Police say Buford Pusser — a Tennessee County sheriff-turned-American folk hero — shot and killed his wife and made up a story about being attacked by a group of men out to kill him.

The stunning turn of events undermines two popular movies and a legacy of justice.

In 1973, a movie called Walking Tall was made about Pusser's life.

In 2004, a remake starring Dewayne "The Rock" Johnson was released.

Pusser died in a one-vehicle crash in Aug. 1974.

The story Pusser told after his wife Pauline Pusser was killed in 1967 is the same one recreated in the movie. He says he brought his wife with him on a late night police call, when a vehicle pulled up alongside their vehicle and began firing.

Pauline was killed when bullets struck her in the head and Buford was shot in the face. He’d spend

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