbor in Maui. He said the Grahams died because of a love triangle gone wrong in his self-published 895-page book titled "Palmyra: the True Story of an Island Tragedy.". 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. Not long after The Iola arrived another yacht arrived in the harbor,the impressive Sea Wind. Stephanie took off into a hotel stairwell and was found soon hiding behind a potted plant. When Stephanie and Roy arrived they could see how the Sea Wind outshined The Iola in every way. : Despite the tensions, according to Stephanie Stearns diary, the two couples visited together several times aboard the Sea Wind. However, the 31-year-old weatherwoman has remained tight-lipped about her husband. He asked for a cigarette. 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. An FBI agent from the Hawaiian field office was assigned and met with Bernard and the Coast Guard at the yacht harbor. Now, a state hotline is trying to call them out. 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"It's just covered in palm trees. "I have no intention of returning to Hawai'i any time in the near future if I have any say-so," Walker wrote in a letter to Stephens Media. VINCENT BUGLIOSI, acclaimed prosecutor of CHARLES MANSON, now working on the other side, defended STEARNS. , ISBN-13 The Sea Wind thieves were tried for murder. Walker, 69, earned release from the U.S. Parole Commission in part because of advancing age and poor health. She most likely changed her name multiple times again over the years. Roy meanwhile was not enjoying the islands as much as Mac was. : They were no longer romantically involved. Walker and Graham were both convicted for the theft of the boat. Back at the Coast Guard offices, Stephanie told her story again this time to the FBI. Macs friend tried to get authorities involved, but they declined to investigate at the time so he had a friend fly over Palmyra to see if he could spot The Sea Wind. 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. Once in Hawaii, the couple had the Sea Wind repainted and also renamed it, which according to boating superstition brings bad luck. At the time, she didnt have a criminal record compared to Buck. Bugliosi professing his belief in Stearns innocence is duped by his client. She was working when authorities paid her a visit to arrest her. You'll receive an email with an opt-in link to complete your subscription. The FBI took Roys photo to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) who recognized the picture as that of Buck Walker whom the DEA was also searching for. Stearns was acquitted. 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. 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. The pair were desperate enough to murder the Grahams and steal their boat. The Iola was a cramped boat and soon Roy moved into a makeshift tent onshore while Stephanie remained on the boat. and Macs messenger, Curtis Shoemaker. He plans to contact sailors up and down the West Coast in hopes of generating interest in the idea. Walker and Stearns tried unsuccessfully to grow vegetables and were forced to subsist on coconuts and fish. He was tried for escape and sentenced to five years in prison. , Dimensions Her boyfriend, Buck Walker, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to life in prison. For myself, after arguing on behalf of thousands of defendants as a Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender, I too now change sides, and argue on behalf of MAC and MUFF GRAHAM. 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. The Iola was a wooden sailboat. Things were not going well and tensions were high. Stephanie did testify on her own behalf and was able to give her version of events. They had shown Bucks picture to the waitress and she recognized him. [4] Walker (writing as Wesley G. Walker) claimed in a book about that case that he had been seduced by Mrs. Graham and, in the midst of lovemaking, had been caught by Mr. Graham, who shot his wife and attempted to shoot Walker. The San Francisco medical examiner confirmed the findings of the FBI examiner. Stearns and Walker had sailed to Palmyra aboard a leaky boat and were the only other people on the atoll besides the Grahams at the time of their disappearance in 1974. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. After Stephanie completed her high school education, she received a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University. Prosecutors argued that Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns had been trapped on Palmyra with supplies running out and a boat that was not seaworthy. The findings showed that the skull had been flattened on the left side of the face. If released, Walker would normally be returned to the place he was tried, Honolulu. He was set free Tuesday from prison in Victorville, Calif., although he wasn't up for mandatory release until 2018. The federal system generally does not parole aging offenders until they reach 70 at the earliest, he said. He also made regular radio calls to his friend back in Hawaii to check-in and updated him on his discoveries. They found other sailors already there, including two male Canadian scientists, but nonetheless stayed. However, if you're using Microsoft's Internet Explorer and have your security settings set to High, the javascript menu buttons will not display, preventing you from navigating the menu buttons. Suffering from terminal cancer, he was paroled in 2007 and has since died. They showed up at 6:30 PM but the Grahams weren't there. 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. The murder was the basis of a best selling book And the Sea Will Tell, which was turned into a popular mini-series starring James Brolin. Buck Walker was paroled from federal prison in 2007. In June 1974, they set sail with their three dogs for the Palmyra atoll planning to spend two years there. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune. However, when he dove off the pier he left his wallet behind. Were concerned that Muff needs to be taken care of in a dignified manner, he said, and supports Bucys proposal. The duo has been together since 2004. [3] Prior to his death, Walker had been living in a trailer home in Willits, California. Your browser's security settings are preventing some features from appearing. When he was released in 2007, he took up residence in a San Francisco motel for several years before moving to a 22-foot trailer in Willits, a small town about three hours from San Francisco. , ISBN-10 Around one of the bones was a gold wristwatch. 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. Eager to win every point, when necessary he shaves the truth. Stephanie received 2 years. 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). They purchased a beat-up 30-foot sloop in Maui and named it the Iola. They cautioned the Grahams to be careful with Roy and Stephanie. 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. Her manipulative skills are unusually sharp as can be observed while she was at work on Palmyra Island the summer of 1974, and in her interplay with counsel and court during her murder trial. Both were found guilty. The US Attorneys office didnt feel there was enough evidence to charge Stephanie and Buck with the murder of the Grahams. , Paperback He was happy sitting there listening to books on tape," she said, adding Walker contacted her by e-mail through a Craigslist ad for a rental. 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. 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. In that wallet was a drivers license with Roy Allens name on it. In January 1981 a South African couple visiting the atoll, found a human skull and other bones that had apparently fallen out of a World War II vintage metal box washed up on the beach after a storm. The boat is wooden and they have it covered in berglass to prevent it from leaking. Everybody familiar with the case regards this theory as utter hogwash. They are part of one of the largest marine protected areas in the world. It was believed he fled on foot after leaving the dinghy at the loading dock near the Ilikai Hotel. 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. He lived on a scant social security check, renting a 22-foot trailer amongst the redwoods he found on Craigslist, coming to town as needed for groceries and to visit the library. On August 30, according to Stephanie Stearns, Buck Walker told her that the Grahams had invited the two of them over for dinner aboard the Sea Wind. They showed up at 6:30 PM but the Grahams weren't there. 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. Stearns and Walker were convicted in 1977 of the theft of the Sea Wind, theft of certain personal property of the Grahams aboard the Sea Wind, and transportation of stolen property in interstate commerce. On January 21, 1981, a South African couple Robert and Sharron Jordan were visiting the Palmyra Islands. Stephanie Walker Husband. Reviewed in Australia on May 23, 2017. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. The duo has been together since 2004. Please try again. Necrophilia, cannibalism, and dismemberment were all part of his routine in his attempts to satiate his morbid desires. The Iola owners also had very few provisions along with them. Walker receives an annual salary that ranges between $46,796, as per NBC News You Cant Fool A Legally Educated Sailor, Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2021. Buck was taken back into custody when he exited the hotel. The skeleton was identified as Muff Graham, and she died in very grisly fashion--hit over the head, dismembered, and her face burned with a welding torch. These presentations help teach about Ellen White, her ministry, and her writings. When they arrived they found that they were not alone, as had been their hope. Its been grueling, Stephanie Stearns told reporters after hugging her tearful parents, who sat in the front row throughout the trial. Buck Duane Walker was a convicted felon and fugitive. Dental records confirmed that it was Muff Graham. We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. 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. His 70th birthday will be Sept. 18. There was no sign of Mac's body. Walker pleaded guilty and charges were dropped against Stearns. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Walker had a stroke early this year and died April 26 after several months in a nursing home, according to several friends. WebStephanie Stearns was tried separately in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. The Week in Photos: California exits pandemic emergency amid a winter landscape, Column: Did the DOJ just say Donald Trump can be held accountable for Jan. 6? 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. Betty Fullard-Leo said the Graham case left the family shocked and disturbed. 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. 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. 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. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! A few hours later, the vote was changed to 10-2. Partington added: "It's a terribly sad story. Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights. Island Search Fearing for the Grahams the FBI agents traveled to Palmyra Islands to see if they had been stranded there. Read this book - if you read only one book about the Palmyra Murders, read Tom Bucy's "Final Argument"! (I note that this manuscript was not released until Bugliosi's death.) By happenstance, two uniformed officers were eating in the same restaurant. Try again. Copyright 2023 Ellen G. White Estate, Inc. Stephanie Stearns was tried separately in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. 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. "That's a parole consideration date," Partington said. By August 17th, The Sea Wind and The Iola were the only two boats left in Palmyra. Buck Duane Walker was a convicted felon and fugitive. Authorities had a difficult time tracking down the other sailors who had run-ins with Stephanie and Buck in Palmyra. Let's teach children to be unafraid. She is merely married to her beloved husband whose identity is not known. Buck Walker was not as fortunate as Stephanie and was found guilty and received a life sentence. Stearns was pretty easy to get along with so most of the conflict came from Walker. Because no bodies were found, Walker and Stearns were initially prosecuted only for the yacht theft and convicted in August 1975. Muff Graham, formerly Eleanor LaVerne Eddington, had grown up here.Her mother, Rose King, and sister, Peggy Faulkner, of San Diego, were quoted in media coverage of the murders. To this day no one ever has. One photo showed Stephanie standing on the Sea Wind taking a picture of Buck sailing the Iola. Paroling officials want an inmate to accept responsibility, he said. Sadly, Mr. Bugliosi passed away in 2015. Island Search Fearing for the Grahams the FBI agents traveled to Palmyra Islands to see if they had been stranded there. Do you love reading true crime? The conviction in part resulted from photographs taken by Walker from the Sea Wind showing the badly damaged Iola on the open seas sailing away from the Sea Wind. Murderous Minds: 30 Stories of Real-Life Murderers That Escaped the Headlines (Murd BLOODY ALPHABET: The Scariest Serial Killers Coloring Book. To learn more, click here. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights , updated March 2009. Six years later, a corroded chest was found partially buried in a lagoon at Palmyra. A graduate of the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in psychology, Juris Doctor degree from the San Fernando Valley College of Law. In October, the Sea Wind was recognized in a Honolulu yacht harbor with Stearns and Walker now its crew. Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights. Publisher Get your hands on this collection of 48 true crime stories. She had moved to Seattle, and since has died. Stephanie claimed that Buck was Roys nickname when questioned by it. Two months after the Grahams vanished, Stearns and Walker sailed the Grahams yacht into Hawaii, 1,100 miles away; they were later sentenced to prison for stealing the yacht. Her boyfriend, Buck Walker, was convicted of They also showed that the zodiac wouldnt have worked if it had been found the way Stephanie and Buck said it was. Also on Palmyra were Wesley G. Walker (a.k.a. On July 13th Muff Graham wrote a letter to her mother. On August 27th, Mac radioed his friend in Hawaii. He tried again a couple of days later and over the following weeks. It was revealed that Buck and Stephanie had been living on the island of Palmyra as well and had known the Grahams. Stephanies defense attorney was famed Vincent Bugliosi who believed that she was innocent.