She died in 2012. McElroys wife was not injured and escaped the vehicle. He begins to rant about how he is going to ruin Bo Bowenkamp. July 10th, 1981: The Townspeople gather in the Legion to discuss what should be done about Ken McElroy. Almost everyone, with the exception of Bo Bowenkamp, backed down. Then you can read about chilling cold cases where the murderers and victims were both unknown. More awful crimes have taken place in the small town. 18 Facts About The Murder Of Ken Rex McElroy, One Of The Most That was the last straw, MacLean said. Estes then drove out of town in his police cruiser. If you were to go to Skidmore today, there isn't much to see. A memorial in the tiny downtown park displays the name of an expectant mother murdered six years ago, her fetus cut from her womb. 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. October 20th, 1974: Ken McElroy marries Trena McCloud to get out of a statutory rape charge with Trena. Skidmore, Part Three - The Murder of Ken Rex McElroy It failed McElroy, too, because it failed to protect him from himself. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Absolutely not, he said. 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. There was a kind of silent charity on the part of my parents, and they never prosecuted. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. 2023 by Catlyn Brady, Jennifer Partridge, & Kara Severson. But if tried by a jury of their peers, I doubt anybody around here would have convicted the shooters. Another was McElroys intimidation tactics, MacLean writes. The DA declined to press charges and the following investigation proved to be futile. 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. [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. 'Below the Fold' movie based on Skidmore, Missouri released - WDAF-TV 1, it is murder. 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. The courts would not help us or Skidmore. His attorney, Richard McFadin, said he routinely defended Ken McElroy in three or four felonies a year. How did this uneducated person how is he able to outwit the criminal justice system for 20 years? said MacLean. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. Anthony was born on August 27 1890, in Shelton, Knox County, MO, USA. Nobody wanted to talk to us, retired Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Boyer tells A&E True Crime. Bully's murder remains a secret in Missouri town for 40 years - FOX 2 On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. June 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. 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. Yet in a conspiracy of silence that has spanned the past 38 years, the townsfolk have held the secret close. 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. Joyce Monte, daughter of injured grocer. McFadin, McElroys lawyer, got the hearing postponed. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Tensions in Skidmore soared as McElroys trial neared. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. 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. Need help with the site? - A&E McElroy was also accused of abusing his first two wives, Sharon and Alice, but Alice defended him in an interview shortly after his death. McElroy made a living leasing land near his farm, and trading and racing dogs. Ken Rex McElroy was born on month day 1934, at birth place, Missouri, to Anthony Wyatt McElroy and Mable Marie McElroy (born Lister). [3] McElroy was acquitted. [4], McElroy fathered more than 10 children with different women. Reporting on what you care about. Alas, the victory was short-lived. McElroy would just sit and glower at you just stare at you and youd never know what he was thinking.. But even after a federal prosecutor forwarded to Mr. Baird what he called substantial new evidence, no one was indicted. The Craziest Cold Case in History The Murder of Ken Rex McElroy McElroy was spinning so hard out of control, I have no doubt he would have tried to kill my dad again, given the chance. Some of these things are simply assumed to be factual, Baird said. A girl from a poor, rural family, McElroy had begun having sex with her when she was barely fourteen. He leaves Sharon to move in with Alice. This was something that the "town bully," Ken Rex McElroy, staunchly rebelled against. 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. 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. There were plenty of eyewitnesses, as well as the attack happened in broad. Murder is still murder. After McElroy fired a gun outside her house, Evelyn Sumy appealed to Dave Dunbar, the town marshal. His successor, Robert Rice, already knew how Mr. McElroy died. He quit.. The Story Of Ken McElroy, The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town They just went stone silent. 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. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 - July 10, 1981) was a resident of Skidmore, Nodaway County, Missouri. in the A&E App.]. You dont have a town full of people who were hiding a guilty conscience, he said. More awful crimes have taken place in the small town. 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 man asked, what are you doing here? Boyer remembers. In 2019, the McElroy killing was the subject of a docuseries on SundanceTV. The murder took place on July 10, 1981, the day after McElroy had threatened Bowenkamp at the tavern. He had been terrorizing Skidmore for years and he kept getting away with it. Just to be aware, he explained. 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. Yet the identity of McElroys killer is a public secret Skidmore has kept for 38 years. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. 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. My experience is that trying a case is not always good at bringing closure, Mr. Baird said. I got in the car and was shaking so bad.. 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. A museum dedicated to Skidmore, Mo., sits on Elm Street, the towns main drag. They settle in Skidmore. [10] No one called for an ambulance. The final straw for Skidmore was when he was let out on bond. McElroy was in town and behaving belligerently. Retaliation would be severe. Everyone involved continues to keep the secret and gives no answers. 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. His hunch paid off, and McElroy found himself handcuffed and charged with assault. Missouri-based journalist Steve Booher described the attitude of some townspeople as, "He needed killing. They settle in Skidmore. I think its something thats going to define this town forever.. It's hard to believe that this small town was once a bustlingcommunity. Town Mute for 30 Years About a Bullys Killing, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/us/16bully.html. Trena jumped from the truck and a man helped her to safety. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. Trena McCloud's Civil Suit Against Skidmore, Missouri Revealed - Bustle 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. We went to the police. In Broad Daylight: A murder in Skidmore, Missouri|Paperback Not only that, they recommended he spend no more than two years in prison. They could finally sleep peacefully at night, especially Bo and Lois Bowenkamp and their children. Boyer was among the first responders to arrive outside the D&G tavern where McElroy was ambushed. He said he was not at all disappointed to leave office with the case still unsolved. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8iUdp33PqTsix2sGblEQZ8m5FQycC5D Vigilante justice, or. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. He went back home and was shot within a couple of days, explains Conger, editor of the Bethany Republican-Clipper. Case #8: the Mysterious Death of Ken Rex Mcelroy Shortly after, Strattons wife Margaret was headed to church when she saw a strange truck in the driveway. At some point in his life, McElroy was believed to have been seriously injured on a construction site, causing him to suffer from chronic pain. 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. We had shoplifting, but a lot of people were on hard times. Mr. McElroy was quickly rearrested after he appeared in town with a rifle, but he was again released. Didnt see a thing. Thats the response investigators repeatedly received when they questioned people over the death of Ken McElroy. He would intimidate anyone who got in his way, usually by repeatedly harassing them or threatening them with a bullet. You dont take cases to trial to see what might happen, the former prosecutor said. McElroy was hit twice and died. However, he was also charged with various crimes. According to a report, no one called an ambulance. The FBI entered the case stiff-arming and threatening people, is how Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, relates it. In the ensuing confrontation, McElroy shot Bowenkamp in the neck; Bowenkamp survived, and 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. He was arrested, booked, arraigned, and released on $2,500 bail. McElroy began backing out too, then tailed Margaret until she radioed Richard and squad cars showed up. Instead, he continued to harass Bowenkamp. He grew up hearing the story. No one has been charged in connection with McElroys death. No one was surprised. 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. Ken McElroy issues threats against the Bowenkamp family. All Rights Reserved. They thought about his wife and his children, and where it left them particularly the children.. Anticipating McElroys typical moves, Stratton waited on a back road near the Kansas border. It wasn't the kind of murder which goes unsolved for decades and eventually someone comes forward with the tip that breaks the case open. That they had guns at the ready wasnt unusual. 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. No One Saw a Thing - Wikipedia I dont know what happened,' Boyer recalls witnesses saying. He was known as "the town bully",[1] and his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. Once there, he threatened Bo, and shot him in the neck at close range with a shotgun. 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 . Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in Skidmore, Missouri on July 10, 1981. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. The verdict was second-degree assault and two years. 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. A lot of them didnt even tell their wives and children. 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. Worse felonies included assault and arson. Who Killed Ken Rex McElroy: Town Keeps Its Secret For 38 Years April 10th, 1972: After Alice runs away with their son, Ken McElroy gets into an altercation with Alice's stepfather and shoots him. In all, there were 46 potential witnesses to the shooting, including Trena McElroy, who was in the truck with her husband when he was shot. Talking Well Of The Dead: The Shooting Down Of Ken McElroy, USA. Yes, its against the law, but you know, the law is not the final definitive word on him. On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. The people of Skidmore were becoming more and more frustrated with the failures to protect them in the justice system.