Walker, then known as Buck Duane Walker, and his girlfriend, Stephanie Stearns, were arrested in Honolulu in 1974 after returning from Palmyra aboard a yacht stolen from a well-to-do San Diego couple, Malcolm "Mac" Graham and his wife, Eleanor "Muff" Graham. The Palmyra atoll murderer who retired to the Willits area after being paroled from federal prison in 2007 died in April. It was believed he fled on foot after leaving the dinghy at the loading dock near the Ilikai Hotel. Stephanie Walker Husband. Murder charges were added only after Mrs. Grahams skeletal remains were found in a metal box on Palmyra in 1981. 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. If released, Walker would normally be returned to the place he was tried, Honolulu. 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. Since there was no activity on the boat the Coast Guard posted a lookout to see if anyone showed up. 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. Her boyfriend, Buck Walker, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to life in prison. Bugliosi's book 'And the Sea Will Tell,' presenting as it did a reasonably full account of the murder of 'Mac' and 'Muff' Graham on the island of Palmyra, is a compelling read. 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. Officials granted Walker release into Northern California, although the specific city was not named. No one knew what happened to the owners of the yacht Sea Wind -- Malcolm and Eleanor "Muff" Graham -- until Muff Graham's bones were found on Palmyra in 1981. He tried again a couple of days later and over the following weeks. The duo has been together since 2004. Her husbands body, presumed to have been dumped at sea, has never been found. 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. On November 8, 1974, Buck Walker resurfaced at an area restaurant. It is really foolish to go to sea without being prepared with adequate supplies. WebStephanie Stearns was tried separately in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. 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. The jury believed the defenses theory that it was Buck who acted alone and concealed what he did from her. 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. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard boat closed in on Stephanies rowboat. In 1981, a subsequent visitor to Palmyra Island found a human skull in the sand not far from where the Grahams' boat was said to have capsized. The trials were big news nationally and, especially, in San Diego. Malcom and Eleanor Graham Extended Preparation. Stephanies defense attorney was famed Vincent Bugliosi who believed that she was innocent. In one of the mothers letters, she wrote that she was afraid for Mac and Muff and that they should leave Palmyra before something bad happened to them. 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. At the time, she didnt have a criminal record compared to Buck. The skull was identified as belonging to a caucasian woman in her late 40s early 50s. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. A law school student in Hawaii had written an article about handling a bag containing the skull of one of the victims in the spring of 2009 during a classroom lecture by an FBI agent. In mid-August, two men arrived at the Palmyra lagoon. He died from a stroke in 2010. "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. Stearns, who sobbed as she read entries from her 1974 log to the jury about the Grahams disappearance, denied there was any feud. The book was adapted into the 1991 television film And the Sea Will Tell, directed by Tommy Lee Wallace which aired on CBS as a 4-hour film. I just finished this after reading And the Sea Will Tell (a 2nd time last week). WebStephanie Walker Photo Stephanie Walker Salary. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights , updated March 2009. Bucy contacted FBI officials in Honolulu, informed them of his plan, and they agreed not to dispose of the bones until he can interest sailors or others to take up a collection for the transfer. WebStephanie Walker Photo Stephanie Walker Salary. The US Attorneys office didnt feel there was enough evidence to charge Stephanie and Buck with the murder of the Grahams. Officials at Victorville and at the Bureau of Prisons regional office in Dublin, Calif., could not release Walker's health information. 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. 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. Bucy puts forward his idea of what happened on Palmyra and there may be some justification for his theory. They started bartering their possessions for food with the other yacht owners in the area. Who was Stephanie Stearns in and the sea will tell? When told that authorities were searching the island yet again for Mac's remains, Walker is said to have remarked, "Go ahead and search. 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. Like Roy and Stephanie, they were surprised to see so many people. The Fullard-Leo family bought Palmyra as part of a hui in the early 1900s for a fishing venture that never materialized. However, the 31-year-old weatherwoman has remained tight-lipped about her husband. One photo showed Stephanie standing on the Sea Wind taking a picture of Buck sailing the Iola. The home port for their sailboat, the Sea Wind, was a marina on Shelter Island, and they were well known in the San Diego sailing community. The box had been wired shut. on Mac and Muff Graham Millionaire Murders, Deadly Paradise | FULL EPISODE | The FBI Files, After Helter Skelter. Palmyra is today owned by the Nature Conservancy and is the site of some climate change research. The separate murder trials were transferred to San Francisco because of publicity in Hawaii. She was taken to the Coast Guard offices for questioning. The author does a reasonable job of analyzing & proving that Stephanie Stearns was definitely involved in the brutal murder of Muff Graham. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. If you think there should be more material, feel free to help us develop more! He had been awaiting sentencing on a drug conviction when he and Stephanie had absconded on The Iola. In spite of these shortcomings. A report by Stephens Media said Walker is in "poor health.". The friction between the two materials caused a crack in the hull and it had taken on water. 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). Walker, 69, earned release from the U.S. Parole Commission in part because of advancing age and poor health. The Felon - Essays on Crime and the Criminal, Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. In October, the Sea Wind was recognized in a Honolulu yacht harbor with Stearns and Walker now its crew. Reviewed in Canada on March 27, 2016. Island Search Fearing for the Grahams the FBI agents traveled to Palmyra Islands to see if they had been stranded there. : He found out that the soil was not amenable to growing marijuana. Although authorities strongly suspected the couple had murdered the Grahams, no bodies were found. The boat is wooden and they have it covered in berglass to prevent it from leaking. Unfortunately, her remains are still in FBI custody. 'Buck' Walker infamous for high-profile Palmyra deaths. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. Reviewed in Canada on February 9, 2018. The Story of two couples who met on a | by Jean Campbell | CrimeBeat, David Meirhofer & Wayne Nance Montana Serial Killers, Jack Unterweger Celebrity Writer Serial Killer, Christian Martin Kentucky Murder Suspect. They also found The Iola hatch cover onshore which told agents that Roy and Stephanie had planned on scuttling The Iola as no one would go to sea without a hatch cover for their vessel. and Macs messenger, Curtis Shoemaker. Bugliosis book identified an older sister, Dorothy Young, of La Mesa. He plans to contact sailors up and down the West Coast in hopes of generating interest in the idea. Back at the Coast Guard offices, Stephanie told her story again this time to the FBI. In 1981, Muff Graham's bones were found on a Palmyra beach. | Try Prime for unlimited fast, free shipping, Previous page of related Sponsored Products. While Stephanie is placed under arrest, authorities were still searching for Roy who had evaded police at the marina. 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. Reviewed in Australia on March 24, 2022. Malcolm Graham's body was never found. Column: FlingGolf is catching on with San Diego in limelight, Column: Martin Luther King III helps launch Say It Now in San Diego, Column: Treasure trove of Gregory Peck memorabilia goes to auction, Column: S.D. (I note that this manuscript was not released until Bugliosi's death.) 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. Buck got 10 years for his original drug conviction and 5 years for the stolen property. The thing was, when they were back on the island in 1974, Stearns and Walker sawtwo aluminum crates, left over from when Palmyra was a surplus depot during World War II. Her son, Dorian Graham Muncey, 58, Macs nephew, said he was shocked to learn his aunts bones were being passed around in a law class. 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. Something went wrong. Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights. 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. In contrast, the Grahams' ketch, the Sea Wind, was beautifully finished and impeccably outfitted, with an onboard machine shop equipped with a lathe and acetylene welding torch. Alas, poor Muff, her bones at the time of publishing, languish in the care of the FBI, forty years after her torture and murder by Stearns and Walker, still not at rest, forlorn and forgotten. When King asked jurors to consider whether further deliberation would be unproductive, the verdict to acquit was returned less than an hour later. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. VINCENT BUGLIOSI, acclaimed prosecutor of CHARLES MANSON, now working on the other side, defended STEARNS. Some factors, such as Walker's age, 69, and alleged poor health, might lead to a parole, he said. I cannot address everything but hope my examples will show why this book is a waste of your time. 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. There may be some prejudice of the author against Bugliosi. Complete class lesson plans for each grade from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Her boyfriend, Buck Walker, was convicted of Buck Duane Walker was a convicted felon and fugitive. She is merely married to her beloved husband whose identity is not known. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. 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. She had some photos sent off to be developed while in jail and those photos were intercepted by authorities. Walker's case made Palmyra a household name. However, the 31-year-old weatherwoman has remained tight-lipped about her husband. Six years later, a corroded chest was found partially buried in a lagoon at Palmyra. These presentations help teach about Ellen White, her ministry, and her writings. 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. WebStephanie Stearns was tried separately in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. Although Walker never testified, the defense claimed that he and Stearns were attempting to return the Sea Wind to Hawaii with the Iola in tow, but the Iola ran aground on the reef as they exited the lagoon and had to be abandoned. 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. Gods Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs is a brand new web site created especially for teachers wanting to enhance their students spiritual walk with Jesus. Her husband's body was never found. She has never received a formal burial. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. 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. An FBI agent from the Hawaiian field office was assigned and met with Bernard and the Coast Guard at the yacht harbor. Who was Stephanie Stearns in and the sea will tell? Walker has a date of Aug. 28 for his "projected" release from federal prison, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Web site. He has already approached the San Diego Yacht Club, which declined to get involved. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Despite the tensions, according to Stephanie Stearns diary, the two couples visited together several times aboard the Sea Wind. Get Essential San Diego, weekday mornings. 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. Partington doubts that authorities will release Walker, because he recently published a book claiming to be innocent. It had a top-notch navigational system and plenty of supplies on board. He had a rougher appearance and gave off an aura of being dangerous. No signs of Mac Grahams remains have been located. However, Stearns murder plot was masterful. Walker and Stearns were thought of by the Grahams as "hippies," free-spirited, but Walker certainly had a dark side. Wesley Walker (AKA Buck) Stephanie Stearns Buck and Stephanie They buy a boat that had sunk and was raised from the harbor in Maui. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Bernard Lennard and Stephanie were towed in the rowboat to the offices. 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. 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. 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. I was intrigued by this author's assertion that the supposed ignorance of the prosecutorial and defense lawyers of long distance yacht travel resulted in the female defendant, Stephanie Sterns, fooling everyone into believing she had no part of the murders of Mac and Muff Graham. 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