Buck Duane Walker was a convicted felon and fugitive. The book has kept interest in the case alive. Do you love reading true crime? Its been grueling, Stephanie Stearns told reporters after hugging her tearful parents, who sat in the front row throughout the trial. 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. The night before Sanders and Wolf were to leave Palmyra they had cocktails with the Grahams aboard the Sea Wind. Meaning the wear to Muffs skull came from the hard lining of the aluminum container, not from the bottom of the harbor. However, the 31-year-old weatherwoman has remained tight-lipped about her husband. The Grahams were a happily married couple touring the world, and Mr. Graham ran his business remotely. In April, the two sailed it to Oahu for its maiden voyage to face drug charges in federal court. 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. He had been awaiting sentencing on a drug conviction when he and Stephanie had absconded on The Iola. 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. The zodiac was overturned on the beach as it is not designed that way to overturn. He also used a chainsaw to cut down a coconut tree to get to the coconuts. The boat is wooden and they have it covered in berglass to prevent it from leaking. While in prison, Walker is said to have read extensively, studied Buddhism and corresponded with a host of people enthralled by the Palmyra case. 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. Part 1 aired on February 24, and Part 2 was aired two days later. 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. After Stephanie completed her high school education, she received a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University. 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. Discover more of the authors books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more. Both were found guilty. 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. Now, a state hotline is trying to call them out. They showed up at 6:30 PM but the Grahams weren't there. 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. The Palmyra Islands are primarily unoccupied but do host a transient population mostly made up of scientists and researchers. It was revealed that Buck and Stephanie had been living on the island of Palmyra as well and had known the Grahams. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. The FBI took Roys photo to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) who recognized the picture as that of Buck Walker whom the DEA was also searching for. Sharron was taking a walk down the beach and discovered an aluminum container that contained human remains washed up on shore. The duo has been together since 2004. Who was Stephanie Stearns in and the sea will tell? By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Everybody familiar with the case regards this theory as utter hogwash. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. 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. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. WebStephanie Stearns was tried separately in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. After WWII the Palmyra Islands are mostly used as a stopover point for sailors traveling to Samoa. Other factors, especially a recent, self-published 895-page book in which Walker still denies he killed the Grahams, work against his release, Partington said. and Macs messenger, Curtis Shoemaker. This book is brimming with unsupported and ridiculous made up scenarios. The duo has been together since 2004. He plans to contact sailors up and down the West Coast in hopes of generating interest in the idea. The yellow container was similar to the two missing containers that FBI agents had found in the abandoned Navy warehouse years earlier. The federal system generally does not parole aging offenders until they reach 70 at the earliest, he said. Cameron Todd Willingham Accidental Fire Or Intentional Arson. Stearns was acquitted of the murder and Walker was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. 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. Gods Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs is a brand new web site created especially for teachers wanting to enhance their students spiritual walk with Jesus. Walker and Stearns concluded that the Grahams had a fishing accident. Its been grueling, Stephanie Stearns told reporters after hugging her tearful parents, who sat in the front row throughout the trial. Walker, 69, earned release from the U.S. Parole Commission in part because of advancing age and poor health. She is merely married to her beloved husband whose identity is not known. Where is Mac Graham? But there was a problem as there was no record for a Roy Allen. Muff wanted to leave the area, but Mac stubbornly did not. The jury believed the defenses theory that it was Buck who acted alone and concealed what he did from her. He found out that the soil was not amenable to growing marijuana. 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. She made the dock and took off running with the Coast Guard officer giving chase. "I don't think he's likely to be paroled," Partington said. Stephanies Miranda rights were read to her, but she didnt heed the warning about her right to remain silent and begins to repeat what she told Bernard Lennard. (I note that this manuscript was not released until Bugliosi's death.) You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. However, Stearns murder plot was masterful. I hope Stearns will some day pay for what she did. Learn more. Walker and his girlfriend, Stephanie Stearns, were arrested in Honolulu in 1974 after they returned from Palmyra in a yacht stolen from Malcolm "Mac" Graham and his wife, Eleanor "Muff" 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. He felt that something had happened to Mac and Muff Graham and that Roy and Stephanie were behind it. Paroling authorities do not like it when a convicted offender denies responsibility for a crime, Partington said. Because no bodies were found, Walker and Stearns were initially prosecuted only for the yacht theft and convicted in August 1975. If released, Walker would normally be returned to the place he was tried, Honolulu. 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. Supposedly Walker killed him in self defense after Mac killed his wife. Stearns and Walker had sailed to Palmyra aboard a leaky boat and were the only other people on the atoll besides the Grahams at the time of their disappearance in 1974. Get top headlines from the Union-Tribune in your inbox weekday mornings, including top news, local, sports, business, entertainment and opinion. 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. It had a top-notch navigational system and plenty of supplies on board. You Cant Fool A Legally Educated Sailor, Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2021. Walker never acknowledged committing the murder, self-publishing an 895-word novel he called the true story of an island tragedy.. Deeply researched and passionate, but marred by lack of edting, Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2015. Murderous Minds: 30 Stories of Real-Life Murderers That Escaped the Headlines (Murd BLOODY ALPHABET: The Scariest Serial Killers Coloring Book. 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. 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. It was a circumstantial case and if they lost they wouldnt be able to charge them again should their bodies ever be discovered. It also sparked a TV miniseries by the same name starring James Brolin and Rachel Ward. 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. "That's a parole consideration date," Partington said. 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. Authorities would later identify them as Buck Duane Walker and Stephanie Stearns. Including serial killers, cannibals, and mass murderers. On November 8, 1974, Buck Walker resurfaced at an area restaurant. Perhaps he murdered them at different times and different places around the island. Fearing for the Grahams the FBI agents traveled to Palmyra Islands to see if they had been stranded there. Investigators assumed Mac was in the other box, which for some reason never floated up. Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns were tried separately for the murder of Muff Graham. Stearns said she would return to work as an office manager in a Los Angeles telecommunications company. Muff wasnt really all that thrilled with living off the Palmyra Island, to begin with, and Roy and Stephanies presence added to the disillusionment. 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. Now Vincent Bugliosi was known for his prosecution of Charles Manson and Mason family members of the Tate-LiBianca murders. Murdoch has survived scandal after scandal. | Try Prime for unlimited fast, free shipping, Previous page of related Sponsored Products. 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. Besides the zodiac was with the Sea Wind when it docked in Hawaii. 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. Once in Hawaii, the couple had the Sea Wind repainted and also renamed it, which according to boating superstition brings bad luck. She had begun rowing to shore hoping to make it before they caught up. California schools tried to cover up their expulsion rates. The author does a reasonable job of analyzing & proving that Stephanie Stearns was definitely involved in the brutal murder of Muff Graham. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Malcom and Eleanor Graham Extended Preparation. The Fullard-Leo family bought Palmyra as part of a hui in the early 1900s for a fishing venture that never materialized. The Felon - Essays on Crime and the Criminal, Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. 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). Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. Vincent Bugliosi, Stephanie Stearns's attorney, wrote a book about the murders calledAnd The Sea Will Tell. 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. It is really foolish to go to sea without being prepared with adequate supplies. Her boyfriend, Buck Walker, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to life in prison. 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. 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. It was believed he fled on foot after leaving the dinghy at the loading dock near the Ilikai Hotel. Walker earns an annual salary ranging between $ 45,000 $ 110,500. On August 27th, Mac radioed his friend in Hawaii. A sailor and wooden boat own- er for nearly fifty years, duly licensed to practice law in the State of California, former Deputy Public Defender for the County of Los Angeles and trial lawyer for over forty years. 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. She most likely changed her name multiple times again over the years. Stearns, whose defense attorney was Vincent Bugliosi, was acquitted. As others have said, the book doesn't seem to have been edited, so much of it reads like a stream of random thoughts, with little coherence, and the endless errors in grammar, spelling and sentence construction are distracting. Stearns was pretty easy to get along with so most of the conflict came from Walker. Although authorities strongly suspected the couple had murdered the Grahams, no bodies were found. There are 38 fully-developed lessons on 10 important topics that Adventist school students face in their daily lives. There was no sign of Mac's body. Reviewed in Australia on March 24, 2022. 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. 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. There were other boats in the harbor. By August 17th, The Sea Wind and The Iola were the only two boats left in Palmyra. 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. Read our revised Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice. Copyright 2023 Ellen G. White Estate, Inc. In January 1981 a South African couple visiting the atoll, found a human skull and other bones that had apparently fallen out of a World War II vintage metal box washed up on the beach after a storm. A report by Stephens Media said Walker is in "poor health.". 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 To learn more, click here. Six years later, a corroded chest was found partially buried in a lagoon at Palmyra. Complete class lesson plans for each grade from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Who was Stephanie Stearns in and the sea will tell? He was tried for escape and sentenced to five years in prison. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard boat closed in on Stephanies rowboat. The Grahams had a prearranged radio contact schedule established with an operator in Hawaii. Necrophilia, cannibalism, and dismemberment were all part of his routine in his attempts to satiate his morbid desires. He had been living in a trailer home in Willits, Calif., where he moved not long after his early parole in 2007 from a federal prison in Victorville, Calif. After his release, Walker self-published an 895-page book in which he maintained his innocence and spelled out his own version of events on Palmyra, a remote Pacific island some 1,000 miles south of Honolulu that has a thriving ecosystem largely untouched by humans. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. Her boyfriend, Buck Walker, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to life in prison. 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 two of them were arrested and brought in for questioning. Mac Grahams remains have never been found. And I long ago accepted I'll never know what happened down on that island.". , Paperback The pair were desperate enough to murder the Grahams and steal their boat. Ive not been able to find any information on how she lived out her life since being acquitted in the 80s. She is merely married to her beloved husband whose identity is not known. : To an experienced sailor, Stearns account of her navigational skill is grossly overstated to the point where reading Bugliosis book And The Sea Will Tell becomes an exercise that tests ones patience. WebStephanie Stearns was tried separately in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. However, the book does add information and give detail missing in And The Sea Will Tell. Walker had a stroke early this year and died April 26 after several months in a nursing home, according to several friends. Meanwhile, Mac Graham was keeping up his weekly contact with his friend in Hawaii filling him in on the exploits of Stephanie and Roy. 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 WebStephanie Walker Photo Stephanie Walker Salary. Several years ago I happened upon "And The Sea Will Tell", a book written by VINCENT BUGLIOSI and BRUCE HENDER-SON. Malcolm Graham's body was never found. On September 11, 1974, after days of searching and waiting for the Grahams to return to their boat, Stearns said she and Walker scuttled the Iola and sailed for Hawaii on the Sea Wind. During the years following the Grahams disappearance, Palmyra atoll visitors had maintained a stack of newspaper clippings about the incident in a jungle shack. He died from a stroke in 2010. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights , updated March 2009. He has already approached the San Diego Yacht Club, which declined to get involved. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Buck Walker was paroled in 2007. He was in his 70s at that time and in poor health. 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. Download: English | German. Partington added: "It's a terribly sad story. 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. 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. Please join me at my new blog, The Garden of Memory. Its been grueling, Stephanie Stearns told reporters after hugging her tearful parents, who sat in the front row throughout the trial. Walker, 69, earned release from the U.S. Parole Commission in part because of advancing age and poor health. The book went to No. Palmyra is today owned by the Nature Conservancy and is the site of some climate change research. The book is very repetitive and needs a good edit. 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. However, the organization of the book is erratic, confusing at points, & chopped full of grammatical errors & poor punctuation. 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. Palmyra was privately owned by the Fullard-Leo family until 2001, when the Nature Conservancy bought it for $37 million for preservation and research purposes. Suffering from terminal cancer, he was paroled in 2007 and has since died. Things were not going well and tensions were high. Stephanie did testify on her own behalf and was able to give her version of events. Its been grueling, Stephanie Stearns told reporters after hugging her tearful parents, who sat in the front row throughout the trial. One photo showed Stephanie standing on the Sea Wind taking a picture of Buck sailing the Iola. Walker earns an annual salary ranging between $ 45,000 $ 110,500. In several instances, transcripts of the trial reveal testimony that differs from that recited in Bugliosis book, Bucy contends. 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. He tried again a couple of days later and over the following weeks. 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. Stearns and Walker were arrested in 1981 for murder and tried separately in federal court in San Francisco. Walker, 69, earned release from the U.S. Parole Commission in part because of advancing age and poor health. Meaning it didnt get caught up on the reef and sink. 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. The pair were desperate enough to murder the Grahams and steal their boat. I believe that Walker, and possibly Sterns are guilty, but other possibilities are a murder suicide (husband shoots wife and then himself), or that they really did drown, someone finding a body on the beach at some time later and burying it in a trunk. Wesley Walker (AKA Buck) Stephanie Stearns Buck and Stephanie They buy a boat that had sunk and was raised from the harbor in Maui. She was taken to the Coast Guard offices for questioning. Malcom and Eleanor Graham Extended Preparation. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Some of his theory is speculative. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The area was completely void of any boats. : Months passed with no word or sighting of the Grahams. By happenstance, two uniformed officers were eating in the same restaurant. Her broken and bleached bones were spilling out of a half-buried metal chest that apparently had washed ashore. I read the entire book and felt I did get something out of it. Her boyfriend, Buck Walker, was convicted of The Grahams, however, felt bad and tried to include them inviting them aboard their boat on July 5, 1974. In spite of these shortcomings. She is merely married to her beloved husband whose identity is not known. In that wallet was a drivers license with Roy Allens name on it. Buck and Stephanies trials were held separately in San Francisco due to the publicity the Graham case had in the media. He was incarcerated at United States Penitentiary, Victorville, in California. 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. They would exchange marijuana for supplies that friends brought them. : The one victim that we know of was Eleanor Graham, called Muff, but her husband, Malcolm "Mac" Graham III, age 43, vanished. Stephanie Walker Husband. 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. : To allow the menu buttons to display, add whiteestate.org to IE's trusted sites. Having Roys picture and knowing about Roy trying to grow marijuana gave the FBI a starting point in their search. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. 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. True Crime Stories: 48 Terrifying True Crime Murder Cases (List of Twelve Collection), Killer Moms: 16 Bizarre True Crime Stories of Murderous Moms. The separate murder trials were transferred to San Francisco because of publicity in Hawaii. Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights. Buck Walker was paroled from federal prison in 2007. Were they a victim of the seas or something more nefarious? Will Dominion-Fox News lawsuit be different? He also made regular radio calls to his friend back in Hawaii to check-in and updated him on his discoveries. Each faith-building lesson integrates heart-warming Adventist pioneer stories along with Scripture and Ellen Whites 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. Stephanie Walker Education. Roy and Stephanie were not prepared for life at sea and had run out of supplies pretty quickly. She was acquitted Friday by a federal court jury. But the one body was enough: Walker and Stearns were arrested in Arizona for murder. The duo has been together since 2004. Enter youremail to subscribe to Dr. Munger's updates! Walker told his girlfriend that they had told them they were to "make themselves at home" if they (the Grahams) weren't back yet from fishing. I highly respect Bugliosi for his work on Manson & his criminal cult members, but it is obvious he wrote the book as a defence attorney, paid for by Stearns' rich family. Stearns, herself, taunts her pursuers with photographs and spurious log notes. 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 FBI holds jurisdiction over crimes on the high seas and based upon the story that Stephanie had told she was placed under arrest for interstate transportation of stolen property. They purchased a beat-up 30-foot sloop in Maui and named it the Iola. Macs friend tried to get authorities involved, but they declined to investigate at the time so he had a friend fly over Palmyra to see if he could spot The Sea Wind. Her boyfriend, Buck Walker, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to life in prison. Stephanie and Buck were charged with the murder of Muff Graham. They signed off with plans to talk again on the same day at the same time the following week. 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. Jurors announced they were deadlocked 6-6 before noon Friday, but were told by U.S. District Judge Samuel King to keep deliberating. Walker receives an annual salary that ranges between $46,796, as per NBC News Defense lawyers said Walker was solely responsible for the murder and hid it from Stearns, who testified she thought the Grahams had drowned on a fishing trip, and joined Walker on a search that found the Grahams overturned dinghy but no sign of the couple.