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. 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. The friction between the two materials caused a crack in the hull and it had taken on water. However, Stearns murder plot was masterful. Things were not going well and tensions were high. Each faith-building lesson integrates heart-warming Adventist pioneer stories along with Scripture and Ellen Whites writings. The trip to Palmyra atoll typically takes about a week, but the Iola got lost and the journey took Stearns and Walker nearly three weeks. Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights. 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 also said she lied about taking the yacht and failed to report the Grahams disappearance to authorities in order to protect Walker, who was then a fugitive on drug charges. 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. 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. It was believed he fled on foot after leaving the dinghy at the loading dock near the Ilikai Hotel. 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. They had no money and about 6 months of provisions, expecting to live off the ocean for the rest. Please try again. The US Attorneys office didnt feel there was enough evidence to charge Stephanie and Buck with the murder of the Grahams. Read our revised Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice. 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. Ive not been able to find any information on how she lived out her life since being acquitted in the 80s. Notorious atoll murderer dies after parole to, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Notorious atoll murderer dies after parole to Willits area, Bay Area honeymooners say snorkel boat abandoned them off Maui coast, Tahoe really does not want you to drive up this weekend, Ukiah business celebrates longtime employee with a billboard on Hwy. Get your hands on this collection of 30 true crime stories. In that wallet was a drivers license with Roy Allens name on it. The author makes some fair points but doesn't address any other possibilities in the deaths of Mac and Muff Graham. He also recognized Roy Allen who had been standing up on the deck. Besides the zodiac was with the Sea Wind when it docked in Hawaii. We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. Her boyfriend, Buck Walker, was convicted of Her moronic pronouncements (all of which went unnoticed) regarding the birth of the Iola (for the most part wisely left out of Bugliosis account of the trial) are absurd to the point of zaniness. The bones and the container were sent off to the FBI lab in Washington D.C. 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Buck was taken back into custody when he exited the hotel. Her husband has never been found. Stearns was acquitted of the murder and Walker was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. 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. Its been grueling, Stephanie Stearns told reporters after hugging her tearful parents, who sat in the front row throughout the trial. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights , updated March 2009. ATSWT reviewed the supposed facts surrounding the murder of the Grahams on Palmyra, and followed STEPHANIE STEARNS (aka JENNIFER JENKINS) upon her arrest and trial for her role in the planning and participation in those murders. In 1981, other visitors to Palmyra found Muff Graham's skeletal remains, which showed signs of dismemberment and burning (possibly by Mac Graham's acetylene welding torch) and appeared to have been concealed underwater in a large metal container. , CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1st edition (May 1, 2014), Language When Stephanie and Roy arrived they could see how the Sea Wind outshined The Iola in every way. She had some photos sent off to be developed while in jail and those photos were intercepted by authorities. Were they a victim of the seas or something more nefarious? The ketch had been reregistered under the name Lokahi and had been partially repainted. 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. Try again. Macs friend feared the worst. 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. The duo has been together since 2004. 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. Walker and Graham were both convicted for the theft of the boat. 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. To learn more, click here. 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 also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. Important Note: To access all the resources on this site, use the menu buttons along the top and left side of the page. Roy and Stephanie were spotted the next morning coming ashore in a small rowboat. Buck Walker was paroled in 2007. Malcom and Eleanor Graham Extended Preparation. She had moved to Seattle, and since has died. The book was well-written, despite being an obvious self-aggrandizing account by its author. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Walker earns an annual salary ranging between $ 45,000 $ 110,500. It teems with life.". Reviewed in Australia on May 23, 2017. Get Essential San Diego, weekday mornings. She claimed that they had been invited over to the Sea Wind for dinner one night, but the Grahams were not there. Stephanie Stearns and Roy Allen introduced themselves to the impromptu welcoming committee. A report by Stephens Media said Walker is in "poor health.". 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. In 1974, a wealthy couple from San Diego, California, Malcolm "Mac" Graham III, 43, and Eleanor LaVerne "Muff" Graham, 40, sailed their 38-foot ketch, Sea Wind, to Palmyra Atoll 1,200 miles south of Honolulu hoping to find it deserted and to spend a year or more there. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. Macs friend radioed the following week as planned, but there was no response from The Sea Wind. 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. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. 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. Officials granted Walker release into Northern California, although the specific city was not named. You Cant Fool A Legally Educated Sailor, Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2021. This revealed that it had been lying against a hard surface, such as a container. Shortly after the Grahams disappearance, an ex-convict and his girlfriend were arrested for stealing the Sea Wind, but they werent charged with murder until a traveling sailor stumbled across Muffs remains on the Palmyra beach in 1981. According to Stearns, the Grahams disappeared sometime between August 28 and August 30, 1974, and the young couple found the Grahams' Zodiac rigid inflatable dinghy upside down. Buck got 10 years for his original drug conviction and 5 years for the stolen property. The Iola was a wooden sailboat. Their plans for the bountiful marijuana crop finally faded as the seedlings they had planted had been eaten up by the island insects. What made this case difficult was subpoenaing of witnesses who lived and traveled by boat. The Iola owners also had very few provisions along with them. Who was Stephanie Stearns in and the sea will tell? But soon the Iola had gotten caught up on a reef and soon sank. Teach important lessons with our PowerPoint-enhanced stories of the pioneers! 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. However, the organization of the book is erratic, confusing at points, & chopped full of grammatical errors & poor punctuation. The pair were desperate enough to murder the Grahams and steal their boat. The one victim that we know of was Eleanor Graham, called Muff, but her husband, Malcolm "Mac" Graham III, age 43, vanished. Unable to add item to List. Now Vincent Bugliosi was known for his prosecution of Charles Manson and Mason family members of the Tate-LiBianca murders. The other sailors noticed that Roy had the name Buck tattooed on his arm. Stephanies defense attorney was famed Vincent Bugliosi who believed that she was innocent. WebStephanie Walker Photo Stephanie Walker Salary. Authorities would later identify them as Buck Duane Walker and Stephanie Stearns. Its been grueling, Stephanie Stearns told reporters after hugging her tearful parents, who sat in the front row throughout the trial. Because no bodies were found, they were initially prosecuted only for the yacht theft and convicted in August 1975. Meaning it didnt get caught up on the reef and sink. He had been awaiting sentencing on a drug conviction when he and Stephanie had absconded on The Iola. 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 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. Several years ago I happened upon "And The Sea Will Tell", a book written by VINCENT BUGLIOSI and BRUCE HENDER-SON. The boat is wooden and they have it covered in berglass to prevent it from leaking. Malcom and Eleanor Graham Extended Preparation. This act aroused suspicion; acquaintances of the Grahams easily recognized the distinctive Sea Wind despite its new paint job. Muff gave her letter to one of the other boat owners, Bernard and Evelyn Lennard, as they were leaving the islands to go back to Hawaii and would mail it for her. He also used a chainsaw to cut down a coconut tree to get to the coconuts. WebStephanie Stearns was tried separately in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. Walker was found guilty in 1985. Stephanie took off into a hotel stairwell and was found soon hiding behind a potted plant. Roy did not make a good first impression on the other group members either. 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. Stephanie Walker Education. Six years later, a corroded chest was found partially buried in a lagoon at Palmyra. 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. Dark came, no sign of them. Her boyfriend, Buck Walker, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to life in prison. Gods Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs is a brand new web site created especially for teachers wanting to enhance their students spiritual walk with Jesus. Malcolm Graham's body was never found. The two of them were arrested and brought in for questioning. Stephanie indicated no saying that they had drowned or at least that is what she thought. 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. As of 2014, Muffs remains are still in FBI custody, 28 years after Stephanies acquittal and Bucks conviction for her murder. Bucy, who now lives in Canada, earlier had tracked down Macs sister, Mary, who was once married to the late hydroplane boat racer Bill Muncey, of La Mesa. Deeply researched and passionate, but marred by lack of edting, Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2015. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. Buck Duane Walker was a convicted felon and fugitive. Final Argument is so bad, in so many ways, that's it's hard to know where to start a review. First edition published by W. W. Norton & Co. (1991), United States District Court for the Northern District of California, "Notorious atoll murderer dies after parole to Willits area", "Isle murderer Buck Duane Walker up for parole", BruceHendersonBooks.com - co-author Bruce Henderson's website, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=And_the_Sea_Will_Tell&oldid=1133317524, Non-fiction books about murders in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 05:23. To allow the menu buttons to display, add whiteestate.org to IE's trusted sites. 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. Some factors, such as Walker's age, 69, and alleged poor health, might lead to a parole, he said. The Iola was a cramped boat and soon Roy moved into a makeshift tent onshore while Stephanie remained on the boat. It was revealed that Buck and Stephanie had been living on the island of Palmyra as well and had known the Grahams. Stearns, whose defense attorney was Vincent Bugliosi, was acquitted. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. Roy and Stephanie were not prepared for life at sea and had run out of supplies pretty quickly. So the couple made themselves at home until the Grahams returned and they decided to spend the night upon the Sea Wind when the Grahams failed to do so. The Sea Wind thieves were tried for murder. 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. It recounts the murder of MAC and MUFF GRAHAM on the island of PALMYRA in August 1974, and the subsequent arrest and trials of STEPHANIE K. STEARNS and WESLEY 'BUCK' WALKER who were charged with murdering the Grahams. The atoll, home to a rich diversity of animals and plants, before that was a little-known getaway for the yachting community. Buck and Stephanies trials were held separately in San Francisco due to the publicity the Graham case had in the media. Norman Sanders and Thomas Wolf were on their way to Samona. 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.". She had begun rowing to shore hoping to make it before they caught up. Walker was convicted in 1985. On January 21, 1981, a South African couple Robert and Sharron Jordan were visiting the Palmyra Islands. 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. Who was Stephanie Stearns in and the sea will tell? Her first exhibition in her new role with the university is the faculty art exhibition, Are We Not Drawn Onward to New Era, from March 4 to June 18, Not all was funny in comedians life when she dealt with isolation and depression, The James Beard Award winner was billed by the New York Times as the Annie Leibowitz of food photography, As recently as three weeks ago, Schindler shared her tale of survival at UC San Diegos Hillel Center, drawing tears from some of in the audience, Felicia Shaw is the new executive director of the San Diego Regional Arts & Culture Coalition, which advocates for funding of local arts organizations and programs, Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Column: Quel Fromage founder brewed far more than coffee. 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. Walker lived off his Social Security check and paid $400 a month in rent. It was revealed that Buck and Stephanie had been living on the island of Palmyra as well and had known the Grahams. WebBoat Bumpers from the sea wind still on Palmyra this image was taken in 2014. But the one body was enough: Walker and Stearns were arrested in Arizona for murder. Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns were tried separately for the murder of Muff Graham. Get your hands on this collection of 48 true crime stories. The agent didnt feel that this would involve the FBI because perhaps the owners had sold the boat or the owners were onshore. They purchased a beat-up 30-foot sloop in Maui and named it the Iola. 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. 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. The Grahams had brought more than a year's supply of food for their voyage, but Walker and Stearns quickly consumed their own meager supplies and resorted to harvesting the island's few coconuts, often by chopping down entire trees, leaving scars on the island habitat. 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. He asked for a cigarette. Her broken and bleached bones were spilling out of a half-buried metal chest that apparently had washed ashore. 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. Stephanie Walker Husband. At the time, she didnt have a criminal record compared to Buck. There were other boats in the harbor. [3] Prior to his death, Walker had been living in a trailer home in Willits, California. However, the 31-year-old weatherwoman has remained tight-lipped about her husband. Buck Duane Walker was a convicted felon and fugitive. The jury deliberated 2 1/2 days. The Palmyra Islands are primarily unoccupied but do host a transient population mostly made up of scientists and researchers. Roy told Stephanie that they had been invited over and perhaps the Grahams were out fishing for their dinner.
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