He intimidated people by driving by at night and firing a shotgun blast, putting a rattlesnake in their mailbox, etc. 1, it is murder. 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. True Crime and the Satisfaction of the Unsolved Mystery Ken McElroy - Wikipedia Someone warned her, Youre about to meet Ken Rex McElroy, Monte said. A pact of silence was made between the witnesses. People Projects Discussions Surnames We went everywhere we could, but justice would stay delicately out the way, she said. The older daughter paid for her items, but as they were leaving, the younger daughter grabbed some candy out of a jar and headed for the door. He had many affairs over the course of his marriage to both Alice and his first wife Sharon. I was in town to spend time with the Goslee family, who had put me up and supported my research for many years, and had received considerable grief for doing it, and to attend a barbecue put on my Dave Dunbar in Lamoni, Iowa. Although Ken Rex was married to his second wife Alice, he could not help but notice the pretty girl with long blonde locks. He was known as "the town bully", and his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. Resend Activation Email. When you park in front of the old D & G. McElroy may have been shot there 30 years ago (next July), but in some ways it could have been last July. Two people decided in the midst of that whole incident theyd had enough, MacLean said. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. ''Everybody knows what the next guy is saying and doing,'' said one investigator. Born in 1934 the fifteenth of sixteen children McElroy dropped out of school by the time he hit fifth grade and spent the Failed to delete memorial. The justice system just crashed and burned over this case.. 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. 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. To describe McElroy as intimidating is putting it lightly. This leaves three Clement boys.). Search above to list available cemeteries. McFadin was a highly skilled attorney who got McElroy off the hook time and time again. It would nave to say they did not feel a sense of collective relief. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Many wondered: Why didnt Baird press charges against the man Trena McElroy fingered as her husbands killer? Cite This Collection "British Newspaper Archives, Obituaries." Ken Rex McElroy did not limit his torture and abuse just to those who lived with him. Trena McCloud went on to become Ken McElroys third wife (lifedaily.com). Skidmore, Part Three - The Murder of Ken Rex McElroy His lifelong career as a criminal started with petty offenses, but he increasingly became more violent, amassing a rap sheet that included nearly two dozen felony charges for assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, burglary, grain theft, and hog and cattle rustling enterprises that kept a thick roll of hundred-dollar bills in his pocket. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. They include the 1981 vigilante murder of town bully Ken Rex McElroy, whose killing by multiple gunmen was witnessed by dozens of residents, yet no one was One man said to an officer examining the scene: What are you doing here? Learn more about managing a memorial . Scan this QR code to download the app now. Failed to report flower. McElroy The Story Of Ken McElroy, The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. A couple of times, he got out of the truck and fired his shotgun into the air - all this over a couple pieces of candy. Anyone can read what you share. That was the last failure of criminal justice.. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Ken McElroy (21971)? With the businesses gone, the Punkin Festival defunct, it has little vibrancy. 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. ''It doesn't make for a real talkative environment. Faces turn away at a strangers approach. But not one person has come forward. Thank you very much for the update on your recent trip. Almost everyone, with the exception of Bo Bowenkamp, backed down. What set off McElroy and put the local grocer in his crosshairs was the pettiest of offenses. This account has been disabled. As Trena told the story to reporters, a group of men followed them as they left the D&G. Trena had to go to hospital for the injuries she had suffered at the hands of McElroy. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. And not too long ago, Sumys, a gas station and coffee shop since 1943, closed. He would also follow them home, sit outside in his truck and stare at them with his dark, sinister gaze for hours on end. Someone had to put an end to it. based on information from your browser. The courts would not help us or Skidmore. , It was a misunderstanding, but one that made the Bowenkamps lives a living hell for months. He would sit outside of their house in his truck for hours in the evening. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21971/ken-rex-mcelroy. No one else corroborated Trenas story. Eventually, after an altercation at a bar during which McElroy threatened him with a shotgun, Alices stepfather dropped the assault charges. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. No, the townspeople all would have known that the injury was attributable to an intentional act, and that Ken Rex was always the responsible party. Failed to report flower. We went to the courts. When the meeting ended, the group made their way across the street to the tavern to confront McElroy. As a result, he was no stranger to the Nodaway County Sheriffs Dept. Refusing to argue, he and Lois went home. The justice system had failed them once again. The incident received world wide press coverage, was the subject of a tv movie and a book. But if tried by a jury of their peers, I doubt anybody around here would have convicted the shooters. Skidmore is a town of 440 people, 80 miles northwest of Kansas City. McElroy was in town and behaving belligerently. 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. He waved the gun around inside the tavern, proclaiming that he was going to finish off Bo Bowenkamp. The children had little parental supervision, and for the most part ran free around town. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. There was a kind of silent charity on the part of my parents, and they never prosecuted. But it was too late. Verify and try again. It wasnt long before he became a violent menace, his more serious crimes including rape, assault and child molestation. Ken Rex McElroy was born in poor and squalid conditions. The older girl snatched the candy from the younger girl, threw it back in the jar, grabbed her little sisters hand and barged out the door. Skidmore residents were pleased that (some) justice was finally being served. Last Names. He got divorced and his drinking finally killed him. 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. Ken Rexs cruelty was well known because he was so brazen about showing it. He had been charged with more than 20 felonies, robbing, raping, burning, shootings. 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. In April 1980, two of McElroys daughters were shopping at a local corner store. Ken Rex made bail and was out within a day or so, and went looking for Trena. Despite two grand jury investigations, no one has been charged in the killing. Anyone heard any new info from people who were there? The group outside the tavern had grown and began jeering as they saw the couple emerge from the tavern. McElroy and Trena got up without saying a word, pushing their way through the crowd towards the exit. 3. On his release, McElroy strolled into the D&G Tavern, holding a rifle with a bayonet attached. Bill Everhart, mayor of the town of 440 people, says it could have been avoided had the courts cracked down on McElroy. The Craziest Cold Case in History The Murder of Ken Rex I have another story to tell: my drinks with one of McElroys sons, who had been adopted and didnt realize who his father was until he was grown and had graduated from college. Brace yourselves. This is a collaborative project with FindMyPast.com. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. Not a one of 'em felt sorry for him. System Actually, I think those shooters saved lives in the end, she said. When the driver pulled the bus over, Ken Rex would demand that he open the door and let Trena out so that she could get in his pickup truck with him. ''It ain't easy to feel bad for somebody that never did no good for your town,'' said the postmaster, Jim Hartman. (This was Dels mother, Barbara Clement, who died herself just a month or so before my visit. The last thing he saw as he slipped into blackness was Ken Rex McElroy walking back to his truck, removing a cigarette from the pack in his shirt pocket, and light it with the same easy motion one would do if lighting a smoke after a meal. I went to his gravesite a few years after he died , & took a piss on his grave, thats how much I thought of him", https://www.harrymaclean.com/blog/no-death-bed-confession/. Search above to list available cemeteries. Please try again later. Blood covered the inside of the vehicle, as well as Trena, who was sitting in the passenger seat. 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.