Ken Rex McElroy was shot in broad daylight on July 10, 1981, as he sat with his wife, Trina, in the front seat of their pickup truck in Skidmore. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. The citizens of Skidmore Missouri apparently protecting the person or persons firing the shots. Refusing to argue, he and Lois went home. Murder is still murder. , If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. The FBI entered the case stiff-arming and threatening people, is how Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, relates it. McWilliams Media Tulsa, OK Website Design. He would follow the bus route that took Trena to school in his pickup truck. Davis Not long after moving into McElroys farmhouse, both Trena and Alice (Ken Rex and Alice remained together despite him moving Trena in) fled to Trenas parents home. He had many affairs over the course of his marriage to both Alice and his first wife Sharon. The charges came as a result of what Trena had told the police. Longstanding Grudges. Oops, something didn't work. Year should not be greater than current year. The Craziest Cold Case in History The Murder of Ken Rex The McElroys never had any money. Lois soon became fed up and told the McElroys to leave the store and never come back. Faulkner wrote that The past is never dead. A lot of them didnt even tell their wives and children. A shotgun in his hands, Ken Rex turned toward the truck as it approached. ERP Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. System , , . As a result, he was no stranger to the Nodaway County Sheriffs Dept. Try again later. Verify and try again. Search. 3PL . cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. As well as the piece on McElroys son. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. 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. From talking to witnesses, he concluded that the killing of McElroy was not planned. System 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. Try again later. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. 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. McElroy Farmers carried them to kill varmints, or for hunting displaying them in plain sight in rear window gun racks. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. McElroy was arrested and charged with arson, assault, and statutory rape. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Joyce Monte, daughter of injured grocer. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. The townsfolk were infuriated. Kenneth McElroy Obituary The townspeople organized a caravan to escort the witnesses to the hearing both to protect them and to show solidarity. Trena had to go to hospital for the injuries she had suffered at the hands of McElroy. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Oops, we were unable to send the email. They just went stone silent. He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. The courts would not help us or Skidmore. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21971/ken-rex-mcelroy. Richard Stratton reflects on capturing notorious thug Ken Rex McElroy, 13 Things About Ken McElroy's Shooting You Need To Know Before Watching 'No One Saw A Thing', To the Killer of Her Least Favorite Son, Skidmore, Mo. Ken was eventually convicted for shooting a local general store owner for accusing his daughters of shoplifting. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Ken McElroy (21971)? . Somebody would hear his name, and the legend grew bigger. Harry MacLean, author of "In Broad Daylight". They could finally sleep peacefully at night, especially Bo and Lois Bowenkamp and their children. Then one day, McElroy drove to the corner store, found Bo Bowenkamp around the back, and shot him in the neck. 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. Ken Rex McElroy was murdered on July 10, 1981, in one of the most bizarre cases authorities had ever encountered. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Database with images. They thought about his wife and his children, and where it left them particularly the children.. MacLean told Inside Edition: Whatever had been done might not be morally right, but he needed killing. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. 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. Family members linked to this person will appear here. He returned when Trenas parents were away, shot the family dog and burned down the house. 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. On his tombstone are the words: brave, fearless and compassionate. 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. Undaunted, Mr. McElroy hoisted himself into the truck and pulled out a cigarette. Born in Overland Park, Kansas, on June 1, 1934, McElroy was the fifteenth of Tony and Mabel McElroys sixteen children. 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. Henry stopped the truck and Ken Rex approached the passenger side, the window rolled down, the barrel of the 12-gauge trained on Henry. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. Burial. For example, one of the owners of the D&G tavern would send her young children to the grocery store for paper towels, keeping the children innocently unaware they were telegraphing an urgent message for the Bowenkamps to call the police. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Try again. Bully's Death Unsolved Five Years Later Despite Dozens of 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.. He was a womanizer, too. ; Oleta McElroy-Anderson of Conway, Tammy Wertenberger of St. Joseph, Teresa Dorris of Helena, Mo. Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) - Genealogy Anyone heard any new info from people who were there? McElroy, known as 'Kenrex' by his friends and his enemies, had an extensive arrest record. She had seen a man named Del Clement (the co-owner of the D&G Tavern) standing across the street with a rifle, at which point she told Ken they needed to get out of there because he was going to get shot. Instead of leaving, McElroy turned around and shot Henry in the stomach with his shotgun. But Skidmore is still Skidmore. Sorry! He was nonplussed. Skidmore is down from 450 (when I was there) to 325. They delivered messages in code. He stalked the house where she was, brandishing his shotgun, and boring holes into the residents of the home with his steely eyes. Bo survived, McElroy was arrestedbut he got out on bail, and began harassing the officer who arrested him, Richard Stratton. Just a single name can cause a physical reaction when uttered out loud in a room filled with those in the know. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. It was widely reported that he was illiterate, but he did not let this hold him back from getting what he wanted in life. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. He got divorced and his drinking finally killed him. She was preceded in death by her father. McElroy was acquitted, thanks to his talented attorney. MacLean doesnt believe the men gathered at the Legion hall that morning ever made a group decision to kill McElroy. I have a feeling his neighbors would have described him somewhat differently. Thank you very much for the update on your recent trip. Yet in a conspiracy of silence that has spanned the past 38 years, the townsfolk have held the secret close. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The authorities had let them down, so they had no choice but to take matters into their own hands. After giving birth, Trena and Alice, exhausted from living in constant fear of McElroy, took their children and left the McElroy farm to live with Trenas parents. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. 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. Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. McFadin was a highly skilled attorney who got McElroy off the hook time and time again. Just as he was taking his first drag, the sound of two gunshots rang out. Year should not be greater than current year. Again, there were no indictments, and the McElroy murder case was tossed back to Baird. On leaving school (and likely even before) McElroy began stealing items such as antiques, alcohol, grain and gasoline. A hearing was scheduled, in which the witnesses would testify that they had seen McElroy in the bar in possession of a loaded weapon. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Since the killing, the town has been besieged with reporters and investigators. How to Use This Collection. 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. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. They were witnesses. Much of his cash, however, went to Richard Gene McFadin, his lawyer. Learn more about merges. McElroy for years had terrorized the small town of Skidmore Missouri, and was considered the town bully. POPULATION: ONE BAD MAN PART I. They recounted his threats to kill anyone who tried to jail him. 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. McElroy yelled to Henry when he got to the window. McElroy for the most part escaped prosecution and, certainly, conviction for various crimes. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Learn more about merges. . Year. However, the outcome of the conviction was a slap in the face for Bo and Lois Bowenkamp. Even after all that had happened between McElroy and her family, Alice moved back into the McElroy family home with her son. Add to your scrapbook. 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. Browse All 237,537 Images. It failed McElroy, too, because it failed to protect him from himself. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Almost everyone, with the exception of Bo Bowenkamp, backed down. The plan was to discuss how they were going to protect themselves from McElroy for the next two weeks until the hearing. Ken Rex took, and the only thing he ever gave was fear. By the time their second child was born, McElroy found another girlfriend, Sally, who was only thirteen, while Ken was around twenty-seven. Secretly, Skidmore was extremely thankful to him. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Dunbar talked to him, and [McElroy] pulled a gun on him, Monte said. He forced the two women and the children into his truck and drove them back to the farmhouse. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Oops, we were unable to send the email. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. Anyone can read what you share. Blood covered the inside of the vehicle, as well as Trena, who was sitting in the passenger seat. McElroy soon bored of Sharon, Sally and his seven children, and found another underage girl, Alice Wood, who is widely referred to as McElroys second wife. ''There were a couple of bangs,'' said Mr. Hartman, whose office is near the tavern, ''and at first I thought it was firecrackers. While parked in front of the D & G Tavern on Main Street, in broad daylight, with a crowd estimated at 45 people around his pickup truck, Ken McElroy was shot in the head with a high powered rifle, while his wife sat in the seat beside him. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. WebJune 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. The Story Of Ken McElroy, The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town 1. Needless to say, McElroy was having none of this. 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. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Please enter your email and password to sign in. McElroy would just sit and glower at you just stare at you and youd never know what he was thinking.. July 10, 1981, his reign of terror came to an end. Failed to report flower. His first wife, Sharon, was fifteen when they met, while McElroy was at least twenty. However, a new cafe opened across the street, in the old post office, in front of which the shooters were standing when they opened fire. 2. No one called for an ambulance. The morning of July 10, 1981, was a hot one in Skidmore, Missouri.