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Ken McElroy was shot to death on the main street of Skidmore in July 1981, in front of 45 witnesses. Tensions in Skidmore soared as McElroys trial neared. Were the citizens justified in taking matters into their own hands? But in a dramatic act of solidarity with the gunman, every witness, save the dead mans wife, denied seeing who had pulled the trigger. So what was left?. This six-episode true-crime docuseries comes from Sundance TV and premiered last August. Ken is later charged and arrested. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. After McElroy finished his drinks, he purchased a six pack of beer, left the bar, and entered his pickup truck. [4], McElroy fathered more than 10 children with different women. But the silence of the townspeople held. Once freed, McElroy didnt just quietly celebrate his victory. Author Harry MacLean wrote a book McElroys story called In Broad Daylight. The citizens decided to go to the tavern en masse. A few days later, a pickup truck showed up in the wee hours outside Boyers remote country house. The town got away with murder, Mr. McFadin said. Someone shot at McElroy while he was sitting in his truck. His attorney, Richard McFadin, said he routinely defended Ken McElroy in three or four felonies a year. Theoretically, [the murder] could be re-investigated, veteran Kansas City criminal defense attorney J.R. Hobbs tells A&E True Crime. Shortly after, Strattons wife Margaret was headed to church when she saw a strange truck in the driveway. 1 or 2 men (unclear) took guns and shot Ken Rex McElroy dead in his truck. In August of 1980, McElroy made attempts to intimidate the Bowenkamp family and their supporters to prevent them from testifying. Again, there were no indictments, and the McElroy murder case was tossed back to Baird. He was charged 21 times in theft cases but was said to have avoided conviction through witness intimidation, either by direct confrontation or by parking his truck outside their home. Nobody called an ambulance. When Estes and state troopers arrived back in town, the streets were empty and quiet, save the rumbling, smoking engine of McElroys truck. McElroys wife named one person as a possible gunman, but no one couldor wouldidentify who fired the shots. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. The people of Skidmore were becoming more and more frustrated with the failures to protect them in the justice system. She was present at the time of his death. 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! Some attributed his bizarre and violent behavior to a head injury suffered in this event. Ken Rex Melroy was born on June 1st, 1934 to a family of poor tenant farmers who moved to Skidmore. No one has been indicted for the murder of McElroy. A trial took place the following year and for the first time ever, Ken McElroy was convicted. Despite three grand juries, no one has been indicted for the . 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. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. Born in 1934, Ken Rex McElroy was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. 1955 or 56: Ken and Oleta McElroy move back to Missouri after Ken's accident in Colorado. He was represented by defense attorney Richard Gene McFadin of Gallatin, Missouri. The police would not or could not help us or Skidmore. 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. Shortly after, McElroy was arrested and charged with attempted murder. There just wouldnt have been a story.. 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.. And its likely to stay that way. If they thought it was getting too out of hand, they would send one of us up and down the aisle. There has been books written, movies, documentaries and more made about the killing. They had to look out for themselves. The final straw for Skidmore was when he was let out on bond. BuzzFeed McElroy allegedly stole livestock, grain, gasoline,. Trena McElroy accused Skidmore residents of turning her husband into a scapegoat. He put those skills to work rustling hogs and cattle, MacLean recounts. Just months after Mr. Baird became county prosecutor a post he was encouraged to take because nothing exciting ever happens in Nodaway County he found himself in a courtroom for the first time with Mr. McElroy, who had shot an elderly Skidmore grocer in the neck with a shotgun. Neither Baird nor MacLean, whose crime novel has been praised as an accurate account of McElroys killing, buy that. We stood up and did the right thing. Once, a farmer who caught Ken red-handed stealing two horses filed charges but withdrew them after McElroy smashed him across the face with a rifle., Police also felt McElroys ire. Full Worm Moon: Will Conditions Favor A Moonbow? Boyer was out showing a trainee the ropes when he got the call of a shooting in Skidmore. 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. Is dumpster diving legal in Missouri and Illinois? When the call went out, State Police Cpl. There were so many nights Dad couldnt go out and mow the yard or water the flowers because there was a truck parked down the street, and they were watching the house, Monte said. As a result, he was arrested, but quickly released. It was so out of the blue, almost to the point of being surreal, said Monte, who occasionally worked in her parents store. Ken McElroy issues threats against the Bowenkamp family. April 10th, 1972: After Alice runs away with their son, Ken McElroy gets into an altercation with Alice's stepfather and shoots him. Everyone involved continues to keep the secret and gives no answers. The local major-cases squad investigated, then the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It wasn't the kind of murder which goes unsolved for decades and eventually someone comes forward with the tip that breaks the case open. The death of Ken Rex McElroy is a perplexing case that has hung heavy over the town of Skidmore, Missouri for decades. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. Ken had 13 siblings: Hershell Eugene McElroy, Orvil O McElroy and 11 . 1954: While working for his sister's husband in construction, McElroy suffers a traumatic head injury that leaves him with lifelong pain. His father was a tenant farmer, his mother a housewife swamped with feeding and caring for the sprawling family. They settle in Skidmore. Many wondered: Why didnt Baird press charges against the man Trena McElroy fingered as her husbands killer? There has been books written, movies, documentaries and more made about the killing. On April 25, 1980 at Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp's general store, a clerk asked McElroy's 8-year-old daughter to return a piece of candy she had not paid for. He was nonplussed. Trena claimed to have seen someone pull a rifle from the back of the truck, take aim at McElroy, and fire shots that shattered the truck's windows. Those who spoke out were taciturn. In the months before McElroy went to trial, the Bowenkamps and Sumy went to bed scared, woke up frightened and lived in terror with every breath. The 12-year-old's parents initially opposed the relationship, but after McElroy burned their house down and shot the family dog, they relented and agreed to the marriage. More awful crimes have taken place in the small town. The bar that provided the backdrop for the shooting is closed and for sale for $20,000. It's hard to believe that this small town was once a bustlingcommunity. He grew up hearing the story. Over the course of his life, McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary. The Cold Case Murders That Keep Retired Detectives Up at Night, Citizen Detectives Uncover Crime Clues on Websleuths Online Forum. 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. Sixteen days after Trena gave birth, both she and Alice fled to Trena's mother's and stepfather's house. Anyone can read what you share. [8] At the trial, two raccoon hunters testified they were with McElroy the day of the shooting away from Henry's property. [6], Based on Trena's story, McElroy was indicted in June 1973 for arson, assault, and statutory rape. Ken Rex McElroy was born on month day 1934, at birth place, Missouri, to Anthony Wyatt McElroy and Mable Marie McElroy (born Lister). What set off McElroy and put the local grocer in his crosshairs was the pettiest of offenses. 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. (Editors Note: Patch Deputy National Editor Beth Dalbey grew up on a farm about 10 miles from Skidmore, Missouri.). He met his last wife, Trena McCloud (19572012), when she was 12 years old and in eighth grade. As he sat drinking at the bar, word got back to the men at the Legion Hall that he was in town. [14] Trena remarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri, where she died of cancer on her 55th birthday on January 24, 2012.[15]. She died of cancer on Jan. 24, 2012; it was her 55th birthday. He was shot at several times and hit twice, once by a centerfire rifle and once by a .22 rimfire rifle. Looking back, the justice system had as much to do with killing Ken McElroy as anyone in Skidmore did.. Known as 'the town bully', his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. Estes then drove out of town in his police cruiser. 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. They just went stone silent. The man asked, what are you doing here? Boyer remembers. The mere mention of his surname was enough to cause anxiety, if not full terror. Worse felonies included assault and arson. The law wasnt going to help the people of Skidmore. Mable was born on February 28 1897, in Dover, Shawnee County, KS, USA. 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. He knew which people to pick on the weak people and he followed through on his threats just often enough to make people believe he was going to do what he said he was going to do. He showed back up in front of their house that night, and he and Trena sat there and watched them, Monte said. 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.. 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. I heard shooting and got down. Ken Rex McElroy 1934-1981. Didnt see a thing. Thats the response investigators repeatedly received when they questioned people over the death of Ken McElroy. A federal grand jury was convened. That was the last failure of criminal justice.. There were as many as 60 witnesses, yet the crime remains unsolved. The towns local bar in Skidmore, Missouri. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. The town, on the other hand, hated him. McElroys rear window was shot out and the front window as well. THE KILLING OF KEN REX MCELROY THIRTY YEARS LATER. Despite the efforts of police, prosecutors and McElroys family, no one has been charged in the murder. Hed help anyone that needed to be helped, she said in an interview recounted in In Broad Daylight. 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. Dunbar talked to him, and [McElroy] pulled a gun on him, Monte said. Local authorities, including a coroners jury and a local grand jury, and even the FBI, investigated the killing but to no avail. Ken McElroy died in a hail of gunfire on the morning of July 10, 1981, while sitting in his truck outside a local tavern. Alice and Ken eventually separate. He found a macabre scene. I said it in 1981, and Ill say it now, Baird told Patch. 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. There wasn't much parental supervision, but McElroy had a knack for taking care of himself. Those in attendance felt the system had failed them, and it seemed like none of the authorities could stop McElroy. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead inside his pick-up truck on the 10th of July, 1981, via a storm of bullets. He showed up to the towns local bar, armed with a rifle and bayonet, threatening to kill the elderly grocer. 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. The streak ended when a jury convicted Mr. McElroy of second-degree assault in the grocers shooting. She took her complaint to at-the-time Nodaway County Sheriff Roger Cronk. McElroy was hit twice and died. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. In 1980, after a misunderstanding about a candy purchase from a Skidmore grocery store involving McElroys daughters, McElroy shot popular owner Bo Bowenkamp in the neck. [2], In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. Few were criticized as mightily as Baird over the lack of prosecution in McElroys murder. This led to several patrons deciding to see what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. In all, McElroy was indicted 21 times and managed to escape conviction every time. The case was later settled out of court by all parties for $17,600, with no one admitting guilt, for the stated reason of avoiding costly legal fees should the suit proceed. How could it? The meeting's entire purpose was to discuss what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. His foot fell to the accelerator when he was shot, causing the engine to run at full bore. He spent the night in jail before posting bond, then sauntered menacingly back into the D&G tavern and pool hall and took his usual spot. He dropped out of school at age 15 in the eighth grade and quickly established a local reputation as a cattle rustler, small-time thief, and womanizer. There's a long list of crimes said to have been committed by McElroy, including shooting multiple people. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. The murder of Ken Rex McElroy took place in plain view of dozens of residents of this small farm town, under the glare of the morning sun. McElroy was also accused of abusing his first two wives, Sharon and Alice, but Alice defended him in an interview shortly after his death. That it was a vigilante killing is not true for a lot of reasons; if they had decided to kill him, they wouldnt have stood in the street to watch the murder unfold, he said. 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. In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean / Via. Richard Stratton was ready. 1960: Ken moves his young girlfriendSally into his house with Sharon. He had been terrorizing Skidmore for years and he kept getting away with it. Ken Rex McElroy sat in his truck for over an hour before the law was called. McElroys wife was not injured and escaped the vehicle. In 1981, McElroy was convicted of shooting . But in a dramatic act of . *In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean 1988. Some people have attributed his strange behavior with this event. McElroys wifewhom he victimized as a childremarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri. Almost everyone, with the exception of Bo Bowenkamp, backed down. In the end, fear is what killed him, Goslee said. Things reached a boiling point in 1980 when Ken McElroy got into a confrontation with the towns elderly grocer, Ernest Bo Bowenkamp. Genealogy profile for Ken Rex McElroy Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) - Genealogy Genealogy for Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. No one bothered to turn it off. Like so many other small towns, Skidmore has shrunk inside itself, watching businesses close and residents depart. Both Sally and Sharon begin having Ken's children. In fact, anywhere between thirty and ninety people witnessed the . It's said the county's law enforcement officials were afraid of encountering McElroy, who was known to be heavily armed. He made no deathbed confession, but someone wrote in a memorial tribute that he was a good, brave man. McFadin, the lawyer who once told The New York Times the town got away with murder, is dead, too. His eyes just really put you in defense modehe really looked like a mean person.. Heavy lids veiled cold, steel-blue eyes, making them look like half moons. So the townspeople held a meeting. We didnt have sufficient evidence to go to trial.. The sheriff said, If you have to shoot him, let us know and well come get him before he starts stinking, Monte said. No one was ever accused of shoplifting, or stealing. June 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. 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. Stratton knew McElroy from a previous stop when he threatened the trooper with a shotgun. Best client I ever had, McFadin said in an interview. 1948: Approximately the time when Ken begins his small thefts as a young teenager. Town Mute for 30 Years About a Bullys Killing, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/us/16bully.html. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. By the time McElroy was shot dead under the glare of the morning sun on July 10, 1981, everybody feared his hair-trigger temper and brooding presence. McElroy was known to have stolen grain, alcohol, gasoline, antiques, and even livestock. Over the course of his life, McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. We might not see him for three or four days, and then wed see him every day for weeks, Monte said. The law had plenty of chances, plenty of times to lock him up., Added Monte: Justice failed everybody. On July 8, 1980, McElroy drove to the alley behind the Bowenkamp general store. Consisting of around 440 residents and a number of small family-run businesses, the farming town revolved around work ethic. An extensive federal investigation did not lead to any charges. 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. Local police, state investigators and FBI agents tried to break the towns silence, without success. October 20th, 1974: Ken McElroy marries Trena McCloud to get out of a statutory rape charge with Trena. I dont believe youre coming nowafter we needed your help all this time.. McElory was struck by two different firearms and died behind the wheel of his truck. The bar soon filled completely. One of these women was 24-year-old Trena McCloud, who was McElroy's partner. It was a matter of self-preservation. In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. There was a kind of silent charity on the part of my parents, and they never prosecuted. 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. July 10th, 1981: The Townspeople gather in the Legion to discuss what should be done about Ken McElroy. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. Over the next two years, three grand juries were empaneled and testimony taken. It's said that the meeting adjourned, and the crowd quietly descended upon the tavern, flanking McElroy's truck. When word spread that McElroy was in town, a couple of the men walked from the Legion hall to the D&G. It's worth noting that the abused defending their abuser often occurs in domestic violence cases. I have no doubt hed have tried to kill my mom. It was a misunderstanding, but one that made the Bowenkamps lives a living hell for months. In the summer of 1981, a jury handed McElroy his first-ever felony conviction for the lesser charge of second-degree assault. No one has been charged in connection with McElroys death.