Overview

• The finding was announced at a joint news conference by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the 25th Judicial District Attorney General, and the University of Tennessee at Martin.
• Officials cited forensic and witness evidence that conflicts with Pusser’s ambush account, including blood spatter patterns that do not match his statements.
• Investigators said evidence indicates Pauline Pusser was shot outside the car and then moved inside, and a new autopsy found a separate nasal fracture prior to death.
• Authorities said the crime scene appeared staged and that Pusser’s gunshot wound was likely self‑inflicted, concluding the evidence would support seeking an indictment.
• Pauline’s body was exhumed in 2024 for a court‑sealed autopsy, the TBI compiled a case file exceeding 1,000 pages under ongoing review, and no charges can be brought because Pusser died in 1974.