Ken Rex McElroy was an illiterate hog farmer who lived on the outskirts of a small town in Northwest Missouri. It was a sunny, clear summer day. 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]. The bar soon filled completely. Ken McElroy was shot to death on the main street of Skidmore in July 1981, in front of 45 witnesses. Town Mute for 30 Years About a Bully's Killing - The New York Times McElroy was eventually convicted, but the charge was lessened from "attempt to kill" to "knowingly caused serious physical injury" to ensure a conviction. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in Skidmore, Missouri on July 10, 1981. His attorney, Richard McFadin, said he routinely defended Ken McElroy in three or four felonies a year. He met his last wife, Trena McCloud (19572012), when she was 12 years old and in eighth grade. 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. Nobody called an ambulance. No One Saw a Thing S01E01 The Killing of Ken Rex McElroy You dont take cases to trial to see what might happen, the former prosecutor said. Like so many other small towns, Skidmore has shrunk inside itself, watching businesses close and residents depart. He dropped out of school before he reached high school, and by 13 was already a familiar character to the cops around Nodaway County. [2][3] In 1981, McElroy was convicted of attempted murder in the shooting of the town's 70-year-old grocer Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. Ken Rex McElroyThe Thirtieth Anniversary of his Killing They settle in Skidmore. This past weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the killing of Ken Rex McElroy of Skidmore. June 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. 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 claimed they didnt see who fired the shots. 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If you were to go to Skidmore today, there isn't much to see. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro Ken Rex McElroy Jr. 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 McElroy was born in 1934, one of 16 children, author Harry MacLean explains in his book In Broad Daylight, an account of the case. 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. It failed McElroy, too, because it failed to protect him from himself. McElroy was furious when he learned of the incident. Ken Rex McElroy, a notoriously brutal man who had terrorized Skidmore, Mo., for years, was killed in 1981. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Obsessed with travel? He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. McElroy was hit twice and died. However, in 1981, Trena told People magazine that the fire was a result of "faulty wiring.". A reported crowd of up to 60 men had largely dispersed, but some onlookers remained, staring at the pickup. [Stream episodes of Accused: Guilty or Innocent? US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. The Town That Got Away With Murder - Ken Rex McElroy - Morbidology A federal grand jury was convened. [2], In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. 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. 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. No one was ever accused of shoplifting, or stealing. Joyce Monte, daughter of injured grocer. 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. I didnt know what to do. They were witnesses. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He never finished high school but knew how to hunt, drive fast and navigate the back roads of Nodaway County by his early teens. [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. Im never going to answer that question. 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. Get out of town, they said. There's a long list of crimes said to have been committed by McElroy, including shooting multiple people. The couple then moved to Colorado. 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. McElroy sat outside the foster home for hours at a time staring at it. The last three decades have been tough on this agricultural community of 342, about an hour and a half north of Kansas City. [8] At the trial, two raccoon hunters testified they were with McElroy the day of the shooting away from Henry's property. He was known as the town bully, but they may be putting it mildly. The courts would not help us or Skidmore. THE KILLING OF KEN REX MCELROY THIRTY YEARS LATER. What set off McElroy and put the local grocer in his crosshairs was the pettiest of offenses. 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. No one has been charged in connection with McElroys death. 13 Things About Ken McElroy's Shooting You Need To Know Before - Bustle On July 10th, 1981 Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in the street in broad daylight infront of 60 witnesses. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. He was punctual, always said he didnt do it, paid in cash and kept coming back.. Posted on July 14, 2011 by Harry. What started with hunting raccoons escalated into petty crime until McElroy ultimately emerged as a full-fledged criminal. We stood up and did the right thing. Tell us what you think in the comments below. As Trena told the story to reporters, a group of men followed them as they left the D&G. Who Killed Ken Rex McElroy: Town Keeps Its Secret For 38 Years 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. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. He divorces Oleta and marries Sharon to get out of a chargeof assault after shooting Sharon during an argument. [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. 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. Dunbar talked to him, and [McElroy] pulled a gun on him, Monte said. 1952: Ken McElroy marries his first wife Oleta. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. 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. Within hours, Mr. Baird heard that there had been a shooting downtown. Is No One Saw A Thing A True Story? The Real-Life Murder - ScreenRant Born in 1934, Ken Rex McElroy was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. The murder occurred in broad daylight, with as many as sixty eye-witnesses present . On the morning of July 10, 1981, several townspeople met with the Nodaway County sheriff at a local hall to discuss what could be done about McElroy. 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. He quit.. 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. There has been books written, movies, documentaries and more made about the killing. Meanwhile, McElroy and his wife arrived at the D&G Tavern for a morning drink. They settle in Skidmore. We went to the police. Tucked away in the northwest corner of Missouri is a small, dusty town 46 miles north of St. Joseph with a decades-old secret. July 10th, 1981: The Townspeople gather in the Legion to discuss what should be done about Ken McElroy. The meeting's entire purpose was to discuss what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. This six-episode true-crime docuseries comes from Sundance TV and premiered last August. 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. Everyone in town seemed to know McElroy had done it, yet he spent only a single night in jail for nearly killing the man. Henry survived and McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. June 25th, 1981: McElroy returns to Skidmore out on bail until an appeal hearing. Three grand juries heard evidence. He leaves Sharon to move in with Alice. No One Saw a Thing - Wikipedia 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,. And despite there being dozens of witnesses, no one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with McElroys murder. No one called for an ambulance. However, an incident would occur in 1980 that changed everything. She died in 2012. He raped McCloud repeatedly. 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. 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. During the meeting, McElroy arrived at the D&G Tavern with Trena. But justice is a loaded term in a case that challenges the usual assumptions of victim and perpetrator. The meeting broke up after participants learned McElroy and Trena were at the D&G Tavern. 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. So is Stratton. Local police, state investigators and FBI agents tried to break the towns silence, without success. The law wasnt going to help the people of Skidmore. in the A&E App.]. McElroy denied he was at the scene. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. 'No One Saw a Thing': A town torn apart by 38 years of violence Trena McElroy accused Skidmore residents of turning her husband into a scapegoat. Ken McElroy - Historical records and family trees - MyHeritage Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Everyone involved continues to keep the secret and gives no answers. The Killing of Ken Rex McElroy Thirty Years Later Still, the panel didnt return an indictment, giving rise to conspiracy theories about a law enforcement coverup, also a theme in No One Saw a Thing.. As many as 60 Skidmore residents attended, including the mayor and the sheriff. Maryville, Missouri, lawyer David Baird, the Nodaway County prosecutor at the time, said the crime is fairly unremarkable in the context of current-day gang shootings witnessed by many, but seen by few willing to risk their safety by ratting out the crew. Theoretically, [the murder] could be re-investigated, veteran Kansas City criminal defense attorney J.R. Hobbs tells A&E True Crime. The people of Skidmore were becoming more and more frustrated with the failures to protect them in the justice system. There may never be an answer to the question of who killed Ken Rex McElroy. September 2nd, 1982: Keven though there were over sixty witnesses, no one came forward to name the shooter. . Watch the new and 7th season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime! Alas, the victory was short-lived. June 29th, 1981: McElroy enters a bar with an illegal firearm, due to him being out on bail. Ken Rex McElroy was an American known as "the town bully" of Skidmore, Missouri. According to reports, some 50 people were outside the tavern when the shooting started. Bullet casings from two guns were found. Before you tell yourself the case closed, no, this case still remains unsolved. On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. McElroy began backing out too, then tailed Margaret until she radioed Richard and squad cars showed up. It was Richard McFadin, the man who kept Ken McElroy out of jail 21 times, who said it best: The town got away with murder.. McElroy was spinning so hard out of control, I have no doubt he would have tried to kill my dad again, given the chance.