cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. You know what he was like. Refusing to argue, he and Lois went home. A lot of old timers complain that they dont know many of the other residents, a lot of whom work in surrounding communities. Neither Baird nor MacLean, whose crime novel has been praised as an accurate account of McElroys killing, buy that. Resend Activation Email. I will soon post photos of my visit. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. SLAIN BULLY'S TOWN LOOKS BACK WITHOUT PITY, https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/11/us/slain-bully-s-town-looks-back-without-pity.html. Im having trouble downloading the pictures, but should have them up soon. 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. The murder of Ken Rex McElroy took place in plain view of dozens of residents in Skidmore, Mo., and will most likely never be solved. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The county prosecutor, David Baird, said there was not much more he could do. 'A Really Nice Truck', ''It's really a shame about the Silverado,'' said Dave Dunbar, a former marshal who said Mr. McElroy once threatened him with a highpowered rifle. But it was too late. Browse All 237,537 Images. McElroy knew that how to hedge his bets and he did just that when he hired Richard McFadin, a well-known and regarded criminal defense attorney from the Kansas City area. No one was ever accused of shoplifting, or stealing. Now that the hearing had been delayed, and McElroy no doubt knew who the witnesses were, the entire town felt a sense of impending doom about what was to come. They surrounded McElroy, shouting at him that they had had enough and that his days were numbered. That was the last failure of criminal justice.. Try again later. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Birth. It would nave to say they did not feel a sense of collective relief. This browser does not support getting your location. In the summer of 1981, a jury handed McElroy his first-ever felony conviction for the lesser charge of second-degree assault. ''I can't think that anyone feels any different than you would about the people who invented penicillin. Born June 2, 1948, in Louisville, Ky., he was the son of the late C.C. Actually, I think those shooters saved lives in the end, she said. Eventually, after an altercation at a bar during which McElroy threatened him with a shotgun, Alices stepfather dropped the assault charges. For the first time in his life, McElroy was actually convicted of a crime. I have another story to tell: my drinks with one of McElroys sons, who had been adopted and didnt realize who his father was until he was grown and had graduated from college. Both were fuming over the seemingly insignificant incident. Three grand jury investigations and an FBI probe resulted in no indictments and no trial. The law had plenty of chances, plenty of times to lock him up., Added Monte: Justice failed everybody. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. They became disenchanted with the legal processes, yet frightened by Mr. McElroy's volatile disposition. A system error has occurred. From talking to witnesses, he concluded that the killing of McElroy was not planned. They were witnesses. Will people who were there start to leak information as time goes on? The metallic smell of his own blood consumed the cab of the pickup truck. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Please try again later. Trena was the only person to come forward to investigators about who she believed had killer her husband. He left town just as Ken and Trena McElroy were driving in, likely passing McElroys Chevrolet Silverado pickup in his cruiser on the road. At this point Ken Rex McElroy had terrorized the community of Skidmore for over a decade, and all indications were that he was going to keep getting away with it. U.S., Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847-Current, U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 2, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. McElroy was known to pay local kids for information about who was where in town at what time, so the Bowenkamps developed their own network of informants. 24 Jan 2012 (aged 55) Conway, Laclede County, Missouri, USA. 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. Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. We have set your language to Each time anyone brought charges against him (which happened a total of twenty-one times), he would intimidate his accusers into dropping the charges, leaving them terrified and fearing for their lives. When Estes and state troopers arrived back in town, the streets were empty and quiet, save the rumbling, smoking engine of McElroys truck. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. The Story Of Ken McElroy, The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town Required fields are marked *. We went everywhere we could, but justice would stay delicately out the way, she said. 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. Our law enforcement never went after him very hard, he said. He knew which people to pick on the weak people and he followed through on his threats just often enough to make people believe he was going to do what he said he was going to do. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Skidmore Forever the Town that Killed Ken Rex McElroy. Harry MacLean, author of the award winning book In Broad Daylight about the McElroy case, spent several years living in Skidmore, interviewing those who were there that day. Nobody tried to hang them for finding a way to kill a germ. They know how everybody thinks.. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. McElroy yelled to Henry when he got to the window. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. It has been a year since Kenneth Rex McElroy, described as the town bully, was shot to death on the main street of this farming community. Not one of them felt bad. Trena was admitted into foster care with her son. You dont take cases to trial to see what might happen, the former prosecutor said. The McElroys never had any money. On leaving school (and likely even before) McElroy began stealing items such as antiques, alcohol, grain and gasoline. Anyone can read what you share. Somebody would hear his name, and the legend grew bigger. ''It ain't easy to feel bad for somebody that never did no good for your town,'' said the postmaster, Jim Hartman. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Then, on July 9 1981, Richard McFadin got the hearing delayed for two weeks. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Debbie Ann McElroy, age 54 of Conway, Missouri, passed away Sunday, June 14, 2020 at her home in Conway.She was born July 5, 1965 in Skidmore, Mo. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. Looking back, the justice system had as much to do with killing Ken McElroy as anyone in Skidmore did.. I was in town to spend time with the Goslee family, who had put me up and supported my research for many years, and had received considerable grief for doing it, and to attend a barbecue put on my Dave Dunbar in Lamoni, Iowa. 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. Please reset your password. Henry took off down the road to investigate. When either woman did raise his cheating as an issue, he simply beat them and tortured them as a reminder that they were not entitled to issues or the bringing of them up. The last thing he saw as he slipped into blackness was Ken Rex McElroy walking back to his truck, removing a cigarette from the pack in his shirt pocket, and light it with the same easy motion one would do if lighting a smoke after a meal. He was a womanizer, too. It really is that it was never spoken of they had an instinctive reaction to close up. He was stalked and threatened mercilessly, only to remain vigilant, appear at trial, testify against Ken Rex, and still see him walk away without consequence. McElroy got a divorce from Sharon (or Alice, honestly Im not sure who he was married to at the time) and married Trena so that she would not be compelled to testify against him. She took her complaint to at-the-time Nodaway County Sheriff Roger Cronk. As the author of In Broad Daylight, I draw plenty of attention whenever Im in Skidmore, or Maryville, or anywhere in Nodaway County. He had many affairs over the course of his marriage to both Alice and his first wife Sharon. That they had guns at the ready wasnt unusual. 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. Thanks for your help! Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Secretly, Skidmore was extremely thankful to him. There was a problem getting your location. Need help writing a will or setting up a trust? McElroy and Trena got up without saying a word, pushing their way through the crowd towards the exit. This is not the story of a brutal man that terrorized his family and did bad things. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Faces turn away at a strangers approach. The Story of the trials, life and death of Ken Rex McElroy and the Town of Skidmore, Missouri. He didnt just like being with many women, he did have a type, young girls. One man said to an officer examining the scene: What are you doing here? There are a bar, a grain elevator, a bank, Mom's Cafe, B & B Groceries and a hardware store, but agriculture is the main business. Murder is still murder. The incident received world wide press coverage, was the subject of a tv movie and a book. However, there was more to Ken Rex than his size. Verify and try again. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. With the charges still looming over him, Ken Rex acted fast. On the south side of the Garden of the Last Supper memorial. Seventy-five or so people gathered at the Sam R. Albright American Legion Hall on July 10, 1981, to discuss what could be done. Henry, his entrails falling into his lap, eased into unconsciousness and assumed death. You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. 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. . Somebody opened the passenger door and pulled Trena out of the truck and into another building nearby. Add to your scrapbook. This account has been disabled. Just a single name can cause a physical reaction when uttered out loud in a room filled with those in the know. This leaves three Clement boys.). When the driver pulled the bus over, Ken Rex would demand that he open the door and let Trena out so that she could get in his pickup truck with him. (source: Inside Edition). He intimidated people by driving by at night and firing a shotgun blast, putting a rattlesnake in their mailbox, etc. When he caught up to the bus, Ken Rex would start honking his horn and driving up to the window where the bus driver could get a good look at him. The authorities had let them down, so they had no choice but to take matters into their own hands. Scan this QR code to download the app now. On his tombstone are the words: brave, fearless and compassionate. McElroy started his pickup and the sound of shots pierced the silence. Evelyn lived cross the street, and he made sure she could see them. ''We follow new leads, but there aren't many,'' Mr. Baird said. The citizens of Skidmore Missouri apparently protecting the person or persons firing the shots. He was 47 years old. spur of the moment that got completely out of hand how do I know I was one of the people who witnessed the killing , or as some people say , murder all of us took an oath , the shooters & the other witnesss .it was surreal as to what happened he sat their [in his pickup truck] , just like in the movie calmly & looked in his mirror to see the crowd behind him , he knew I believed that it was the end for him & that he was about to die , no way in hell was that crowd letting him leave. The McElroys eventually left the store, but when Bowenkamp closed up that night, he was outside, waiting. Am looking forward to your next post and the pictures you spoke of. But even more frustrating was the ineptitude of law enforcement in their handling of the monster that terrorized them day in and day out. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Try again. Try again later. 4. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. The law wasnt going to help the people of Skidmore. Residents seem more resentful, less willing to talk. When you park in front of the old D & G. McElroy may have been shot there 30 years ago (next July), but in some ways it could have been last July. On of his hands came to him one afternoon and reported that someone was on the property shooting a firearm. Although Ken Rex was married to his second wife Alice, he could not help but notice the pretty girl with long blonde locks. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Many speculate that McElroy also threatened the jury. Tony and Mabel were uneducated, and spent the early years of their marriage moving around Missouri and Kansas working as tenant farmers before eventually settling outside of Skidmore in Nodaway County. I was a witness , not a shooter we all talked & took a vow of silence , NO MATTER WHAT to our death bed. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? Ken Rex McElroy was not a nice man. The shot violently ripped Romaine Henrys stomach opened, the right side of his body peeling away and laying across his lap. Despite the facts, the residents of Skidmore, MO, weren't so eager to talk Fidelity wasnt a strong suit of Ken Rex, or of any interest to him at all for that matter. No, the townspeople all would have known that the injury was attributable to an intentional act, and that Ken Rex was always the responsible party. Its owned and run by newcomers. Please enter your email and password to sign in. This was a punch in the gut to everybody in Skidmore. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Your email address will not be published. (SECOM) Ken Rex fell quickly in lust with Trena. The Bowenkamps, who were in their early seventies at the time, tried their best to carry on with life as normal. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. 3. He ruled with an iron fist, inciting fear and causing a persistent sense of dread amongst townsfolk. 20 You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Try again later. Copyright 2017 Wagner & Lynch | 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. Everyone in town seemed to know McElroy had done it, yet he spent only a single night in jail for nearly killing the man. MacLean told Inside Edition: Whatever had been done might not be morally right, but he needed killing. I think its admirable that you have not forgotten the good people who helped you. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21971/ken-rex-mcelroy. Born in Overland Park, Kansas, on June 1, 1934, McElroy was the fifteenth of Tony and Mabel McElroys sixteen children. After the photos. McElroy for the most part escaped prosecution and, certainly, conviction for various crimes. All told Ken Rex McElroy faced felony charges twenty-one times without ever being convicted. The police would not or could not help us or Skidmore. By this point in his life Ken Rex had become a master of escaping punishment. Not only that, they recommended he spend no more than two years in prison. Almost everyone, with the exception of Bo Bowenkamp, backed down. He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. We went to the courts. Several of those who observed the shooting were standing in front of the station, which is just a few yards up the hill from where the riflemen were standing. Please reset your password. Please try again later. Before I left on my trip to Skidmore, I wondered on this blog if I would encounter any difficulty with local residents who had recently expressed concern, to put it lightly, over my characterization of shooter Del Clement as a short, hot-tempered drunk. A deer slug in one chamber tore through Bowenkamps neck, coming within 3 inches of his head. The next morning, people gathered once again, this time at the American Legion hall located across the street from the D&G Tavern. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. He was nonplussed. . This is the story of a man that terrorized an entire community. In fact, anywhere between thirty and ninety people witnessed the shooting of the 270lb brute of a man on that hot July day in 1981. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Not long after moving into McElroys farmhouse, both Trena and Alice (Ken Rex and Alice remained together despite him moving Trena in) fled to Trenas parents home. Learn more about managing a memorial . The older daughter paid for her items, but as they were leaving, the younger daughter grabbed some candy out of a jar and headed for the door. Search above to list available cemeteries. 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. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Ken McElroy (21971)? 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. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. , Women had a harder time with it than the men. You know how he oppressed and threatened us. Its not even past. Nowhere is that more true than the small community of Skidmore, where the past is the terror and murder of a terror-stoking outlaw 30 years ago. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 July 10, 1981) was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. To describe McElroy as intimidating is putting it lightly. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Two people decided in the midst of that whole incident theyd had enough, MacLean said. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. MacLean doesnt believe the men gathered at the Legion hall that morning ever made a group decision to kill McElroy. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. His first wife, Sharon, was fifteen when they met, while McElroy was at least twenty. Trena, who was twenty-three by this time, began yelling at the clerk, which drew the attention of the stores owners, Ernst and Lois Bowenkamp. Over the course of his life Ken Rex would be married three times and father ten children. After McElroy fired a gun outside her house, Evelyn Sumy appealed to Dave Dunbar, the town marshal. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Who was Ken Rex McElroy? A pact of silence was made between the witnesses. The justice system just crashed and burned over this case.. Much of his cash, however, went to Richard Gene McFadin, his lawyer. Few were criticized as mightily as Baird over the lack of prosecution in McElroys murder. He was the fifteenth of sixteen children born to a poor, migrant tenant farming family that moved between Kansas and the Ozarks before settling outside of Skidmore, Missouri. That was the last straw, MacLean said. Debbie Ann McElroy, age 54 of Conway, Missouri, passed away Sunday, June 14, 2020 at her home in Conway. He was very cunning, MacLean told Patch. The story of Ken Rex McElroy began on June 1, 1934. No one called for an ambulance. 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. Why are you doing this? Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Around forty of them stood outside, while another twenty crowded into the small tavern. This is a collaborative project with FindMyPast.com. Add to your scrapbook. The plan was to discuss how they were going to protect themselves from McElroy for the next two weeks until the hearing. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Then one day, McElroy drove to the corner store, found Bo Bowenkamp around the back, and shot him in the neck. Itll be a day or two. One account even said that McElroy rode into town on a horse and was shot and killed, Baird, the former prosecutor, said. Retaliation would be severe. They had to look out for themselves. Resend Activation Email. Trena moved away from Skidmore, remarried and had more children. He went to Trenas parents home, where he viciously beat Trena and Alice, then burned the McCloud house to the ground. Skidmore looks different. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Weve updated the security on the site. , He had been Longstanding Grudges. 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?
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