Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. June 25th, 1981: Ken McElroy is sentenced to two years in jail. After the sheriff left town, the group walked from the hall and went down the street to the tavern. 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 dropped out of school before he reached high school, and by 13 was already a familiar character to the cops around Nodaway County. He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. Sixteen days after Trena gave birth, both she and Alice fled to Trena's mother's and stepfather's house. Like so many other small towns, Skidmore has shrunk inside itself, watching businesses close and residents depart. It was a misunderstanding, but one that made the Bowenkamps lives a living hell for months. Ken had 13 siblings: Hershell Eugene McElroy, Orvil O McElroy and 11 . As a result, he was arrested, but quickly released. You just didnt do that.. McFadin, McElroys lawyer, got the hearing postponed. After Sally had had three kids, Ken kicks her out of the house. There has been books written, movies, documentaries and more made about the killing. When you didnt know where he was, you didnt dare take the chance of not being on your guard.. There wasnt much parental supervision, but McElroy had a knack for taking care of himself. McElroys wifewhom he victimized as a childremarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri. There's a long list of crimes said to have been committed by McElroy, including shooting multiple people. 1952: Ken McElroy marries his first wife Oleta. He was arrested, booked, arraigned, and released on $2,500 bail. However, he was also charged with various crimes. The sheriff suggested they form a neighborhood watch and advised the group not to confront the man. There wasn't much parental supervision, but McElroy had a knack for taking care of himself. McElroys rear window was shot out and the front window as well. Those who spoke out were taciturn. No one was surprised. Over the next two years, three grand juries were empaneled and testimony taken. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in Skidmore, Missouri on July 10, 1981. Del Clement, the man Trena named as McElroy's killer, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2009. 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 sheriff said, If you have to shoot him, let us know and well come get him before he starts stinking, Monte said. [14] Trena remarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri, where she died of cancer on her 55th birthday on January 24, 2012.[15]. 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. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8iUdp33PqTsix2sGblEQZ8m5FQycC5D Vigilante justice, or cold-blooded murder?MERCH: We've got it! Some of these things are simply assumed to be factual, Baird said. Reporting on what you care about. To the residents of the small town, he was the town bully. July 1981: During the 1st week of July it was announced that there would be a delay in McElroy's bond hearing. As many as 60 people were reported to have been at the scene, but not one of them would say who had wielded the weapons. He went back home and was shot within a couple of days, explains Conger, editor of the Bethany Republican-Clipper. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. 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. In July 1976, McElroy pulled a shotgun on farmer Romaine Henry and shot the man in the stomach. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. Evelyn tried to explain what had happened, that nobody had accused the children of stealing, and Trena said, Why would my effing daughter lie? . 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. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. That was the last straw, MacLean said. The murder occurred in broad daylight, with as many as sixty eye-witnesses present . 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. June 12th, 1973: After continuing his involvement with Trena McCloud, Ken McElroy burns down Trena's parents' house. When the news that Ken and Trena went to the local bar that evening, everyone got up and made their way over. Carjackers Steal More Cars Many With Kids Still Inside, After Indulgent Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday Signals Abstinence, Fasting. [10] No one called for an ambulance. Ken Rex McElroy, a notoriously brutal man who had terrorized Skidmore, Mo., for years, was killed in 1981. However, in 1981, Trena told People magazine that the fire was a result of "faulty wiring.". 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. Additional charges were filed against McElroy.[7]. So the townspeople held a meeting. 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. In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri. *In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean 1988. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Only July 10, 1981, there was a meeting at the town hall, down the street from D&G Tavern. Our law enforcement never went after him very hard, he said. The last three decades have been tough on this agricultural community of 342, about an hour and a half north of Kansas City. Somebody would hear his name, and the legend grew bigger. No. 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. Some attributed his bizarre and violent behavior to a head injury suffered in this event. It's said that the meeting adjourned, and the crowd quietly descended upon the tavern, flanking McElroy's truck. Its never going to happen.. Shortly after, McElroy was arrested and charged with attempted murder. There was a kind of silent charity on the part of my parents, and they never prosecuted. Boyer was taking trajectory measurements at the crime scene when a town official chided him. Calling the sheriff about his threats was risk few were willing to take not that it would have done much good, Goslee said. I said it in 1981, and Ill say it now, Baird told Patch. [2][3] In 1981, McElroy was convicted of attempted murder in the shooting of the town's 70-year-old grocer Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp. 1955 or 56: Ken and Oleta McElroy move back to Missouri after Ken's accident in Colorado. His father was a tenant farmer, his mother a housewife swamped with feeding and caring for the sprawling family. To the residents of the small town, he was the town bully. 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. Three grand juries heard evidence. If those responsible for killing McElroy are vigilantes, its because the justice system made them that way, Monte said. 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.. McElroy escaped jail on an appeal bond and could remain free until he exhausted his appeals, free to taunt his victims with what had become painfully clear: He would never go to jail. [3] McElroy was acquitted. Ken McElroy died in a hail of gunfire on the morning of July 10, 1981, while sitting in his truck outside a local tavern. When word spread that McElroy was in town, a couple of the men walked from the Legion hall to the D&G. April 10th, 1972: After Alice runs away with their son, Ken McElroy gets into an altercation with Alice's stepfather and shoots him. The law had plenty of chances, plenty of times to lock him up., Added Monte: Justice failed everybody. Full Worm Moon: Will Conditions Favor A Moonbow? [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. I got in the car and was shaking so bad.. And his deeds were as daunting as his appearance. They settle in Skidmore. 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. Ken Rex McElroy was an illiterate hog farmer who lived on the outskirts of a small town in Northwest Missouri. The man asked, what are you doing here? Boyer remembers. 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They settle in Skidmore. But even after a federal prosecutor forwarded to Mr. Baird what he called substantial new evidence, no one was indicted. He was hit twice and died in his truck. 2023 by Catlyn Brady, Jennifer Partridge, & Kara Severson. Within hours, Mr. Baird heard that there had been a shooting downtown. They just went stone silent. It cruised up the street, came back and just sat there for 20 seconds, says Boyer, adding he couldnt prove it was McElroy but waited behind a tree with his shotgun just in case. June 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. Charismatic, with jet-black hair and piercing eyes, McElroy could sweet-talk his way around women and had been married three times by his early 40s. 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. In the end, fear is what killed him, Goslee said. 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. 1964: Ken meets another girlfriend named Alice Wood. More awful crimes have taken place in the small town. One of these women was 24-year-old Trena McCloud, who was McElroy's partner. Hed leave, then hed come back, Monte said. More awful crimes have taken place in the small town. 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. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. He was sure it was Mr. McElroy who had done the shooting. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. 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. Dozens of them gathered at Skidmores American Legion hall on the morning of July 10, 1981. Obsessed with travel? Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 - July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. Ken Rex McElroy 1934-1981. 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. Local police, state investigators and FBI agents tried to break the towns silence, without success. Mr. McElroy has been dead for almost three decades now, a round number that has residents here bracing for the next round of visits by reporters. Shortly after being released, McElroy was at D&G Tavern making threats about murdering Bowenkamp. He said he was not at all disappointed to leave office with the case still unsolved. He was punctual, always said he didnt do it, paid in cash and kept coming back.. The mere mention of his surname was enough to cause anxiety, if not full terror. You dont take cases to trial to see what might happen, the former prosecutor said. [4], McElroy fathered more than 10 children with different women. 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 local major-cases squad investigated, then the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They sacrificed one for the betterment of hundreds. He didnt have a bank account, didnt have a Social Security number, he didnt read. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. She died in 2012. 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.". 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. Vigilante justice is certainly a slippery slope, but after years of dealing with Ken McElroy, the people of Skidmore reached their boiling point. 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. His eyes just really put you in defense modehe really looked like a mean person.. The bar that provided the backdrop for the shooting is closed and for sale for $20,000. 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. He had been terrorizing Skidmore for years and he kept getting away with it. Once freed, McElroy didnt just quietly celebrate his victory. Now, nearly 30 years later, that prosecutor, David A. Baird, is preparing to leave office with his first and most famous case still unsolved. 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. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. Ken is later charged and arrested. 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. McElroy was in town and behaving belligerently.
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