She took her complaint to at-the-time Nodaway County Sheriff Roger Cronk. 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. McElroy denied he was at the scene. 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. McElroy started his pickup and the sound of shots pierced the silence. A trial took place the following year and for the first time ever, Ken McElroy was convicted. And he has already asked the sheriffs office to re-examine some of the unsolved cases. I said it in 1981, and Ill say it now, Baird told Patch. Is dumpster diving legal in Missouri and Illinois? 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. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. 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? 1 or 2 men (unclear) took guns and shot Ken Rex McElroy dead in his truck. [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. Those in attendance felt the system had failed them, and it seemed like none of the authorities could stop McElroy. Gene McFadin, McElroys nickel-slick lawyer from Kansas City could get Ken off every time, Kirby Goslee, a 71-year-old Skidmore farmer who still works the land his family homesteaded six generations ago, told Patch. He believes one of the gunmen was the suspect named by the widow. 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. No. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. 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. Everyone involved continues to keep the secret and gives no answers. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Del Clement, the man Trena named as McElroy's killer, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2009. They just went stone silent. 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. 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. That was the last failure of criminal justice.. Stratton knew McElroy from a previous stop when he threatened the trooper with a shotgun. One account even said that McElroy rode into town on a horse and was shot and killed, Baird, the former prosecutor, said. July 10th, 1981: The Townspeople gather in the Legion to discuss what should be done about Ken McElroy. If you were to go to Skidmore today, there isn't much to see. No. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. 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. His foot fell to the accelerator when he was shot, causing the engine to run at full bore. Hed leave, then hed come back, Monte said. What happened in Skidmore that day wasnt much different than the completely predictable result from shaking a carbonated beverage until the top finally blows. McElroy was furious when he learned of the incident. In what could only be described as vigilante justice, they conspired to kill Ken McElroy. Dozens of them gathered at Skidmores American Legion hall on the morning of July 10, 1981. After Sally had had three kids, Ken kicks her out of the house. There wasn't much parental supervision, but McElroy had a knack for taking care of himself. Some attributed his bizarre and violent behavior to a head injury suffered in this event. The towns local bar in Skidmore, Missouri. He leaves Sharon to move in with Alice. Its been over 30 years. Allegedly, even the mayor was in on it. 1960: Ken moves his young girlfriendSally into his house with Sharon. Despite the efforts of police, prosecutors and McElroys family, no one has been charged in the murder. We went to the courts. 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. 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. Best client I ever had, McFadin said in an interview. The DA declined to press charges and the following investigation proved to be futile. McElroy would just sit and glower at you just stare at you and youd never know what he was thinking.. Mable was born on February 28 1897, in Dover, Shawnee County, KS, USA. 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. McElroy was also accused of abusing his first two wives, Sharon and Alice, but Alice defended him in an interview shortly after his death. Like so many other small towns, Skidmore has shrunk inside itself, watching businesses close and residents depart. 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. Heavy lids veiled cold, steel-blue eyes, making them look like half moons. After McElroy fired a gun outside her house, Evelyn Sumy appealed to Dave Dunbar, the town marshal. To the residents of the small town, he was the town bully. 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. She died in 2012. 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. RELATED: 10 Of The Best Docuseries You Should Be Watching Now Each episode is around 40 minutes each and contains dramatic and intimate . Trena jumped from the truck and a man helped her to safety. 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. In fact, anywhere between thirty and ninety people witnessed the . [8] At the trial, two raccoon hunters testified they were with McElroy the day of the shooting away from Henry's property. 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. Additional charges were filed against McElroy.[7]. 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. They could finally sleep peacefully at night, especially Bo and Lois Bowenkamp and their children. [6], Based on Trena's story, McElroy was indicted in June 1973 for arson, assault, and statutory rape. 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. Somebody would hear his name, and the legend grew bigger. He met his last wife, Trena McCloud (19572012), when she was 12 years old and in eighth grade. 1954: While working for his sister's husband in construction, McElroy suffers a traumatic head injury that leaves him with lifelong pain. He was arrested, booked, arraigned, and released on $2,500 bail. As he packed up his office last week, he gave his successor a memo that listed a dozen or so unsolved cases in Nodaway County including, down toward the end, the killing of Mr. McElroy. The Story Of Ken McElroy The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town. Its never going to happen.. In 1981, McElroy was convicted of shooting . July 1981: During the 1st week of July it was announced that there would be a delay in McElroy's bond hearing. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8iUdp33PqTsix2sGblEQZ8m5FQycC5D Vigilante justice, or cold-blooded murder?MERCH: We've got it! A museum dedicated to Skidmore, Mo., sits on Elm Street, the towns main drag. CHAPTER ONE. Ken Rex McElroy was born on month day 1934, at birth place, Missouri, to Anthony Wyatt McElroy and Mable Marie McElroy (born Lister). He found a macabre scene. As there were no witnesses, nobody was able to take the stand. This six-episode true-crime docuseries comes from Sundance TV and premiered last August. All Rights Reserved. Then McElroy, described by veteran journalist Phil Conger as a big brute of a guy with slicked-back hair like Elvis, took the stand. She died in 2012. [6] Trena and her baby were placed in foster care at a home in Maryville, Missouri. 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. Trena McElroy remarried and had a fairly normal life, refusing interviews after she left Skidmore. He was hit twice and died in his truck. His unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. Were the citizens justified in taking matters into their own hands? When word spread that McElroy was in town, a couple of the men walked from the Legion hall to the D&G. It's said the county's law enforcement officials were afraid of encountering McElroy, who was known to be heavily armed. McElroy was in town and behaving belligerently. 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. Alas, the victory was short-lived. Refusing to argue, he and Lois went home. 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. Hed help anyone that needed to be helped, she said in an interview recounted in In Broad Daylight. 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. Posted on July 14, 2011 by Harry. Born in 1934, Ken Rex McElroy was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8iUdp33PqTsix2sGblEQZ8m5FQycC5D Vigilante justice, or. [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. Within hours, Mr. Baird heard that there had been a shooting downtown. You know how he oppressed and threatened us. Some people have attributed his strange behavior with this event. The trial collapsed yet all accounts are sceptical that the witnesses were telling the . Three grand juries heard evidence. But even after a federal prosecutor forwarded to Mr. Baird what he called substantial new evidence, no one was indicted. 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. One of the killers has died. A couple of men hustled Trena to a nearby bank, away from the gunfire. The McElroys eventually left the store, but when Bowenkamp closed up that night, he was outside, waiting. No one called for an ambulance. In 2019, the McElroy killing was the subject of a docuseries on SundanceTV. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. MacLean doesnt believe the men gathered at the Legion hall that morning ever made a group decision to kill McElroy. I have no doubt hed have tried to kill my mom. in the A&E App.]. 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 . September 2nd, 1982: Keven though there were over sixty witnesses, no one came forward to name the shooter. It failed McElroy, too, because it failed to protect him from himself. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. He would intimidate anyone who got in his way, usually by repeatedly harassing them or threatening them with a bullet. "[13], McElroy was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Joseph, Missouri. McElroy was a big man with cold eyes who always carried a gun. Yet the identity of McElroys killer is a public secret Skidmore has kept for 38 years. Looking back, the justice system had as much to do with killing Ken McElroy as anyone in Skidmore did.. McElroy was never a popular man. Not only that, they recommended he spend no more than two years in prison. 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. Watch the new and 7th season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime! Filmmaker Avi Belkin's 'No One Saw a Thing . The death of Ken Rex McElroy is a perplexing case that has hung heavy over the town of Skidmore, Missouri for decades. Sixteen days after Trena gave birth, both she and Alice fled to Trena's mother's and stepfather's house. The meeting broke up after participants learned McElroy and Trena were at the D&G Tavern. 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. The Vigilantemurder of Ken Rex McElroy still remains a mystery today. 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. Only July 10, 1981, there was a meeting at the town hall, down the street from D&G Tavern. The murder occurred in broad daylight, with as many as sixty eye-witnesses present . McElroy appealed the case and was released on bond. He appeared in a local bar, the D&G Tavern, armed with an M1 Garand rifle and bayonet, and later threatened to kill Bowenkamp.

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