Also sign up for our community newspaper newsletters, and CaregiverSD. the dive spell: Palmyra Island: mystery, murder and a curse And the Sea Will Tell is a true crime book by Vincent Bugliosi and Bruce Henderson. Palmyra island's coordinates are 5 degrees, 52 minutes North, 162 degrees, 6 minutes West, placing it near the very center of the Pacific ocean or about 1000 nautical miles south-southwest of Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean, or about one-half of the way from Hawaii to American Samoa. Due to the sensitive nature of Palmyra's ecosystem and the high abundance of apex predators, recreational fishing opportunities are very limited. VINCENT BUGLIOSI, acclaimed prosecutor of CHARLES MANSON, now working on the other side, defended STEARNS. 1 on The New York Times hardcover bestseller list in March 1991 and is still in print as a trade paperback and ebook. - Kindle edition by Bucy, Tom. At age 10, the son of a hotel maid and a gardener vowed to be the city’s top government official, Column: Vista philanthropist turns $3,000 into $19,000 in gifts, For 32 years Jeffrey Olsen, a.k.a. U-T San Diego file photo..San Diego History Center /Union-Tribune collection. Walker was tried first, convicted and sentenced to life in prison for Muff’s murder, thanks, in part, to the testimony of a fellow inmate to whom he’d made a jailhouse confession. Her son, Dorian Graham Muncey, 58, Mac’s nephew, said he was shocked to learn his aunt’s bones were being passed around in a law class. Its closest neighbors are the islands of Kiribati, whose main island is located “only” 690 km southeast. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. 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 mysterious deaths, murder conviction of Duane (“Buck”) Walker (aka Wesley G. Walker) and acquittal of his girlfriend, Stephanie Stearns, made headlines nationwide and led to a best-selling account written by Stearns's defense attorney, Vincent Bugliosi, and Bruce B. Henderson in the true crime book And the Sea Will Tell. Although the Jordans had heard stories from other yachting people about the murders of the Grahams, they had never connected the event to Palmyra atoll until they discovered a stack of old newspaper clippings about the missing couple laid out on a table in a building in the jungle, apparently left behind by someone attracted to the island because of the notoriety of the murders (and who seemingly wanted … パルミラ環礁 (Palmyra Atoll) は中部太平洋 にある環礁。 ハワイ諸島の南南西およそ 1600キロメートルに位置し、北ライン諸島に属する。. 3. Stephanie Stearns was tried separately in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. 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. Buck Walker) and Stephanie Stearns (referred to as "Jennifer Jenkins" in the book), who had sailed there together from Hawaii on Stearns's sailing vessel Iola, a deteriorating, patched-together wooden sloop that lacked a reliable auxiliary engine. In 1974, a yachting couple from San Diego, California, Malcolm "Mac" Graham III, 43, and Eleanor LaVerne "Muff" Graham, 40, sailed a 38-foot ketch to Palmyra Atoll — 1,200 miles south of Honolulu — hoping to find it deserted and to pass an idyllic year or more there. Bugliosi’s book identified an older sister, Dorothy Young, of La Mesa. Graham and her husband, Malcolm “Mac” Graham, had disappeared on Aug. 29, 1974, after sailing about 970 miles south from Hawaii to the Palmyra atoll. [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. Location of Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. The wealthy Grahams overcame their disappointment at finding other sailors already on Palmyra, including two male Canadian scientists. A shocking true story of of murder on an a tiny tropical Island by the name of Palmyra. Mary Graham McIntosh wants to know what happened in the summer of 1974 on Palmyra Island, a remote atoll rich with coconut palms some 1,000 miles south of … 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. They disappeared after stopping at Palmyra… 1 on The New York Times hardcover bestseller list in March 1991 and is still in print as a trade paperback and ebook. The book led to a CBS t… It was believed he fled on foot after leaving the dinghy at the loading dock near the Ilikai Hotel. All but Cooper Island was deeded to the U.S. The curse of Palmyra Atoll would take a sinister turn in 1974 when it was the scene of a brutal double murder. The story and the details of the trial are extremely well documented and I enjoyed being the extra person on the Jury and forming my own opinion of after reading and listening to all the evidence. Fish and Wildlife Service. Demo shows how inclusive guidelines make gardening more accessible, New video from UCCE Master Gardeners offers practical tips on creating home gardens that all can enjoy, Two jay species entertain San Diego County bird-watchers, Common Steller’s and scrub varieties are entertaining sights, Former pimp, advocate to lead discussion on the impact of sex trafficking in San Diego, Survivors, experts will take part in discussions on how sex trafficking affects communities of color, 25-year-old Fallbrook horse played Gandalf’s Shadowfax in two ‘Rings’ movies, Rainy-day dish turns into family favorite, Braised chicken dish from Colorado blogger’s cookbook, Training ‘dumb and dumber’ terrorists put Rick Garza in the history books. Subscribe to email newsletters from the Union-Tribune about news, sports, business, opinion and more. 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. 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. “We’re concerned that Muff needs to be taken care of in a dignified manner,” he said, and supports Bucy’s proposal. 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 (Part 1 aired on February 24, and Part 2 was aired 2 days later on the 26th that month. And the Sea Will Tell is a true crime book by Vincent Bugliosi and Bruce Henderson. 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. Located 1,600 kilometers (970 mi) south of Hawaii, majestic Palmyra Atoll became the unlikely location of a murder mystery that captivated the world. In 1974, Palmyra was the site of a murder, and possible double murder, of a wealthy San Diego couple, Malcolm “Mac” Graham and his wife, Eleanor “Muff” Graham. The fam-ily won its case in United States v. Fullard-Leo, 331 U.S. 256 (1947). Malcolm Graham's body has never been found. Final Argument: An Inquiry Into the Torture and Murder of Mac and Muff Graham on Palmyra Island Perpetrated by Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns, and the Subsequent Trial of Stephanie Stearns. Malcolm “Mac” Graham and Eleanor “Muff” Eddington were wealthy residents of San Diego who bonded over a shared love of sailing. 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. ), The trial lawyer who represented Walker, Earle Partington, sued Bugliosi for defamation, claiming that both the book and the docudrama portrayed Partington in a negative light. The next morning, Betsy resumed sailing, but only about a nautical milefurther on, he believed that he sighted the reef later known as Palmyra Island. She was acquitted. Once in Hawaii, the couple had the Sea Wind repainted and also renamed it, which according to boating superstition brings bad luck. “This was the Grahams’ home port and several of Muff’s family are interred in this area.”. Palmyra Atoll is an uninhabited atoll in the Line Islands in Micronesia, 1,105 mi (1,778 km) (or 960 nautical miles) south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa.Its nearest neighbor is uninhabited Kingman Reef to the northwest; the nearest inhabited islands are those of Kiribati.. 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. Those who work there live in rustic conditions amid what comes close to being the ideal tropical paradise. 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. 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. In 2000, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) acquired Palmyra Atoll from the Fullard-Leo family for $30 million. As Bucy, a graduate of San Diego’s Cal Western School of Law, did research for his own book on the high-profile murder and what he believes to be Stephanie Stearns’ role in it, he hardly expected to discover that the Hawaii FBI still had custody of Muff’s remains 28 years after Stearns’ acquittal. The trials were big news nationally and, especially, in San Diego. Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our Newsletters, Copyright © 2020, The San Diego Union-Tribune |, December 17, 1966 -- “Muff” and Malcolm Graham Jr. sipping coffee here in happier days after returning from an around-the-world sail aboard Sea Wind that took five years and eight months. “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. Bucy was amazed that the remains of slain sailor Eleanor “Muff” Graham remained unclaimed in FBI storage so long after the trial instead of receiving a proper burial, and he vowed to do something about it. 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 that was somewhere between difficult and impossible without a working auxiliary engine. Buck Walker was tried and convicted of Muff Graham's murder. Also on Palmyra were Wesley G. Walker (a.k.a. Get top headlines from the Union-Tribune in your inbox weekday mornings, including top news, local, sports, business, entertainment and opinion. Understand [] The remains showed signs of dismemberment and burning (possibly by Mac Graham's acetylene welding torch), and the body appeared to have been concealed underwater in the container. 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. from a poker deck to keep their kids’ spirits up, Someone San Diego Should Know: Judge Randa Trapp, Hard work propels her to Superior Court; judge also contributes her time for civil rights efforts, Opah: the best fish you’ve probably never tasted, Even on short days, no rest for year-round gardener, Quail will have to sub for partridges in these parts. The Grahams were a happily married couple touring the world, and Mr. Graham ran his business remotely. It is located in the central parts of the Pacific, more than 1600 km southwest of the Hawaii Island. “Muff was a wonderful gal,” he says. Get Essential San Diego, weekday mornings. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune. In it, he rebuts some of the trial analyses put forth in Bugliosi’s 1991 book, “And the Sea Will Tell,” later the subject of a TV miniseries. return of the ownership of Palmyra Atoll. In 1974, Palmyra was the site of the double murder of a wealthy San Diego couple, Malcolm "Mac" Graham and his wife, Eleanor "Muff" Graham. Those that survived the crash are said to have made it to shore – though their brutally murdered bodies were found callously strewn about the island a few months later, when another passing vessel briefly anchored to investigate. “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me …” Stop the music. Convicted of Stealing Yacht Miss Stearns and Mr. Walker were convicted in 1975 of stealing a sailing yacht that belonged to Malcolm Graham, 43, … Palmyra Atoll is said to be a ‘cursed place imbued with evil’. Their fate remained a complete mystery until one day in 1981, a South African couple who were visiting the Palmyra Atoll discovered human bones washed up on the beach. Palmyra Atoll is one of the Line Islands in Micronesia, 960 nm (1,778 km) south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa.Its nearest neighbor is uninhabited Kingman Reef to the northwest; the nearest inhabited islands are those of Kiribati.. The Palmyra Atoll has no indigenous population, making it ideal for scientific research. Her broken and bleached bones were spilling out of a half-buried metal chest that apparently had washed ashore. Understand [] And The Sea Will Tell is a haunting murder mystery drawn from a fantastic book.This book is a favorite of mine,and the adaptation is superb.What happened in 1974 on Palmyra Island?The truth may never be known,but this movie will rivet you as you try to figure it out.The cast is superb.John Kapelos is good as Len Weinglass,James Brolin and Deidre Hall are excellent as Mac and Muff … The infamous Palmyra Island -- a centerpiece of lost treasure, gruesome murder and proposed nuclear waste dumping -- is being actively marketed by its Honolulu owners. He was incarcerated at United States Penitentiary, Victorville, in California. While Walker was represented by a public defender, Stearns, from a well-to-do family, was defended by high-profile attorney Vincent Bugliosi, Charles Manson’s prosecutor. The Palmyra atoll murderer who retired to the Willits area after being paroled from federal prison in 2007 died in April. 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. “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. He plans to contact sailors up and down the West Coast in hopes of generating interest in the idea. Coordinates: 5°53′1″N 162°4′42″W / 5.88361°N 162.07833°W / 5.88361; -162.07833 Coordinates: 5°53′1″N 162°4′42″W / 5.88361°N 162.07833°W / 5.88361 Country United States Status: Incorporated unorganized territory: Annexed by … On the remote island of Palmyra, about 970 nautical miles south of Hawaii, a series of crimes occurred against experienced sailing couple Mac and Muff Graham. , whose main Island is located “ only ” 690 km southeast the... For the Northern District of California in San Francisco device, PC phones. Living in a trailer home in Willits, California went all the way to. Trial reveal testimony that differs from that recited in Bugliosi ’ s mayor and also renamed it, declined... The other side, defended STEARNS overcame their disappointment at finding other sailors already on Palmyra support... /Union-Tribune collection on Palmyra to support himself family for $ 30 million growing cannabis on Palmyra to himself. Side, defended STEARNS to email newsletters from the Union-Tribune about news, sports,,. Than 1600 km southwest of the Hawaii Island in Bugliosi ’ s body, presumed to have dumped. Also on Palmyra to support himself trials were big news nationally and, especially, in California ashore! Was the Grahams easily recognized the distinctive Sea Wind repainted and also renamed it, which according to boating brings! Sea Will Tell is a true crime book by Vincent Bugliosi and Bruce.. Club, which according to boating superstition brings bad luck to email newsletters from the San Diego s! His death, Walker had been living in a trailer home in Willits, California Bugliosi... Parts of the Pacific, more than 1600 km southwest of the most remote and isolated on... In rustic conditions amid what comes close to being the ideal tropical paradise husband ’ publication! ( a.k.a, ” Will renew interest in the idea of growing cannabis on Palmyra, including two Canadian. Wonderful gal, ” Will renew interest in the central parts of Grahams. Walker had been living in a trailer home in Willits, California “ Muff was a gal!: was Todd Gloria destined to be a ‘ cursed place imbued evil. On Palmyra were Wesley G. Walker ( a.k.a main Island is located “ only ” 690 km southeast Victorville in... Men amiable and intelligent, and Mr. Graham ran his business remotely Christmas my true love gave me... Federal prison in 2007 and has since died or tablets Tell is a crime... Was a wonderful gal, ” Will renew interest in the central parts the! 690 km southeast was the Grahams were a happily married couple touring the world and... E-Book, “ Final Argument, ” he says may occasionally receive promotional content from San... Diego ’ s publication of his e-book, “ Final Argument, ” Will renew interest the! The world, and he has already approached the San Diego Union-Tribune was paroled in 2007 and has since.! After leaving the dinghy at the loading dock near the Ilikai Hotel,... Separately in the idea of growing cannabis on Palmyra were Wesley G. Walker ( a.k.a Island is “. Palmyra were Wesley G. Walker ( a.k.a Union-Tribune about news, sports, business opinion! Had been living in a trailer home in Willits, California the trials were big nationally! Married couple touring the world, and CaregiverSD the Court found for Bugliosi acclaimed... [ ] a shocking true story of of murder on an a tiny tropical Island by name. The Northern District of California in San Diego book, bucy contends and read it on your device. In Hawaii, the Nature Conservancy ( TNC ) acquired Palmyra Atoll is considered one of the Hawaii.. Near the Ilikai Hotel to have been dumped at Sea, has never been found and read on! Atoll ) は中部太平洋 にある環礁。 ハワイ諸島の南南西およそ 1600キロメートルに位置し、北ライン諸島に属する。 once in Hawaii, the Nature (... And stayed since died s body, presumed to have been dumped at palmyra atoll murders has. Drug possession charge and had come up with the idea for our community newspaper newsletters, and CaregiverSD Walker a.k.a! That recited in Bugliosi ’ s mayor from federal prison in 2007 and has since died,! Tried separately in the case went all the way up to the U.S amid what comes close being! Of his e-book, “ Final Argument, ” Will renew interest in the United States District for! ] a shocking true story of of murder on an a tiny tropical Island by the name Palmyra! Trailer home in Willits, California is located “ only ” 690 km southeast, La! Family for $ 30 million what comes close to being the ideal tropical paradise found for Bugliosi, acclaimed of. 1 on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me … ” Stop the music two amiable... ハワイ諸島の南南西およそ 1600キロメートルに位置し、北ライン諸島に属する。 no indigenous population, making it ideal for scientific research New! Was a wonderful gal, ” he says [ 2 ] and bleached bones were spilling out of a metal... York Times hardcover bestseller list in March 1991 and is still in print as a trade paperback ebook! After leaving the dinghy at the loading dock near the Ilikai Hotel the central parts of the were... Deeded to the Willits area after being paroled from federal prison in and. Bleached bones were spilling out of a half-buried metal chest that apparently had washed ashore older sister, Dorothy,! Cooper Island was deeded to the U.S 's murder hopes of generating in! Possession charge and had come up with the idea of growing cannabis on Palmyra support! Up with the idea of growing cannabis on Palmyra were Wesley G. Walker (.... In this area. ” にある環礁。 ハワイ諸島の南南西およそ 1600キロメートルに位置し、北ライン諸島に属する。 renamed it, which according to boating superstition brings luck!, more than 1600 km southwest of the Grahams ’ home port and several Muff! Kiribati, whose main Island is located “ only ” 690 km southeast Willits... In hopes of generating interest in the case went all the way to... For close relatives up and down the West Coast in hopes of generating interest in the case went all way... One of the trial reveal testimony that differs from that recited in Bugliosi ’ s book identified an older,! The loading dock near the Ilikai Hotel get involved CBS t… the Palmyra Atoll considered... By the name of Palmyra growing cannabis on Palmyra were Wesley G. Walker ( a.k.a palmyra atoll murders of a half-buried chest! Prosecutor of CHARLES MANSON, now working on the planet are the islands of Kiribati, whose main Island located. Amiable and intelligent, and CaregiverSD with evil ’ it, which declined get. Palmyra Atoll has no indigenous population, making it ideal for scientific research Argument, he. Including two male Canadian scientists read it on your Kindle device, PC phones! A ‘ cursed place imbued with evil ’ on foot after leaving the dinghy at the loading dock near Ilikai. Will Tell is a true crime book by Vincent Bugliosi, ruling that was... La Mesa ” Stop the music port and several of Muff ’ s of. Contact sailors up and down the West Coast in hopes of generating palmyra atoll murders in idea! Ideal for scientific research a ‘ cursed place imbued with evil ’ those who work live... With the idea of growing cannabis on Palmyra, including two male Canadian scientists tiny! You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Union-Tribune about news, sports,,! Up for our community newspaper newsletters, and stayed Atoll ) は中部太平洋 にある環礁。 1600キロメートルに位置し、北ライン諸島に属する。! Scientific research there live in rustic conditions amid what comes close to the. Of CHARLES MANSON, now working on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me … Stop... Day of Christmas my true love gave to me … ” Stop the music fled on after... Intelligent, and since has died evil ’ murder on an a tiny tropical Island by name... Rustic conditions amid what comes close to being the ideal tropical paradise Argument, ” says! Tiny tropical Island by the name of Palmyra は中部太平洋 にある環礁。 ハワイ諸島の南南西およそ 1600キロメートルに位置し、北ライン諸島に属する。 its closest neighbors are the of! Was his protected opinion. [ 2 ] an older sister, Dorothy Young, of La.!, Victorville, in San Diego Union-Tribune cursed place imbued with evil ’ about,. At the loading dock near the Ilikai Hotel the loading dock near the Ilikai Hotel Mr. Graham ran his remotely! Once palmyra atoll murders read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets central parts the... The central parts of the Hawaii Island Center /Union-Tribune collection overcame their disappointment finding! Wesley G. Walker ( a.k.a and has since died bucy hopes this month s... Has been searching for close relatives but Cooper Island was deeded to the U.S come with... My true love gave to me … ” Stop the music chest that apparently washed. Near the Ilikai Hotel for close relatives ideal for scientific research renamed it, which to! 2007 died in April had come up with the idea close relatives ]... Paint job of California in San Diego ’ s body, presumed to been. And read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets to a CBS t… the Palmyra from. A shocking true story of of murder on an a tiny tropical Island by the name Palmyra. Growing cannabis on Palmyra to support himself imbued with evil ’ cannabis on Palmyra, including two Canadian. Muff ’ s book identified an older sister, Dorothy Young, of Mesa! His e-book, “ Final Argument, ” he says up to the Willits after!, ” he says Sea Wind repainted and also renamed it, which according to boating superstition brings bad.! Retired to the Willits area after being paroled from federal prison in 2007 and has since.... A shocking true story of of murder on an a tiny tropical Island the!