Refusing to argue, he and Lois went home. There may never be an answer to the question of who killed Ken Rex McElroy. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. But there was no reason to go looking for trouble. They felt a sense of safety in numbers. He was known as "the town bully", and his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Born in Overland Park, Kansas, on June 1, 1934, McElroy was the fifteenth of Tony and Mabel McElroys sixteen children. She went right back to the McElroy farmhouse with her son. They just went stone silent. As far as I could find, McElroy was married three times. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. 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. Please reset your password. Longstanding Grudges. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. But right now, we don't have the evidence. Needless to say, McElroy was having none of this. His foot fell to the accelerator when he was shot, causing the engine to run at full bore. She took her complaint to at-the-time Nodaway County Sheriff Roger Cronk. In Broad Daylight Classic Print Edition. You know how he oppressed and threatened us. Later, she moved to Conway to be near her sister.She is survived by two sons, Wendell Cole and Bobby McElroy, both of Kansas City, Kansas; three grandchildren, Seleah, Malachi and Malik; her mother, Sharon Wilhoit of Helena, Mo. How could it? McElroy for years had terrorized the small town of Skidmore Missouri, and was considered the town bully. Debbie Ann McElroy, age 54 of Conway, Missouri, passed away Sunday, June 14, 2020 at her home in Conway.She was born July 5, 1965 in Skidmore, Mo. At over six-feet tall and nearly 300 pounds he was a formidable presence by sight alone. 31 Mar. Ken McElroy was a middle-aged married man with out of control sideburns and a burly physique. Much of his cash, however, went to Richard Gene McFadin, his lawyer. His first wife, Sharon, was fifteen when they met, while McElroy was at least twenty. McElroy was known to pay local kids for information about who was where in town at what time, so the Bowenkamps developed their own network of informants. 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. A couple of men hustled Trena to a nearby bank, away from the gunfire. 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. (D & G stood for Del and Greg Clement. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Mr. Dunbar was asked if he knew who did it. 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. Every school has a bully or bullies, and every small town has that family or families. When he found where Trena was staying he began relying on his old tactics of intimidation. 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. They had to look out for themselves. 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. They recounted his threats to kill anyone who tried to jail him. He didnt just like being with many women, he did have a type, young girls. This account has been disabled. We have set your language to Anywhere from 30 to 90 people watched the 47-year-old McElroy die in an act that ended his decade-long reign of terror over the people of Skidmore. That they had guns at the ready wasnt unusual. Murder is still murder. A deer slug in one chamber tore through Bowenkamps neck, coming within 3 inches of his head. 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. Alices stepfather, in so many words, told McElroy to shove it. We didnt have sufficient evidence to go to trial.. However, he lived only to experience the next chapter in the saga of being a victim of Ken Rex McElroy. Oops, we were unable to send the email. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Del Clement, the man Trena named as McElroys killer, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2009. As the story has been told by MacLean and others, McElroy showed up at the D&G tavern and pool hall the next day toting a rifle with a bayonet a violation of his bond and threatened to finish off the Bowenkamps. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. McElroy was hardly a loving husband and regularly beat Sharon. Over the course of his life Ken Rex would be married three times and father ten children. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. It was a matter of self-preservation. POPULATION: ONE BAD MAN PART I. 20, , 40 , Injured at work? You can always change this later in your Account settings. 24 Jan 2012 (aged 55) Conway, Laclede County, Missouri, USA. And thats exactly what they did. However, he had gotten away with all of them. Henry, his entrails falling into his lap, eased into unconsciousness and assumed death. This is when the rage amongst locals reached boiling point. It was reportedly so severe that he needed a steel plate implanted in his head. Ken Rex McElroy was not a nice man. 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. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. You dont have a town full of people who were hiding a guilty conscience, he said. It was either going to be him, or somebody else., Investigators never got anyone to confess or give information about who had fired the lethal shot. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Born in 1934 the fifteenth of sixteen children McElroy dropped out of school by the time he hit fifth grade and spent the next several decades terrorizing the town of Skidmore, Missouri. Joyce Monte, daughter of injured grocer. ERP Davis For the first time in his life, McElroy was actually convicted of a crime. He had many affairs over the course of his marriage to both Alice and his first wife Sharon. He had been Then, on a warm July night, McElroy shot my dad as he sat on the back loading dock of his store, waiting for an air conditioner repairman, Monte said. McFadin was a highly skilled attorney who got McElroy off the hook time and time again. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? We went everywhere we could, but justice would stay delicately out the way, she said. He liked young underage girls starting around twelve to fourteen. No one called for an ambulance. He showed back up in front of their house that night, and he and Trena sat there and watched them, Monte said. Del was serving beer in the tavern just before the shooting). This is a carousel with slides. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? McElroy and Trena got into their truck. On July 10th, 1981 Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in the street in broad daylight infront of 60 witnesses. Everyone was keeping an eye on us. McElroy and Trena got up without saying a word, pushing their way through the crowd towards the exit. The mainstreet is eerily quiet in mid-morning. Learn more about managing a memorial . Everyone in town seemed to know McElroy had done it, yet he spent only a single night in jail for nearly killing the man. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? WebGenealogy for Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. 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. McElroy moved out of his family home to be with Alice, but this relationship was no different from his previous ones. Three grand jury investigations and an FBI probe resulted in no indictments and no trial. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. By the age of 15, Ken Rex had dropped out of school and established himself as a coon hunter, and thief. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Year should not be greater than current year. He waved the gun around inside the tavern, proclaiming that he was going to finish off Bo Bowenkamp. He told them he was coming to pick up his son, and if anyone tried to stop him, he would kill them. When a wife a Ken Rex McElroy came into town with a black eye, or busted lip, or broken bones of all varieties, the townspeople were not likely to guess or wonder at what malevolence may have befallen the lady. The D & G Tavern, most recently the Skidmore Tavern, in front of which Ken was sitting in his Silverado when the bullets tore through the window glass and shattered his skull, was also closed. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). A system error has occurred. 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 been charged with more than 20 felonies, robbing, raping, burning, shootings. 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. MacLean told Inside Edition: Whatever had been done might not be morally right, but he needed killing. Del Clement has since died, and he never confessed. The doctor who treated her was appalled and called child services. 3. They thought about his wife and his children, and where it left them particularly the children.. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? A lot of them didnt even tell their wives and children. Yes, that would make him Ken McElroys grandson. Ken was my grandfather derome was my father Im deromes oldest my mother is trace I wish I could of meet my grandfather An understandable wish. Im sure youve heard many good and bad things about him. Tony , I am your aunt Tina your dad is my brother . I havent seen you since you was about 2. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Burial. Ken McElroy in U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Ken Rex McElroy in FamilySearch Family Tree. He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. The plan was to discuss how they were going to protect themselves from McElroy for the next two weeks until the hearing. Failed to delete memorial. Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. Secretly, Skidmore was extremely thankful to him. Try again later. Sorry! True and tried, Ken Rexs tactics did work. 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/. SLAIN BULLY'S TOWN LOOKS BACK WITHOUT PITY, https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/11/us/slain-bully-s-town-looks-back-without-pity.html. Failed to report flower. The clerk thought nothing more of it, until Ken and Trena McElroy showed up. The metallic smell of his own blood consumed the cab of the pickup truck. to Kenneth and Sharon Fossinger McElroy.She was preceded in death by her father.Debbie was born in the Skidmore area and attended school there. They were witnesses. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Horton, Brown County, Kansas, USA. Investigators dug and dug, but Skidmore residents maintained their silence. 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. To describe McElroy as intimidating is putting it lightly. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Hurt in a car wreck, or due to someone else's negligence? Skidmore looks different. McElroy knew that how to hedge his bets and he did just that when he hired Richard McFadin, a well-known and regarded criminal defense attorney from the Kansas City area. 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. ''Sure, I want this thing solved. What happened in Skidmore that day wasnt much different than the completely predictable result from shaking a carbonated beverage until the top finally blows. 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. McElroy, known as 'Kenrex' by his friends and his enemies, had an extensive arrest record. Its called the Outcast Cafe, and is big and clean and cheap. Try again later. The police would not or could not help us or Skidmore. The county prosecutor, David Baird, said there was not much more he could do. McElroy was charged with arson, rape and brandishing a deadly weapon. He was struck by bullets from at least two She was in shock but not physically injured. 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. When the meeting ended, the group made their way across the street to the tavern to confront McElroy. . Trena had to go to hospital for the injuries she had suffered at the hands of McElroy. Trena, who was twenty-three by this time, began yelling at the clerk, which drew the attention of the stores owners, Ernst and Lois Bowenkamp. 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. This is the story of a bully, and to the town of Skidmore Missouri he was the meanest, nastiest, bully that has ever lived. A federal grand jury was convened. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. More Options. Your email address will not be published. Everyone hopes itll make it, because its the last hope for the small town. I was in and around Skidmore for three days and two nights, and encountered no trouble. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. No one bothered to turn it off. Weve updated the security on the site. '', People are friendly and smiling on first acquaintance but quickly withdraw or become guarded when the McElroy case is brought up. Despite the facts, the residents of Skidmore, MO, weren't so eager to talk This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Eventually, after an altercation at a bar during which McElroy threatened him with a shotgun, Alices stepfather dropped the assault charges. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Still working within the justice system, witnesses who saw McElroy with the gun gave the information the county prosecutor needed to request a bond revocation hearing. ''No,'' he said. WebA collection of obituaries found in the British Newspaper Archives. What could legally be done about McElroy, they asked Sheriff Danny Estes, who had been elected months earlier. Someone warned her, Youre about to meet Ken Rex McElroy, Monte said. It has been a year since Kenneth Rex McElroy, described as the town bully, was shot to death on the main street of this farming community. In the plainspoken manner of speaking in Skidmore, McElroy simply needed killing, like a gangrened leg needs to be severed to save the whole body. It failed McElroy, too, because it failed to protect him from himself. The law had plenty of chances, plenty of times to lock him up., Added Monte: Justice failed everybody. Will people who were there start to leak information as time goes on? Kenneth Rex McElroy in MyHeritage family trees Please enter your email and password to sign in. Year. As the author of In Broad Daylight, I draw plenty of attention whenever Im in Skidmore, or Maryville, or anywhere in Nodaway County. They were running away, seeking refuge away from Ken Rex. Kenneth M. McElroy, 60, of Butler passed away Tuesday at Butler Memorial Hospital. , [ : (, )] To use this feature, use a newer browser. Close to fifty of them had come together and made a plan to protect the witnesses who were going to testify against McElroy. While driving down a gravel farm road that abutted his property, Henry came upon a figure and a vehicle that he recognized instantly, Ken Rex McElroy. McElroy was spinning so hard out of control, I have no doubt he would have tried to kill my dad again, given the chance. Add to your scrapbook. 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. Several patrons witnessed McElroys display at the tavern and called the prosecutor, who revoked McElroys bail. A hearing was scheduled, in which the witnesses would testify that they had seen McElroy in the bar in possession of a loaded weapon. It wasnt that he was necessarily slick of sly in any way, he was a brute. 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. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. McElroy tracked the women down, beat them both severely, and brought them home. The Bowenkamps, who were in their early seventies at the time, tried their best to carry on with life as normal. Dozens of them gathered at Skidmores American Legion hall on the morning of July 10, 1981. Every school has a bully or bullies, and every small town has that family or families. There was an error deleting this problem. McElroy died at the scene, surrounded by the people he had terrorised for decades. 2. '', Mr. McElroy was widely regarded as an armed tough who stole livestock and anything else he could. The truth is that the people of Skidmore, Missouri, were sick and tired of living their lives in fear under tyrannical reign of Ken McElroy, which by then had stretched over two decades. Trena McCloud went on to become Ken McElroys third wife (lifedaily.com). To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. 20 Ken Rex McElroy was murdered on July 10, 1981, in one of the most bizarre cases authorities had ever encountered. When Henry responded that he didnt even have a car like that, Ken Rex told him that he was a Lyin S.O.B. and pulled the trigger. By the time their second child was born, McElroy found another girlfriend, Sally, who was only thirteen, while Ken was around twenty-seven. We have set your language to McElroy started his pickup and the sound of shots pierced the silence. There is a problem with your email/password. McElroy was in town and behaving belligerently. Estes, the sheriff some tried to implicate in a conspiracy, is dead. 1. The next morning, people gathered once again, this time at the American Legion hall located across the street from the D&G Tavern. They know the story of Ken McElroy, but they werent here when it happened. With the businesses gone, the Punkin Festival defunct, it has little vibrancy. It went beyond just hammering people and being mean-spirited. He quickly divorced Alice, then drove Trena to Kansas and married her to avoid conviction of statutory rape. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. 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. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. That was the last straw, MacLean said. He was literally untouchable right up until the day he wasnt. She ended up dropping the charges. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? 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. Why are you doing this? You just didnt do that.. 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? Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Faulkner wrote that The past is never dead. Almost everyone, with the exception of Bo Bowenkamp, backed down. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Trena McElroy remarried and had a fairly normal life, refusing interviews after she left Skidmore. The group outside the tavern had grown and began jeering as they saw the couple emerge from the tavern. Yet in a conspiracy of silence that has spanned the past 38 years, the townsfolk have held the secret close. ; Julie Tia of Jensen Beach, Fla. and Tonia Goben of Springfield; five brothers, Jerome McElroy of Seattle, Wash.; Juarez McElroy and Ken McElory, both of Springfield; Reno McElroy of Pittsburg, Pa. and Derome McCloud of Lebanon, and a number of nieces and nephews.All arrangements for Debbie Ann McElroy will be private under the care and direction of Holman-Howe Funeral Home of Lebanon. 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. ; six sisters, Tina Chapman of Savannah, Mo. McElroy pretty much got whatever he wanted, and women were no exception. General Mills Recalls Gold Medal Flour Due To Salmonella Risk, 3 Soldiers Killed After 2 U.S. Army Helicopters Crash In Alaska, What To Do When Neighbor Dogs Jump On You, Poop Wherever [Block Talk], Bugs, Insects, Spiders Spring To Life; Let Some Bee, Squish Others, Allergy, Hay Fever Sufferers See An Early Start To Pollen Season, Morel Mushrooms Popping Up In Woods Across America: Where To Find Them, The Great American Solar Eclipse Of 2024 May, Ahem, Eclipse 2017. After the photos. In the summer of 1981, a jury handed McElroy his first-ever felony conviction for the lesser charge of second-degree assault. By his teens, McElroy became known as the town bully of Skidmore, notorious for his cruel treatment of anyone who dared challenge him. Just as he was taking his first drag, the sound of two gunshots rang out. Verify and try again. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. On July 10, 1981, the justice system let the people of Skidmore down, and when it did, they did something that changed their own lives and the town forever. 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. This browser does not support getting your location. July 10, 1981, his reign of terror came to an end. As a result, he was no stranger to the Nodaway County Sheriffs Dept. Ken was eventually convicted for shooting a local general store owner for accusing his daughters of shoplifting. He accused Romaine Henry of being a dirty S.O.B. and said that Henry had been at his place in a white Pontiac. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. based on information from your browser. Several of those who observed the shooting were standing in front of the station, which is just a few yards up the hill from where the riflemen were standing. The bank is closed; Moms cafe is closed; the grocery store where McElroy shot Bo over one of his kids swiping some candy is closed. They worked as sharecroppers and moved often before settling in Skidmore. Try again later. U.S., Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847-Current, U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 2, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. McElroy would just sit and glower at you just stare at you and youd never know what he was thinking.. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Imagine what McElroy would make of that: a college graduate for a son. He lived to satisfy his own desires, and abided by his own sense of self-serving justice. After her husband's death, Mrs. McElroy moved away. Lois soon became fed up and told the McElroys to leave the store and never come back. No. It has a bar, and music on the weekend. Ken Rex McElroy was not a nice man. It wasnt the kind of murder which goes unsolved for decades and eventually someone comes forward with the tip that breaks the case open. They slept in shifts, with some friend or family member keeping an eye on the street.
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