The bar soon filled completely. 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. 2023 by Catlyn Brady, Jennifer Partridge, & Kara Severson. When he got off on a trial, it grew even bigger. 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. The couple then moved to Colorado. 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. Boyer was among the first responders to arrive outside the D&G tavern where McElroy was ambushed. No one was charged, and the FBI closed the case. Sixteen days after Trena gave birth, both she and Alice fled to Trena's mother's and stepfather's house. To the residents of the small town, he was the town bully. 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. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. Its never going to happen.. 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. What started with hunting raccoons escalated into petty crime until McElroy ultimately emerged as a full-fledged criminal. This led to several patrons deciding to see what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. The person(s) responsible for firing the shots that killed McElroy remains unsolved. McElroy started his pickup and the sound of shots pierced the silence. It's said that the meeting adjourned, and the crowd quietly descended upon the tavern, flanking McElroy's truck. 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. 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. For over twenty years he raped, robbed and burned almost at will. His successor, Robert Rice, already knew how Mr. McElroy died. Despite the efforts of police, prosecutors and McElroys family, no one has been charged in the murder. Everyone claimed they didnt see who fired the shots. During the meeting, McElroy arrived at the D&G Tavern with Trena. When the news that Ken and Trena went to the local bar that evening, everyone got up and made their way over. Yet the identity of McElroys killer is a public secret Skidmore has kept for 38 years. They know how everybody thinks.. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. He was sure it was Mr. McElroy who had done the shooting. 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. July 1981: During the 1st week of July it was announced that there would be a delay in McElroy's bond hearing. I have no doubt hed have tried to kill my mom. This was something that the "town bully," Ken Rex McElroy, staunchly rebelled against. As the story has been told by MacLean and others, McElroy showed up at the D&G tavern and pool hall the next day toting a rifle with a bayonet a violation of his bond and threatened to finish off the Bowenkamps. 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. Nobody called an ambulance. [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. 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. One night after he pulled a speeding pickup truck over, Boyer came face to face with McElroy. McElroy made a living leasing land near his farm, and trading and racing dogs. 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. 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. There were as many as 60 witnesses, yet the crime remains unsolved. 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. It was so out of the blue, almost to the point of being surreal, said Monte, who occasionally worked in her parents store. Ken Rex McElroy 1934-1981. Those who witnessed the killing didnt speak of it again, not because they were part of a conspiracy, MacLean believes, but because theyre stoic by nature. Carjackers Steal More Cars Many With Kids Still Inside, After Indulgent Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday Signals Abstinence, Fasting. His last wife, Trena, became pregnant with their first child at age 14. Tucked away in the northwest corner of Missouri is a small, dusty town 46 miles north of St. Joseph with a decades-old secret. He reportedly began stalking the Bowenkamp family. The town has seen more than its share of tragedy. How could it? I had my service weapon drawn, and I wouldnt have been the least bit surprised if he tried to do something, Boyer recalls. Luckily, Bowenkamp survived, and McElroy was charged with attempted murder. We stood up and did the right thing. There were plenty of eyewitnesses, as well as the attack happened in broad. When a court hearing was postponed, there was a meeting in town, with the mayor and the sheriff attending, to discuss Mr. McElroy. He met his last wife, Trena McCloud (19572012), when she was 12 years old and in eighth grade. It was a sunny, clear summer day. According to reports, some 50 people were outside the tavern when the shooting started. The trial collapsed yet all accounts are sceptical that the witnesses were telling the . Ken Rex McElroy was an American known as "the town bully" of Skidmore, Missouri. He raped McCloud repeatedly. They could have pushed and dug, pushed and dug and gotten nothing, said Huston. No one was surprised. 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! 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. We had shoplifting, but a lot of people were on hard times. Now, nearly 30 years later, that prosecutor, David A. Baird, is preparing to leave office with his first and most famous case still unsolved. 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 neutralized an entire criminal justice system.. Police had charged him with various alleged crimes from stealing hogs to assault, but nothing stuck. There were so many nights Dad couldnt go out and mow the yard or water the flowers because there was a truck parked down the street, and they were watching the house, Monte said. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 - July 10, 1981) was a resident of Skidmore, Nodaway County, Missouri. Some people have attributed his strange behavior with this event. The man asked, what are you doing here? Boyer remembers. It went beyond just hammering people and being mean-spirited. I think he treated the whole town of Skidmore that way, the 78-year-old said, adding she didnt feel brave. But it got to the point it made me mad.. Del Clement, the man Trena named as McElroys killer, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2009. Evelyn lived cross the street, and he made sure she could see them. He then returned to Trena's parents' home when they were away and, once again, shot the family dog and burned the house down. 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. We didnt have sufficient evidence to go to trial.. However, he was also charged with various crimes. He begins to rant about how he is going to ruin Bo Bowenkamp. 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. Trena McElroy accused Skidmore residents of turning her husband into a scapegoat. 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. After McElroy fired a gun outside her house, Evelyn Sumy appealed to Dave Dunbar, the town marshal. Yes, its against the law, but you know, the law is not the final definitive word on him. McCloud attempted to escape to her parents' house, but McElroy allegedly responded by burning down Trena's parents' home and shooting their dog. The guns were never recovered. Shortly after, McElroy was arrested and charged with attempted murder. The DA declined to press charges and the following investigation proved to be futile. He was freed on bond. According to court records, McElroy tracked them down and brought them back. I dont know what happened,' Boyer recalls witnesses saying. Nobody wanted to talk to us, retired Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Boyer tells A&E True Crime. 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. He appeared in a local bar, the D&G Tavern, armed with an M1 Garand rifle and bayonet, and later threatened to kill Bowenkamp. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! His father was a tenant farmer, his mother a housewife swamped with feeding and caring for the sprawling family. Those who spoke out were taciturn. 1952: Ken McElroy marries his first wife Oleta. The rumor was that he had drowned her father in a bathtub when he had objected to what he was doing to his daughter. Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. Watch the new and 7th season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime! 1952: Ken McElroy marries his first wife Oleta. In July 1976, McElroy pulled a shotgun on farmer Romaine Henry and shot the man in the stomach. Evelyn tried to explain what had happened, that nobody had accused the children of stealing, and Trena said, Why would my effing daughter lie? . YouTubeThe towns local bar in Skidmore, Missouri. Of the potential 40 or so witnesses, with the exception of Trena, none could name a shooter. On July 10th, 1981 Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in the street in broad daylight infront of 60 witnesses. A few days later, a pickup truck showed up in the wee hours outside Boyers remote country house. But Ken rarely had to wrestle with the Nodaway County Sheriff Dan Estes suggested they form a neighborhood watch. 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. 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? Ken Rex McElroy was a 6-foot, 270 pounds, dark-complexioned, blue-eyed man who lived in Skidmore, Missouri. In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. There wasnt much parental supervision, but McElroy had a knack for taking care of himself. You just didnt do that.. The town got away with murder, Mr. McFadin said. 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. July 10th, 1981: The Townspeople gather in the Legion to discuss what should be done about Ken McElroy. The FBI entered the case stiff-arming and threatening people, is how Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, relates it. The citizens decided to go to the tavern en masse. 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. The morning of July 10, 1981, a group of frustrated and angry men gathered at the Legion Hall in Skidmore, MacLean writes. At least some of the witnesses surely knew who fired the bullet that shattered the back window of McElroys truck and blew off the back of his head. When the shooting ended, McElroy was slumped over the steering wheel. Born in 1934, Ken Rex McElroy was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. Joyce Monte, daughter of injured grocer. Henry survived and McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. McElroy began stalking the Bowenkamp family, and eventually threatened Bo Bowenkamp in the back of his store with a shotgun in hand. 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. 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. More awful crimes have taken place in the small town. 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. Some of these things are simply assumed to be factual, Baird said. July 10th, 1981: The townspeople gather around Ken's truck once he and Trena exit the bar. Is dumpster diving legal in Missouri and Illinois? I am a History Educator and a Lifelong Learner with a Masters in Global History. 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. 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. I got in the car and was shaking so bad.. 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 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. Former Nodaway County prosecutor David Baird, Its proceedings are secret, but in news interviews at the time, McElroys widow said she told a county grand jury who murdered her husband. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. RELATED: 10 Of The Best Docuseries You Should Be Watching Now Each episode is around 40 minutes each and contains dramatic and intimate . A museum dedicated to Skidmore, Mo., sits on Elm Street, the towns main drag. [3] McElroy was acquitted. 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. In April 1980, Trena McElroy told her husband a clerk in the Bowenkamps store had accused their 4-year-old daughter of stealing penny candy. The witnesses all claimed they had seen nothing. Anyone can read what you share. 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. 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. 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. His father was a tenant farmer, his mother a housewife swamped with feeding and caring for the sprawling family. She died in 2012. The police would not or could not help us or Skidmore. Five or six of us were standing in front of the Skidmore Caf, waiting and passing the time. McElroy's appeal hearing was again delayed. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. [12] The DA declined to press charges. McElroy wound up shooting Bowenkamp in the neck, nearly killing him. He left town just as Ken and Trena McElroy were driving in, likely passing McElroys Chevrolet Silverado pickup in his cruiser on the road. The stories of McElroy's relationships contain some troubling details, but the information is important to paint the full picture. 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. Local authorities, including a coroners jury and a local grand jury, and even the FBI, investigated the killing but to no avail. He showed up to the towns local bar, armed with a rifle and bayonet, threatening to kill the elderly grocer. 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,. McElroys rear window was shot out and the front window as well. He told the foster family that he would trade "girl for girl" to get his child back, since he knew where the foster family's biological daughter went to school and what bus route she rode. The meeting broke up after participants learned McElroy and Trena were at the D&G Tavern. 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.

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