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. He was known as the town bully, but they may be putting it mildly. 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. Were the citizens justified in taking matters into their own hands? No one was ever accused of shoplifting, or stealing. The Tylenol Murders: Is It Too Late to Solve the Famous Cold Case? [14] Trena remarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri, where she died of cancer on her 55th birthday on January 24, 2012.[15]. There just wouldnt have been a story.. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Born in 1934, Ken Rex McElroy was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. Richard Stratton was ready. Three grand juries heard evidence. 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. As a result, he was arrested, but quickly released. But if tried by a jury of their peers, I doubt anybody around here would have convicted the shooters. Additional charges were filed against McElroy.[7]. One of the people shot was a local farmer named Romaine Henry, who McElroy shot in the stomach for trying to chase him off of Henry's own land. That became the pattern. And its likely to stay that way. 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. 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. 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. Those who spoke out were taciturn. They settle in Skidmore. The guns were never recovered. Theoretically, [the murder] could be re-investigated, veteran Kansas City criminal defense attorney J.R. Hobbs tells A&E True Crime. 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. No one has been indicted for the murder of McElroy. 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. McElroy was never a popular man. It was a sunny, clear summer day. Anticipating McElroys typical moves, Stratton waited on a back road near the Kansas border. 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. Dozens of them gathered at Skidmores American Legion hall on the morning of July 10, 1981. It went beyond just hammering people and being mean-spirited. Mable was born on February 28 1897, in Dover, Shawnee County, KS, USA. The people of Skidmore were becoming more and more frustrated with the failures to protect them in the justice system. It was a misunderstanding, but one that made the Bowenkamps lives a living hell for months. The sheriff suggested they form a neighborhood watch and advised the group not to confront the man. 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 despite there being dozens of witnesses, no one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with McElroys murder. How did this uneducated person how is he able to outwit the criminal justice system for 20 years? said MacLean. When the shooting ended, McElroy was slumped over the steering wheel. Boyer was out showing a trainee the ropes when he got the call of a shooting in Skidmore. No one called for an ambulance. The townsfolk were infuriated. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. 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.. June 12th, 1973: After continuing his involvement with Trena McCloud, Ken McElroy burns down Trena's parents' house. They were witnesses. 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. McElroy was hit twice by two different guns and died from injuries to his head and neck. Heavy lids veiled cold, steel-blue eyes, making them look like half moons. All Rights Reserved. Someone warned her, Youre about to meet Ken Rex McElroy, Monte said. Trena jumped from the truck and a man helped her to safety. 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. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. 1. The bar that provided the backdrop for the shooting is closed and for sale for $20,000. So the townspeople held a meeting. Some of these things are simply assumed to be factual, Baird said. Tensions in Skidmore soared as McElroys trial neared. Once there, he threatened Bo, and shot him in the neck at close range with a shotgun. On July 9, 1984, Trena McElroy filed a $5 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Town of Skidmore, County of Nodaway, Sheriff Danny Estes, Steve Peters (Mayor of Skidmore), and Del Clement (whom Trena accused of being the shooter, but who was never charged). SKIDMORE, MO Four decades after Ken Rex McElroy was gunned down on the main drag of Skidmore, Missouri, in one of Americas most infamous cold cases, the story of the notoriously brutal town bully has refused to die with him no matter how much the farmers and blue-collar workers who live in the small farming town wish it would. 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. A&E, Rolling Stone, Playboy, 60 Minutes, and other media outlets covered the story in print or television. Ken Rex McElroy was a 6-foot, 270 pounds, dark-complexioned, blue-eyed man who lived in Skidmore, Missouri. They know how everybody thinks.. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. 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. The town has seen more than its share of tragedy. In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. In the decades preceding his murder, McElroy terrorized the denizens of Skidmore. Before you tell yourself the case closed, no, this case still remains unsolved. Stratton knew McElroy from a previous stop when he threatened the trooper with a shotgun. His father was a tenant farmer, his mother a housewife swamped with feeding and caring for the sprawling family. July 10th, 1981: The Townspeople gather in the Legion to discuss what should be done about Ken McElroy. Carjackers Steal More Cars Many With Kids Still Inside, After Indulgent Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday Signals Abstinence, Fasting. I dont know what happened,' Boyer recalls witnesses saying. When a court hearing was postponed, there was a meeting in town, with the mayor and the sheriff attending, to discuss Mr. McElroy. 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. Despite three grand juries, no one has been indicted for the . 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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. He divorces Oleta and marries Sharon to get out of a chargeof assault after shooting Sharon during an argument. He left town just as Ken and Trena McElroy were driving in, likely passing McElroys Chevrolet Silverado pickup in his cruiser on the road. 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. She died of cancer on Jan. 24, 2012; it was her 55th birthday. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead inside his pick-up truck on the 10th of July, 1981, via a storm of bullets. There were as many as 60 witnesses, yet the crime remains unsolved. There may never be an answer to the question of who killed Ken Rex McElroy. June 25th, 1981: Ken McElroy is sentenced to two years in jail. McElroy was spinning so hard out of control, I have no doubt he would have tried to kill my dad again, given the chance. Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. 1960: Ken moves his young girlfriendSally into his house with Sharon. It was a matter of self-preservation. I had my service weapon drawn, and I wouldnt have been the least bit surprised if he tried to do something, Boyer recalls. 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? As many as 60 Skidmore residents attended, including the mayor and the sheriff. 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. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro Ken Rex McElroy Jr.
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