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On August 29, 1974, Mac and Muff Graham, sailors from San Diego, were brutally murdered by Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns on the island of Palmyra, located approximately 970 nautical miles south of Hawaii. Prior to making the voyage, Muff was haunted by premonitions that the trip would end with their deaths. Unable to convince her husband that a terrible fate awaited them, against her better judgment, she reluctantly accompanied him. Arriving at the island, with death close at hand, warned by other wary sailors, Mac, seemingly secure with his firearms, refused to leave his island “paradise” despite Muff's tears and entreaties. In 1981 the remains of Muff were discovered on Palmyra Island by passing sailors. Walker and Stearns, in separate trials, were tried for her murder. After two weeks of trial, Walker was found guilty, the jury deliberating less than three hours. A month later, Stearns, defended by well known trial lawyers Vincent Bugliosi and Leonard Weinglass were acquitted. There were several factors that greatly assisted Bugliosi in obtaining his victory. Judge, Samuel King, erroneously, weighed in heavily on behalf of Stearns throughout the trial. He granted a change of venue shifting her trial from Hawaii to San Francisco. King permitted Bugliosi to amend the complaint to allege a charge of first degree murder against Stearns and later, granted his motion to dismiss the murder charge against Stearns based on the Felony/Murder rule. He permitted Bugliosi to introduce impermissible character evidence greatly favoring Stearns and prohibited Enoki from impeaching the testimony of these witnesses. Another consideration that greatly favored Stearns was Enoki's ineffective prosecution. Enoki was not up to the challenge and was totally overwhelmed by the aggressive defense put forward by Bugliosi. Enoki never understood Stearn's role in the planning and murders of the Grahams, nor did he support his witnesses when under attack by Bugliosi. To add to the confusion, neither the prosecution nor the defense understood sailing, or the sea. The above factors, along with many others set forth, when combined with the onslaught of Stearns lies and machinations, left the jury awash in confusion and misdirection; thus accounting for the erroneous verdict. FINAL ARGUMENT sets the record straight, exposing the many lies Stearns issued in pursuit of a not guilty verdict. It corrects many inaccurate quotes from the court reporter's original trial transcript and reveals how Bugliosi won a seemingly hopeless case.
