Some people have attributed his strange behavior with this event. The police would not or could not help us or Skidmore. Nobody wanted to talk to us, retired Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Boyer tells A&E True Crime. 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. 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. Now, nearly 30 years later, that prosecutor, David A. Baird, is preparing to leave office with his first and most famous case still unsolved. Another was McElroys intimidation tactics, MacLean writes. And he has already asked the sheriffs office to re-examine some of the unsolved cases. A man who turned out to be McElroy pointed a shotgun at me, Margaret tells A&E True Crime. The guns were never recovered. You know how he oppressed and threatened us. I heard shooting and got down. There was a kind of silent charity on the part of my parents, and they never prosecuted. In July 1976, McElroy pulled a shotgun on farmer Romaine Henry and shot the man in the stomach. Everyone involved continues to keep the secret and gives no answers. Full Worm Moon: Will Conditions Favor A Moonbow? July 10th, 1981: The Townspeople gather in the Legion to discuss what should be done about Ken McElroy. Ken Rex McElroy The Movie Database (TMDB) Some of these things are simply assumed to be factual, Baird said. 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. That became the pattern. When Daylight Saving Time 2023 Begins, Will It Be For The Last Time. If they thought it was getting too out of hand, they would send one of us up and down the aisle. Ken Rex McElroy, a notoriously brutal man who had terrorized Skidmore, Mo., for years, was killed in 1981. Ken Rex McElroy was a 6-foot, 270 pounds, dark-complexioned, blue-eyed man who lived in Skidmore, Missouri. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead inside his pick-up truck on the 10th of July, 1981, via a storm of bullets. The person(s) responsible for firing the shots that killed McElroy remains unsolved. After McElroy fired a gun outside her house, Evelyn Sumy appealed to Dave Dunbar, the town marshal. He dropped out of school before he reached high school, and by 13 was already a familiar character to the cops around Nodaway County. 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 Story Of Ken McElroy, The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town 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. If you were to go to Skidmore today, there isn't much to see. . I dont know what happened,' Boyer recalls witnesses saying. Missouri-based journalist Steve Booher described the attitude of some townspeople as, "He needed killing. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. However, when the matter came to trial, McElroys attorney produced a pair of witnesses who testified they were hunting with McElroy that day and he was nowhere near the scene of the shooting. Instead, he continued to harass Bowenkamp. He never finished high school but knew how to hunt, drive fast and navigate the back roads of Nodaway County by his early teens. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. Before you tell yourself the case closed, no, this case still remains unsolved. Trena McElroy remarried and had a fairly normal life, refusing interviews after she left Skidmore. 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. He made no deathbed confession, but someone wrote in a memorial tribute that he was a good, brave man. McFadin, the lawyer who once told The New York Times the town got away with murder, is dead, too. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro Ken Rex McElroy Jr. No one was charged, and the FBI closed the case. It was Richard McFadin, the man who kept Ken McElroy out of jail 21 times, who said it best: The town got away with murder.. 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. 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. Ken McElroy died in a hail of gunfire on the morning of July 10, 1981, while sitting in his truck outside a local tavern. The sheriff suggested they form a neighborhood watch and advised the group not to confront the man. Despite three grand juries, no one has been indicted for the . Shortly after, McElroy was arrested and charged with attempted murder. 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. Local police, state investigators and FBI agents tried to break the towns silence, without success. No one has been indicted for the murder of McElroy. [2], In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. How could it? Ken Rex McElroy was an American known as "the town bully" of Skidmore, Missouri. Ken Rex McElroyThe Thirtieth Anniversary of his Killing McElroy allegedly stole livestock, grain, gasoline, and antiques. 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. McElroy was known to have stolen grain, alcohol, gasoline, antiques, and even livestock. What set off McElroy and put the local grocer in his crosshairs was the pettiest of offenses. You dont take cases to trial to see what might happen, the former prosecutor said. 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. Again, there were no indictments, and the McElroy murder case was tossed back to Baird. Anthony was born on August 27 1890, in Shelton, Knox County, MO, USA. No one was surprised. The objective is to promote history on Medium and demonstrate the value of historical writing. It's said that the meeting adjourned, and the crowd quietly descended upon the tavern, flanking McElroy's truck. Even with these raw wounds, the memory of the nightmare surrounding Mr. McElroy during his years of troublemaking and after a killing that many here feel was forced by an impotent criminal-justice system continues to loom large. On April 25, 1980 at Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp's general store, a clerk asked McElroy's 8-year-old daughter to return a piece of candy she had not paid for. Stratton knew McElroy from a previous stop when he threatened the trooper with a shotgun. Tucked away in the northwest corner of Missouri is a small, dusty town 46 miles north of St. Joseph with a decades-old secret. Trena McCloud's Civil Suit Against Skidmore, Missouri Revealed - Bustle 1958: Ken McElroy becomes involved with a young woman named Sharon. Town Mute for 30 Years About a Bullys Killing, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/us/16bully.html. 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. He spent the night in jail before posting bond, then sauntered menacingly back into the D&G tavern and pool hall and took his usual spot. Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) - Genealogy - geni family tree So the townspeople held a meeting. 2023 by Catlyn Brady, Jennifer Partridge, & Kara Severson. On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. SKIDMORE, Mo. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. When talking about McElroy, MacLean wondered how he was able to be so crafty. McElroy was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. You could talk to everybody in this case, and theyd give you a different answer, he said in an interview at his office in the red brick county courthouse in nearby Maryville. Ken McElroy - Historical records and family trees - MyHeritage The murder took place on July 10, 1981, the day after McElroy had threatened Bowenkamp at the tavern. They settle in Skidmore. Ken Rex McElroy was an illiterate hog farmer who lived on the outskirts of a small town in Northwest Missouri. In the decades preceding his murder, McElroy terrorized the denizens of Skidmore. 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 . The Craziest Cold Case in History The Murder of Ken Rex McElroy [Stream episodes of Accused: Guilty or Innocent? He met his last wife, Trena McCloud (19572012), when she was 12 years old and in eighth grade. The law wasnt going to help the people of Skidmore. As he sat drinking at the bar, word got back to the men at the Legion Hall that he was in town. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. A bond hearing was ordered. 'No One Saw a Thing': A town torn apart by 38 years of violence To the residents of the small town, he was the town bully. But unless a very credible witness came forward, its not likely to happen., The Burger Chef Cold Case: Four Murders Still Unsolved Over 40 Years Later. He was charged with wading through the sensational details and moral ambiguities of the case to ensure that, in his words, justice was served. McElroy began backing out too, then tailed Margaret until she radioed Richard and squad cars showed up. 1. 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. Timeline | McElroy The justice system just crashed and burned over this case.. April 25th, 1980: A few of Ken's children go to the local grocery store and is accused of stealing by Mrs. Bowenkamp. We didnt have sufficient evidence to go to trial.. [6] Trena and her baby were placed in foster care at a home in Maryville, Missouri. [3] McElroy was acquitted. The DA declined to press charges and the following investigation proved to be futile. Only July 10, 1981, there was a meeting at the town hall, down the street from D&G Tavern. It was a sunny, clear summer day. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. 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.. In a trial for shooting a Skidmore man in 1976 two witnesses appeared saying they had been with McElroy hunting miles away from the scene. I said it in 1981, and Ill say it now, Baird told Patch. 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. 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. Despite being shot in broad daylight in front of various witnesses, the . Yet in a conspiracy of silence that has spanned the past 38 years, the townsfolk have held the secret close. Our law enforcement never went after him very hard, he said. Worse felonies included assault and arson. July 8th, 1980: The Bowenkamps filed a legal proceeding against Ken McElroy after the incident in their store. None of the witnesses called an ambulance or gave information about a shooter. McElroy four years earlier had pumped a couple of rounds of buckshot into the stomach of local farmer Romaine Henry as he tried to run the blackguard off his land. [1] To date, no one has been charged in connection with McElroy's death. [14] Trena remarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri, where she died of cancer on her 55th birthday on January 24, 2012.[15]. 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.". He was punctual, always said he didnt do it, paid in cash and kept coming back.. THE KILLING OF KEN REX MCELROY THIRTY YEARS LATER. Then McElroy, described by veteran journalist Phil Conger as a big brute of a guy with slicked-back hair like Elvis, took the stand. in the A&E App.]. Meanwhile, McElroy and his wife arrived at the D&G Tavern for a morning drink. And despite there being dozens of witnesses, no one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with McElroys murder. He testified that Bowenkamp attacked him with a knife and he acted in self-defense, MacLean writes. Those who spoke out were taciturn. 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. In all, McElroy was indicted 21 times and managed to escape conviction every time. 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. How did this uneducated person how is he able to outwit the criminal justice system for 20 years? said MacLean. Reached by phone, Mr. McElroys wife, who has since remarried and left the state, said she was not interested in talking about the case. He was shot at several times and hit twice, once by a centerfire rifle and once by a .22 rimfire rifle. 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. Yes, its against the law, but you know, the law is not the final definitive word on him. 1 or 2 men (unclear) took guns and shot Ken Rex McElroy dead in his truck. There were as many as 60 witnesses, yet the crime remains unsolved. McCloud attempted to escape to her parents' house, but McElroy allegedly responded by burning down Trena's parents' home and shooting their dog. 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. They delivered messages in code. 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. 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. Born in 1934, Ken Rex McElroy was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. A lot of people were not happy about what happened, MacLean said. Few were criticized as mightily as Baird over the lack of prosecution in McElroys murder. He was indicted as many as 21 times, but escaped conviction all but once. A reported crowd of up to 60 men had largely dispersed, but some onlookers remained, staring at the pickup. There may never be an answer to the question of who killed Ken Rex McElroy. 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.