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[2] He was struck by bullets from at least two different firearms, in front of a crowd of people estimated as numbering between 30 and 46. Of the most serious, McElroy was accused of child molestation and statutory rape. Police had charged him with various alleged crimes from stealing hogs to assault, but nothing stuck. McElroys wife named one person as a possible gunman, but no one couldor wouldidentify who fired the shots. The Vigilantemurder of Ken Rex McElroy still remains a mystery today. Heavy lids veiled cold, steel-blue eyes, making them look like half moons. It's hard to believe that this small town was once a bustlingcommunity. 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. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. 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. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . A writer and storyteller out in the world to write about True-Crime and History. 1952: Ken McElroy marries his first wife Oleta. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. McElroy was furious when he learned of the incident. Within hours, Mr. Baird heard that there had been a shooting downtown. 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. McElroy eventually left the tavern and got into his pickup truck with his wife, but the mob of people followed the pair outside. Ken McElroy issues threats against the Bowenkamp family. 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. 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. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 - July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. 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. Estes then drove out of town in his police cruiser. 1955 or 56: Ken and Oleta McElroy move back to Missouri after Ken's accident in Colorado. This led to several patrons deciding to see what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. Many buildings are closed and falling apart. You just didnt do that.. I dont believe youre coming nowafter we needed your help all this time.. A federal grand jury was convened. A&E, Rolling Stone, Playboy, 60 Minutes, and other media outlets covered the story in print or television. McElroy was born in 1934, the fifteenth of sixteen children born to a poor . For more than two decades, McElroy was suspected of being involved in theft of grain, gasoline, alcohol, antiques, and livestock, but he avoided conviction when charges were brought against him 21 timesoften after witnesses refused to testify because he allegedly intimidated them, frequently by following his targets or parking outside their homes and watching them. And despite there being dozens of witnesses, no one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with McElroys murder. He made no deathbed confession, but someone wrote in a memorial tribute that he . Meanwhile, McElroy and his wife arrived at the D&G Tavern for a morning drink. Some attributed his bizarre and violent behavior to a head injury suffered in this event. McElroy for the most part escaped prosecution and, certainly, conviction for various crimes. He was arrested, booked, arraigned, and released on $2,500 bail. We might not see him for three or four days, and then wed see him every day for weeks, Monte said. 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. As many as 60 people were reported to have been at the scene, but not one of them would say who had wielded the weapons. 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. There is pretty much nothing in existence that was not stolen by McElroy during his 47 years. McElroy was hit twice by two different guns and died from injuries to his head and neck. Ken Rex McElroy, a notoriously brutal man who had terrorized Skidmore, Mo., for years, was killed in 1981. 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. McElroy was eventually convicted, but the charge was lessened from "attempt to kill" to "knowingly caused serious physical injury" to ensure a conviction. And his deeds were as daunting as his appearance. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. American criminal and murder victim, killed by vigilantes, "3 decades on, who killed Skidmore town bully still secret", "Ken McElroy Murderer, rapist and consummate intimidator", "Skidmore, Revisited Part 1: The Death of Ken McElroy", "Ken McElroy Murderer, rapist and consummate intimidator Another Teen Love", "Ken McElroy Murderer, rapist and consummate intimidator Saved by the Law", "Ken McElroy Murderer, rapist and consummate intimidator Intent to Kill", The Death Of Ken McElroy *Interesting History* - YouTube, "AS her daughter Tami listens, Trena McElroy retells how she watched", "3 decades on, who killed Skidmore town bully still secret | McClatchy", "Ken McElroy Murderer, rapist and consummate intimidator Murder in Broad Daylight", "Wrongful death lawsuit settled in re Ken McElroy", "Trena McElroy Passed Away | Harry N. MacLean", "You Get What You Pay For, by Larry Beinhart", "Stream It Or Skip It: 'No One Saw A Thing' On SundanceTV, A Docuseries About How Skidmore, Missouri Has Kept A Murder Unsolved For 38 Years", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ken_McElroy&oldid=1136590059, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Pages using infobox criminal with known for parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Bo Bowenkamp (survived an attempted murder), This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 02:52. There may never be an answer to the question of who killed Ken Rex McElroy. Women had a harder time with it than the men. 1969 or 1970: Ken McElroy becomes involved with a young girl named Trena McCloud. McElroy was a big man with cold eyes who always carried a gun. They delivered messages in code. I didnt see anything. After dropping out of school in the eighth grade, it didn't take long for Ken McElroy to fall into a life of delinquency. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. He was nonplussed. More awful crimes have taken place in the small town. He was shot at several times and hit twice, once by a centerfire rifle and once by a .22 rimfire rifle. Dozens of them gathered at Skidmores American Legion hall on the morning of July 10, 1981. It's hard to believe that this small town was once a bustlingcommunity. 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. 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. The town has seen more than its share of tragedy. No one has any idea what a nightmare we lived.. August 18th, 1980: Ken's preliminary trial begins. Boyer was taking trajectory measurements at the crime scene when a town official chided him. 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. McElory was struck by two different firearms and died behind the wheel of his truck. I have no doubt hed have tried to kill my mom. This past weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the killing of Ken Rex McElroy of Skidmore. Boyer was among the first responders to arrive outside the D&G tavern where McElroy was ambushed. It really is that it was never spoken of they had an instinctive reaction to close up. Part of his teeth were lying on the dashboard, Boyer recalls. He was accused or suspected of dozens of crimes, including theft, livestock rustling, burglary, arson, assault, rape, and child molestation. Biography Mini Bio (1) Ken Rex McElroy Jr. is known for No One Saw a Thing (2019). Despite being shot in broad daylight in front of various witnesses, the . You could talk to everybody in this case, and theyd give you a different answer, he said in an interview at his office in the red brick county courthouse in nearby Maryville. Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. When he got off on a trial, it grew even bigger. McCloud attempted to escape to her parents' house, but McElroy allegedly responded by burning down Trena's parents' home and shooting their dog. The streak ended when a jury convicted Mr. McElroy of second-degree assault in the grocers shooting. Three grand juries heard evidence. If those responsible for killing McElroy are vigilantes, its because the justice system made them that way, Monte said. 1960: Ken moves his young girlfriendSally into his house with Sharon. More awful crimes have taken place in the small town. McElroy appealed the case and was released on bond. June 25th, 1981: McElroy returns to Skidmore out on bail until an appeal hearing. Calling the sheriff about his threats was risk few were willing to take not that it would have done much good, Goslee said. 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. If you were to go to Skidmore today, there isn't much to see. Hed help anyone that needed to be helped, she said in an interview recounted in In Broad Daylight. Despite three grand juries, no one has been indicted for the . *In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean 1988. The trial collapsed yet all accounts are sceptical that the witnesses were telling the .