[9] McElroy was convicted at trial of assault, but freed on bail pending his appeal. As a result, he was arrested, but quickly released. Shortly after, McElroy was arrested and charged with attempted murder. June 25th, 1981: McElroy returns to Skidmore out on bail until an appeal hearing. He was charged with wading through the sensational details and moral ambiguities of the case to ensure that, in his words, justice was served. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. One account even said that McElroy rode into town on a horse and was shot and killed, Baird, the former prosecutor, said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Some people have attributed his strange behavior with this event. 1969 or 1970: Ken McElroy becomes involved with a young girl named Trena McCloud. I said it in 1981, and Ill say it now, Baird told Patch. How could it? 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 justice system just crashed and burned over this case.. Watch the new and 7th season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime! The police would not or could not help us or Skidmore. McElroy was a big man with cold eyes who always carried a gun. 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,. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. No One Saw a Thing S01E01 The Killing of Ken Rex McElroy Road signs bear a picture of a young man who disappeared nine years ago and is feared dead. June 25th, 1981: Ken McElroy is sentenced to two years in jail. This was something that the "town bully," Ken Rex McElroy, staunchly rebelled against. In fact, anywhere between thirty and ninety people witnessed the . Ken Rex McElroy was a 6-foot, 270 pounds, dark-complexioned, blue-eyed man who lived in Skidmore, Missouri. When a court hearing was postponed, there was a meeting in town, with the mayor and the sheriff attending, to discuss Mr. McElroy. McCloud was McElroy's third "wife," though all unions were suspicious due to the fact that some of his marriages overlapped. It's said that the meeting adjourned, and the crowd quietly descended upon the tavern, flanking McElroy's truck. 1. McElroy was furious when he learned of the incident. [11] Only Trena claimed to identify a gunman; every other witness either was unable to name an assailant or claimed not to have seen who fired the fatal shots. Many buildings are closed and falling apart. Over the next two years, three grand juries were empaneled and testimony taken. A museum dedicated to Skidmore, Mo., sits on Elm Street, the towns main drag. He left town just as Ken and Trena McElroy were driving in, likely passing McElroys Chevrolet Silverado pickup in his cruiser on the road. It was a sunny, clear summer day. McElroy first began his relationship with McCloud when she was 14 and the two had a child shortly thereafter. All Rights Reserved. Mr. McElroy was quickly rearrested after he appeared in town with a rifle, but he was again released. As he sat drinking at the bar, word got back to the men at the Legion Hall that he was in town. Evelyn tried to explain what had happened, that nobody had accused the children of stealing, and Trena said, Why would my effing daughter lie? . The town has seen more than its share of tragedy. He was known as "the town bully",[1] and his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. The Story Of Ken McElroy, The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town The morning of July 10, 1981, a group of frustrated and angry men gathered at the Legion Hall in Skidmore, MacLean writes. [6] Trena and her baby were placed in foster care at a home in Maryville, Missouri. Dunbar talked to him, and [McElroy] pulled a gun on him, Monte said. Once there, he threatened Bo, and shot him in the neck at close range with a shotgun. As many as 60 Skidmore residents attended, including the mayor and the sheriff. McElroys wife named one person as a possible gunman, but no one couldor wouldidentify who fired the shots. Farmers carried them to kill varmints, or for hunting displaying them in plain sight in rear window gun racks. They know how everybody thinks.. McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. Neither Baird nor MacLean, whose crime novel has been praised as an accurate account of McElroys killing, buy that. [4], McElroy fathered more than 10 children with different women. 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. The McElroys eventually left the store, but when Bowenkamp closed up that night, he was outside, waiting. However, an incident would occur in 1980 that changed everything. The noted sites in the story are gone or boardedup. But Ken rarely had to wrestle with the As there were no witnesses, nobody was able to take the stand. It's said the county's law enforcement officials were afraid of encountering McElroy, who was known to be heavily armed. There were so many nights Dad couldnt go out and mow the yard or water the flowers because there was a truck parked down the street, and they were watching the house, Monte said. No one was surprised. 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. Some of these things are simply assumed to be factual, Baird said. 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. Ken Rex McElroy, whose still-unsolved murder outside of the local tavern inspired a book and movie both entitled "In Broad Daylight" was known to both of Scott's parents. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. As Trena told the story to reporters, a group of men followed them as they left the D&G. 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. The Tylenol Murders: Is It Too Late to Solve the Famous Cold Case? 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. 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. The Craziest Cold Case in History The Murder of Ken Rex McElroy He was as mean as he looked, but there was more to his baleful demeanor, said Colorado lawyer and author Harry MacLean, who lived with a prominent Skidmore farm family off and on for about five years while he researched In Broad Daylight, a New York Times bestseller chronicling McElroys life and death. 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 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. That was the last straw, MacLean said. This past weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the killing of Ken Rex McElroy of Skidmore. And despite there being dozens of witnesses, no one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with McElroys murder. The murder took place on July 10, 1981, the day after McElroy had threatened Bowenkamp at the tavern. June 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. No one has been indicted for the murder of McElroy. The case inspired a book, In Broad Daylight by Harry McLean, and a 1991 TV movie of the same name starring Brian Dennehy. He made no deathbed confession, but someone wrote in a memorial tribute that he . 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. Perversely, the towns share of tragedy has grown. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. In what could only be described as vigilante justice, they conspired to kill Ken McElroy. After Sally had had three kids, Ken kicks her out of the house. July 10th, 1981: The Townspeople gather in the Legion to discuss what should be done about Ken McElroy. What set off McElroy and put the local grocer in his crosshairs was the pettiest of offenses. In the ensuing confrontation, McElroy shot Bowenkamp in the neck; Bowenkamp survived, and McElroy was arrested and charged with attempted murder. [Stream episodes of Accused: Guilty or Innocent? 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. Estes, the sheriff some tried to implicate in a conspiracy, is dead. No one bothered to turn it off. Carjackers Steal More Cars Many With Kids Still Inside, After Indulgent Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday Signals Abstinence, Fasting. Joyce Monte, daughter of injured grocer. April 25th, 1980: A few of Ken's children go to the local grocery store and is accused of stealing by Mrs. Bowenkamp. The citizens decided to go to the tavern en masse. He put those skills to work rustling hogs and cattle, MacLean recounts. He would intimidate anyone who got in his way, usually by repeatedly harassing them or threatening them with a bullet. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. Meanwhile, major media outlets descended onto Skidmore and reports of its vigilantes became water-cooler talk across the U.S. For some residents, resentment against McElroy was projected onto the police. Del Clement, the man Trena named as McElroys killer, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2009. Retaliation would be severe. [8] At the trial, two raccoon hunters testified they were with McElroy the day of the shooting away from Henry's property. Ken McElroy - Historical records and family trees - MyHeritage 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]. So what was left?. RELATED: 10 Of The Best Docuseries You Should Be Watching Now Each episode is around 40 minutes each and contains dramatic and intimate . They settle in Skidmore. But in a dramatic act of . McElroy was hit twice by two different guns and died from injuries to his head and neck. 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. I didnt know what to do. 'No One Saw a Thing': A town torn apart by 38 years of violence To the residents of the small town, he was the town bully. That was the last failure of criminal justice.. She died in 2012. I didnt see anything. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. The Killing of Ken Rex McElroy Thirty Years Later There wasn't much parental supervision, but McElroy had a knack for taking care of himself. In Broad Daylight: A murder in Skidmore, Missouri|Paperback If they thought it was getting too out of hand, they would send one of us up and down the aisle.