He was nonplussed. 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. So the townspeople held a meeting. And its likely to stay that way. July 8th, 1980: The Bowenkamps filed a legal proceeding against Ken McElroy after the incident in their store. Local police, state investigators and FBI agents tried to break the towns silence, without success. 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. Then you can read about chilling cold cases where the murderers and victims were both unknown. 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. Allegedly, even the mayor was in on it. 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. 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. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. Actually, I think those shooters saved lives in the end, she said. Estes, the sheriff some tried to implicate in a conspiracy, is dead. If we could have proved who done it, he would have prosecuted him, said Mr. Riddle, 72 and also retired, who describes the case as the most frustrating of his career. McElroy and Trena returned to the truck, where he lit a cigarette while she was in the passenger seat. [1] McElroy successfully appealed the conviction and was released on bond, after which he engaged in an ongoing harassment campaign against Bowenkamp and others who were sympathetic to Bowenkamp, including the town's Church of Christ minister. The trial collapsed yet all accounts are sceptical that the witnesses were telling the . A trial took place the following year and for the first time ever, Ken McElroy was convicted. 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. At least some of the witnesses surely knew who fired the bullet that shattered the back window of McElroys truck and blew off the back of his head. His unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. Looking back, the justice system had as much to do with killing Ken McElroy as anyone in Skidmore did.. He divorces Oleta and marries Sharon to get out of a chargeof assault after shooting Sharon during an argument. If you were to go to Skidmore today, there isn't much to see. No one was ever accused of shoplifting, or stealing. Need help with the site? - A&E The couple then moved to Colorado. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead inside his pick-up truck on the 10th of July, 1981, via a storm of bullets. 1952: Ken McElroy marries his first wife Oleta. He was hit twice and died in his truck. Somebody would hear his name, and the legend grew bigger. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. But if tried by a jury of their peers, I doubt anybody around here would have convicted the shooters. As the case dragged on without a court date, Henry said McElroy had parked outside his home at least 100 times. His eyes just really put you in defense modehe really looked like a mean person.. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! Sixteen days after Trena gave birth, both she and Alice fled to Trena's mother's and stepfather's house. Skidmore townsfolk may not all have liked how he was killed it was murder, after all but when he died, most of the towns 435 residents let out a heavy sigh of relief. 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. Shortly after, Strattons wife Margaret was headed to church when she saw a strange truck in the driveway. The town got away with murder, Mr. McFadin said. The towns local bar in Skidmore, Missouri. Then, on the night of July 8, 1980, McElroy shot 70-year-old Skidmore grocer Ernst Bo Bowenkamp, unwittingly setting up his own murder a year later. What happened in Skidmore that day wasnt much different than the completely predictable result from shaking a carbonated beverage until the top finally blows. Things reached a boiling point in 1980 when Ken McElroy got into a confrontation with the towns elderly grocer, Ernest Bo Bowenkamp. McElroys wife was not injured and escaped the vehicle. The grocer lived and McElroy was again arrested and charged with attempted murder. The people of the town keep their heads down and prefer to not speak about the incident. July 10th, 1981: The townspeople gather around Ken's truck once he and Trena exit the bar. He found a macabre scene. Just to be aware, he explained. In Broad Daylight: A murder in Skidmore, Missouri|Paperback After dropping out of school in the eighth grade, it didnt take long for Ken McElroy to fall into a life of delinquency. You know how he oppressed and threatened us. As a result, he was arrested, but quickly released. Yes, its against the law, but you know, the law is not the final definitive word on him. But even after a federal prosecutor forwarded to Mr. Baird what he called substantial new evidence, no one was indicted. When Estes and state troopers arrived back in town, the streets were empty and quiet, save the rumbling, smoking engine of McElroys truck. 'No One Saw a Thing': A town torn apart by 38 years of violence Livestock owners looked the other way when a few head of cattle or hogs vanished in the night or gas barrels used to fuel farm implements were noticeably emptier. And his deeds were as daunting as his appearance. On July 8, 1980, McElroy drove to the alley behind the Bowenkamp general store. You dont have a town full of people who were hiding a guilty conscience, he said. He stood silently at the back of the store, but his wife tore into Sumy in an argument laced with four-letter bombs, Monte said. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. [Stream episodes of Accused: Guilty or Innocent? 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. Were the citizens justified in taking matters into their own hands? Yet the identity of McElroys killer is a public secret Skidmore has kept for 38 years. Get out of town, they said. Skidmore, Part Three - The Murder of Ken Rex McElroy We might not see him for three or four days, and then wed see him every day for weeks, Monte said. Trena McElroy fingered a local rancher as one of the gunmen, but he denied the claim. McElroys wife named one person as a possible gunman, but no one couldor wouldidentify who fired the shots. Timeline | McElroy Talking Well Of The Dead: The Shooting Down Of Ken McElroy, USA. The Vigilantemurder of Ken Rex McElroy still remains a mystery today. As he sat drinking at the bar, word got back to the men at the Legion Hall that he was in town. They sacrificed one for the betterment of hundreds. [6], Based on Trena's story, McElroy was indicted in June 1973 for arson, assault, and statutory rape. Once freed, McElroy didnt just quietly celebrate his victory. It was a matter of self-preservation. It's said that the meeting adjourned, and the crowd quietly descended upon the tavern, flanking McElroy's truck. The rumor was that he had drowned her father in a bathtub when he had objected to what he was doing to his daughter. CHAPTER ONE. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 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. McElroy allegedly stole livestock, grain, gasoline, and antiques. When the news that Ken and Trena went to the local bar that evening, everyone got up and made their way over. When the shooting ended, McElroy was slumped over the steering wheel. E-mail: ramzywritersofficial@gmail.com. The townsfolk were infuriated. McElroy was born in 1934, the fifteenth of sixteen children born to a poor . Then McElroy, described by veteran journalist Phil Conger as a big brute of a guy with slicked-back hair like Elvis, took the stand. They delivered messages in code. Ken McElroy was shot to death on the main street of Skidmore in July 1981, in front of 45 witnesses. Dec. 15, 2010. The murder took place on July 10, 1981, the day after McElroy had threatened Bowenkamp at the tavern. A museum dedicated to Skidmore, Mo., sits on Elm Street, the towns main drag. Its been over 30 years. So is Stratton. He was indicted as many as 21 times, but escaped conviction all but once. On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. Ken is later charged and arrested. McElroy's appeal hearing was again delayed. Joyce Monte, daughter of injured grocer. But in a dramatic act of solidarity with the gunman, every witness, save the dead mans wife, denied seeing who had pulled the trigger. She died in 2012. The local major-cases squad investigated, then the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Richard Stratton, the only lawman in northwest Missouri ever known to stand up to McElroy, hunted McElroy down and arrested him on an attempted murder charge. Is No One Saw A Thing A True Story? The Real-Life Murder - ScreenRant After the sheriff left town, the group walked from the hall and went down the street to the tavern. Worse felonies included assault and arson. 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Known as 'the town bully', his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. Its never going to happen.. He was known as the town bully, but they may be putting it mildly. He left town just as Ken and Trena McElroy were driving in, likely passing McElroys Chevrolet Silverado pickup in his cruiser on the road. When you didnt know where he was, you didnt dare take the chance of not being on your guard.. A writer and storyteller out in the world to write about True-Crime and History. He was shot at several times and hit twice, once by a centerfire rifle and once by a .22 rimfire rifle. A deer slug in one chamber tore through Bowenkamps neck, coming within 3 inches of his head. Missouri-based journalist Steve Booher described the attitude of some townspeople as, "He needed killing. 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. The Story Of Ken McElroy, The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town 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. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. 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. In the end, fear is what killed him, Goslee said. Full Worm Moon: Will Conditions Favor A Moonbow? 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. McElroy divorced Alice and married Trena in order to escape charges of statutory rape, to which she was the only witness. 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. 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. . The townspeople organized a caravan to escort the witnesses to the hearing both to protect them and to show solidarity. [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. 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. Meanwhile, McElroy and his wife arrived at the D&G Tavern for a morning drink. There has been books written, movies, documentaries and more made about the killing. Ken Rex McElroy was an American known as "the town bully" of Skidmore, Missouri. MacLean doesnt believe the men gathered at the Legion hall that morning ever made a group decision to kill McElroy. 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. McElroy wound up shooting Bowenkamp in the neck, nearly killing him. Recent leaks into killing of town bully Ken Rex McElroy - reddit 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. Unsolved 'Vigilante' Murder in the Heartland: Missouri Town Goes Quiet After Bully Is Shot, https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/ken-rex-mcelroy-vigilante-murder-skidmore-unsolved. 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. THE KILLING OF KEN REX MCELROY THIRTY YEARS LATER. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. They could finally sleep peacefully at night, especially Bo and Lois Bowenkamp and their children. 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. Dozens of them gathered at Skidmores American Legion hall on the morning of July 10, 1981. No one has any idea what a nightmare we lived.. Ken McElroy died in a hail of gunfire on the morning of July 10, 1981, while sitting in his truck outside a local tavern. McElroy was found not guilty. 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. June 25th, 1981: Ken McElroy is sentenced to two years in jail. What set off McElroy and put the local grocer in his crosshairs was the pettiest of offenses. McElroy first began his relationship with McCloud when she was 14 and the two had a child shortly thereafter. 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. The case inspired a book, In Broad Daylight by Harry McLean, and a 1991 TV movie of the same name starring Brian Dennehy. The Story Of Ken McElroy The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town. A lot of people were not happy about what happened, MacLean said. Mable was born on February 28 1897, in Dover, Shawnee County, KS, USA. The law had plenty of chances, plenty of times to lock him up., Added Monte: Justice failed everybody. The death of Ken Rex McElroy is a perplexing case that has hung heavy over the town of Skidmore, Missouri for decades. Sheriff Estes instructed the assembled group not to get into a direct confrontation with McElroy, but instead seriously consider forming a neighborhood watch program. He was known as "the town bully", [1] and his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. But Ken rarely had to wrestle with the I think its something thats going to define this town forever.. McElroy was accused of raping two young women, as young as 12 years old, both of whom he was said to have "married" to keep them from testifying against him. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The man identified by the widow as the main gunman recently died, something Mr. Baird raised in suggesting that the case may never be reopened. Everyone was so uncomfortable and scared.. Ken Rex McElroy was a 6-foot, 270 pounds, dark-complexioned, blue-eyed man who lived in Skidmore, Missouri. June 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. 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