Stephanies defense was that she blamed Buck Walker for the murder. Countys first Black homesteader inspires a play, Obituary: San Diego Operas longtime arts educator Nicolas Reveles praised for his passions, wit and kindness, New UC San Diego art gallery director hopes to encourage alternative and socially conscious art practice, Someone San Diego Should Know: Edna Nerona, Art of the plate: Go behind the lens with La Jollas Eric Wolfinger, the nations most acclaimed food photographer, San Diego Holocaust survivor Rose Schindler dies at 93, New director of arts advocacy group says San Diego has vibrant, edgy art scene that needs continued support, Pepsis new soda has no carbonation, but its way better than youd think, Escondido farm produces 100,000 pounds of mushrooms a week, Sopa Azteca: Ladlefuls of authentic tortilla soup, Reused grey water cuts water usage, saves you some green. Sadly, Mr. Bugliosi passed away in 2015. 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. 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. Walker, 69, earned release from the U.S. Parole Commission in part because of advancing age and poor health. A theory started to develop where perhaps Stephanie and Roy had tied the Grahams up and then put them on The Iola and sank the Iola to cover up their crime. 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. On August 27th, Mac radioed his friend in Hawaii. (I note that this manuscript was not released until Bugliosi's death.) It became a 1991 miniseries of the same name starring James Brolin as Graham. With no direct evidence of any role Stearns played in the killing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Enoki cited disputed testimony about a feud between the couples, and pointed to numerous lies and omissions admitted by Stearns in her statements to authorities. No signs of Mac Grahams remains have been located. Stephanie Walker Husband. The Felon - Essays on Crime and the Criminal, Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. The book has kept interest in the case alive. Stephanie took off into a hotel stairwell and was found soon hiding behind a potted plant. 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. Bucy hopes this months publication of his e-book, Final Argument, will renew interest in the case. 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. Also on Palmyra were Wesley G. Walker (a.k.a. Cameron Todd Willingham Accidental Fire Or Intentional Arson. 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. She was working when authorities paid her a visit to arrest her. 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 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. 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. When Stephanie and Roy arrived they could see how the Sea Wind outshined The Iola in every way. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. 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. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. 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 boat is wooden and they have it covered in berglass to prevent it from leaking. , Item Weight Both were found guilty. So the FBI put a trace on the make and model of her car and that led them to a hotel in Nevada. 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. Things were not going well and tensions were high. An FBI agent from the Hawaiian field office was assigned and met with Bernard and the Coast Guard at the yacht harbor. The findings showed that the skull had been flattened on the left side of the face. Malcom and Eleanor Graham Extended Preparation. So you have the boat that Bernard recognizes as the Sea Wind, but had been painted over and a person on deck who didnt own the yacht. But Walker's former attorney, Earle Partington, says the Aug. 28 "projected" release date posted by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons means only that Walker will be considered for parole then. 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. Buck Walker was paroled from federal prison in 2007. 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. FINAL ARGUMENT was written in response to VINCENT BUGLIOSIS best seller AND THE SEA WILL TELL (ATSWT) which recounts the brutal murder and torture of MAC and MUFF GRAHAM on PALMYRA ISLA8ND August 29, 1974. Wesley Walker (AKA Buck) Stephanie Stearns Buck and Stephanie They buy a boat that had sunk and was raised from the harbor in Maui. I absolutely LOVED this book! Discover more of the authors books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more. He was incarcerated at United States Penitentiary, Victorville, in California. The court found for Bugliosi, ruling that this was his protected opinion. Were they a victim of the seas or something more nefarious? 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. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard boat closed in on Stephanies rowboat. During the voyage back to Hawaii, it was claimed that a large swordfish damaged the Sea Wind's hull below the waterline, necessitating her repair and subsequent repainting and renaming. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Norman Sanders and Thomas Wolf were on their way to Samona. Palmyra atoll was a prime destination for sailors and there were a number of people already there when Walker and Stearns arrived. 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. Her broken and bleached bones were spilling out of a half-buried metal chest that apparently had washed ashore. Like Roy and Stephanie, they were surprised to see so many people. WebBoat Bumpers from the sea wind still on Palmyra this image was taken in 2014. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. 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. Ellen G. White quotes for installing as a screensaver or a desktop background for your Windows PC. On June 26, 1974, a small sailboat, called The Iola, docked at one of the makeshift harbors in Palmyra. After Stephanie completed her high school education, she received a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University. On January 21, 1981, a South African couple Robert and Sharron Jordan were visiting the Palmyra Islands. 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. The FBI flew to Palmyra to try to verify if, in fact, the bones were one of the Grahams. In that first e-mail, Walker said Parker wrote, "I wonder if you would consider renting to an old man who has been wrongly convicted of murder.". The Iola was a wooden sailboat. They showed up at 6:30 PM but the Grahams weren't there. They started bartering their possessions for food with the other yacht owners in the area. A few hours later, the vote was changed to 10-2. Reviewed in Australia on May 23, 2017. Prosecutors argued that Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns had been trapped on Palmyra with supplies running out and a boat that was not seaworthy. Walker receives an annual salary that ranges between $46,796, as per NBC News : | Try Prime for unlimited fast, free shipping, Previous page of related Sponsored Products. Complete class lesson plans for each grade from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Publisher The waitress pointed them to the bar she had sent Buck to for a drink. 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. The strange goings-on at Palmyra Atoll were remarkable enough to spawn a legend about the island being unlucky, and today you'll still hear Pacific travelers talk about the "Palmyra curse." 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. Who was Stephanie Stearns in and the sea will tell? While Stephanie is placed under arrest, authorities were still searching for Roy who had evaded police at the marina. He was set free Tuesday from prison in Victorville, Calif., although he wasn't up for mandatory release until 2018. To learn more, click here. 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. The Grahams had spent more than two years planning the trip and provisioning the Sea Wind, also expecting to stay at Palmyra about two years. Walker has a date of Aug. 28 for his "projected" release from federal prison, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Web site. Stearns, herself, taunts her pursuers with photographs and spurious log notes. He also used a chainsaw to cut down a coconut tree to get to the coconuts. And I long ago accepted I'll never know what happened down on that island.". Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Dark came, no sign of them. They are part of one of the largest marine protected areas in the world. Walker died in 2010. He asked for a cigarette. 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. Your browser's security settings are preventing some features from appearing. The area was completely void of any boats. Since there was no activity on the boat the Coast Guard posted a lookout to see if anyone showed up. 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. While talking to his friend he told him that Stephanie was on her way over to the Sea Wind in her dingy with what looked like a cake. 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. They do like to release prisoners in declining health so the system will not have to pay for the prisoner's medical care, Partington said. 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. He felt that something had happened to Mac and Muff Graham and that Roy and Stephanie were behind it. Walker and Stearns were thought of by the Grahams as "hippies," free-spirited, but Walker certainly had a dark side. Walker, 69, earned release from the U.S. Parole Commission in part because of advancing age and poor health. 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. Who was Stephanie Stearns in and the sea will tell? I hope Stearns will some day pay for what she did. One photo showed Stephanie standing on the Sea Wind taking a picture of Buck sailing the Iola. The fate of the Grahams was unknown until Muff Graham's charred bones were found on Palmyra in 1981. Stearns was acquitted, and her attorney, Vincent Bugliosi, wrote a book about the case, "And the Sea Will Tell," made into a 1991 TV movie starring James Brolin as Graham. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. WebStephanie Walker Photo Stephanie Walker Salary. After WWII the Palmyra Islands are mostly used as a stopover point for sailors traveling to Samoa. Stearns, whose defense attorney was Vincent Bugliosi, was acquitted. 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 August 17th, The Sea Wind and The Iola were the only two boats left in Palmyra. learn from my experience - do not waste your money, Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2017. You'll find a list of the currently available teaching aids below. They were no longer romantically involved. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights , updated March 2009. Important Note: To access all the resources on this site, use the menu buttons along the top and left side of the page. "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. Their presence was quickly wearing thin with the others that found them to be more of a nuisance.