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. Tell us what you think in the comments below. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! In 1980, one of McElroy's children got into an argument with a clerk, Evelyn Sumy, in a local grocery store owned by 70-year-old Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp and his wife Lois, allegedly because the young McElroy child tried to steal some candy. McElroy started his pickup and the sound of shots pierced the silence. [6], Based on Trena's story, McElroy was indicted in June 1973 for arson, assault, and statutory rape. October 20th, 1974: Ken McElroy marries Trena McCloud to get out of a statutory rape charge with Trena. 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. Over the next two years, three grand juries were empaneled and testimony taken. 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. Known for stealing livestock, harassing women, destroying property and threatening lives, Mr. McElroy had been charged with numerous felonies over the years his lawyer estimated at least three a year but had never been convicted. 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. Weighing in at approximately 270 pounds with bushy black sideburns, McElroy held the entire . 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. 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. What happened in Skidmore that day wasnt much different than the completely predictable result from shaking a carbonated beverage until the top finally blows. But justice is a loaded term in a case that challenges the usual assumptions of victim and perpetrator. [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. He was charged with wading through the sensational details and moral ambiguities of the case to ensure that, in his words, justice was served. Everyone involved continues to keep the secret and gives no answers. Of the most serious, McElroy was accused of child molestation and statutory rape. Police had charged him with various alleged crimes from stealing hogs to assault, but nothing stuck. You know how he oppressed and threatened us. When word spread that McElroy was in town, a couple of the men walked from the Legion hall to the D&G. We went to the police. We went to the courts. 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. McCloud was McElroy's third "wife," though all unions were suspicious due to the fact that some of his marriages overlapped. As Trena told the story to reporters, a group of men followed them as they left the D&G. 1955 or 56: Ken and Oleta McElroy move back to Missouri after Ken's accident in Colorado. Yet the identity of McElroys killer is a public secret Skidmore has kept for 38 years. Then you can read about chilling cold cases where the murderers and victims were both unknown. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. The sheriff suggested they form a neighborhood watch and advised the group not to confront the man. The town has seen more than its share of tragedy. [Stream episodes of Accused: Guilty or Innocent? As he sat drinking at the bar, word got back to the men at the Legion Hall that he was in town. 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. They had to look out for themselves. Once freed, McElroy didnt just quietly celebrate his victory. Skidmore townsfolk may not all have liked how he was killed it was murder, after all but when he died, most of the towns 435 residents let out a heavy sigh of relief. Trena McElroy remarried and had a fairly normal life, refusing interviews after she left Skidmore. He was accused or suspected of dozens of crimes, including theft, livestock rustling, burglary, arson, assault, rape, and child molestation. As many as 60 Skidmore residents attended, including the mayor and the sheriff. McElroy was born in 1934, the fifteenth of sixteen children born to a poor . As a result, he was arrested, but quickly released. He was known as "the town bully",[1] and his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. That they had guns at the ready wasnt unusual. *In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean 1988. Local police, state investigators and FBI agents tried to break the towns silence, without success. His father was a tenant farmer, his mother a housewife swamped with feeding and caring for the sprawling family. 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. Ken Rex McElroy was an American known as "the town bully" of Skidmore, Missouri. Missouri-based journalist Steve Booher described the attitude of some townspeople as, "He needed killing. There's a long list of crimes said to have been committed by McElroy, including shooting multiple people. A lot of them didnt even tell their wives and children. Investigators found shell casings from two weapons a .22-caliber Magnum rifle and an 8 mm Mauser, a German World War I-era long-range rifle. There is pretty much nothing in existence that was not stolen by McElroy during his 47 years. 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. It's worth noting that the abused defending their abuser often occurs in domestic violence cases. The last three decades have been tough on this agricultural community of 342, about an hour and a half north of Kansas City. Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. Author Harry MacLean wrote a book McElroys story called In Broad Daylight. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. The Story Of Ken McElroy The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town. 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. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. He neutralized an entire criminal justice system.. A federal grand jury was convened. As his long tenure comes to an end questions about the lack of resolution in the murder case perhaps the most infamous in the area since Jesse James was shot nearby a century earlier continue to follow Mr. Baird. Del Clement, the man Trena named as McElroys killer, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2009. We stood up and did the right thing. 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 went about making public threats against the grocer while armed with a rifle. Watch the new and 7th season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime! Town Mute for 30 Years About a Bullys Killing, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/us/16bully.html. Its been over 30 years. He showed back up in front of their house that night, and he and Trena sat there and watched them, Monte said. That was the last failure of criminal justice.. 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. [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. 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.". McElroy was a big man with cold eyes who always carried a gun. Ken Rex McElroy was an illiterate hog farmer who lived on the outskirts of a small town in Northwest Missouri. [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. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. Another was McElroys intimidation tactics, MacLean writes. 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. No one bothered to turn it off. BuzzFeed McElroy allegedly stole livestock, grain, gasoline,. 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. Ken Rex McElroy Jr. - Biography - IMDb Edit Ken Rex McElroy Jr. But in a dramatic act of . 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. Two people decided in the midst of that whole incident theyd had enough, MacLean said. The justice system just crashed and burned over this case.. The law had plenty of chances, plenty of times to lock him up., Added Monte: Justice failed everybody. McElroy was spinning so hard out of control, I have no doubt he would have tried to kill my dad again, given the chance. The murder took place on July 10, 1981, the day after McElroy had threatened Bowenkamp at the tavern. 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. After McElroy finished his drinks, he purchased a six pack of beer, left the bar, and entered his pickup truck. McElroy would just sit and glower at you just stare at you and youd never know what he was thinking.. We had shoplifting, but a lot of people were on hard times. Within a few years, she had had four children by him. I dont believe youre coming nowafter we needed your help all this time.. The couple then moved to Colorado. 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. The death of Ken Rex McElroy is a perplexing case that has hung heavy over the town of Skidmore, Missouri for decades. A reported crowd of up to 60 men had largely dispersed, but some onlookers remained, staring at the pickup. Ken Rex McElroy, a notoriously brutal man who had terrorized Skidmore, Mo., for years, was killed in 1981. Once there, he threatened Bo, and shot him in the neck at close range with a shotgun. A man who turned out to be McElroy pointed a shotgun at me, Margaret tells A&E True Crime. Trena dove from the truck and was taken to safety. The towns local bar in Skidmore, Missouri. 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. Dunbar talked to him, and [McElroy] pulled a gun on him, Monte said. A couple of men hustled Trena to a nearby bank, away from the gunfire. Boyer was taking trajectory measurements at the crime scene when a town official chided him. A&E, Rolling Stone, Playboy, 60 Minutes, and other media outlets covered the story in print or television. More awful crimes have taken place in the small town. Title Directed by Original air date U.S. viewers (millions) 1 "The Killing of Ken Rex McElroy" Avi Belkin: August 1, 2019 (): N/A: Known as the town bully, Ken Rex McElroy terrorized tiny Skidmore, Missouri, for decades.On July 10, 1981, the town had had enough and 60 people surrounded his pick-up truck and shot him dead on Main Street--but no one claimed to have seen a thing. She was present at the time of his death. Perversely, the towns share of tragedy has grown. Full Worm Moon: Will Conditions Favor A Moonbow? However, he was also charged with various crimes. 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. June 12th, 1973: After continuing his involvement with Trena McCloud, Ken McElroy burns down Trena's parents' house. After McElroy fired a gun outside her house, Evelyn Sumy appealed to Dave Dunbar, the town marshal. The stories of McElroy's relationships contain some troubling details, but the information is important to paint the full picture. It's hard to believe that this small town was once a bustlingcommunity. 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. None of the witnesses called an ambulance or gave information about a shooter. He torched the home and shot the dogagainafter the girl went into hiding with her and McElroys baby. McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. A girl from a poor, rural family, McElroy had begun having sex with her when she was barely fourteen. His unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. 1960: Ken moves his young girlfriendSally into his house with Sharon. The Cold Case Murders That Keep Retired Detectives Up at Night, Citizen Detectives Uncover Crime Clues on Websleuths Online Forum. If you were to go to Skidmore today, there isn't much to see. in the A&E App.]. 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. "[13], McElroy was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Joseph, Missouri. When a court hearing was postponed, there was a meeting in town, with the mayor and the sheriff attending, to discuss Mr. McElroy. Unsolved 'Vigilante' Murder in the Heartland: Missouri Town Goes Quiet After Bully Is Shot, https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/ken-rex-mcelroy-vigilante-murder-skidmore-unsolved. A museum dedicated to Skidmore, Mo., sits on Elm Street, the towns main drag. Evelyn tried to explain what had happened, that nobody had accused the children of stealing, and Trena said, Why would my effing daughter lie? . Road signs bear a picture of a young man who disappeared nine years ago and is feared dead. June 25th, 1981: McElroy returns to Skidmore out on bail until an appeal hearing. YouTubeThe towns local bar in Skidmore, Missouri. And its likely to stay that way. But the silence of the townspeople held. It was a matter of self-preservation. According to reports, some 50 people were outside the tavern when the shooting started. Dozens of them gathered at Skidmores American Legion hall on the morning of July 10, 1981. They were witnesses. One assumption Skidmore hasnt been able to shed is that McElroys killing was an act of vigilante justice. She gathered her strength and put the car in reverse. The case inspired a book, In Broad Daylight by Harry McLean, and a 1991 TV movie of the same name starring Brian Dennehy. Ken McElroy issues threats against the Bowenkamp family. To the residents of the small town, he was the town bully. His hunch paid off, and McElroy found himself handcuffed and charged with assault. They slept in shifts, with some friend or family member keeping an eye on the street. No one has been charged in connection with McElroys death. The Vigilantemurder of Ken Rex McElroy still remains a mystery today. Livestock owners looked the other way when a few head of cattle or hogs vanished in the night or gas barrels used to fuel farm implements were noticeably emptier. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. He believes one of the gunmen was the suspect named by the widow. McElroy first began his relationship with McCloud when she was 14 and the two had a child shortly thereafter. The bar soon filled completely. 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. You dont take cases to trial to see what might happen, the former prosecutor said. McElroy was hit twice by two different guns and died from injuries to his head and neck. They delivered messages in code. MacLean doesnt believe the men gathered at the Legion hall that morning ever made a group decision to kill McElroy. 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. 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. He said that Mr. Baird pushed aggressively to bring a case to trial, but that investigators were never able to secure enough evidence to charge someone with a crime. When Estes and state troopers arrived back in town, the streets were empty and quiet, save the rumbling, smoking engine of McElroys truck. Hed leave, then hed come back, Monte said. Everyone in town seemed to know McElroy had done it, yet he spent only a single night in jail for nearly killing the man. Those who spoke out were taciturn. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Witnessing the murder were McElroys wife, Trena, screaming in the passenger seat and dozens of local residents. The citizens decided to go to the tavern en masse. No. McElroy was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. Everyone just went home. They could have pushed and dug, pushed and dug and gotten nothing, said Huston. He testified that Bowenkamp attacked him with a knife and he acted in self-defense, MacLean writes. He left town just as Ken and Trena McElroy were driving in, likely passing McElroys Chevrolet Silverado pickup in his cruiser on the road. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in Skidmore, Missouri on July 10, 1981. Consisting of around 440 residents and a number of small family-run businesses, the farming town revolved around work ethic. Trena McElroy fingered a local rancher as one of the gunmen, but he denied the claim. He quit.. He divorces Oleta and marries Sharon to get out of a chargeof assault after shooting Sharon during an argument. 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. 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. Many buildings are closed and falling apart. The group heard McElroy and Trena McCloud were spotted heading to the tavern nearby. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. McElroy allegedly stole livestock, grain, gasoline, and antiques. Worse felonies included assault and arson. Boyer was among the first responders to arrive outside the D&G tavern where McElroy was ambushed. He had been terrorizing Skidmore for years and he kept getting away with it. Nodaway County Sheriff Dan Estes suggested they form a neighborhood watch. Someone warned her, Youre about to meet Ken Rex McElroy, Monte said. Refusing to argue, he and Lois went home. In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean / Via. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 - July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. Estes then drove out of town in his police cruiser. 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. [3] McElroy was acquitted. Ken is later charged and arrested. When they met him on the street, parents steered their children, especially their daughters, away from McElroy, a notorious womanizer who favored young women and was married multiple times including to a child bride he was accused of raping and fathered 15 children. 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. No one has been indicted for the murder of McElroy. But even after a federal prosecutor forwarded to Mr. Baird what he called substantial new evidence, no one was indicted. Both Sally and Sharon begin having Ken's children. He leaves Sharon to move in with Alice. Harry MacLean, author of "In Broad Daylight". The townspeople organized a caravan to escort the witnesses to the hearing both to protect them and to show solidarity. Was justice served? 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. Anyone can read what you share. 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. Meanwhile, McElroy and his wife arrived at the D&G Tavern for a morning drink. As Ken McElroy sat in his truck, he was shot at several times. The town got away with murder, Mr. McFadin said. The grocer lived and McElroy was again arrested and charged with attempted murder. 1958: Ken McElroy becomes involved with a young woman named Sharon. . You dont have a town full of people who were hiding a guilty conscience, he said. The trial collapsed yet all accounts are sceptical that the witnesses were telling the . Our law enforcement never went after him very hard, he said. 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. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. Neither Baird nor MacLean, whose crime novel has been praised as an accurate account of McElroys killing, buy that. In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. They thought about his wife and his children, and where it left them particularly the children.. His successor, Robert Rice, already knew how Mr. McElroy died. In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri. 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. Known as 'the town bully', his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. McElroy mounted a daily vigil outside Bowenkamps house, his daughter Cheryl Brown recounts in In Broad Daylight: The town emptied out every time he came to town. 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. [12] The DA declined to press charges. Ken McElroy died in a hail of gunfire on the morning of July 10, 1981, while sitting in his truck outside a local tavern. 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. No. The townsfolk were infuriated. A lot of people were not happy about what happened, MacLean said. No one was ever accused of shoplifting, or stealing. Bullet casings from two guns were found. 1954: While working for his sister's husband in construction, McElroy suffers a traumatic head injury that leaves him with lifelong pain. She died in 2012. And his deeds were as daunting as his appearance. Retaliation would be severe. June 29th, 1981: McElroy enters a bar with an illegal firearm, due to him being out on bail. The meeting's entire purpose was to discuss what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. We might not see him for three or four days, and then wed see him every day for weeks, Monte said. McElroy made a living leasing land near his farm, and trading and racing dogs. CHAPTER ONE. Didnt see a thing. Thats the response investigators repeatedly received when they questioned people over the death of Ken McElroy. McFadin, McElroys lawyer, got the hearing postponed. Ken Rex McElroy 1934-1981. 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. The objective is to promote history on Medium and demonstrate the value of historical writing. The streak ended when a jury convicted Mr. McElroy of second-degree assault in the grocers shooting. After dropping out of school in the eighth grade, it didnt take long for Ken McElroy to fall into a life of delinquency. 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. In 1980, McElroy shot the 70-year-old town grocer in the neck following a months-old dispute over an accusation about a piece of stolen candy. In what could only be described as vigilante justice, they conspired to kill Ken McElroy. Everyone was so uncomfortable and scared.. And Mr. Baird, all these years later, is still unwilling to give his own view on whether justice was served even though or because the killer was never tried. Ken Rex McElroy was an American known as "the town bully" of Skidmore, Missouri.