McElroy was getting into his pickup truck with his wife Trena on the main street of Skidmore where there was a crowd of 30 to 50 people. 1960: Ken moves his young girlfriendSally into his house with Sharon. Then you can read about chilling cold cases where the murderers and victims were both unknown. 1955 or 56: Ken and Oleta McElroy move back to Missouri after Ken's accident in Colorado. Were the citizens justified in taking matters into their own hands? And his deeds were as daunting as his appearance. [11] Only Trena claimed to identify a gunman; every other witness either was unable to name an assailant or claimed not to have seen who fired the fatal shots. McElroy eventually left the tavern and got into his pickup truck with his wife, but the mob of people followed the pair outside. There has been books written, movies, documentaries and more made about the killing. The townspeople organized a caravan to escort the witnesses to the hearing both to protect them and to show solidarity. The person(s) responsible for firing the shots that killed McElroy remains unsolved. Despite being shot in broad daylight in front of various witnesses, the . This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. He had been terrorizing Skidmore for years and he kept getting away with it. Joyce Monte, daughter of injured grocer. He torched the home and shot the dogagainafter the girl went into hiding with her and McElroys baby. [4], McElroy fathered more than 10 children with different women. No one was surprised. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! His father was a tenant farmer, his mother a housewife swamped with feeding and caring for the sprawling family. Meanwhile, major media outlets descended onto Skidmore and reports of its vigilantes became water-cooler talk across the U.S. For some residents, resentment against McElroy was projected onto the police. How did this uneducated person how is he able to outwit the criminal justice system for 20 years? said MacLean. MacLean doesnt believe the men gathered at the Legion hall that morning ever made a group decision to kill McElroy. McElroy allegedly stole livestock, grain, gasoline, and antiques. Mr. McElroy was quickly rearrested after he appeared in town with a rifle, but he was again released. October 20th, 1974: Ken McElroy marries Trena McCloud to get out of a statutory rape charge with Trena. Instead of playing out in court, the details emerged in newspaper and magazine accounts, as well as a best-selling book, In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri, which was later made into a television movie. We went everywhere we could, but justice would stay delicately out the way, she said. Consisting of around 440 residents and a number of small family-run businesses, the farming town revolved around work ethic. After the sheriff left town, the group walked from the hall and went down the street to the tavern. SKIDMORE, Mo. We didnt have sufficient evidence to go to trial.. The law wasnt going to help the people of Skidmore. And he has already asked the sheriffs office to re-examine some of the unsolved cases. It's worth noting that the abused defending their abuser often occurs in domestic violence cases. There just wouldnt have been a story.. It's hard to believe that this small town was once a bustlingcommunity. Women had a harder time with it than the men. [1], McElroy was born in 1934, the 15th of 16 children born to a poor, migrant tenant-farming couple named Tony and Mabel (ne Lister) McElroy, who had moved between Kansas and the Ozarks before settling outside of Skidmore. After all these years, people talk about it still, said Marla Messner, 37, a restaurant manager who remembers being hurried inside her home for safety anytime Mr. McElroy came to town. They could have pushed and dug, pushed and dug and gotten nothing, said Huston. Instead, he continued to harass Bowenkamp. 1, it is murder. You know how he oppressed and threatened us. As the story has been told by MacLean and others, McElroy showed up at the D&G tavern and pool hall the next day toting a rifle with a bayonet a violation of his bond and threatened to finish off the Bowenkamps. Its been over 30 years. During the meeting, McElroy arrived at the D&G Tavern with Trena. Tucked away in the northwest corner of Missouri is a small, dusty town 46 miles north of St. Joseph with a decades-old secret. The Tylenol Murders: Is It Too Late to Solve the Famous Cold Case? E-mail: [email protected]. You know what he was like. Posted on July 14, 2011 by Harry. He was arrested, booked, arraigned, and released on $2,500 bail. [5] She became pregnant when she was fourteen, dropped out of school in the ninth grade, and went to live with McElroy and his second wife Alice. But even after a federal prosecutor forwarded to Mr. Baird what he called substantial new evidence, no one was indicted. No one bothered to turn it off. There wasn't much parental supervision, but McElroy had a knack for taking care of himself. It was Richard McFadin, the man who kept Ken McElroy out of jail 21 times, who said it best: The town got away with murder.. McElroy appealed the case and was released on bond. If those responsible for killing McElroy are vigilantes, its because the justice system made them that way, Monte said. When you didnt know where he was, you didnt dare take the chance of not being on your guard.. Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Richard Stratton, the only lawman in northwest Missouri ever known to stand up to McElroy, hunted McElroy down and arrested him on an attempted murder charge. His unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. 7 Good News Stories: Sense Of Belonging; Secrets To 70-Year Marriage, EPA Limits On Toxic Forever Chemicals Could Cost Utilities Billions, The Poop On Free-Range Cats And Your Lawn And Garden [Block Talk], Boeing Worker Claims $754.6M Powerball Jackpot, Barrier-Breaking Black Army Officer Finally Awarded Medal Of Honor, FL Blogging Bill Says Political Writers Should Register With State. Im never going to answer that question. His eyes just really put you in defense modehe really looked like a mean person.. Shortly after, Strattons wife Margaret was headed to church when she saw a strange truck in the driveway. He was known as the town bully , but they may be putting it mildly. Everyone just went home. On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. McElroy began stalking the Bowenkamp family, and eventually threatened Bo Bowenkamp in the back of his store with a shotgun in hand. It went beyond just hammering people and being mean-spirited. A deer slug in one chamber tore through Bowenkamps neck, coming within 3 inches of his head. In the plainspoken manner of speaking in Skidmore, McElroy simply needed killing, like a gangrened leg needs to be severed to save the whole body. He was hit twice and died in his truck. It was a matter of self-preservation. 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.. The town, on the other hand, hated him. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro Ken Rex McElroy Jr. As his long tenure comes to an end questions about the lack of resolution in the murder case perhaps the most infamous in the area since Jesse James was shot nearby a century earlier continue to follow Mr. Baird. Tensions in Skidmore soared as McElroys trial neared. A bond hearing was ordered. The mere mention of his surname was enough to cause anxiety, if not full terror. [3] McElroy was acquitted. When Estes and state troopers arrived back in town, the streets were empty and quiet, save the rumbling, smoking engine of McElroys truck. Once freed, McElroy didnt just quietly celebrate his victory. For over twenty years he raped, robbed and burned almost at will. One assumption Skidmore hasnt been able to shed is that McElroys killing was an act of vigilante justice. Why are you doing this? He was punctual, always said he didnt do it, paid in cash and kept coming back.. He said he was not at all disappointed to leave office with the case still unsolved. I have no doubt hed have tried to kill my mom. Some people have attributed his strange behavior with this event. Best client I ever had, McFadin said in an interview. In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. It failed McElroy, too, because it failed to protect him from himself. April 25th, 1980: A few of Ken's children go to the local grocery store and is accused of stealing by Mrs. Bowenkamp. The group heard McElroy and Trena McCloud were spotted heading to the tavern nearby. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8iUdp33PqTsix2sGblEQZ8m5FQycC5D Vigilante justice, or. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. So the townspeople held a meeting. I dont believe youre coming nowafter we needed your help all this time.. Estes, the sheriff some tried to implicate in a conspiracy, is dead. No one has any idea what a nightmare we lived.. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. Few were criticized as mightily as Baird over the lack of prosecution in McElroys murder. Witnessing the murder were McElroys wife, Trena, screaming in the passenger seat and dozens of local residents. And Mr. Baird, all these years later, is still unwilling to give his own view on whether justice was served even though or because the killer was never tried. Again, there were no indictments, and the McElroy murder case was tossed back to Baird. Ken McElroy was born in 1934, one of 16 children, author Harry MacLean explains in his book In Broad Daylight, an account of the case. 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. On a steamy Missouri morning of July 10, 1981, a gunman took aim at the 47-year-old as he sat smoking in his Silverado pickup truck outside the local bar. [2][3] In 1981, McElroy was convicted of attempted murder in the shooting of the town's 70-year-old grocer Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp. Retribution was slow coming to Ken McElroybut lightning fast when it happened. Once the shroud of silence fell, there was going to be no one talking, said Cheryl Huston, whose elderly father had been shot by Mr. McElroy and who watched the killing of Mr. McElroy from her familys grocery store but, like the others, said she did not see the gunman. They just went stone silent. They know how everybody thinks.. Over the course of his life, McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, animal cruelty, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary. The death of Ken Rex McElroy is a perplexing case that has hung heavy over the town of Skidmore, Missouri for decades. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. If you were to go to Skidmore today, there isn't much to see. Road signs bear a picture of a young man who disappeared nine years ago and is feared dead. Murder is still murder. McCloud was McElroy's third "wife," though all unions were suspicious due to the fact that some of his marriages overlapped. *In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean 1988. The killing was a shocking end for a notoriously brutal man who had terrorized the area for years with seeming impunity from the law until he was struck down in a moment of vigilante justice. McElroy started his pickup and the sound of shots pierced the silence. On July 9, 1984, Trena McElroy filed a $5 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Town of Skidmore, County of Nodaway, Sheriff Danny Estes, Steve Peters (Mayor of Skidmore), and Del Clement (whom Trena accused of being the shooter, but who was never charged). Everyone involved continues to keep the secret and gives no answers. Watch the new and 7th season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime! Filmmaker Avi Belkin's 'No One Saw a Thing . 1958: Ken McElroy becomes involved with a young woman named Sharon. Watch the new and 7th season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime! July 10th, 1981: The Townspeople gather in the Legion to discuss what should be done about Ken McElroy. Many wondered: Why didnt Baird press charges against the man Trena McElroy fingered as her husbands killer? He was freed on bond. 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. Refusing to argue, he and Lois went home. 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. When the shooting ended, McElroy was slumped over the steering wheel. The towns local bar in Skidmore, Missouri. He went about making public threats against the grocer while armed with a rifle. The local major-cases squad investigated, then the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Immediately after being released at a post-trial hearing, McElroy went to the D&G Tavern, a local bar, with an M1 Garand rifle with a bayonet attached, and made graphic threats about what he would do to Bo Bowenkamp. August 18th, 1980: Ken's preliminary trial begins. On the morning of July 10, 1981, several townspeople met with the Nodaway County sheriff at a local hall to discuss what could be done about McElroy. It was not the kind of justice they shouldve gotten, 60-year-old Joyce Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, told Patch in a telephone interview from her home in Oklahoma. Farmers carried them to kill varmints, or for hunting displaying them in plain sight in rear window gun racks. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 - July 10, 1981) was a resident of Skidmore, Nodaway County, Missouri. Before you tell yourself the case closed, no, this case still remains unsolved. 1 or 2 men (unclear) took guns and shot Ken Rex McElroy dead in his truck. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He was nonplussed. So is Stratton. [12] The DA declined to press charges. According to court records, McElroy tracked them down and brought them back. Despite the efforts of police, prosecutors and McElroys family, no one has been charged in the murder. Ken McElroy died in a hail of gunfire on the morning of July 10, 1981, while sitting in his truck outside a local tavern. On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. Richard Stratton was ready. [9] McElroy was convicted at trial of assault, but freed on bail pending his appeal. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. Still working within the justice system, witnesses who saw McElroy with the gun gave the information the county prosecutor needed to request a bond revocation hearing. Genealogy profile for Ken Rex McElroy Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1981) - Genealogy Genealogy for Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1981) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. An extensive federal investigation did not lead to any charges. But not that one. [14] Trena remarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri, where she died of cancer on her 55th birthday on January 24, 2012.[15]. McElroy was known to have stolen grain, alcohol, gasoline, antiques, and even livestock. [2], In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. Sheriff Estes instructed the assembled group not to get into a direct confrontation with McElroy, but instead seriously consider forming a neighborhood watch program. Ken Rex Melroy was born on June 1st, 1934 to a family of poor tenant farmers who moved to Skidmore. Local authorities, including a coroners jury and a local grand jury, and even the FBI, investigated the killing but to no avail. Harry MacLean, author of "In Broad Daylight". We were so bitter and so angry at the law letting us down that it came to somebody taking matters in their own hands, said Bowenkamps daughter, Cheryl Huston. What gave rise to that theory is that they were in the Legion hall for a meeting, then went down to the D&G [when they heard McElroy was in town]. The man identified by the widow as the main gunman recently died, something Mr. Baird raised in suggesting that the case may never be reopened. Meanwhile, McElroy and his wife arrived at the D&G Tavern for a morning drink. A writer and storyteller out in the world to write about True-Crime and History. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 - July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. July 10th, 1981: The townspeople gather around Ken's truck once he and Trena exit the bar. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead inside his pick-up truck on the 10th of July, 1981, via a storm of bullets. They had to look out for themselves. Bottles, glasses for restaurants and barsincomible/Getty ImagesFull of Audienceuschools/Getty ImagesAn American police officer posing arms folded beside cop carDarrenMower/Getty ImagesCar Wash Truck SprayA-Digit/Getty ImagesCity People Setedge69/Getty ImagesSilhouette of people in action4x6/Getty ImagesCaucasian farmer standing in irrigated fieldHill Street Studios/Getty ImagesYoung woman on the streetSensorSpot/Getty ImagesShot Truck Driverwwing/Getty ImagesOlder Caucasian man standing with hands in pocketsSam Diephuis/Getty ImagesOutlines of rebellionsshironosov/Getty Imagesmain street remote rural prairie towndlerick/Getty ImagesBlank magazine on wooden backgroundgrinvalds/Getty ImagesEmpty Country Road In UsaDan Thornberg / EyeEm/Getty ImagesCaucasian farmer wearing gloves leaning on wooden fenceSteve Smith/Getty ImagesJudge holding gavel in courtroomChris Ryan/Getty ImagesAuthentic Cowboy Rancher Portraitavid_creative/Getty ImagesSilhouettes of three cowboys on a white backgroundheartbar/Getty ImagesCaucasian security officers posing with flashlightKirk Marsh/Getty ImagesPrivate investigator reports what he seestzahiV/Getty ImagesThis farm is my pride and joypixdeluxe/Getty Imagesdark portrait of a man in a hoodserikbaib/Getty ImagesWhite colored house with blue doorMableen/Getty ImagesYoung couple havi EXTERNAL CREDITSGrant Henderson - Editor+Rick Weller- GFX Artist However, he was also charged with various crimes. The verdict was second-degree assault and two years. "[13], McElroy was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Joseph, Missouri. They could finally sleep peacefully at night, especially Bo and Lois Bowenkamp and their children. [8] At the trial, two raccoon hunters testified they were with McElroy the day of the shooting away from Henry's property. But justice is a loaded term in a case that challenges the usual assumptions of victim and perpetrator. Ken Rex McElroy was an American known as "the town bully" of Skidmore, Missouri. Ken is later charged and arrested. Not only that, they recommended he spend no more than two years in prison. Almost everyone, with the exception of Bo Bowenkamp, backed down. Was justice served? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8iUdp33PqTsix2sGblEQZ8m5FQycC5D Vigilante justice, or cold-blooded murder?MERCH: We've got it! His lifelong career as a criminal started with petty offenses, but he increasingly became more violent, amassing a rap sheet that included nearly two dozen felony charges for assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, burglary, grain theft, and hog and cattle rustling enterprises that kept a thick roll of hundred-dollar bills in his pocket. If they thought it was getting too out of hand, they would send one of us up and down the aisle. Five or six of us were standing in front of the Skidmore Caf, waiting and passing the time. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. She died of cancer on Jan. 24, 2012; it was her 55th birthday. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. No one has been indicted for the murder of McElroy. 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 . McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. This six-episode true-crime docuseries comes from Sundance TV and premiered last August. Anyone can read what you share. She eventually filed a wrongful death against the town, the county, and some citizens but the matter was settled out of court. They settle in Skidmore. The police would not or could not help us or Skidmore. He dropped out of school before he reached high school, and by 13 was already a familiar character to the cops around Nodaway County. It's said that the meeting adjourned, and the crowd quietly descended upon the tavern, flanking McElroy's truck. The sheriff suggested they form a neighborhood watch and advised the group not to confront the man. Still, the panel didnt return an indictment, giving rise to conspiracy theories about a law enforcement coverup, also a theme in No One Saw a Thing.. McCloud attempted to escape to her parents' house, but McElroy allegedly responded by burning down Trena's parents' home and shooting their dog. We went to the police. Everyone involved continues to keep the secret and gives no answers. The couple then moved to Colorado. September 2nd, 1982: Keven though there were over sixty witnesses, no one came forward to name the shooter. He met his last wife, Trena McCloud (19572012), when she was 12 years old and in eighth grade. Yes, its against the law, but you know, the law is not the final definitive word on him. He was sure it was Mr. McElroy who had done the shooting. That they had guns at the ready wasnt unusual. He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. Reporting on what you care about. They were witnesses. But unless a very credible witness came forward, its not likely to happen., The Burger Chef Cold Case: Four Murders Still Unsolved Over 40 Years Later. Local police, state investigators and FBI agents tried to break the towns silence, without success. The bar that provided the backdrop for the shooting is closed and for sale for $20,000. Dec. 15, 2010. If you liked reading this story on Ken McElroy, the bully who was killed by his town, check out the story of Budford Pussers cold-blooded revenge. Title Directed by Original air date U.S. viewers (millions) 1 "The Killing of Ken Rex McElroy" Avi Belkin: August 1, 2019 (): N/A: Known as the town bully, Ken Rex McElroy terrorized tiny Skidmore, Missouri, for decades.On July 10, 1981, the town had had enough and 60 people surrounded his pick-up truck and shot him dead on Main Street--but no one claimed to have seen a thing. Despite three grand juries, no one has been indicted for the . 2023 by Catlyn Brady, Jennifer Partridge, & Kara Severson. No one has been charged in connection with McElroys death. Tell us what you think in the comments below. McElory was struck by two different firearms and died behind the wheel of his truck. Ken had 13 siblings: Hershell Eugene McElroy, Orvil O McElroy and 11 . July 1981: During the 1st week of July it was announced that there would be a delay in McElroy's bond hearing. It was also the first major case for a young county prosecutor, not far removed from law school and just months into the job, who said he was confident that the case would be solved soon. June 25th, 1981: Ken McElroy is sentenced to two years in jail. You dont take cases to trial to see what might happen, the former prosecutor said. 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. 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