Its never going to happen.. 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. My experience is that trying a case is not always good at bringing closure, Mr. Baird said. 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. Many buildings are closed and falling apart. I got in the car and was shaking so bad.. He was nonplussed. Obsessed with travel? By the time McElroy was shot dead under the glare of the morning sun on July 10, 1981, everybody feared his hair-trigger temper and brooding presence. A lot of them didnt even tell their wives and children. If you were to go to Skidmore today, there isn't much to see. She died of cancer on Jan. 24, 2012; it was her 55th birthday. 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. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. No one has been charged in connection with McElroys death. As there were no witnesses, nobody was able to take the stand. A&E, Rolling Stone, Playboy, 60 Minutes, and other media outlets covered the story in print or television. Of the most serious, McElroy was accused of child molestation and statutory rape. . All Rights Reserved. In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean / Via. Known for stealing livestock, harassing women, destroying property and threatening lives, Mr. McElroy had been charged with numerous felonies over the years his lawyer estimated at least three a year but had never been convicted. Everyone in town seemed to know McElroy had done it, yet he spent only a single night in jail for nearly killing the man. 1 or 2 men (unclear) took guns and shot Ken Rex McElroy dead in his truck. That they had guns at the ready wasnt unusual. I dont believe youre coming nowafter we needed your help all this time.. There just wouldnt have been a story.. The group heard McElroy and Trena McCloud were spotted heading to the tavern nearby. He was known as the town bully, but they may be putting it mildly. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The Vigilantemurder of Ken Rex McElroy still remains a mystery today. Ken McElroy died in a hail of gunfire on the morning of July 10, 1981, while sitting in his truck outside a local tavern. Before you tell yourself the case closed, no, this case still remains unsolved. Stratton knew McElroy from a previous stop when he threatened the trooper with a shotgun. He made no deathbed confession, but someone wrote in a memorial tribute that he was a good, brave man. McFadin, the lawyer who once told The New York Times the town got away with murder, is dead, too. It went beyond just hammering people and being mean-spirited. The rumor was that he had drowned her father in a bathtub when he had objected to what he was doing to his daughter. McElroy would just sit and glower at you just stare at you and youd never know what he was thinking.. 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. Almost everyone, with the exception of Bo Bowenkamp, backed down. Perversely, the towns share of tragedy has grown. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. 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. He went back home and was shot within a couple of days, explains Conger, editor of the Bethany Republican-Clipper. 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. There wasnt much parental supervision, but McElroy had a knack for taking care of himself. 1958: Ken McElroy becomes involved with a young woman named Sharon. Henry survived and McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. 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. They settle in Skidmore. 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.". McElroys wifewhom he victimized as a childremarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri. Boyer was out showing a trainee the ropes when he got the call of a shooting in Skidmore. The Story Of Ken McElroy The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town. And Mr. Baird lost his first election, in the Democratic primary this year, by just 25 votes, a loss noted by The Kansas City Star because of his connection with the case. Then, on a warm July night, McElroy shot my dad as he sat on the back loading dock of his store, waiting for an air conditioner repairman, Monte said. You dont take cases to trial to see what might happen, the former prosecutor said. McElroy was born in 1934, the fifteenth of sixteen children born to a poor . 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. Ken Rex Melroy was born on June 1st, 1934 to a family of poor tenant farmers who moved to Skidmore. An extensive federal investigation did not lead to any charges. Ken stalks the family afterwards, and on the 8th, Ken shoots Bo Bowenkamp. In the summer of 1981, a jury handed McElroy his first-ever felony conviction for the lesser charge of second-degree assault. 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,. McElroy was hit twice by two different guns and died from injuries to his head and neck. It really is that it was never spoken of they had an instinctive reaction to close up. In 1980, after a misunderstanding about a candy purchase from a Skidmore grocery store involving McElroys daughters, McElroy shot popular owner Bo Bowenkamp in the neck. To the residents of the small town, he was the town bully. They delivered messages in code. Nobody wanted to talk to us, retired Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Boyer tells A&E True Crime. The streak ended when a jury convicted Mr. McElroy of second-degree assault in the grocers shooting. During the meeting, McElroy arrived at the D&G Tavern with Trena. The FBI entered the case stiff-arming and threatening people, is how Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, relates it. Five or six of us were standing in front of the Skidmore Caf, waiting and passing the time. Many buildings are closed and falling apart. The objective is to promote history on Medium and demonstrate the value of historical writing. The last three decades have been tough on this agricultural community of 342, about an hour and a half north of Kansas City. Mr. McElroy has been dead for almost three decades now, a round number that has residents here bracing for the next round of visits by reporters. Buzzfeeds Unsolved Network produced a 24-minute true crime documentary on the shooting. Tensions in Skidmore soared as McElroys trial neared. As a result, he was arrested, but quickly released. Ken Rex McElroy was a 6-foot, 270 pounds, dark-complexioned, blue-eyed man who lived in Skidmore, Missouri. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead inside his pick-up truck on the 10th of July, 1981, via a storm of bullets. One night after he pulled a speeding pickup truck over, Boyer came face to face with McElroy. In August of 1980, McElroy made attempts to intimidate the Bowenkamp family and their supporters to prevent them from testifying. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. Refusing to argue, he and Lois went home. Meanwhile, McElroy and his wife arrived at the D&G Tavern for a morning drink. It's said that the meeting adjourned, and the crowd quietly descended upon the tavern, flanking McElroy's truck. Despite being shot in broad daylight in front of various witnesses, the . You know what he was like. The McElroys eventually left the store, but when Bowenkamp closed up that night, he was outside, waiting. His father was a tenant farmer, his mother a housewife swamped with feeding and caring for the sprawling family. 1948: Approximately the time when Ken begins his small thefts as a young teenager. [3] McElroy was acquitted. And Mr. Baird, all these years later, is still unwilling to give his own view on whether justice was served even though or because the killer was never tried. McElroy for the most part escaped prosecution and, certainly, conviction for various crimes. McElroy was getting into his pickup truck with his wife Trena on the main street of Skidmore where there was a crowd of 30 to 50 people. But not that one. However, in 1981, Trena told People magazine that the fire was a result of "faulty wiring.". Known as "the town bully", McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8iUdp33PqTsix2sGblEQZ8m5FQycC5D Vigilante justice, or cold-blooded murder?MERCH: We've got it! Despite the efforts of police, prosecutors and McElroys family, no one has been charged in the murder. 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. 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. Once there, he threatened Bo, and shot him in the neck at close range with a shotgun. How could it? The person(s) responsible for firing the shots that killed McElroy remains unsolved. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. One account even said that McElroy rode into town on a horse and was shot and killed, Baird, the former prosecutor, said. She eventually filed a wrongful death against the town, the county, and some citizens but the matter was settled out of court. The final straw for Skidmore was when he was let out on bond. According to reports, some 50 people were outside the tavern when the shooting started. More awful crimes have taken place in the small town. 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. Calling the sheriff about his threats was risk few were willing to take not that it would have done much good, Goslee said. Everyone was so uncomfortable and scared.. He was shot at several times and hit twice, once by a centerfire rifle and once by a .22 rimfire rifle. I didnt know what to do. McElory was struck by two different firearms and died behind the wheel of his truck. According to court records, McElroy tracked them down and brought them back. 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. McElroy started his pickup and the sound of shots pierced the silence. Theoretically, [the murder] could be re-investigated, veteran Kansas City criminal defense attorney J.R. Hobbs tells A&E True Crime. He quit.. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. Dunbar talked to him, and [McElroy] pulled a gun on him, Monte said. Im never going to answer that question. 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. When talking about McElroy, MacLean wondered how he was able to be so crafty. Three grand juries heard evidence. Instead, he continued to harass Bowenkamp. Then you can read about chilling cold cases where the murderers and victims were both unknown. In all, McElroy was indicted 21 times and managed to escape conviction every time. Reached by phone, Mr. McElroys wife, who has since remarried and left the state, said she was not interested in talking about the case. The grocer lived and McElroy was again arrested and charged with attempted murder. McElroy burned down the girls home and shot her familys dog to force her parents to agree to the marriage. Reporting on what you care about. 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. We stood up and did the right thing. 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 known to have stolen grain, alcohol, gasoline, antiques, and even livestock. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. A conviction should have been a victory for the people of Skidmore, but the jury set a maximum sentence of two years, and the judge, without protest from Mr. Baird, released Mr. McElroy on bond pending appeal. The Tylenol Murders: Is It Too Late to Solve the Famous Cold Case? The case was later settled out of court by all parties for $17,600, with no one admitting guilt, for the stated reason of avoiding costly legal fees should the suit proceed. After McElroy fired a gun outside her house, Evelyn Sumy appealed to Dave Dunbar, the town marshal. Missouri-based journalist Steve Booher described the attitude of some townspeople as, "He needed killing. Were the citizens justified in taking matters into their own hands? He spent the night in jail before posting bond, then sauntered menacingly back into the D&G tavern and pool hall and took his usual spot. Ken Rex McElroy was an illiterate hog farmer who lived on the outskirts of a small town in Northwest Missouri. His last wife, Trena, became pregnant with their first child at age 14. The bar that provided the backdrop for the shooting is closed and for sale for $20,000. 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. On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. The local major-cases squad investigated, then the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There's a long list of crimes said to have been committed by McElroy, including shooting multiple people. [9] McElroy was convicted at trial of assault, but freed on bail pending his appeal. They could finally sleep peacefully at night, especially Bo and Lois Bowenkamp and their children. The meeting's entire purpose was to discuss what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. July 8th, 1980: The Bowenkamps filed a legal proceeding against Ken McElroy after the incident in their store. In the end, fear is what killed him, Goslee said. He was known as the town bully , but they may be putting it mildly. Carjackers Steal More Cars Many With Kids Still Inside, After Indulgent Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday Signals Abstinence, Fasting. The justice system just crashed and burned over this case.. 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. But Ken rarely had to wrestle with the When word spread that McElroy was in town, a couple of the men walked from the Legion hall to the D&G. I didnt see anything. No one was ever accused of shoplifting, or stealing. 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. Hed leave, then hed come back, Monte said. 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. Just to be aware, he explained. 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. Ken is later charged and arrested. Mr. McElroy was quickly rearrested after he appeared in town with a rifle, but he was again released. She gathered her strength and put the car in reverse. He was very cunning, MacLean told Patch. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. So the townspeople held a meeting. 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 made a living leasing land near his farm, and trading and racing dogs. June 25th, 1981: Ken McElroy is sentenced to two years in jail. Is dumpster diving legal in Missouri and Illinois? Road signs bear a picture of a young man who disappeared nine years ago and is feared dead. He was accused or suspected of dozens of crimes, including theft, livestock rustling, burglary, arson, assault, rape, and child molestation. [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. The witnesses all claimed they had seen nothing. When the news that Ken and Trena went to the local bar that evening, everyone got up and made their way over. His foot fell to the accelerator when he was shot, causing the engine to run at full bore. The murder occurred in broad daylight, with as many as sixty eye-witnesses present, including the wife of the deceased. 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. Somebody would hear his name, and the legend grew bigger. This led to several patrons deciding to see what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. (Editors Note: Patch Deputy National Editor Beth Dalbey grew up on a farm about 10 miles from Skidmore, Missouri.). McElroys rear window was shot out and the front window as well. But the silence of the townspeople held. Someone warned her, Youre about to meet Ken Rex McElroy, Monte said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. They slept in shifts, with some friend or family member keeping an eye on the street. We went everywhere we could, but justice would stay delicately out the way, she said. He was a goodhearted person. In the decades preceding his murder, McElroy terrorized the denizens of Skidmore. The Vigilantemurder of Ken Rex McElroy still remains a mystery today. In 1981, McElroy was convicted of shooting . 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. Author Harry MacLean wrote a book McElroys story called In Broad Daylight. 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. Shortly after, McElroy was arrested and charged with attempted murder. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. Ken Rex McElroy was an American known as "the town bully" of Skidmore, Missouri. Like so many other small towns, Skidmore has shrunk inside itself, watching businesses close and residents depart. However, when the matter came to trial, McElroys attorney produced a pair of witnesses who testified they were hunting with McElroy that day and he was nowhere near the scene of the shooting. McElroy was in town and behaving belligerently. If those responsible for killing McElroy are vigilantes, its because the justice system made them that way, Monte said. And its likely to stay that way. 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 police chief who oversaw the investigation, Hal Riddle, disagrees. [6] Trena and her baby were placed in foster care at a home in Maryville, Missouri. That was the last failure of criminal justice.. 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. When the shooting ended, McElroy was slumped over the steering wheel. Boyer was among the first responders to arrive outside the D&G tavern where McElroy was ambushed. On July 10th, 1981 Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in the street in broad daylight infront of 60 witnesses. However, an incident would occur in 1980 that changed everything. They could have pushed and dug, pushed and dug and gotten nothing, said Huston. As he sat drinking at the bar, word got back to the men at the Legion Hall that he was in town. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. June 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. [1], McElroy was born in 1934, the 15th of 16 children born to a poor, migrant tenant-farming couple named Tony and Mabel (ne Lister) McElroy, who had moved between Kansas and the Ozarks before settling outside of Skidmore. He torched the home and shot the dogagainafter the girl went into hiding with her and McElroys baby. Nobody called an ambulance. There may never be an answer to the question of who killed Ken Rex McElroy. 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.