Evelyn tried to explain what had happened, that nobody had accused the children of stealing, and Trena said, Why would my effing daughter lie? . [6], Based on Trena's story, McElroy was indicted in June 1973 for arson, assault, and statutory rape. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8iUdp33PqTsix2sGblEQZ8m5FQycC5D Vigilante justice, or cold-blooded murder?MERCH: We've got it! Neither Baird nor MacLean, whose crime novel has been praised as an accurate account of McElroys killing, buy that. Within a few years, she had had four children by him. 1958: Ken McElroy becomes involved with a young woman named Sharon. 1954: While working for his sister's husband in construction, McElroy suffers a traumatic head injury that leaves him with lifelong pain. He dropped out of school before he reached high school, and by 13 was already a familiar character to the cops around Nodaway County. 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 murder of Ken Rex McElroy isn't 'unsolved' in the typical sense of the word. As the case dragged on without a court date, Henry said McElroy had parked outside his home at least 100 times. They could have pushed and dug, pushed and dug and gotten nothing, said Huston. His father was a tenant farmer, his mother a housewife swamped with feeding and caring for the sprawling family. The morning of July 10, 1981, a group of frustrated and angry men gathered at the Legion Hall in Skidmore, MacLean writes. [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. She took her complaint to at-the-time Nodaway County Sheriff Roger Cronk. It's hard to believe that this small town was once a bustlingcommunity. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. In August of 1980, McElroy made attempts to intimidate the Bowenkamp family and their supporters to prevent them from testifying. Here are 13 things you need to know about Ken McElroy and his death before you tune into No One Saw A Thing, premiering this Thursday, Aug. 1, pulled from sources including Harry MacLean,. It was a misunderstanding, but one that made the Bowenkamps lives a living hell for months. The witnesses all claimed they had seen nothing. The townspeople organized a caravan to escort the witnesses to the hearing both to protect them and to show solidarity. But Ken rarely had to wrestle with the What happened in Skidmore that day wasnt much different than the completely predictable result from shaking a carbonated beverage until the top finally blows. 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. The murder occurred in broad daylight, with as many as sixty eye-witnesses present, including the wife of the deceased. 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. He found a macabre scene. As Trena told the story to reporters, a group of men followed them as they left the D&G. He met his last wife, Trena McCloud (19572012), when she was 12 years old and in eighth grade. In April 1980, Trena McElroy told her husband a clerk in the Bowenkamps store had accused their 4-year-old daughter of stealing penny candy. The FBI entered the case stiff-arming and threatening people, is how Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, relates it. The meeting's entire purpose was to discuss what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. The murder occurred in broad daylight, with as many as sixty eye-witnesses present . Buzzfeeds Unsolved Network produced a 24-minute true crime documentary on the shooting. The town has seen more than its share of tragedy. Instead, he continued to harass Bowenkamp. His father was a tenant farmer, his mother a housewife swamped with feeding and caring for the sprawling family. However, he was also charged with various crimes. McElroy was never a popular man. His successor, Robert Rice, already knew how Mr. McElroy died. If they thought it was getting too out of hand, they would send one of us up and down the aisle. 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. The DA declined to press charges and the following investigation proved to be futile. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. Ken Rex McElroy 1934-1981. He stood silently at the back of the store, but his wife tore into Sumy in an argument laced with four-letter bombs, Monte said. 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. 1948: Approximately the time when Ken begins his small thefts as a young teenager. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! 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. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. How did this uneducated person how is he able to outwit the criminal justice system for 20 years? said MacLean. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. [2], In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. And he has already asked the sheriffs office to re-examine some of the unsolved cases. McElroy was in town and behaving belligerently. Ken McElroy died in a hail of gunfire on the morning of July 10, 1981, while sitting in his truck outside a local tavern. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. McElroy made a living leasing land near his farm, and trading and racing dogs. The objective is to promote history on Medium and demonstrate the value of historical writing. The case inspired a book, In Broad Daylight by Harry McLean, and a 1991 TV movie of the same name starring Brian Dennehy. If we could have proved who done it, he would have prosecuted him, said Mr. Riddle, 72 and also retired, who describes the case as the most frustrating of his career. [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. June 29th, 1981: McElroy enters a bar with an illegal firearm, due to him being out on bail. . You know how he oppressed and threatened us. McElroy appealed the case and was released on bond. After dropping out of school in the eighth grade, it didn't take long for Ken McElroy to fall into a life of delinquency. He went back home and was shot within a couple of days, explains Conger, editor of the Bethany Republican-Clipper. On July 8, 1980, McElroy drove to the alley behind the Bowenkamp general store. McElroy was born in 1934, the fifteenth of sixteen children born to a poor . Ken is later charged and arrested. She gathered her strength and put the car in reverse. 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. All Rights Reserved. Vigilante justice is certainly a slippery slope, but after years of dealing with Ken McElroy, the people of Skidmore reached their boiling point. I dont believe youre coming nowafter we needed your help all this time.. A reported crowd of up to 60 men had largely dispersed, but some onlookers remained, staring at the pickup. McElroy began stalking the Bowenkamp family, and eventually threatened Bo Bowenkamp in the back of his store with a shotgun in hand. Ken Rex McElroy was an American known as "the town bully" of Skidmore, Missouri. The rumor was that he had drowned her father in a bathtub when he had objected to what he was doing to his daughter. 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Author Harry MacLean wrote a book McElroys story called In Broad Daylight. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead inside his pick-up truck on the 10th of July, 1981, via a storm of bullets. It's hard to believe that this small town was once a bustlingcommunity. McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. Known as 'the town bully', his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. Anywhere from 30 to 90 people watched the 47-year-old McElroy die in an act that ended his decade-long reign of terror over the people of Skidmore. [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. Everyone was so uncomfortable and scared.. McElroy started his pickup and the sound of shots pierced the silence. 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.. Henry survived and McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. Only July 10, 1981, there was a meeting at the town hall, down the street from D&G Tavern. What set off McElroy and put the local grocer in his crosshairs was the pettiest of offenses. Trena dove from the truck and was taken to safety. 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. Consisting of around 440 residents and a number of small family-run businesses, the farming town revolved around work ethic. 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. "[13], McElroy was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Joseph, Missouri. This six-episode true-crime docuseries comes from Sundance TV and premiered last August. McElroy was spinning so hard out of control, I have no doubt he would have tried to kill my dad again, given the chance. According to court records, McElroy tracked them down and brought them back. 1 or 2 men (unclear) took guns and shot Ken Rex McElroy dead in his truck. The clerk, Evelyn Sumy, was at the back of the store when the doors swung open. The law wasnt going to help the people of Skidmore. There is pretty much nothing in existence that was not stolen by McElroy during his 47 years. 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. Tell us what you think in the comments below. I didnt see anything. McElroy denied he was at the scene. 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. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. Tensions in Skidmore soared as McElroys trial neared. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. One of the killers has died. On the morning of July 10, 1981, townspeople met at the Legion Hall in the center of town with Sheriff Estes to discuss how to protect themselves. It really is that it was never spoken of they had an instinctive reaction to close up. According to reports, some 50 people were outside the tavern when the shooting started. The police would not or could not help us or Skidmore. A man who turned out to be McElroy pointed a shotgun at me, Margaret tells A&E True Crime. Stratton knew McElroy from a previous stop when he threatened the trooper with a shotgun. He torched the home and shot the dogagainafter the girl went into hiding with her and McElroys baby. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. Almost everyone, with the exception of Bo Bowenkamp, backed down. He made no deathbed confession, but someone wrote in a memorial tribute that he . 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. A&E, Rolling Stone, Playboy, 60 Minutes, and other media outlets covered the story in print or television. He was very cunning, MacLean told Patch. Ken Rex McElroy Jr. - Biography - IMDb Edit Ken Rex McElroy Jr. No one bothered to turn it off. July 10th, 1981: The Townspeople gather in the Legion to discuss what should be done about Ken McElroy. Missouri-based journalist Steve Booher described the attitude of some townspeople as, "He needed killing. He showed up to the towns local bar, armed with a rifle and bayonet, threatening to kill the elderly grocer. They settle in Skidmore. McElroy was known to have stolen grain, alcohol, gasoline, antiques, and even livestock. Watch the new and 7th season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime! 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. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8iUdp33PqTsix2sGblEQZ8m5FQycC5D Vigilante justice, or. But in a dramatic act of . The townsfolk were infuriated. Ken Rex McElroy was an American known as "the town bully" of Skidmore, Missouri. He was a goodhearted person. 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. The trial collapsed yet all accounts are sceptical that the witnesses were telling the . More awful crimes have taken place in the small town. The bar soon filled completely. No one called for an ambulance. Five or six of us were standing in front of the Skidmore Caf, waiting and passing the time. He was as mean as he looked, but there was more to his baleful demeanor, said Colorado lawyer and author Harry MacLean, who lived with a prominent Skidmore farm family off and on for about five years while he researched In Broad Daylight, a New York Times bestseller chronicling McElroys life and death. Looking back, the justice system had as much to do with killing Ken McElroy as anyone in Skidmore did.. She was present at the time of his death. A memorial in the tiny downtown park displays the name of an expectant mother murdered six years ago, her fetus cut from her womb. His unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. Sheriff Estes instructed the assembled group not to get into a direct confrontation with McElroy, but instead seriously consider forming a neighborhood watch program. We went to the police. The citizens decided to go to the tavern en masse. (Editors Note: Patch Deputy National Editor Beth Dalbey grew up on a farm about 10 miles from Skidmore, Missouri.). 1964: Ken meets another girlfriend named Alice Wood. Trena McElroy fingered a local rancher as one of the gunmen, but he denied the claim. 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. His foot fell to the accelerator when he was shot, causing the engine to run at full bore. He quit.. He begins to rant about how he is going to ruin Bo Bowenkamp. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. McElroy raped a 12-year-old girl and, to avoid statutory rape charges, he divorced his wife at the time and married the child when she was 14 and pregnant with their baby. 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 found not guilty. Again, there were no indictments, and the McElroy murder case was tossed back to Baird. Reached by phone, Mr. McElroys wife, who has since remarried and left the state, said she was not interested in talking about the case. A couple of men hustled Trena to a nearby bank, away from the gunfire. 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. July 1981: During the 1st week of July it was announced that there would be a delay in McElroy's bond hearing. Just to be aware, he explained. McElroys wifewhom he victimized as a childremarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri. We had shoplifting, but a lot of people were on hard times. Del Clement, the man Trena named as McElroys killer, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2009. In fact, anywhere between thirty and ninety people witnessed the . Once there, he threatened Bo, and shot him in the neck at close range with a shotgun. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. McElroy was a big man with cold eyes who always carried a gun. After McElroy fired a gun outside her house, Evelyn Sumy appealed to Dave Dunbar, the town marshal. 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 said he was not at all disappointed to leave office with the case still unsolved. Mable was born on February 28 1897, in Dover, Shawnee County, KS, USA. Mr. McElroy was quickly rearrested after he appeared in town with a rifle, but he was again released. 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. 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. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. [8] At the trial, two raccoon hunters testified they were with McElroy the day of the shooting away from Henry's property. Murder is still murder. But not that one. A lot of people were not happy about what happened, MacLean said. After McElroy finished his drinks, he purchased a six pack of beer, left the bar, and entered his pickup truck. If you were to go to Skidmore today, there isn't much to see. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. 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. His last wife, Trena, became pregnant with their first child at age 14. June 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. 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. McElroy was accused of raping two young women, as young as 12 years old, both of whom he was said to have "married" to keep them from testifying against him. Some attributed his bizarre and violent behavior to a head injury suffered in this event. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 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. Dozens of them gathered at Skidmores American Legion hall on the morning of July 10, 1981. 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.". Calling the sheriff about his threats was risk few were willing to take not that it would have done much good, Goslee said. Perversely, the towns share of tragedy has grown. Often, witnesses changed their mind about testifying before trials began, MacLean said, and if a case did make it to trial, a juror might open the mailbox to find a rattlesnake. Ken Rex McElroy was a 6-foot, 270 pounds, dark-complexioned, blue-eyed man who lived in Skidmore, Missouri. Weighing in at approximately 270 pounds with bushy black sideburns, McElroy held the entire . This led to several patrons deciding to see what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. If those responsible for killing McElroy are vigilantes, its because the justice system made them that way, Monte said. Our law enforcement never went after him very hard, he said. His eyes just really put you in defense modehe really looked like a mean person.. Was justice served? [1][3] The next day, McElroy was shot to death in broad daylight as he sat with his wife Trena in his pickup truck on Skidmore's main street.
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