Family members linked to this person will appear here. Please try again later. Seventy-five or so people gathered at the Sam R. Albright American Legion Hall on July 10, 1981, to discuss what could be done. Ken Rex made bail and was out within a day or so, and went looking for Trena. 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. 3. Am looking forward to your next post and the pictures you spoke of. In the end, fear is what killed him, Goslee said. As the author of In Broad Daylight, I draw plenty of attention whenever Im in Skidmore, or Maryville, or anywhere in Nodaway County. Failed to report flower. The McElroys eventually left the store, but when Bowenkamp closed up that night, he was outside, waiting. Many wondered: Why didnt Baird press charges against the man Trena McElroy fingered as her husbands killer? Oops, something didn't work. This account has been disabled. However, the outcome of the conviction was a slap in the face for Bo and Lois Bowenkamp. 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. He left town just as Ken and Trena McElroy were driving in, likely passing McElroys Chevrolet Silverado pickup in his cruiser on the road. Its probably accurate that few outside of McElroys family shed tears over his death, but many Skidmore residents still struggle with the spectacle of a man violently and publicly killed. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. When Estes and state troopers arrived back in town, the streets were empty and quiet, save the rumbling, smoking engine of McElroys truck. Trena had to go to hospital for the injuries she had suffered at the hands of McElroy. 24 Jan 1957. 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. 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. He didnt just like being with many women, he did have a type, young girls. There is a problem with your email/password. Henry took off down the road to investigate. For more information or to visit the website go to www.holmanhowe.com. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. They worked as sharecroppers and moved often before settling in Skidmore. 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. The Story Of Ken McElroy, The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town 'No One Saw a Thing': A town torn apart by 38 years of violence '', People are friendly and smiling on first acquaintance but quickly withdraw or become guarded when the McElroy case is brought up. A deer slug in one chamber tore through Bowenkamps neck, coming within 3 inches of his head. Last Names. 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. No one called an ambulance. 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. Undaunted, Mr. McElroy hoisted himself into the truck and pulled out a cigarette. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Browse All 237,537 Images. Hed leave, then hed come back, Monte said. By this point in his life Ken Rex had become a master of escaping punishment. He abused Alice verbally and physically, and when she gave birth to their son, she moved out to live with her mother and stepfather In St Joseph, the next town over from Skidmore. The death of the 47-year-old McElroy, who was known as a thief with a violent temper, drew attention for its resemblance to Wild West, vigilante- style justice. She ran away back into the arms of Ken Rex McElroy. McElroy moved Sally onto the family farm with Sharon and their two children. At over six-feet tall and nearly 300 pounds he was a formidable presence by sight alone. The shot violently ripped Romaine Henrys stomach opened, the right side of his body peeling away and laying across his lap. The clerk, Evelyn Sumy, was at the back of the store when the doors swung open. Once, he even got out and fired a shotgun up in the pine tree by their house. He accused Romaine Henry of being a dirty S.O.B. and said that Henry had been at his place in a white Pontiac. On his release, McElroy strolled into the D&G Tavern, holding a rifle with a bayonet attached. 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. There is a problem with your email/password. Though arrest and criminal charges were a common part of his life, conviction or punishment was foreign to Ken Rex. 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. Longstanding Grudges. WebGenealogy for Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. But if tried by a jury of their peers, I doubt anybody around here would have convicted the shooters. For years residents had watched Mr. McElroy, 47 years old at his death, wiggle out of one legal problem after another. He ruled with an iron fist, inciting fear and causing a persistent sense of dread amongst townsfolk. 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. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Ken Rex McElroy I found on Findagrave.com. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. In Broad Daylight (source: harrymaclean.com). (This was Dels mother, Barbara Clement, who died herself just a month or so before my visit. Place. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Failed to report flower. Year. Lois soon became fed up and told the McElroys to leave the store and never come back. The next morning, people gathered once again, this time at the American Legion hall located across the street from the D&G Tavern. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. They surrounded McElroy, shouting at him that they had had enough and that his days were numbered. She was preceded in death by her father. We went everywhere we could, but justice would stay delicately out the way, she said. Resend Activation Email. Around forty of them stood outside, while another twenty crowded into the small tavern. 1, it is murder. There is no denying that McElroy was a skilled criminal; his long career of breaking the law resulted in pockets permanently stuffed with $100 bills. 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. It was a misunderstanding, but one that made the Bowenkamps lives a living hell for months. Failed to delete memorial. McElroy, known as 'Kenrex' by his friends and his enemies, had an extensive arrest record. Sally had three children with McElroy and Sharon had another two. That was the last failure of criminal justice.. Life revolves around work, but that is a value that townspeople say Mr. McElroy discarded early in life. Few residents seem to care. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Henry, his entrails falling into his lap, eased into unconsciousness and assumed death. Trena McCloud first caught Ken Rex McElroys eye when she was twelve years old. The guns were never recovered. He had a legendary status, and it all got to be bigger than he was. 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. The townsfolk were infuriated. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. You know how he oppressed and threatened us. It went beyond just hammering people and being mean-spirited. Former Nodaway County prosecutor David Baird, Its proceedings are secret, but in news interviews at the time, McElroys widow said she told a county grand jury who murdered her husband. Instead of leaving, McElroy turned around and shot Henry in the stomach with his shotgun. However, he lived only to experience the next chapter in the saga of being a victim of Ken Rex McElroy. 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. Try again later. No one else corroborated Trenas story. No one was surprised. SLAIN BULLY'S TOWN LOOKS BACK WITHOUT PITY McFadin, McElroys lawyer, got the hearing postponed. Burial. Again, there were no indictments, and the McElroy murder case was tossed back to Baird. 6. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. After the photos. 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. Women had a harder time with it than the men. 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. They had to look out for themselves. McElroy yelled to Henry when he got to the window. McElroy and Trena got into their truck. We stood up and did the right thing. No one bothered to turn it off. , Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. -. All told Ken Rex McElroy faced felony charges twenty-one times without ever being convicted. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. (D & G stood for Del and Greg Clement. Known as "the town bully", his unsolved killing became the focus of The fact that he was always armed and had no issue with pointing the barrel end of any firearm at a person didnt hurt either. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Who was Ken Rex McElroy? Ernst Bo Bowenkamp (source: morbidology.com). He would follow the bus route that took Trena to school in his pickup truck. The more McElroy got away with, the more it seemed as though he was exempt from the law. The townspeople resented the constant feeling of anxiety McElroys presence left them with. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. , It wasnt the kind of murder which goes unsolved for decades and eventually someone comes forward with the tip that breaks the case open. The media descended on Skidmore after the killing, an event that continues to define the people of the small town to the world at times with wildly exaggerated versions of what happened. McElroy escaped jail on an appeal bond and could remain free until he exhausted his appeals, free to taunt his victims with what had become painfully clear: He would never go to jail. Henry survived, and unlike the majority of McElroys other victims, actually went on to testify in court against him. 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. Actually, I think those shooters saved lives in the end, she said. Somebody would hear his name, and the legend grew bigger. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. 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. based on information from your browser. The law wasnt going to help the people of Skidmore. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Despite his conviction, he was still the arrogant goon he had always been. How could it? It could be all in my mind, but I dont think so. He would sit outside of their house in his truck for hours in the evening. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. It really is that it was never spoken of they had an instinctive reaction to close up. 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. Kenneth McElroy Obituary Mr. McElroy was hit in the head and neck. 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. Still, the panel didnt return an indictment, giving rise to conspiracy theories about a law enforcement coverup, also a theme in No One Saw a Thing.. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? Faulkner wrote that The past is never dead. Copyright 2017 Wagner & Lynch | 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. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review.
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