He intimidated people by driving by at night and firing a shotgun blast, putting a rattlesnake in their mailbox, etc. McWilliams Media Tulsa, OK Website Design. Search above to list available cemeteries. 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]. Somebody opened the passenger door and pulled Trena out of the truck and into another building nearby. Evelyn lived cross the street, and he made sure she could see them. Those who witnessed the killing didnt speak of it again, not because they were part of a conspiracy, MacLean believes, but because theyre stoic by nature. Weve updated the security on the site. The justice system just crashed and burned over this case.. 6. And just over the horizon, beginning Aug. 1 on Sundance TV, is No One Saw a Thing, a six-part immersion in rural Missouri and the notorious 1981 vigilante killing of Ken Rex McElroy. He had been charged with more than 20 felonies, robbing, raping, burning, shootings. This part is a rollercoaster. Henry survived, and unlike the majority of McElroys other victims, actually went on to testify in court against him. McElroy had just finished another stint at a local tavern when he stumbled back into his pickup truck. Someone had to put an end to it. No one was ever accused of shoplifting, or stealing. When he found where Trena was staying he began relying on his old tactics of intimidation. 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. This is when the rage amongst locals reached boiling point. Many wondered: Why didnt Baird press charges against the man Trena McElroy fingered as her husbands killer? Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Am looking forward to your next post and the pictures you spoke of. It failed McElroy, too, because it failed to protect him from himself. Longstanding Grudges. They could finally sleep peacefully at night, especially Bo and Lois Bowenkamp and their children. ''I can't think that anyone feels any different than you would about the people who invented penicillin. Burial. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Trena had to be hospitalized because of her injuries. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. In order to stop him from doing so, McElroy carried on with his usual scare tactics he told him he would kill his entire family if he testified, followed him and sat outside his house for hours. Skidmore is a town of 440 people, 80 miles northwest of Kansas City. Close to fifty of them had come together and made a plan to protect the witnesses who were going to testify against McElroy. He was the 15th child of 16 born to Tony and Mabel McElroy. based on information from your browser. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. cemeteries found in Saint Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. M Logitech Co., Ltd. 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. She then worked in the customer service department at Walmart and Target for several years. It has a bar, and music on the weekend. Skidmore is down from 450 (when I was there) to 325. McElroy was spinning so hard out of control, I have no doubt he would have tried to kill my dad again, given the chance. Database with images. 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 for years had terrorized the small town of Skidmore Missouri, and was considered the town bully. 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. Sally had three children with McElroy and Sharon had another two. Undaunted, Mr. McElroy hoisted himself into the truck and pulled out a cigarette. POPULATION: ONE BAD MAN PART I. Ken Rex McElroy was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St Joseph, Missouri. The son of a bitch would just as soon shoot them as anyone else.. 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. Was justice served? 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. 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. This account has been disabled. Hed leave, then hed come back, Monte said. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. He was very cunning, MacLean told Patch. He lived to satisfy his own desires, and abided by his own sense of self-serving justice. Its owned and run by newcomers. 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 That became the pattern. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. 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 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. He would also follow them home, sit outside in his truck and stare at them with his dark, sinister gaze for hours on end. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Davis There was an error deleting this problem. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/224629012/debbie-ann-mcelroy. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. In Broad Daylight Classic Print Edition. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. 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. 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. This is far from what happened in the case of McElroy. 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. Drag images here or select from your computer for Debbie Ann McElroy memorial. They delivered messages in code. The Faulkner wrote that The past is never dead. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. From a 2016 post from a person with the username "witness2akilling": "it [the killing] wasnt planned . And thats exactly what they did. I have no doubt hed have tried to kill my mom. Trena had to go to hospital for the injuries she had suffered at the hands of McElroy. 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. McElroy drove to the house and shot him in the leg through his living room window. ''And I wouldn't tell you if I did.'' -. System It really is that it was never spoken of they had an instinctive reaction to close up. In the end, fear is what killed him, Goslee said. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. 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. Ken Rex took, and the only thing he ever gave was fear. After McElroy fired a gun outside her house, Evelyn Sumy appealed to Dave Dunbar, the town marshal. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. When the shooting ended, McElroy was slumped over the steering wheel. Just a single name can cause a physical reaction when uttered out loud in a room filled with those in the know. Everyone in town seemed to know McElroy had done it, yet he spent only a single night in jail for nearly killing the man. 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 would just sit and glower at you just stare at you and youd never know what he was thinking.. Trena McElroy remarried and had a fairly normal life, refusing interviews after she left Skidmore. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. 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. Brace yourselves. His foot fell to the accelerator when he was shot, causing the engine to run at full bore. Add to your scrapbook. Instead of leaving, McElroy turned around and shot Henry in the stomach with his shotgun. When they met him on the street, parents steered their children, especially their daughters, away from McElroy, a notorious womanizer who favored young women and was married multiple times including to a child bride he was accused of raping and fathered 15 children. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21971/ken-rex-mcelroy. Born in Overland Park, Kansas, on June 1, 1934, McElroy was the fifteenth of Tony and Mabel McElroys sixteen children. They sacrificed one for the betterment of hundreds. Looking back, the justice system had as much to do with killing Ken McElroy as anyone in Skidmore did.. WebGenealogy for Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Around forty of them stood outside, while another twenty crowded into the small tavern. He dropped out of school before he reached high school, and by 13 was already a familiar character to the cops around Nodaway County.
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