Both Sally and Sharon begin having Ken's children. Its never going to happen.. A man who turned out to be McElroy pointed a shotgun at me, Margaret tells A&E True Crime. They were witnesses. In the end, fear is what killed him, Goslee said. 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. 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. And he has already asked the sheriffs office to re-examine some of the unsolved cases. The meeting broke up after participants learned McElroy and Trena were at the D&G Tavern. What started with hunting raccoons escalated into petty crime until McElroy ultimately emerged as a full-fledged criminal. His lifelong career as a criminal started with petty offenses, but he increasingly became more violent, amassing a rap sheet that included nearly two dozen felony charges for assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, burglary, grain theft, and hog and cattle rustling enterprises that kept a thick roll of hundred-dollar bills in his pocket. Evelyn lived cross the street, and he made sure she could see them. He neutralized an entire criminal justice system.. Evelyn tried to explain what had happened, that nobody had accused the children of stealing, and Trena said, Why would my effing daughter lie? . She died in 2012. She gathered her strength and put the car in reverse. Boyer was among the first responders to arrive outside the D&G tavern where McElroy was ambushed. 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. YouTubeThe towns local bar in Skidmore, Missouri. McElroy was hit twice by two different guns and died from injuries to his head and neck. He didnt have a bank account, didnt have a Social Security number, he didnt read. The trial collapsed yet all accounts are sceptical that the witnesses were telling the . MacLean doesnt believe the men gathered at the Legion hall that morning ever made a group decision to kill McElroy. But in a dramatic act of solidarity with the gunman, every witness, save the dead mans wife, denied seeing who had pulled the trigger. McElroy was born in 1934, the fifteenth of sixteen children born to a poor . The murder occurred in broad daylight, with as many as sixty eye-witnesses present . [4], McElroy fathered more than 10 children with different women. Just to be aware, he explained. Another was McElroys intimidation tactics, MacLean writes. Once freed, McElroy didnt just quietly celebrate his victory. He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. However, he was also charged with various crimes. Road signs bear a picture of a young man who disappeared nine years ago and is feared dead. 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. [14] Trena remarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri, where she died of cancer on her 55th birthday on January 24, 2012.[15]. One reason was McElroys lawyer Richard Gene McFadin, a skilled defense attorney who ran rings around inexperienced prosecutors. McElroy appealed the case and was released on bond. After dropping out of school in the eighth grade, it didn't take long for Ken McElroy to fall into a life of delinquency. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Everyone just went home. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro Ken Rex McElroy Jr. He never finished high school but knew how to hunt, drive fast and navigate the back roads of Nodaway County by his early teens. And his deeds were as daunting as his appearance. Shortly after, Strattons wife Margaret was headed to church when she saw a strange truck in the driveway. 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. I said it in 1981, and Ill say it now, Baird told Patch. That became the pattern. 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. . Neither Baird nor MacLean, whose crime novel has been praised as an accurate account of McElroys killing, buy that. He grew up hearing the story. There were as many as 60 witnesses, yet the crime remains unsolved. Trena claimed to have seen someone pull a rifle from the back of the truck, take aim at McElroy, and fire shots that shattered the truck's windows. After the sheriff left town, the group walked from the hall and went down the street to the tavern. There were plenty of eyewitnesses, as well as the attack happened in broad. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead inside his pick-up truck on the 10th of July, 1981, via a storm of bullets. 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. The objective is to promote history on Medium and demonstrate the value of historical writing. Tell us what you think in the comments below. Allegedly, even the mayor was in on it. McElroys wife was not injured and escaped the vehicle. September 2nd, 1982: Keven though there were over sixty witnesses, no one came forward to name the shooter. Of the most serious, McElroy was accused of child molestation and statutory rape. He was known as the town bully, but they may be putting it mildly. 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. Buzzfeeds Unsolved Network produced a 24-minute true crime documentary on the shooting. Watch the new and 7th season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime! Anticipating McElroys typical moves, Stratton waited on a back road near the Kansas border. They settle in Skidmore. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 - July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. We didnt have sufficient evidence to go to trial.. 1969 or 1970: Ken McElroy becomes involved with a young girl named Trena McCloud. Not only that, they recommended he spend no more than two years in prison. 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. Carjackers Steal More Cars Many With Kids Still Inside, After Indulgent Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday Signals Abstinence, Fasting. 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. Once there, he threatened Bo, and shot him in the neck at close range with a shotgun. There may never be an answer to the question of who killed Ken Rex McElroy. The townsfolk were infuriated. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. 1. Then McElroy, described by veteran journalist Phil Conger as a big brute of a guy with slicked-back hair like Elvis, took the stand. They had to look out for themselves. He went about making public threats against the grocer while armed with a rifle. 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. McElroy was furious when he learned of the incident. It's worth noting that the abused defending their abuser often occurs in domestic violence cases. A bond hearing was ordered. *In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean 1988. No. Nobody wanted to talk to us, retired Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Boyer tells A&E True Crime. 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). On July 10th, 1981 Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in the street in broad daylight infront of 60 witnesses. As a result, he was arrested, but quickly released. Filmmaker Avi Belkin's 'No One Saw a Thing . Town Mute for 30 Years About a Bullys Killing, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/us/16bully.html. He met his last wife, Trena McCloud (19572012), when she was 12 years old and in eighth grade. The justice system just crashed and burned over this case.. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Sixteen days after Trena gave birth, both she and Alice fled to Trena's mother's and stepfather's house. It's hard to believe that this small town was once a bustlingcommunity. 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]. They settle in Skidmore. He would intimidate anyone who got in his way, usually by repeatedly harassing them or threatening them with a bullet. 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. His hunch paid off, and McElroy found himself handcuffed and charged with assault. His father was a tenant farmer, his mother a housewife swamped with feeding and caring for the sprawling family. On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. In what could only be described as vigilante justice, they conspired to kill Ken McElroy. This was something that the "town bully," Ken Rex McElroy, staunchly rebelled against. 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. So what was left?. Ken Rex McElroy was an American known as "the town bully" of Skidmore, Missouri. The Cold Case Murders That Keep Retired Detectives Up at Night, Citizen Detectives Uncover Crime Clues on Websleuths Online Forum. His attorney, Richard McFadin, said he routinely defended Ken McElroy in three or four felonies a year. 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 . 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. The bar that provided the backdrop for the shooting is closed and for sale for $20,000. The Tylenol Murders: Is It Too Late to Solve the Famous Cold Case? Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. The mere mention of his surname was enough to cause anxiety, if not full terror. The man asked, what are you doing here? Boyer remembers. It was so out of the blue, almost to the point of being surreal, said Monte, who occasionally worked in her parents store. Trena dove from the truck and was taken to safety. Alas, the victory was short-lived. McElroy was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. Almost everyone, with the exception of Bo Bowenkamp, backed down. A few days later, a pickup truck showed up in the wee hours outside Boyers remote country house. 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 town, on the other hand, hated him. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. 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. The streak ended when a jury convicted Mr. McElroy of second-degree assault in the grocers shooting. Hed leave, then hed come back, Monte said. He was accused or suspected of dozens of crimes, including theft, livestock rustling, burglary, arson, assault, rape, and child molestation. No one was charged, and the FBI closed the case. Its probably accurate that few outside of McElroys family shed tears over his death, but many Skidmore residents still struggle with the spectacle of a man violently and publicly killed. 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. Despite three grand juries, no one has been indicted for the . Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place!