Ronda Rich
Syndicated Columnist
This is the second part of a twopart series.)
Buford Pusser, an iconic Southern sheriff from McNairy County, Tennessee, had spent the last 50 years being celebrated as a hero.
His fame began with an early morning ambush which killed his wife, Pauline, and shot off the left side of his face.
Pusser always pointed to the State Line Mob in McNairy County. A year before the ambush, Pusser shot and killed the mob’s boss, Louise Hathcock. He argued that the crime gang had plenty of reason to kill him.
Two years ago, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, acting on a tip about the gun used in the crime, reopened the case and raised Pauline from her grave for a forensic autopsy. Their conclusion?
Buford Pusser most likely killed his wife.
In the news conference, the spokesperson made a powerful statement: the dead can’t speak for themselves, so it’s up to the living to speak for them.
On behalf of the Pussers’ only child, Dwana, who was discovered lifeless on her kitchen floor a few years ago, I’ll pass along her strong belief: Her father was completely innocent.
This belief was important to Dwana. She fiercely defended her father. Since her life was filled ...