ken rex mcelroy obituary

There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. True and tried, Ken Rexs tactics did work. They slept in shifts, with some friend or family member keeping an eye on the street. He relied on witness intimidation to prove his innocence, and he was a master at it. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Despite his conviction, he was still the arrogant goon he had always been. However, the outcome of the conviction was a slap in the face for Bo and Lois Bowenkamp. Search above to list available cemeteries. It was widely reported that he was illiterate, but he did not let this hold him back from getting what he wanted in life. The townspeople organized a caravan to escort the witnesses to the hearing both to protect them and to show solidarity. He got divorced and his drinking finally killed him. There is a problem with your email/password. In Broad Daylight (source: harrymaclean.com). 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. Somebody would hear his name, and the legend grew bigger. McElroy swaggered around town as he always did and sat drinking for hours at his usual haunt, the D&G Tavern. Our story begins when Ken Rex courting his third and final wife, Trena McCloud. They worked as sharecroppers and moved often before settling in Skidmore. A swarthy, physically intimidating man who carried about 270 pounds on his more than 6-foot frame, McElroy had thick black eyebrows and bushy sideburns. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/224629012/debbie-ann-mcelroy. Ernst Bo Bowenkamp (source: morbidology.com). cemeteries found in Saint Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. He stood silently at the back of the store, but his wife tore into Sumy in an argument laced with four-letter bombs, Monte said. Please reset your password. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Ken McElroy (21971)? She ended up dropping the charges. 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. McElroy was arrested and charged with arson, assault, and statutory rape. 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. There was an error deleting this problem. I was in and around Skidmore for three days and two nights, and encountered no trouble. This is the story of a man that terrorized an entire community. No. He was the fifteenth of sixteen children born to a poor, migrant tenant farming family that moved between Kansas and the Ozarks before settling outside of Skidmore, Missouri. 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. 4. This account has been disabled. No one called for an ambulance. I dont believe youre coming nowafter we needed your help all this time.. A lot of them didnt even tell their wives and children. The couple then moved to Colorado. And thats exactly what they did. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. McElroy was hardly a loving husband and regularly beat Sharon. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. She took her complaint to at-the-time Nodaway County Sheriff Roger Cronk. Resend Activation Email. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. The metallic smell of his own blood consumed the cab of the pickup truck. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. On of his hands came to him one afternoon and reported that someone was on the property shooting a firearm. This part is a rollercoaster. Ken Rexs cruelty was well known because he was so brazen about showing it. With the businesses gone, the Punkin Festival defunct, it has little vibrancy. As the author of In Broad Daylight, I draw plenty of attention whenever Im in Skidmore, or Maryville, or anywhere in Nodaway County. Ken McElroy in U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Ken Rex McElroy in FamilySearch Family Tree. Not a one of 'em felt sorry for him. '', See the article in its original context from. In April 1980, Trena McElroy told her husband a clerk in the Bowenkamps store had accused their 4-year-old daughter of stealing penny candy. Blood covered the inside of the vehicle, as well as Trena, who was sitting in the passenger seat. 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. It was so out of the blue, almost to the point of being surreal, said Monte, who occasionally worked in her parents store. Browse All 237,537 Images. Try again later. Kenneth Rex McElroy in MyHeritage family trees He was stalked and threatened mercilessly, only to remain vigilant, appear at trial, testify against Ken Rex, and still see him walk away without consequence. She was in shock but not physically injured. 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. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Please enter your email and password to sign in. 24 Jan 1957. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Oops, we were unable to send the email. He liked young underage girls starting around twelve to fourteen. The McElroys eventually left the store, but when Bowenkamp closed up that night, he was outside, waiting. It is widely accepted that he fired one of the guns that shot McElroy. In the summer of 1981, a jury handed McElroy his first-ever felony conviction for the lesser charge of second-degree assault. Instead of leaving, McElroy turned around and shot Henry in the stomach with his shotgun. A system error has occurred. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Ken Rex McElroy was not a nice man. 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. You know how he oppressed and threatened us. 20, , 40 , Henry survived, and unlike the majority of McElroys other victims, actually went on to testify in court against him. He made no deathbed confession, but someone wrote in a memorial tribute that he was a good, brave man. McFadin, the lawyer who once told The New York Times the town got away with murder, is dead, too. The two came out from the back of the store, also becoming subject to the couples ranting. This is when the rage amongst locals reached boiling point. Search above to list available cemeteries. Please try again later. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. They thought about his wife and his children, and where it left them particularly the children.. When the shooting ended, McElroy was slumped over the steering wheel. Failed to report flower. Being shot in the stomach wasnt enough though. On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was killed in one of the strangest instances investigators ever saw. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. He quickly divorced Alice, then drove Trena to Kansas and married her to avoid conviction of statutory rape. 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. , . They killed. Please enter your email and password to sign in. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Not only that, they recommended he spend no more than two years in prison. Ken Rex grew into a large and intimidating figure. Hed leave, then hed come back, Monte said. Much of his cash, however, went to Richard Gene McFadin, his lawyer. He would follow the bus route that took Trena to school in his pickup truck. POPULATION: ONE BAD MAN PART I. It was reportedly so severe that he needed a steel plate implanted in his head. Longstanding Grudges. Ken was 18 and Oleta was 16. The law had plenty of chances, plenty of times to lock him up., Added Monte: Justice failed everybody. He ruled with an iron fist, inciting fear and causing a persistent sense of dread amongst townsfolk. 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. On July 10th, 1981 Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead in the street in broad daylight infront of 60 witnesses. The police would not or could not help us or Skidmore. The plan was to discuss how they were going to protect themselves from McElroy for the next two weeks until the hearing. 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. just happened . 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. 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. Injured at work? He had many affairs over the course of his marriage to both Alice and his first wife Sharon. Hurt in a car wreck, or due to someone else's negligence? (source: Inside Edition). Eventually, Sharon and McElroy had two children. There may never be an answer to the question of who killed Ken Rex McElroy. Please reset your password. GREAT NEWS! Birth. I was a witness , not a shooter we all talked & took a vow of silence , NO MATTER WHAT to our death bed. When the meeting ended, the group made their way across the street to the tavern to confront McElroy. Year should not be greater than current year. It failed McElroy, too, because it failed to protect him from himself. Both were fuming over the seemingly insignificant incident. 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. ''And I wouldn't tell you if I did.'' Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Talked to a lady who grew up close to skidmore. Trena had to go to hospital for the injuries she had suffered at the hands of McElroy. Add to your scrapbook. Verify and try again. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. There was a problem getting your location. based on information from your browser. Estes, the sheriff some tried to implicate in a conspiracy, is dead. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. By the time their second child was born, McElroy found another girlfriend, Sally, who was only thirteen, while Ken was around twenty-seven. (This was Dels mother, Barbara Clement, who died herself just a month or so before my visit. When word spread that McElroy was in town, a couple of the men walked from the Legion hall to the D&G. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). 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. Gene McFadin, McElroys nickel-slick lawyer from Kansas City could get Ken off every time, Kirby Goslee, a 71-year-old Skidmore farmer who still works the land his family homesteaded six generations ago, told Patch. He went to Trenas parents home, where he viciously beat Trena and Alice, then burned the McCloud house to the ground. McElroy and Trena got up without saying a word, pushing their way through the crowd towards the exit. A lot of old timers complain that they dont know many of the other residents, a lot of whom work in surrounding communities. 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. Who Killed Ken Rex McElroy: Town Keeps Its Secret For 38 Years Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Two people decided in the midst of that whole incident theyd had enough, MacLean said. 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. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Horton, Brown County, Kansas, USA. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. McElroy yelled to Henry when he got to the window. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Evelyn lived cross the street, and he made sure she could see them. Required fields are marked *. 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. 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. 20 For years residents had watched Mr. McElroy, 47 years old at his death, wiggle out of one legal problem after another. 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. But they continued and I ducked. Try again later. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. He specialized in stealing cattle and anything else he could get his hands on. Faces turn away at a strangers approach. The courts would not help us or Skidmore. Try again later. Few residents seem to care. Just the name Ken Rex McElroy feels bigger than it appears on paper. The county prosecutor, David Baird, said there was not much more he could do. McElroy dropped out of school in the eighth grade. When he got off on a trial, it grew even bigger. . When he found where Trena was staying he began relying on his old tactics of intimidation. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. M Logitech Co., Ltd. ''No,'' he said. The FBI entered the case stiff-arming and threatening people, is how Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, relates it. 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.. July 10, 1981, his reign of terror came to an end. Kenneth M. McElroy, 60, of Butler passed away Tuesday at Butler Memorial Hospital. Sally had three children with McElroy and Sharon had another two. 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 know the story of Ken McElroy, but they werent here when it happened. Last Names. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Ken Rex fell quickly in lust with Trena. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. GREAT NEWS! To describe McElroy as intimidating is putting it lightly. 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. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Had I sought out the Clements and their crowd, I would have gone to the Elks Club in Maryville on Saturday night, the scene of my almost-violent encounter with Del and his friends years ago. That was the last failure of criminal justice.. Our law enforcement never went after him very hard, he said. Every school has a bully or bullies, and every small town has that family or families. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. He was 47 years old. It wasnt that he was necessarily slick of sly in any way, he was a brute. 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 wasnt the kind of murder which goes unsolved for decades and eventually someone comes forward with the tip that breaks the case open. Failed to delete flower. 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. They left, but for McElroy, it wasnt over. I have no doubt hed have tried to kill my mom. This went on for months, thanks to his trial being subject to constant delays. Ken Rex McElroy was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St Joseph, Missouri. With the businesses gone, the Punkin Festival defunct, it has little vibrancy. He was the 15th child of 16 born to Tony and Mabel McElroy. WebGenealogy for Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Copyright 2017 Wagner & Lynch | As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. 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. This is the story of a bully, and to the town of Skidmore Missouri he was the meanest, nastiest, bully that has ever lived. Will people who were there start to leak information as time goes on? This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. 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. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. It should have been open and shut - there were dozens of witnesses, and the shooting occurred in broad daylight - but it wound up being anything but. 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]. 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. 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. based on information from your browser. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. What set off McElroy and put the local grocer in his crosshairs was the pettiest of offenses. By 14 years old Trena was pregnant with their first child. Many speculate that this traumatic injury was a cause of his volatility and aggression later in life. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. At least some of the witnesses surely knew who fired the bullet that shattered the back window of McElroys truck and blew off the back of his head. Thanks for your help! Skidmore looks different. Nobody tried to hang them for finding a way to kill a germ. The Bowenkamps, who were in their early seventies at the time, tried their best to carry on with life as normal. Im having trouble downloading the pictures, but should have them up soon. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. People Projects Discussions Surnames She had seen a man named Del Clement (the co-owner of the D&G Tavern) standing across the street with a rifle, at which point she told Ken they needed to get out of there because he was going to get shot. What happened in Skidmore that day wasnt much different than the completely predictable result from shaking a carbonated beverage until the top finally blows. McElroy slumped forward onto the steering wheel. The next morning, people gathered once again, this time at the American Legion hall located across the street from the D&G Tavern.

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