Why are you doing this? [2][3] In 1981, McElroy was convicted of attempted murder in the shooting of the town's 70-year-old grocer Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp. The objective is to promote history on Medium and demonstrate the value of historical writing. Estes then drove out of town in his police cruiser. The trial collapsed yet all accounts are sceptical that the witnesses were telling the . He put those skills to work rustling hogs and cattle, MacLean recounts. The town, on the other hand, hated him. Its never going to happen.. The law wasnt going to help the people of Skidmore. There was a kind of silent charity on the part of my parents, and they never prosecuted. In July 1976, McElroy pulled a shotgun on farmer Romaine Henry and shot the man in the stomach. Ive never thought there was a series of phone calls that went around dont say this or that. Those farmers have known each other since they were children. I am a History Educator and a Lifelong Learner with a Masters in Global History. Known for stealing livestock, harassing women, destroying property and threatening lives, Mr. McElroy had been charged with numerous felonies over the years his lawyer estimated at least three a year but had never been convicted. It was hours before he learned that it was Mr. McElroy who had been shot, sitting in the front seat of his pickup truck alongside his wife, after picking up some beer at the town bar. And Mr. Baird lost his first election, in the Democratic primary this year, by just 25 votes, a loss noted by The Kansas City Star because of his connection with the case. He dropped out of school before he reached high school, and by 13 was already a familiar character to the cops around Nodaway County. The clerk, Evelyn Sumy, was at the back of the store when the doors swung open. It's worth noting that the abused defending their abuser often occurs in domestic violence cases. You dont have a town full of people who were hiding a guilty conscience, he said. [9] McElroy was convicted at trial of assault, but freed on bail pending his appeal. Known as "the town bully", McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary. No one bothered to turn it off. Only July 10, 1981, there was a meeting at the town hall, down the street from D&G Tavern. Posted on July 14, 2011 by Harry. But the silence of the townspeople held. Skidmore townsfolk may not all have liked how he was killed it was murder, after all but when he died, most of the towns 435 residents let out a heavy sigh of relief. Like so many other small towns, Skidmore has shrunk inside itself, watching businesses close and residents depart. McElory was struck by two different firearms and died behind the wheel of his truck. Henry survived and McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. Henry was forced to admit in court, under questioning by McElroy's attorney Richard Gene McFadin, that he had concealed his own petty criminal conviction from more than 30 years previous. His unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. How is this man not in jail? Monte said, repeating the question asked by many when he showed up in Skidmore the morning after his release. On July 10th, 1981 Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in the street in broad daylight infront of 60 witnesses. McCloud was McElroy's third "wife," though all unions were suspicious due to the fact that some of his marriages overlapped. No one called for an ambulance. SKIDMORE, Mo. It's said the county's law enforcement officials were afraid of encountering McElroy, who was known to be heavily armed. The meeting's entire purpose was to discuss what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. Anthony was born on August 27 1890, in Shelton, Knox County, MO, USA. At some point in his life, McElroy was believed to have been seriously injured on a construction site, causing him to suffer from chronic pain. He left town just as Ken and Trena McElroy were driving in, likely passing McElroys Chevrolet Silverado pickup in his cruiser on the road. June 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. The couple then moved to Colorado. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. It was a commemoration of sorts: thirty years ago to the day after Ken Rex McElroy had been shot to death as he sat in his truck on the main street of . He went back home and was shot within a couple of days, explains Conger, editor of the Bethany Republican-Clipper. A trial took place the following year and for the first time ever, Ken McElroy was convicted. A&E, Rolling Stone, Playboy, 60 Minutes, and other media outlets covered the story in print or television. On July 27, 1976, Skidmore farmer Romaine Henry said McElroy shot him twice with a shotgun after Henry challenged him for shooting weapons on Henry's property. He had been terrorizing Skidmore for years and he kept getting away with it. Five or six of us were standing in front of the Skidmore Caf, waiting and passing the time. I have no doubt hed have tried to kill my mom. The guns were never recovered. McElroy's appeal hearing was again delayed. We didnt have sufficient evidence to go to trial.. The town has seen more than its share of tragedy. June 25th, 1981: Ken McElroy is sentenced to two years in jail. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Win a Midday Makeover from Studio STL and West County, Hold my beer its time to sign up for the St. Patricks, Tims Travels: Dreaming in silestone and slabs its, Downtown is turning green for St. Patricks Day Parade, The 7brew Crew brings kindness, joy and of course,, Freshen up finds: Give your skin a slug-hug, What the Cluck! Again, there were no indictments, and the McElroy murder case was tossed back to Baird. McElroy first began his relationship with McCloud when she was 14 and the two had a child shortly thereafter. Trena McElroy accused Skidmore residents of turning her husband into a scapegoat. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. McElroy was a big man with cold eyes who always carried a gun. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. [2], In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. As Trena told the story to reporters, a group of men followed them as they left the D&G. Theoretically, [the murder] could be re-investigated, veteran Kansas City criminal defense attorney J.R. Hobbs tells A&E True Crime. Someone warned her, Youre about to meet Ken Rex McElroy, Monte said. McElroy was reportedly a large man (270 pounds), and a local farmer's description of him (seen above) was that he wanted to appear "big and important" and make people "afraid.". However, he was also charged with various crimes. The citizens decided to go to the tavern en masse. His successor, Robert Rice, already knew how Mr. McElroy died. He was nonplussed. Even with these raw wounds, the memory of the nightmare surrounding Mr. McElroy during his years of troublemaking and after a killing that many here feel was forced by an impotent criminal-justice system continues to loom large. E-mail: ramzywritersofficial@gmail.com. They could have pushed and dug, pushed and dug and gotten nothing, said Huston. There has been books written, movies, documentaries and more made about the killing. It was so out of the blue, almost to the point of being surreal, said Monte, who occasionally worked in her parents store. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead inside his pick-up truck on the 10th of July, 1981, via a storm of bullets. 1969 or 1970: Ken McElroy becomes involved with a young girl named Trena McCloud. Best client I ever had, McFadin said in an interview. Everyone just went home. *In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean 1988. As of 2019, many of the main players in McElroys story have died, including McFadin, Trena McElroy, Bowenkamp and the rancher accused of pulling the trigger, MacLean writes in his blog. American criminal and murder victim, killed by vigilantes, "3 decades on, who killed Skidmore town bully still secret", "Ken McElroy Murderer, rapist and consummate intimidator", "Skidmore, Revisited Part 1: The Death of Ken McElroy", "Ken McElroy Murderer, rapist and consummate intimidator Another Teen Love", "Ken McElroy Murderer, rapist and consummate intimidator Saved by the Law", "Ken McElroy Murderer, rapist and consummate intimidator Intent to Kill", The Death Of Ken McElroy *Interesting History* - YouTube, "AS her daughter Tami listens, Trena McElroy retells how she watched", "3 decades on, who killed Skidmore town bully still secret | McClatchy", "Ken McElroy Murderer, rapist and consummate intimidator Murder in Broad Daylight", "Wrongful death lawsuit settled in re Ken McElroy", "Trena McElroy Passed Away | Harry N. MacLean", "You Get What You Pay For, by Larry Beinhart", "Stream It Or Skip It: 'No One Saw A Thing' On SundanceTV, A Docuseries About How Skidmore, Missouri Has Kept A Murder Unsolved For 38 Years", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ken_McElroy&oldid=1136590059, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Pages using infobox criminal with known for parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Bo Bowenkamp (survived an attempted murder), This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 02:52. Part of his teeth were lying on the dashboard, Boyer recalls. He was sure it was Mr. McElroy who had done the shooting. Local authorities, including a coroners jury and a local grand jury, and even the FBI, investigated the killing but to no avail. We went to the courts. The Vigilantemurder of Ken Rex McElroy still remains a mystery today. As he packed up his office last week, he gave his successor a memo that listed a dozen or so unsolved cases in Nodaway County including, down toward the end, the killing of Mr. McElroy. Ken stalks the family afterwards, and on the 8th, Ken shoots Bo Bowenkamp. Within a few years, she had had four children by him. What could legally be done about McElroy, they asked Sheriff Danny Estes, who had been elected months earlier. A memorial in the tiny downtown park displays the name of an expectant mother murdered six years ago, her fetus cut from her womb. When the shooting ended, McElroy was slumped over the steering wheel. Ken Rex McElroy was a 6-foot, 270 pounds, dark-complexioned, blue-eyed man who lived in Skidmore, Missouri. This was something that the "town bully," Ken Rex McElroy, staunchly rebelled against. The police would not or could not help us or Skidmore. One of the killers has died. Refusing to argue, he and Lois went home. The police chief who oversaw the investigation, Hal Riddle, disagrees. In court, Bowenkamp testified about how McElroy confronted him in the loading dock of the grocery while he was cutting up boxes and shot him in the neck. McElroy for the most part escaped prosecution and, certainly, conviction for various crimes. McElroy sat outside the foster home for hours at a time staring at it. Born in 1934, Ken Rex McElroy was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. During the meeting, McElroy arrived at the D&G Tavern with Trena. Women had a harder time with it than the men. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 - July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. He was a goodhearted person. For more than two decades, McElroy was suspected of being involved in theft of grain, gasoline, alcohol, antiques, and livestock, but he avoided conviction when charges were brought against him 21 timesoften after witnesses refused to testify because he allegedly intimidated them, frequently by following his targets or parking outside their homes and watching them. [14] Trena remarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri, where she died of cancer on her 55th birthday on January 24, 2012.[15]. I think he treated the whole town of Skidmore that way, the 78-year-old said, adding she didnt feel brave. But it got to the point it made me mad.. Trena McElroy remarried and had a fairly normal life, refusing interviews after she left Skidmore. Not only that, they recommended he spend no more than two years in prison. Then McElroy, described by veteran journalist Phil Conger as a big brute of a guy with slicked-back hair like Elvis, took the stand. "[13], McElroy was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Joseph, Missouri. On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. Somebody would hear his name, and the legend grew bigger. Of the most serious, McElroy was accused of child molestation and statutory rape. He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. Biography Mini Bio (1) Ken Rex McElroy Jr. is known for No One Saw a Thing (2019). 1955 or 56: Ken and Oleta McElroy move back to Missouri after Ken's accident in Colorado. Ken had 13 siblings: Hershell Eugene McElroy, Orvil O McElroy and 11 . 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. THE KILLING OF KEN REX MCELROY THIRTY YEARS LATER. In 2019, the McElroy killing was the subject of a docuseries on SundanceTV. Absolutely not, he said. MacLean doesnt believe the men gathered at the Legion hall that morning ever made a group decision to kill McElroy. Calling the sheriff about his threats was risk few were willing to take not that it would have done much good, Goslee said. Meanwhile, McElroy and his wife arrived at the D&G Tavern for a morning drink. I dont know what happened,' Boyer recalls witnesses saying. The objective is to promote history on Medium and demonstrate the value of historical writing. Dunbar talked to him, and [McElroy] pulled a gun on him, Monte said. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! He raped McCloud repeatedly. . 1954: While working for his sister's husband in construction, McElroy suffers a traumatic head injury that leaves him with lifelong pain. There may never be an answer to the question of who killed Ken Rex McElroy. Many buildings are closed and falling apart. He was charged with wading through the sensational details and moral ambiguities of the case to ensure that, in his words, justice was served. In a trial for shooting a Skidmore man in 1976 two witnesses appeared saying they had been with McElroy hunting miles away from the scene. However, an incident would occur in 1980 that changed everything. The law had plenty of chances, plenty of times to lock him up., Added Monte: Justice failed everybody. He was hit twice and died in his truck. What set off McElroy and put the local grocer in his crosshairs was the pettiest of offenses. Both Sally and Sharon begin having Ken's children. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. So the townspeople held a meeting. The DA declined to press charges and the following investigation proved to be futile. 1 or 2 men (unclear) took guns and shot Ken Rex McElroy dead in his truck. McElroy was hit twice and died. Its been over 30 years. A museum dedicated to Skidmore, Mo., sits on Elm Street, the towns main drag. Ken Rex McElroy was born on month day 1934, at birth place, Missouri, to Anthony Wyatt McElroy and Mable Marie McElroy (born Lister). To the residents of the small town, he was the town bully. His eyes just really put you in defense modehe really looked like a mean person.. If those responsible for killing McElroy are vigilantes, its because the justice system made them that way, Monte said. I dont believe youre coming nowafter we needed your help all this time.. We stood up and did the right thing. He leaves Sharon to move in with Alice. They delivered messages in code. Some of these things are simply assumed to be factual, Baird said. A conviction should have been a victory for the people of Skidmore, but the jury set a maximum sentence of two years, and the judge, without protest from Mr. Baird, released Mr. McElroy on bond pending appeal. Actually, I think those shooters saved lives in the end, she said. He told the foster family that he would trade "girl for girl" to get his child back, since he knew where the foster family's biological daughter went to school and what bus route she rode. Two people decided in the midst of that whole incident theyd had enough, MacLean said. Consisting of around 440 residents and a number of small family-run businesses, the farming town revolved around work ethic. She died of cancer on Jan. 24, 2012; it was her 55th birthday. In 1981, vigilantes in Skidmore, Mo., took justice into their own hands and killed town bully Ken Rex McElroy but no one was charged with the crime. The FBI entered the case stiff-arming and threatening people, is how Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, relates it. He went about making public threats against the grocer while armed with a rifle. 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The final straw for Skidmore was when he was let out on bond. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. One reason was McElroys lawyer Richard Gene McFadin, a skilled defense attorney who ran rings around inexperienced prosecutors. Once you boil away to the facts of what occurred, you can probably point to hundreds of similar reports every week across the United States., If McElroy had been shot by a lone gunman on a dark road at night, it would have made the Maryville paper for a day, MacLean said. McElroy was found not guilty. What happened in Skidmore that day wasnt much different than the completely predictable result from shaking a carbonated beverage until the top finally blows. He was indicted as many as 21 times, but escaped conviction all but once. Obsessed with travel? McElroy divorced Alice and married Trena in order to escape charges of statutory rape, to which she was the only witness. [2] He was struck by bullets from at least two different firearms, in front of a crowd of people estimated as numbering between 30 and 46. [1] To date, no one has been charged in connection with McElroy's death. McElroy was in town and behaving belligerently. But justice is a loaded term in a case that challenges the usual assumptions of victim and perpetrator. [10] No one called for an ambulance. Murder is still murder. It was a matter of self-preservation. When he got off on a trial, it grew even bigger. The sheriff suggested they form a neighborhood watch and advised the group not to confront the man. Yet the identity of McElroys killer is a public secret Skidmore has kept for 38 years. They were witnesses. He was known as "the town bully",[1] and his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. 1952: Ken McElroy marries his first wife Oleta. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Tucked away in the northwest corner of Missouri is a small, dusty town 46 miles north of St. Joseph with a decades-old secret. Farmers carried them to kill varmints, or for hunting displaying them in plain sight in rear window gun racks. No One Saw A Thing centers around the 1981 murder of Ken Rex McElroy in Skidmore Missouri and other crimes committed in the town and surrounding area over the years. 2023 by Catlyn Brady, Jennifer Partridge, & Kara Severson. McElroy was furious when he learned of the incident. He never finished high school but knew how to hunt, drive fast and navigate the back roads of Nodaway County by his early teens. McCloud attempted to escape to her parents' house, but McElroy allegedly responded by burning down Trena's parents' home and shooting their dog. There just wouldnt have been a story.. The stories of McElroy's relationships contain some troubling details, but the information is important to paint the full picture. As he sat drinking at the bar, word got back to the men at the Legion Hall that he was in town. Former Nodaway County prosecutor David Baird, Its proceedings are secret, but in news interviews at the time, McElroys widow said she told a county grand jury who murdered her husband. Once there, he threatened Bo, and shot him in the neck at close range with a shotgun. McElroy was known to pay local kids for information about who was where in town at what time, so the Bowenkamps developed their own network of informants. McElroys rear window was shot out and the front window as well. Everyone claimed they didnt see who fired the shots. Yes, its against the law, but you know, the law is not the final definitive word on him. 1960: Ken moves his young girlfriendSally into his house with Sharon. Nobody called an ambulance. A swarthy, physically intimidating man who carried about 270 pounds on his more than 6-foot frame, McElroy had thick black eyebrows and bushy sideburns. He begins to rant about how he is going to ruin Bo Bowenkamp. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. McElroy wound up shooting Bowenkamp in the neck, nearly killing him. After the sheriff left town, the group walked from the hall and went down the street to the tavern. The death of Ken Rex McElroy is a perplexing case that has hung heavy over the town of Skidmore, Missouri for decades. Trena jumped from the truck and a man helped her to safety. In 1980, McElroy shot the 70-year-old town grocer in the neck following a months-old dispute over an accusation about a piece of stolen candy. But in a dramatic act of . [1] McElroy successfully appealed the conviction and was released on bond, after which he engaged in an ongoing harassment campaign against Bowenkamp and others who were sympathetic to Bowenkamp, including the town's Church of Christ minister. According to court records, McElroy tracked them down and brought them back.
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