We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. McElroy was arrested on assault charges, but Alices stepfather would need to testify. (source: Inside Edition). '', See the article in its original context from. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Burial. He was very cunning, MacLean told Patch. From talking to witnesses, he concluded that the killing of McElroy was not planned. Ken Rex McElroy did not limit his torture and abuse just to those who lived with him. WebJune 16th, 1934: Ken Rex McElroy is born to Mabel and Tony McElroy, the thirteenth out of fourteen children. From a 2016 post from a person with the username "witness2akilling": "it [the killing] wasnt planned . They killed. Nobody tried to hang them for finding a way to kill a germ. Oops, we were unable to send the email. WebGenealogy for Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Brace yourselves. This is a carousel with slides. 3. As the author of In Broad Daylight, I draw plenty of attention whenever Im in Skidmore, or Maryville, or anywhere in Nodaway County. McElroy for years had terrorized the small town of Skidmore Missouri, and was considered the town bully. 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. This part is a rollercoaster. The shot violently ripped Romaine Henrys stomach opened, the right side of his body peeling away and laying across his lap. He got divorced and his drinking finally killed him. Death. Undaunted, Mr. McElroy hoisted himself into the truck and pulled out a cigarette. Try again later. You know how he oppressed and threatened us. He liked young underage girls starting around twelve to fourteen. She was in shock but not physically injured. Failed to delete memorial. 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. . It would nave to say they did not feel a sense of collective relief. SLAIN BULLY'S TOWN LOOKS BACK WITHOUT PITY Henry, his entrails falling into his lap, eased into unconsciousness and assumed death. WebA collection of obituaries found in the British Newspaper Archives. But even more frustrating was the ineptitude of law enforcement in their handling of the monster that terrorized them day in and day out. The clerk, Evelyn Sumy, was at the back of the store when the doors swung open. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Born June 2, 1948, in Louisville, Ky., he was the son of the late C.C. 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. Then one day, McElroy drove to the corner store, found Bo Bowenkamp around the back, and shot him in the neck. 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. This is the story of a man that terrorized an entire community. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. British Newspaper Archives, Obituaries Year. Try again later. Place. 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. They talked about the bail bond that allowed Mr. McElroy to circulate freely after an assault conviction for shooting an elderly grocer, Ernest Bowenkamp. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. I dont believe youre coming nowafter we needed your help all this time.. One time, a farmer named Romaine Henry caught McElroy trespassing on his property and attempted to chase him off. They slept in shifts, with some friend or family member keeping an eye on the street. They just went stone silent. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). A shotgun in his hands, Ken Rex turned toward the truck as it approached. Blood covered the inside of the vehicle, as well as Trena, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. 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. He knew which people to pick on the weak people and he followed through on his threats just often enough to make people believe he was going to do what he said he was going to do. 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. Please enter your email and password to sign in. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Somebody would hear his name, and the legend grew bigger. Hed leave, then hed come back, Monte said. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. Trena McCloud first caught Ken Rex McElroys eye when she was twelve years old. 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. The sheriff said, If you have to shoot him, let us know and well come get him before he starts stinking, Monte said. He waved the gun around inside the tavern, proclaiming that he was going to finish off Bo Bowenkamp. Ken Rex McElroy She ran away back into the arms of Ken Rex McElroy. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. to Kenneth and Sharon Fossinger McElroy. (Editors Note: Patch Deputy National Editor Beth Dalbey grew up on a farm about 10 miles from Skidmore, Missouri.). 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 know the story of Ken McElroy, but they werent here when it happened. 20 If they thought it was getting too out of hand, they would send one of us up and down the aisle. He ruled with an iron fist, inciting fear and causing a persistent sense of dread amongst townsfolk. It is widely accepted that he fired one of the guns that shot McElroy. The trucks windows were shattered; at least one of the bullets hit McElroy in the back of the head. ; six sisters, Tina Chapman of Savannah, Mo. Ken Rex McElroy was not a nice man. Since the killing, the town has been besieged with reporters and investigators. This is a collaborative project with FindMyPast.com. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Of course, McElroy had a gun. 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. Thanks for your help! Its called the Outcast Cafe, and is big and clean and cheap. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. McElroy got a divorce from Sharon (or Alice, honestly Im not sure who he was married to at the time) and married Trena so that she would not be compelled to testify against him. Try again later. 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. 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/. Refusing to argue, he and Lois went home. With the charges still looming over him, Ken Rex acted fast. 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. MacLean doesnt believe the men gathered at the Legion hall that morning ever made a group decision to kill McElroy. More Options. 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. She took her complaint to at-the-time Nodaway County Sheriff Roger Cronk. Sally had three children with McElroy and Sharon had another two. Ken Rex McElroy was murdered on July 10, 1981, in one of the most bizarre cases authorities had ever encountered. MacLean told Inside Edition: Whatever had been done might not be morally right, but he needed killing. 20, , 40 , , [ : (, )] Include gps location with grave photos where possible. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Debbie Ann McElroy I found on Findagrave.com. However, he lived only to experience the next chapter in the saga of being a victim of Ken Rex McElroy. McElroy raised the barrel of the gun and pointed it at the cab of the approaching truck. He was a womanizer, too. Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) - Genealogy He was known as "the town bully", and his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. In April 1980, two of McElroys daughters were shopping at a local corner store. They left, but for McElroy, it wasnt over. Browse All 237,537 Images. Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. Just a single name can cause a physical reaction when uttered out loud in a room filled with those in the know. We went to the police. Although Ken Rex was married to his second wife Alice, he could not help but notice the pretty girl with long blonde locks. Hurt in a car wreck, or due to someone else's negligence? 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. Many speculate that McElroy also threatened the jury. The morning of July 10, 1981, was a hot one in Skidmore, Missouri. The murder of Ken Rex McElroy took place in plain view of dozens of residents in Skidmore, Mo., and will most likely never be solved. She said her dad told her that del clement lived a rather miserable life after this happened. 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. The Story Of Ken McElroy, The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town For years residents had watched Mr. McElroy, 47 years old at his death, wiggle out of one legal problem after another. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Del Clement, the man Trena named as McElroys killer, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2009. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. He had steel blue eyes that would bore a hole right through you. . Please enter your email and password to sign in. Eventually, after an altercation at a bar during which McElroy threatened him with a shotgun, Alices stepfather dropped the assault charges. When you didnt know where he was, you didnt dare take the chance of not being on your guard.. But of course, McElroy filed an appeal of his conviction, and was let out on $40,000 bond while his appeal was pending. Much of his cash, however, went to Richard Gene McFadin, his lawyer. A federal grand jury was convened. An outsider has taken to buying residences, and storing tremendous amounts of junk in the yards. It has a bar, and music on the weekend. A trucker had warned that I had better not write about Clement at all anymore, and another had said my facts were wrongthat Del was a wonderful human beingand that I should in fact just forget about the whole thing, since everyone else had. But if tried by a jury of their peers, I doubt anybody around here would have convicted the shooters. Ken McElroy, town bully and victim (photo: thelineup.com) From the beginning of his life, on June 1, 1934, Ken Rex McElroy seemed destined for a trouble and cruelty. Anyone heard any new info from people who were there? You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. (SECOM) Bill Everhart, mayor of the town of 440 people, says it could have been avoided had the courts cracked down on McElroy. Not one of them felt bad. Failed to delete flower. Everyone in town seemed to know McElroy had done it, yet he spent only a single night in jail for nearly killing the man. 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. Fidelity wasnt a strong suit of Ken Rex, or of any interest to him at all for that matter. Dozens of them gathered at Skidmores American Legion hall on the morning of July 10, 1981. We have set your language to Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 July 10, 1981) was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. When he found where Trena was staying he began relying on his old tactics of intimidation. By his teens, McElroy became known as the town bully of Skidmore, notorious for his cruel treatment of anyone who dared challenge him. That was the last straw, MacLean said. He was 47 years old. Yes, its against the law, but you know, the law is not the final definitive word on him. On leaving school (and likely even before) McElroy began stealing items such as antiques, alcohol, grain and gasoline. SKIDMORE, MO Four decades after Ken Rex McElroy was gunned down on the main drag of Skidmore, Missouri, in one of America's most infamous cold cases, the story of the notoriously brutal town bully has refused to die with him no matter how much the farmers and blue-collar workers who live in the small farming town wish it would. Family members linked to this person will appear here. There are a bar, a grain elevator, a bank, Mom's Cafe, B & B Groceries and a hardware store, but agriculture is the main business. Just a single name can cause a physical reaction when uttered out loud in a room filled with those in the know. He didnt just like being with many women, he did have a type, young girls. Ken Rex made bail and was out within a day or so, and went looking for Trena. Unsurprisingly, Skidmore residents were upset by the police presence in town. 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. His lawyer managed to delay the process for so long, however, that Trena, who was still a child and very nave, got bored of foster care and ran away. Its owned and run by newcomers. Over the course of his life Ken Rex would be married three times and father ten children. The doctor who treated her was appalled and called child services. McElroy was arrested and charged with arson, assault, and statutory rape. 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. What gave rise to that theory is that they were in the Legion hall for a meeting, then went down to the D&G [when they heard McElroy was in town]. Resend Activation Email. You feel it when you drive into town. 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. 24 Jan 1957. There was a problem getting your location. This is when the rage amongst locals reached boiling point. Known as "the town bully", his unsolved killing became the focus of Verify and try again. Estes, the sheriff some tried to implicate in a conspiracy, is dead. Search above to list available cemeteries. Debbie Ann McElroy, age 54 of Conway, Missouri, passed away Sunday, June 14, 2020 at her home in Conway. '', People are friendly and smiling on first acquaintance but quickly withdraw or become guarded when the McElroy case is brought up. Itll be a day or two. Once you boil away to the facts of what occurred, you can probably point to hundreds of similar reports every week across the United States., If McElroy had been shot by a lone gunman on a dark road at night, it would have made the Maryville paper for a day, MacLean said. 3PL . As well as the piece on McElroys son. Trena McElroy remarried and had a fairly normal life, refusing interviews after she left Skidmore. The McElroys never had any money. A hearing was scheduled, in which the witnesses would testify that they had seen McElroy in the bar in possession of a loaded weapon. You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. The mere mention of his surname was enough to cause anxiety, if not full terror. By this point in his life Ken Rex had become a master of escaping punishment. Neither Baird nor MacLean, whose crime novel has been praised as an accurate account of McElroys killing, buy that. Trena Louise McNeeley McElroy Williams (1957-2012) - Find a Ken McElroy was a middle-aged married man with out of control sideburns and a burly physique. Retaliation would be severe. Says a Long, Silent Thank-You, Unsolved 'Vigilante' Murder in the Heartland: Missouri Town Goes Quiet After Bully Is Shot, The Unsolved Murder of Missouri Town Bully Ken Rex McElroy: 'No One Saw a Thing', Skidmore, Part Three - The Murder of Ken Rex McElroy, The Unsolved Murder of Missouri Town Bully Ken Rex McElroy: 'No One Saw a Thing'. Last Names. McWilliams Media Tulsa, OK Website Design. 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. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. As a result, he was no stranger to the Nodaway County Sheriffs Dept. He was the 15th child of 16 born to Tony and Mabel McElroy. This account has been disabled. He showed back up in front of their house that night, and he and Trena sat there and watched them, Monte said. Several patrons witnessed McElroys display at the tavern and called the prosecutor, who revoked McElroys bail. The truck engine burned up in the half-hour he was left slumped in the cab, his foot lodged on the accelerator. 6. He told them he was coming to pick up his son, and if anyone tried to stop him, he would kill them. The Craziest Cold Case in History The Murder of Ken Rex Weve updated the security on the site. McElroy yelled to Henry when he got to the window. They recounted his threats to kill anyone who tried to jail him. Kenneth Rex McElroy "Bully" Murder - Getty Images They were running away, seeking refuge away from Ken Rex. Before driving away, McElroy stopped to light a cigarette. Before I left on my trip to Skidmore, I wondered on this blog if I would encounter any difficulty with local residents who had recently expressed concern, to put it lightly, over my characterization of shooter Del Clement as a short, hot-tempered drunk. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. This account has been disabled. McElroy swaggered around town as he always did and sat drinking for hours at his usual haunt, the D&G Tavern. No one was surprised. Romaine Henry was a Skidmore resident and farmer. He was struck by bullets from at least two Our law enforcement never went after him very hard, he said. When the meeting ended, the group made their way across the street to the tavern to confront McElroy. The law wasnt going to help the people of Skidmore. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. 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. However, he had gotten away with all of them. People Projects Discussions Surnames 31 Mar. Just as he was taking his first drag, the sound of two gunshots rang out. On his tombstone are the words: brave, fearless and compassionate. Verify and try again. He was literally untouchable right up until the day he wasnt. 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. Born in Overland Park, Kansas, on June 1, 1934, McElroy was the fifteenth of Tony and Mabel McElroys sixteen children. He spent the night in jail before posting bond, then sauntered menacingly back into the D&G tavern and pool hall and took his usual spot. His favored methods of intimidation included approaching people, hissing threats at them and shoving his shotgun in their faces. So what was left?. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. How is this man not in jail? Monte said, repeating the question asked by many when he showed up in Skidmore the morning after his release. One assumption Skidmore hasnt been able to shed is that McElroys killing was an act of vigilante justice. But Skidmore is still Skidmore. Looking back, the justice system had as much to do with killing Ken McElroy as anyone in Skidmore did.. Need help writing a will or setting up a trust? McElroy for the most part escaped prosecution and, certainly, conviction for various crimes. Contact Wagner & Lynch today to set up a free initial consultation! 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. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. When he got off on a trial, it grew even bigger. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person.

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