This leaves three Clement boys.). This is when the rage amongst locals reached boiling point. , . When either woman did raise his cheating as an issue, he simply beat them and tortured them as a reminder that they were not entitled to issues or the bringing of them up. As far as I could find, McElroy was married three times. Henry survived, and unlike the majority of McElroys other victims, actually went on to testify in court against him. McElroy Williams. Failed to report flower. McElroy pretty much got whatever he wanted, and women were no exception. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Tony and Mabel were uneducated, and spent the early years of their marriage moving around Missouri and Kansas working as tenant farmers before eventually settling outside of Skidmore in Nodaway County. Please enter your email and password to sign in. 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. Everyone in town seemed to know McElroy had done it, yet he spent only a single night in jail for nearly killing the man. Gene McFadin, McElroys nickel-slick lawyer from Kansas City could get Ken off every time, Kirby Goslee, a 71-year-old Skidmore farmer who still works the land his family homesteaded six generations ago, told Patch. McElroy dropped out of school in the eighth grade. The courts would not help us or Skidmore. By this point in his life Ken Rex had become a master of escaping punishment. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Hed leave, then hed come back, Monte said. Somebody was going to get killed. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. To use this feature, use a newer browser. If Trena did have a choice, it would never fall to the bus driver to protect the little girl if she chose to not go with Ken Rex. It wasnt that he was necessarily slick of sly in any way, he was a brute. As a result, he was no stranger to the Nodaway County Sheriffs Dept. 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. Scan this QR code to download the app now. The FBI entered the case stiff-arming and threatening people, is how Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, relates it. A lot of old timers complain that they dont know many of the other residents, a lot of whom work in surrounding communities. Skidmore residents were pleased that (some) justice was finally being served. They had to look out for themselves. Weve updated the security on the site. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21971/ken-rex-mcelroy. This was a punch in the gut to everybody in Skidmore. Trena McCloud went on to become Ken McElroys third wife ( lifedaily.com ). Needless to say, McElroy was having none of this. He went to Trenas parents home, where he viciously beat Trena and Alice, then burned the McCloud house to the ground. It wasnt the kind of murder which goes unsolved for decades and eventually someone comes forward with the tip that breaks the case open. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. He had been This is not the story of a brutal man that terrorized his family and did bad things. In Broad Daylight (source: harrymaclean.com). Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. Three grand jury investigations and an FBI probe resulted in no indictments and no trial. Your email address will not be published. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. WebThe next day, McElroy was shot to death in broad daylight as he sat with his wife Trena in his pickup truck on Skidmore's main street. People Projects Discussions Surnames To welcome her back, McElroy had found yet another girlfriend, Trena McCloud, who was twelve years old, while McElroy would have been around thirty-five. The incident received world wide press coverage, was the subject of a tv movie and a book. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. McElroy got in his truck and drove away, leaving the farmer to whatever fate. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Ken Rex McElroy was not a nice man. 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. Eventually, Trena grew tired of the foster house and the rules she was expected to mind under, after all she was still a young girl, and she ran away. Last summer he was killed in a barrage of gunfire after climbing into his air-conditioned Silverado pickup truck, with his wife Trena and a six-pack of beer at his side. When he got off on a trial, it grew even bigger. As well as the piece on McElroys son. Its not even past. Nowhere is that more true than the small community of Skidmore, where the past is the terror and murder of a terror-stoking outlaw 30 years ago. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. McFadin was creating delay after delay in order to prevent the case from going to trial, and time was all that Ken Rex needed in order to avoid facing a jury. 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. Had I sought out the Clements and their crowd, I would have gone to the Elks Club in Maryville on Saturday night, the scene of my almost-violent encounter with Del and his friends years ago. He had many affairs over the course of his marriage to both Alice and his first wife Sharon. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. She took her complaint to at-the-time Nodaway County Sheriff Roger Cronk. Bill Everhart, mayor of the town of 440 people, says it could have been avoided had the courts cracked down on McElroy. 6. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Trena had to be hospitalized because of her injuries. Of course, McElroy had a gun. His conviction was for second-degree assault and he was sentenced to just two years - for shooting someone in the neck. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. He ruled with an iron fist, inciting fear and causing a persistent sense of dread amongst townsfolk. When the matter finally came to trial two coon hunters testified that Ken Rex was with them that day far away in another part of the county getting their limit. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Skidmore looks different. They knew this because they had all either witnessed or been the victim of a similar intentional violent act, and it was always at the hands of Ken Rex McElroy. I have a feeling his neighbors would have described him somewhat differently. He forced the two women and the children into his truck and drove them back to the farmhouse. 1952: Ken McElroy marries his first wife Oleta. Before you tell yourself the case closed, no, this case Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Not a one of 'em felt sorry for him. Make sure that the file is a photo. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. I dont believe youre coming nowafter we needed your help all this time.. Close to fifty of them had come together and made a plan to protect the witnesses who were going to testify against McElroy. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Henry, his entrails falling into his lap, eased into unconsciousness and assumed death. WebKen Rex McElroy (1934-1981) - Find a Grave Memorial McElroy for years had terrorized the small town of Skidmore Missouri, and was considered the town bully. If those responsible for killing McElroy are vigilantes, its because the justice system made them that way, Monte said. Not only that, they recommended he spend no more than two years in prison. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. He liked young underage girls starting around twelve to fourteen. In Part II we will learn more about the incident that would make Skidmore Missouri and Ken Rex McElroy a national news story and a mystery that stills haunts the town nearly forty years later. , However, there was more to Ken Rex than his size. He was the fifteenth of sixteen children born to a poor, migrant tenant farming family that moved between Kansas and the Ozarks before settling outside of Skidmore, Missouri. It sounded like the Wild West out there.''. McElroy, known as 'Kenrex' by his friends and his enemies, had an extensive arrest record. It was widely reported that he was illiterate, but he did not let this hold him back from getting what he wanted in life. spur of the moment that got completely out of hand how do I know I was one of the people who witnessed the killing , or as some people say , murder all of us took an oath , the shooters & the other witnesss .it was surreal as to what happened he sat their [in his pickup truck] , just like in the movie calmly & looked in his mirror to see the crowd behind him , he knew I believed that it was the end for him & that he was about to die , no way in hell was that crowd letting him leave. Try again later. This is the story of a man that terrorized an entire community. McElroy was in town and behaving belligerently. Anyone can read what you share. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. At this point Ken Rex McElroy had terrorized the community of Skidmore for over a decade, and all indications were that he was going to keep getting away with it. He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. It was not the kind of justice they shouldve gotten, 60-year-old Joyce Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, told Patch in a telephone interview from her home in Oklahoma. Contact Wagner & Lynch today to set up a free initial consultation! You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. Neither Baird nor MacLean, whose crime novel has been praised as an accurate account of McElroys killing, buy that. McElroy started his pickup and the sound of shots pierced the silence. She said her dad told her that del clement lived a rather miserable life after this happened. Trena was the only person to come forward to investigators about who she believed had killer her husband. Every school has a bully or bullies, and every small town has that family or families. It failed McElroy, too, because it failed to protect him from himself. In the end, fear is what killed him, Goslee said. And just over the horizon, beginning Aug. 1 on Sundance TV, is No One Saw a Thing, a six-part immersion in rural Missouri and the notorious 1981 vigilante killing of Ken Rex McElroy. Harry MacLean, author of "In Broad Daylight". Evelyn tried to explain what had happened, that nobody had accused the children of stealing, and Trena said, Why would my effing daughter lie? . He relied on witness intimidation to prove his innocence, and he was a master at it. WebA collection of obituaries found in the British Newspaper Archives. On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. . This is a collaborative project with FindMyPast.com. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. It was a matter of self-preservation. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. The other charges against Ken Rex would be dropped because the case was impossible to prove without either Alice or Trena testifying, and by this time both women were refusing to. Many speculate that this traumatic injury was a cause of his volatility and aggression later in life. 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. Who Killed Ken Rex McElroy: Town Keeps Its Secret For 38 Years Skidmore is down from 450 (when I was there) to 325. . He was literally untouchable right up until the day he wasnt. Eventually, after an altercation at a bar during which McElroy threatened him with a shotgun, Alices stepfather dropped the assault charges. As Trena told the story to reporters, a group of men followed them as they left the D&G. On leaving school (and likely even before) McElroy began stealing items such as antiques, alcohol, grain and gasoline. based on information from your browser. When you didnt know where he was, you didnt dare take the chance of not being on your guard.. Before driving away, McElroy stopped to light a cigarette. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Ken Rex moved her out of her parents home and into his, which he still shared with his wife Alice. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. He had steel blue eyes that would bore a hole right through you. Cite This Collection "British Newspaper Archives, Obituaries." 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. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Ken Rex McElroy was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St Joseph, Missouri. Ken Rex McElroy was not a nice man. A clerk saw what happened and warned the girl that she better return the candy or pay for it. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Bo survived, McElroy was arrestedbut he got out on bail, and began harassing the officer who arrested him, Richard Stratton. That was the last straw, MacLean said. ; Oleta McElroy-Anderson of Conway, Tammy Wertenberger of St. Joseph, Teresa Dorris of Helena, Mo. With the businesses gone, the Punkin Festival defunct, it has little vibrancy. Required fields are marked *. The group outside the tavern had grown and began jeering as they saw the couple emerge from the tavern. Not one of them felt bad. Please reset your password. The story was thrust back to the forefront this month by No One Saw a Thing, a six-part Sundance TV docu-series exploring the moral ambiguity of frontier justice and the unspoken, yet universally intriguing, question: When, if ever, does someone like McElroy deserve to die? 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. As the author of In Broad Daylight, I draw plenty of attention whenever Im in Skidmore, or Maryville, or anywhere in Nodaway County. The Tavern, a quonset hut set on a cement floor, stunk irredeemably of grease from all the burgers fried up in there over the years. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. WebKenneth Rex McElroy "Bully" Murder AS her daughter Tami listens, Trena McElroy retells how she watched her husband's life shot away by a man she and her attorney describe One assumption Skidmore hasnt been able to shed is that McElroys killing was an act of vigilante justice. True and tried, Ken Rexs tactics did work. Database with images. , . Refusing to argue, he and Lois went home. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. A federal grand jury was convened. No one was surprised. They slept in shifts, with some friend or family member keeping an eye on the street. When he found where Trena was staying he began relying on his old tactics of intimidation. We stood up and did the right thing. McElroy for years had terrorized the small town of Skidmore Missouri, and was considered the town bully. Thanks for your help! One man said to an officer examining the scene: What are you doing here? To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. She was born July 5, 1965 in Skidmore, Mo. Now that the hearing had been delayed, and McElroy no doubt knew who the witnesses were, the entire town felt a sense of impending doom about what was to come. He waved the gun around inside the tavern, proclaiming that he was going to finish off Bo Bowenkamp. Harry MacLean, author of the award winning book In Broad Daylight about the McElroy case, spent several years living in Skidmore, interviewing those who were there that day. Known as "the town bully", his unsolved killing became the focus of

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