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https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8iUdp33PqTsix2sGblEQZ8m5FQycC5D Vigilante justice, or. McElroy was spinning so hard out of control, I have no doubt he would have tried to kill my dad again, given the chance. 1 or 2 men (unclear) took guns and shot Ken Rex McElroy dead in his truck. The courts would not help us or Skidmore. In the decades preceding his murder, McElroy terrorized the denizens of Skidmore. One of the killers has died. His last wife, Trena, became pregnant with their first child at age 14. A lot of them didnt even tell their wives and children. On July 10th, 1981 Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in the street in broad daylight infront of 60 witnesses. Ken Rex McElroy was born on month day 1934, at birth place, Missouri, to Anthony Wyatt McElroy and Mable Marie McElroy (born Lister). McElroy wound up shooting Bowenkamp in the neck, nearly killing him. A conviction should have been a victory for the people of Skidmore, but the jury set a maximum sentence of two years, and the judge, without protest from Mr. Baird, released Mr. McElroy on bond pending appeal. Almost everyone, with the exception of Bo Bowenkamp, backed down. 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,. 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. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! "[13], McElroy was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Joseph, Missouri. 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. The police chief who oversaw the investigation, Hal Riddle, disagrees. Additional charges were filed against McElroy.[7]. McElroy first began his relationship with McCloud when she was 14 and the two had a child shortly thereafter. 'No One Saw a Thing': A town torn apart by 38 years of violence 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. He didnt have a bank account, didnt have a Social Security number, he didnt read. The justice system just crashed and burned over this case.. 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. Bottles, glasses for restaurants and barsincomible/Getty ImagesFull of Audienceuschools/Getty ImagesAn American police officer posing arms folded beside cop carDarrenMower/Getty ImagesCar Wash Truck SprayA-Digit/Getty ImagesCity People Setedge69/Getty ImagesSilhouette of people in action4x6/Getty ImagesCaucasian farmer standing in irrigated fieldHill Street Studios/Getty ImagesYoung woman on the streetSensorSpot/Getty ImagesShot Truck Driverwwing/Getty ImagesOlder Caucasian man standing with hands in pocketsSam Diephuis/Getty ImagesOutlines of rebellionsshironosov/Getty Imagesmain street remote rural prairie towndlerick/Getty ImagesBlank magazine on wooden backgroundgrinvalds/Getty ImagesEmpty Country Road In UsaDan Thornberg / EyeEm/Getty ImagesCaucasian farmer wearing gloves leaning on wooden fenceSteve Smith/Getty ImagesJudge holding gavel in courtroomChris Ryan/Getty ImagesAuthentic Cowboy Rancher Portraitavid_creative/Getty ImagesSilhouettes of three cowboys on a white backgroundheartbar/Getty ImagesCaucasian security officers posing with flashlightKirk Marsh/Getty ImagesPrivate investigator reports what he seestzahiV/Getty ImagesThis farm is my pride and joypixdeluxe/Getty Imagesdark portrait of a man in a hoodserikbaib/Getty ImagesWhite colored house with blue doorMableen/Getty ImagesYoung couple havi EXTERNAL CREDITSGrant Henderson - Editor+Rick Weller- GFX Artist 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. Known as "the town bully", McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary. He dropped out of school before he reached high school, and by 13 was already a familiar character to the cops around Nodaway County. 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. McElroys wifewhom he victimized as a childremarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri. On July 8, 1980, McElroy drove to the alley behind the Bowenkamp general store. It went beyond just hammering people and being mean-spirited. The Vigilantemurder of Ken Rex McElroy still remains a mystery today. Everyone just went home. They were witnesses. He quit.. Many buildings are closed and falling apart. You know what he was like. I am a History Educator and a Lifelong Learner with a Masters in Global History. 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. 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. I said it in 1981, and Ill say it now, Baird told Patch. So what was left?. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in Skidmore, Missouri on July 10, 1981. He showed back up in front of their house that night, and he and Trena sat there and watched them, Monte said. He was known as the town bully, but they may be putting it mildly. Trena McElroy fingered a local rancher as one of the gunmen, but he denied the claim. 1, it is murder. We went everywhere we could, but justice would stay delicately out the way, she 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. 1948: Approximately the time when Ken begins his small thefts as a young teenager. Ken Rex McElroy, a notoriously brutal man who had terrorized Skidmore, Mo., for years, was killed in 1981. Consisting of around 440 residents and a number of small family-run businesses, the farming town revolved around work ethic. Reporting on what you care about. In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean / Via. The man asked, what are you doing here? Boyer remembers. For over twenty years he raped, robbed and burned almost at will. An extensive federal investigation did not lead to any charges. Within a few years, she had had four children by him. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. To the residents of the small town, he was the town bully. 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. McElroy for the most part escaped prosecution and, certainly, conviction for various crimes. 'Below the Fold' movie based on Skidmore, Missouri released - WDAF-TV August 18th, 1980: Ken's preliminary trial begins. A bond hearing was ordered. 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.". That became the pattern. What could legally be done about McElroy, they asked Sheriff Danny Estes, who had been elected months earlier. The story of Ken Rex McElroy began on June 1, 1934. Talking Well Of The Dead: The Shooting Down Of Ken McElroy, USA. 2023 by Catlyn Brady, Jennifer Partridge, & Kara Severson. The murder occurred in broad daylight, with as many as sixty eye-witnesses present, including the wife of the deceased. The death of Ken Rex McElroy is a perplexing case that has hung heavy over the town of Skidmore, Missouri for decades. I had my service weapon drawn, and I wouldnt have been the least bit surprised if he tried to do something, Boyer recalls. He was sure it was Mr. McElroy who had done the shooting. It's worth noting that the abused defending their abuser often occurs in domestic violence cases. 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. No one was surprised. 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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. He had been terrorizing Skidmore for years and he kept getting away with it. Actually, I think those shooters saved lives in the end, she said. 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. Witnessing the murder were McElroys wife, Trena, screaming in the passenger seat and dozens of local residents. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. She eventually filed a wrongful death against the town, the county, and some citizens but the matter was settled out of court. In 1981, McElroy was convicted of shooting . He found a macabre scene. Anthony was born on August 27 1890, in Shelton, Knox County, MO, USA. Murder is still murder. A man who turned out to be McElroy pointed a shotgun at me, Margaret tells A&E True Crime. Many wondered: Why didnt Baird press charges against the man Trena McElroy fingered as her husbands killer? Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. They thought about his wife and his children, and where it left them particularly the children.. 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. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. Yet in a conspiracy of silence that has spanned the past 38 years, the townsfolk have held the secret close. Luckily, Bowenkamp survived, and McElroy was charged with attempted murder. This past weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the killing of Ken Rex McElroy of Skidmore. [2], In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. A couple of men hustled Trena to a nearby bank, away from the gunfire. Was justice served? Those who spoke out were taciturn. He made no deathbed confession, but someone wrote in a memorial tribute that he . Skidmore, Part Three - The Murder of Ken Rex McElroy 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. He was known as "the town bully", [1] and his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. Harry MacLean, author of "In Broad Daylight". McElroy was never a popular man. Ken Rex McElroy Jr. - Biography - IMDb Edit Ken Rex McElroy Jr. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. Worse felonies included assault and arson. Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. One reason was McElroys lawyer Richard Gene McFadin, a skilled defense attorney who ran rings around inexperienced prosecutors. He testified that Bowenkamp attacked him with a knife and he acted in self-defense, MacLean writes. The meeting's entire purpose was to discuss what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. The man identified by the widow as the main gunman recently died, something Mr. Baird raised in suggesting that the case may never be reopened. June 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. A museum dedicated to Skidmore, Mo., sits on Elm Street, the towns main drag. There may never be an answer to the question of who killed Ken Rex McElroy. The police would not or could not help us or Skidmore. Things reached a boiling point in 1980 when Ken McElroy got into a confrontation with the towns elderly grocer, Ernest Bo Bowenkamp. Filmmaker Avi Belkin's 'No One Saw a Thing . [9] McElroy was convicted at trial of assault, but freed on bail pending his appeal. Police had charged him with various alleged crimes from stealing hogs to assault, but nothing stuck. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. The verdict was second-degree assault and two years. The townspeople organized a caravan to escort the witnesses to the hearing both to protect them and to show solidarity. They know how everybody thinks.. Over the course of his life, McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary. It was a misunderstanding, but one that made the Bowenkamps lives a living hell for months. 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. McCloud was McElroy's third "wife," though all unions were suspicious due to the fact that some of his marriages overlapped. Retribution was slow coming to Ken McElroybut lightning fast when it happened. Everyone in town seemed to know McElroy had done it, yet he spent only a single night in jail for nearly killing the man. Instead of playing out in court, the details emerged in newspaper and magazine accounts, as well as a best-selling book, In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri, which was later made into a television movie. Few were criticized as mightily as Baird over the lack of prosecution in McElroys murder. Nodaway County Sheriff Dan Estes suggested they form a neighborhood watch. Heavy lids veiled cold, steel-blue eyes, making them look like half moons. The grocer lived and McElroy was again arrested and charged with attempted murder. Alas, the victory was short-lived. Richard Stratton was ready. Maryville, Missouri, lawyer David Baird, the Nodaway County prosecutor at the time, said the crime is fairly unremarkable in the context of current-day gang shootings witnessed by many, but seen by few willing to risk their safety by ratting out the crew. 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. July 10th, 1981: The townspeople gather around Ken's truck once he and Trena exit the bar. 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! The sheriff suggested they form a neighborhood watch and advised the group not to confront the man. It was a matter of self-preservation. He was very cunning, MacLean told Patch. There has been books written, movies, documentaries and more made about the killing. When he got off on a trial, it grew even bigger. The case inspired a book, In Broad Daylight by Harry McLean, and a 1991 TV movie of the same name starring Brian Dennehy. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. Its been over 30 years. I didnt know what to do. A girl from a poor, rural family, McElroy had begun having sex with her when she was barely fourteen. Absolutely not, he said. Were the citizens justified in taking matters into their own hands? However, in 1981, Trena told People magazine that the fire was a result of "faulty wiring.". Nobody wanted to talk to us, retired Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Boyer tells A&E True Crime. 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. Its never going to happen.. Is No One Saw A Thing A True Story? The Real-Life Murder - ScreenRant The meeting broke up after participants learned McElroy and Trena were at the D&G Tavern. The clerk, Evelyn Sumy, was at the back of the store when the doors swung open. After Sally had had three kids, Ken kicks her out of the house. We had shoplifting, but a lot of people were on hard times. There were as many as 60 witnesses, yet the crime remains unsolved. Bullet casings from two guns were found. The town has seen more than its share of tragedy. Henry survived and McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. Two people decided in the midst of that whole incident theyd had enough, MacLean said. But if tried by a jury of their peers, I doubt anybody around here would have convicted the shooters. Del Clement, the man Trena named as McElroys killer, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2009. 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. Didnt see a thing. Thats the response investigators repeatedly received when they questioned people over the death of Ken McElroy. 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. The citizens decided to go to the tavern en masse. June 25th, 1981: Ken McElroy is sentenced to two years in jail. Vigilante justice is certainly a slippery slope, but after years of dealing with Ken McElroy, the people of Skidmore reached their boiling point. 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. 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. [8] At the trial, two raccoon hunters testified they were with McElroy the day of the shooting away from Henry's property. It really is that it was never spoken of they had an instinctive reaction to close up. 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. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. When you didnt know where he was, you didnt dare take the chance of not being on your guard.. There is pretty much nothing in existence that was not stolen by McElroy during his 47 years. Farmers carried them to kill varmints, or for hunting displaying them in plain sight in rear window gun racks. It was a sunny, clear summer day. When the call went out, State Police Cpl. 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. Everyone was so uncomfortable and scared.. 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. June 29th, 1981: McElroy enters a bar with an illegal firearm, due to him being out on bail. 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 was charged with wading through the sensational details and moral ambiguities of the case to ensure that, in his words, justice was served. It's said that the meeting adjourned, and the crowd quietly descended upon the tavern, flanking McElroy's truck. He was a goodhearted person. The towns local bar in Skidmore, Missouri. Everyone claimed they didnt see who fired the shots. I didnt see anything. 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]. No one called for an ambulance. The Strange Killing of Ken Rex McElroy - YouTube 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. Investigators dug and dug, but Skidmore residents maintained their silence. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. I think its something thats going to define this town forever.. No one bothered to turn it off. The final straw for Skidmore was when he was let out on bond. 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. They settle in Skidmore. Weighing in at approximately 270 pounds with bushy black sideburns, McElroy held the entire . McElory was struck by two different firearms and died behind the wheel of his truck. [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. But in a dramatic act of . 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. This is How a Town Ganged Up Against a Serial Bully Trena McCloud's Civil Suit Against Skidmore, Missouri Revealed - Bustle Trena McElroy accused Skidmore residents of turning her husband into a scapegoat. 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. In court, Bowenkamp testified about how McElroy confronted him in the loading dock of the grocery while he was cutting up boxes and shot him in the neck. McElroy was known to have stolen grain, alcohol, gasoline, antiques, and even livestock. 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. Ken McElroy died in a hail of gunfire on the morning of July 10, 1981, while sitting in his truck outside a local tavern. In August of 1980, McElroy made attempts to intimidate the Bowenkamp family and their supporters to prevent them from testifying. 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.