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A sheriff whose crusade against corruption inspired a string of Hollywood films is now suspected by Tennessee authorities of killing his wife before 1973’s Walking Tall was released, in a dramatic fall for a small-town hero whose fabled deeds are honoured with an annual festival and museum in his name.

Prosecutors said on Saturday that they had enough evidence to posthumously accuse Buford Pusser, who worked as McNairy County sheriff from 1964 to 1970, of killing his wife, 33-year-old Pauline Mullins Pusser, in 1967.

Pusser died in a car crash in 1974 after ploughing his Corvette into an embankment. Hours earlier, he had signed a contract to star in a sequel to Walking Tall, which was inspired by his life story. A 2004 remake starred Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

In the 1973 film, Pusser, played by actor Joe Don Baker, suffers the ultimate sacrifice for his tough stance on crime when his wife is killed in an ambush on his police car. The plot recalls the story Pusser told police about a real-life incident in which his wife was fatally shot and he was critically injured on August 12, 1967.

Contradicting his decades-old story of an ambush by an unidentified assailant, authorities now believe Pusser shot his wife, moved her body into his vehicle, then shot himself to make it appear as if the pair were both victims, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Friday. Pusser had multiple surgeries and spent nearly three weeks in the hospital following the incident, and later grew his hair long to cover up his scars.

Tennessee authorities began reexamining the Pusser files in recent years after a broader push to review cold cases in the state. Pauline Pusser’s body was exhumed after officials received a tip about a suspected murder weapon.

A post-mortem revealed that she had suffered a broken nose that healed before she died, and investigators uncovered other evidence of domestic violence. Authorities were able to use forensic science that was not available in the late 1960s.

Investigators found inconsistencies between Pusser’s testimony and the scene: blood spatter was found on the exterior hood of the vehicle, suggesting that his wife had not been shot while in the car, and the nature of her head trauma did not match photos of the car’s interior. The gunshot wound to the sheriff’s cheek was fired at close range and “was likely self-inflicted,” District Attorney Mark Davidson of Tennessee’s 25th Judicial District said.

Authorities say Sheriff Buford Pusser killed his wife in 1967 and staged it as an ambush. Photo / Getty Images

“This case is not about tearing down a legend. It is about giving dignity and closure to Pauline and her family, and ensuring that the truth is not buried with time,” Davidson said at a Friday news conference. “The truth matters, justice matters. Even 58 years later, Pauline deserves both.”

Pusser, a 1.98m (6ft 6) former wrestler, married Pauline Mullins in 1959. He became police chief of the tiny, rural town of Adamsville, Tennessee, in 1962 and was elected sheriff in Tennessee in 1964 while still in his 20s.

“For many, the story of Buford Pusser is part of West Tennessee history,” said Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch.

During his time as sheriff, Pusser launched crackdowns on the Dixie Mafia and the State Line Mob – a dangerous endeavour that led to Pusser being stabbed, beaten and thrown out a window in numerous assassination attempts, according to local media reports.

Pauline Pusser’s younger brother, Griffon Mullins, said in a prerecorded message played at Saturday’s news conference that he is “not totally shocked” that Pusser is being accused of her murder and expressed regret for not trying to stop his sister from going to Tennessee with Pusser decades ago.

“She was the leader of our family. She was the most caring, personable person that you would ever want to meet,” he said. “... I’ve missed her horribly.”

Tennessee authorities appeared to anticipate that some locals who had long admired Pusser would scrutinise their findings, and promised that the case file and their investigative report would be publicly released. Already, some townsfolk have expressed scepticism that their hometown hero killed his wife.

In Adamsville, there is a street named after him, and the home where Pusser and his wife once lived has stood as a local landmark and museum for decades. Inside is Pusser’s old revolver, his pocket Bible and the burned-up licence plate left behind from the car crash that killed him.

In a statement, the City of Adamsville said Mayor Jackie Hamm will “carefully review the implications of these findings and determine the appropriate course of action with respect to the Buford Pusser Museum and other related matters”.

A quote from Pusser at the top of the museum’s website states: “What’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong. It doesn’t matter who you are.”