In the summer of 1981, a jury handed McElroy his first-ever felony conviction for the lesser charge of second-degree assault. McElroy eventually left the tavern and got into his pickup truck with his wife, but the mob of people followed the pair outside. On July 10th, 1981 Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in the street in broad daylight infront of 60 witnesses. Why are you doing this? July 10th, 1981: The townspeople gather around Ken's truck once he and Trena exit the bar. 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In the decades preceding his murder, McElroy terrorized the denizens of Skidmore. 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. 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]. However, he was also charged with various crimes. McElroy first began his relationship with McCloud when she was 14 and the two had a child shortly thereafter. Local police, state investigators and FBI agents tried to break the towns silence, without success. In the end, fear is what killed him, Goslee said. Allegedly, even the mayor was in on it. 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. There wasn't much parental supervision, but McElroy had a knack for taking care of himself. June 25th, 1981: Ken McElroy is sentenced to two years in jail. Despite the efforts of police, prosecutors and McElroys family, no one has been charged in the murder. [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. Evelyn lived cross the street, and he made sure she could see them. I dont know what happened,' Boyer recalls witnesses saying. 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. 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. Full Worm Moon: Will Conditions Favor A Moonbow? He neutralized an entire criminal justice system.. 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. He put those skills to work rustling hogs and cattle, MacLean recounts. When the news that Ken and Trena went to the local bar that evening, everyone got up and made their way over. He made no deathbed confession, but someone wrote in a memorial tribute that he . The bar soon filled completely. He was a goodhearted person. 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. A writer and storyteller out in the world to write about True-Crime and History. A trial took place the following year and for the first time ever, Ken McElroy was convicted. We went to the police. Once there, he threatened Bo, and shot him in the neck at close range with a shotgun. When talking about McElroy, MacLean wondered how he was able to be so crafty. Again, there were no indictments, and the McElroy murder case was tossed back to Baird. Then, on a warm July night, McElroy shot my dad as he sat on the back loading dock of his store, waiting for an air conditioner repairman, Monte said. 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. McElroys wife named one person as a possible gunman, but no one couldor wouldidentify who fired the shots. Hed help anyone that needed to be helped, she said in an interview recounted in In Broad Daylight. [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. The story was thrust back to the forefront this month by No One Saw a Thing, a six-part Sundance TV docu-series exploring the moral ambiguity of frontier justice and the unspoken, yet universally intriguing, question: When, if ever, does someone like McElroy deserve to die? The clerk, Evelyn Sumy, was at the back of the store when the doors swung open. When Estes and state troopers arrived back in town, the streets were empty and quiet, save the rumbling, smoking engine of McElroys truck. He never finished high school but knew how to hunt, drive fast and navigate the back roads of Nodaway County by his early teens. When the shooting ended, McElroy was slumped over the steering wheel. What set off McElroy and put the local grocer in his crosshairs was the pettiest of offenses. No. Now, nearly 30 years later, that prosecutor, David A. Baird, is preparing to leave office with his first and most famous case still unsolved. McElroy was furious when he learned of the incident. He quit.. Richard McFadin, 87, a lawyer, now retired, who represented Mr. McElroy in numerous cases and, after the killing, his widow, said he believed there was enough evidence for a prosecution. Of the most serious, McElroy was accused of child molestation and statutory rape. [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. As many as 60 Skidmore residents attended, including the mayor and the sheriff. 1948: Approximately the time when Ken begins his small thefts as a young teenager. We went to the courts. [6] Trena and her baby were placed in foster care at a home in Maryville, Missouri. Its probably accurate that few outside of McElroys family shed tears over his death, but many Skidmore residents still struggle with the spectacle of a man violently and publicly killed. 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.. He left town just as Ken and Trena McElroy were driving in, likely passing McElroys Chevrolet Silverado pickup in his cruiser on the road. He believes one of the gunmen was the suspect named by the widow. It's said that the meeting adjourned, and the crowd quietly descended upon the tavern, flanking McElroy's truck. A deer slug in one chamber tore through Bowenkamps neck, coming within 3 inches of his head. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The murder of Ken Rex McElroy isn't 'unsolved' in the typical sense of the word. SKIDMORE, Mo. McElroy made a living leasing land near his farm, and trading and racing dogs. After dropping out of school in the eighth grade, it didnt take long for Ken McElroy to fall into a life of delinquency. However, when the matter came to trial, McElroys attorney produced a pair of witnesses who testified they were hunting with McElroy that day and he was nowhere near the scene of the shooting. The town got away with murder, Mr. McFadin said. The Mirny Diamond Mine Might Be The Most Mysterious Hole Ever, The Story Of Alain Lamare The Cop Who Moonlit As The Murderer He Was Trying To Catch, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Three grand juries heard evidence. Ken stalks the family afterwards, and on the 8th, Ken shoots Bo Bowenkamp. McElroy appealed the case and was released on bond. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! Ken McElroy issues threats against the Bowenkamp family. The law had plenty of chances, plenty of times to lock him up., Added Monte: Justice failed everybody. What happened in Skidmore that day wasnt much different than the completely predictable result from shaking a carbonated beverage until the top finally blows. No one has been indicted for the murder of McElroy. Then, on the night of July 8, 1980, McElroy shot 70-year-old Skidmore grocer Ernst Bo Bowenkamp, unwittingly setting up his own murder a year later. [Stream episodes of Accused: Guilty or Innocent? June 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. They settle in Skidmore. Not only that, they recommended he spend no more than two years in prison. A girl from a poor, rural family, McElroy had begun having sex with her when she was barely fourteen. The bar that provided the backdrop for the shooting is closed and for sale for $20,000. Yes, its against the law, but you know, the law is not the final definitive word on him. Someone warned her, Youre about to meet Ken Rex McElroy, Monte said. Yet the identity of McElroys killer is a public secret Skidmore has kept for 38 years. They could have pushed and dug, pushed and dug and gotten nothing., We were so bitter and so angry at the law letting us down that it came to somebody taking matters in their own hands, she said. 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. One of these women was 24-year-old Trena McCloud, who was McElroy's partner. Anyone can read what you share. McCloud attempted to escape to her parents' house, but McElroy allegedly responded by burning down Trena's parents' home and shooting their dog. Del Clement, the man Trena named as McElroy's killer, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2009. 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.. Investigators dug and dug, but Skidmore residents maintained their silence. There is pretty much nothing in existence that was not stolen by McElroy during his 47 years. He had been terrorizing Skidmore for years and he kept getting away with it. His unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. They could finally sleep peacefully at night, especially Bo and Lois Bowenkamp and their children. 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. Ken Rex McElroy was born on month day 1934, at birth place, Missouri, to Anthony Wyatt McElroy and Mable Marie McElroy (born Lister). Best client I ever had, McFadin said in an interview. 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. Just to be aware, he explained. Known as 'the town bully', his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. You know what he was like. McElroys rear window was shot out and the front window as well. 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. Bullet casings from two different guns were found. Heavy lids veiled cold, steel-blue eyes, making them look like half moons. Many buildings are closed and falling apart. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. How could it? The sheriff suggested they form a neighborhood watch and advised the group not to confront the man. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. As Trena told the story to reporters, a group of men followed them as they left the D&G. Over the next two years, three grand juries were empaneled and testimony taken. Town Mute for 30 Years About a Bullys Killing, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/us/16bully.html. Everyone was keeping an eye on us. Ken Rex McElroy, a notoriously brutal man who had terrorized Skidmore, Mo., for years, was killed in 1981. [8] At the trial, two raccoon hunters testified they were with McElroy the day of the shooting away from Henry's property. The DA declined to press charges and the following investigation proved to be futile. In 2019, the McElroy killing was the subject of a docuseries on SundanceTV. It was a misunderstanding, but one that made the Bowenkamps lives a living hell for months. Witnessing the murder were McElroys wife, Trena, screaming in the passenger seat and dozens of local residents. In all, there were 46 potential witnesses to the shooting, including Trena McElroy, who was in the truck with her husband when he was shot. At least some of the witnesses surely knew who fired the bullet that shattered the back window of McElroys truck and blew off the back of his head. 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. Ken Rex McElroy, whose still-unsolved murder outside of the local tavern inspired a book and movie both entitled "In Broad Daylight" was known to both of Scott's parents. Women had a harder time with it than the men. McElroy sat outside the foster home for hours at a time staring at it. According to reports, some 50 people were outside the tavern when the shooting started. The larger-than-life bully who menaced the farming community of Skidmore died in seconds. The rumor was that he had drowned her father in a bathtub when he had objected to what he was doing to his daughter. Ken Rex McElroy Jr. - Biography - IMDb Edit Ken Rex McElroy Jr. 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. SKIDMORE, Mo. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro Ken Rex McElroy Jr. 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. Alas, the victory was short-lived. The person(s) responsible for firing the shots that killed McElroy remains unsolved. McElroy was never a popular man. If they thought it was getting too out of hand, they would send one of us up and down the aisle. Once freed, McElroy didnt just quietly celebrate his victory. 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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. But justice is a loaded term in a case that challenges the usual assumptions of victim and perpetrator. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 - July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. Tensions in Skidmore soared as McElroys trial neared. 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. July 1981: During the 1st week of July it was announced that there would be a delay in McElroy's bond hearing. Boyer was out showing a trainee the ropes when he got the call of a shooting in Skidmore. Police had charged him with various alleged crimes from stealing hogs to assault, but nothing stuck. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. Dec. 15, 2010. Missouri-based journalist Steve Booher described the attitude of some townspeople as, "He needed killing. The last three decades have been tough on this agricultural community of 342, about an hour and a half north of Kansas City. Shortly after, McElroy was arrested and charged with attempted murder. As he sat drinking at the bar, word got back to the men at the Legion Hall that he was in town. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! A couple of men hustled Trena to a nearby bank, away from the gunfire. They settle in Skidmore. The verdict was second-degree assault and two years. She gathered her strength and put the car in reverse. Trena McElroy accused Skidmore residents of turning her husband into a scapegoat. 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 . The mere mention of his surname was enough to cause anxiety, if not full terror. 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. Someone shot at McElroy while he was sitting in his truck. [6], Based on Trena's story, McElroy was indicted in June 1973 for arson, assault, and statutory rape. If you were to go to Skidmore today, there isn't much to see. He said he was not at all disappointed to leave office with the case still unsolved. . CHAPTER ONE. [14] Trena remarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri, where she died of cancer on her 55th birthday on January 24, 2012.[15]. He was shot at several times and hit twice, once by a centerfire rifle and once by a .22 rimfire rifle. The local major-cases squad investigated, then the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 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. That was the last failure of criminal justice.. [4], McElroy fathered more than 10 children with different women. No one has ever been brought to trial in Mr. McElroys death, and, although there is no statute of limitations on murder, most people around here suspect that no one ever will be. [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. Nodaway County Sheriff Dan Estes suggested they form a neighborhood watch. Ken Rex McElroy 1934-1981. For example, one of the owners of the D&G tavern would send her young children to the grocery store for paper towels, keeping the children innocently unaware they were telegraphing an urgent message for the Bowenkamps to call the police. All Rights Reserved. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. 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! 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 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. 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 media descended on Skidmore after the killing, an event that continues to define the people of the small town to the world at times with wildly exaggerated versions of what happened. McElroy was in town and behaving belligerently. Murder is still murder. 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. 1964: Ken meets another girlfriend named Alice Wood. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in Skidmore, Missouri on July 10, 1981. Biography Mini Bio (1) Ken Rex McElroy Jr. is known for No One Saw a Thing (2019). He was freed on bond. Actually, I think those shooters saved lives in the end, she said. Ken McElroy died in a hail of gunfire on the morning of July 10, 1981, while sitting in his truck outside a local tavern. He leaves Sharon to move in with Alice.
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