The Strange Killing of Ken Rex McElroy

(sirens) (ominous music) - This week on BuzzFeed Unsolved, we investigate the murder of Ken Rex McElroy in the small town of Skidmore, Missouri. This case is

strange

because it addresses the question: is a murder justified if it apparently is? What do you think? - Why not? - I don't trust people to do their homework. I mean, if you killed everyone you thought were murderers, you'd have a lot of innocent lives on your hands. -Generally speaking, I'll say I agree with you, but spoiler alert, this guy didn't need much homework. - Well. Let's get into it. - The year is 1981.

The town, Skidmore, Missouri. A town surrounded by cornfields with only 437 inhabitants. - I've been to Missouri, a lovely state. Can I say that? The Ozarks... - Is that you? Yes, a positive statement to start with this. - I love Missouri! There I saw a mosquito that was almost the size of a bird. - That doesn't seem like a nice thing. - It was almost so big that it couldn't move much. It wasn't a burden. It is a beautiful state. - There's a lot to unpack there. - Beautiful condition! - I think we'll just move on. On July 10, 1981 alone, Ken Rex McElroy would be shot to death on the street in broad daylight, among up to 60 witnesses.

However, to this day, the crime remains unsolved. How could that be possible? Let's start from the beginning. Who was Ken Rex McElroy? Ken Rex McElroy was born on June 1, 1934 to a family of poor tenant farmers who moved near the town of Skidmore, Missouri. By eighth grade, McElroy had left school and it is believed that he was largely illiterate. It is said that at the age of 18 he was seriously injured when a steel slab fell on him at a construction site. The incident left him in chronic pain, and some have attributed his

strange

and violent behavior to a head injury sustained in this event. - They have to investigate more about that, right? - In what? - Head injuries.

Don't they say that John Wayne Gacy fell off a swing when he was a child? - So something like CTE? - Yes. Is there something, do they lack empathy? - (sighs) Oh, boy. Perhaps perhaps Perhaps. I'll give it a maybe. It seems strange to blame everything on a head injury. - I'm not blaming everything on a head injury, I'm just saying that there seems to be a high incidence of those. - I guess you might be right that there is something to look at there. McElroy was reportedly a giant of a 270-pound man. A local farmer described McElroy as saying, quote, "I think Ken just wanted to be big and important" and for people to be afraid of him "when he walked down the street." And he got it, they were." End quote. 270 pounds, that's a beefy man. - That's a beefy guy - I wouldn't cross him under any circumstances - Are you going to throw him out on the street? - How do I say, I'm a coward?

Living relatively well renting land near his farm, trading and racing dogs, in addition to allegedly stealing livestock, grain, alcohol, gasoline and antiques, McElroy was in constant trouble with the law that he was charged with various crimes at least three times a year. year and, by some charges, was indicted as many as 21 times, but escaped conviction all but once. McElroy was known for boasting that his Kansas City attorney, Richard Gene McFadin, also represented the mob and would effectively keep him. out of jail. So, he walks around town saying, "I can do whatever I want, I've got a big fancy lawyer" from out of town and he'll make sure of "all of you." Little people can't touch me." - I wonder if part of it is because it seems like all the things he did were relatively small, right?

At this point. - Oh, I mean, that 21 includes some of the biggest ones - Something else we're going to get into. - That's what we're going to get into. - At least the list you've mentioned so far, was a lot, oh, I stole some gasoline. to give you a cookie. I'm about to come with the whole plate now. - Oh boy. - And it's not a good plate. - Well, it was a good cookie. - Enjoy it, because it's about to turn into a shitty sandwich. very quickly. Another tactic to avoid jail time that McElroy would employ is intimidation of witnesses.

To do this, he would follow them or park in front of their houses and monitor them until they were no longer willing to testify against his various alleged crimes. They include robbery, harassment/assault on women, destruction of property, threats to lives and assault, including shooting at least two people. One of those two people he shot was local farmer Romaine Henry, who McElroy shot in the stomach when Henry tried to drive McElroy off her land. - In the stomach of all places? -In his own land. -In his own land. - He was probably enjoying a nice glass of sweet tea. -Yes.-And then this damn idiot comes to his property and they shoot him in the stomach. - The stomach, that's the worst place to get shot. - I'm sure any place is bad enough to get shot.

Oh yeah, the shoulder, I guess, wouldn't be so bad. - Shoulder meat. -Before we get into McElroy's relationships, I would like to give fair warning that what follows is disturbing and represents extreme violence towards women, but it is important that I tell you so in order to show the full picture. McElroy was accused of raping two young women as young as 12, whom he was said to have married to prevent them from testifying against him. One of these women was Trena McCloud, 24, who was his partner and was also present at the time of McElroy's death. Trena was McElroy's third wife, although all unions were suspect due to the fact that some of their marriages overlapped, as well as the fact that McElroy was known for preferring girls around 13 or 14 years old. - Fuck this guy. - That train also arrived at the station pretty quickly for me.

In fact, McElroy entered into a relationship with Trena when he was just 14 years old and had a child with her around the same time. Shortly after having her first child, Trena tried to escape to her parents' house. McElroy allegedly responded by burning Trena's parents' house and shooting her dog. First of all, I guess shit is the first reaction to that. Secondly, I'm surprised that at this point, I know, I understand what he's implying, which is a huge force. It's a small town, maybe he could use that to manipulate the law. But at this point, I think law and order should come into play, right? - Yes. - However, in 1981, Trena told People magazine that the house fire was, quote, simply faulty wiring, end of quote.

To make matters worse, McElroy was also accused of abusing his first two wives, Sharon and Alice, as is often the case in domestic abuse stories. In later interviews with Alice and Trena, they seemed to downplay their abuse and even claimed that McElroy treated them well. In 1981, shortly after his death, Alice told People magazine that, quote, "Ken was totally different from the way" they say he was now. "Oh, he was wild, but he wasn't guilty" of all those things they say. "He was honest and generous. "I never knew him to steal anything." End of quote. - But that's common, right? - That's common, it's common and it's sad.

It makes it even more disgusting, because this guy maybe He was, dare I say, charming in some ways. Obviously he sounds like he was an evil, evil man, but people aren't always black and white. It's not, "This person is a good person," "This person is a person." evil." " - Yes, I agree with you. - So as much as he was doing these heinous, heinous things, there were probably parts of him where people were like, "Well, he's not such a bad guy." - Look, I'm all for seeing the good in people and finding redeemable qualities. - (laughs) Yes, for the record, I'm not saying, "Well, let's look for the good qualities." - (laughs) I understand what you were saying, I just wanted to make it absolutely clear that we are in favor of redeeming qualities and perhaps seeing the good in people, but in some cases, discarding it. - Absolutely. - Trena said in that same interview, quote: "The officers were always bothering him. "They accused him of anything, even things that I know "he didn't do because I was with him." "They just hated it." because he wouldn't kneel before them." End of quote. - So, to begin with, the guy seems morally bankrupt. - Mmmmm, yes. - He has horrible relationships with these minors. - Yes. - They are children.

So, that gives you an insight into his character. More than likely he just told them, "Oh, I didn't do that." Their wives probably believed him - And that's the sad part - They're already in their camp. Is he getting away with it? Is he going to go to court for this stuff? - He was getting, uh, the police were arresting him, he was going to go to court, it's just that his lawyer was so good that he would get him out. - Wow. - I could always bring it up. He was probably, maybe, a mafia lawyer who was good enough to maneuver around the law through loopholes and all that. - I imagine the Al Pacino type.

I don't know. - It has to be good. - However, it is known that even county law enforcement officers were afraid to encounter McElroy, who was known for always being heavily armed and not afraid to shoot at police officers. For more than two decades, the people of Skidmore often felt abandoned by the justice system that could not stop McElroy from continuing to terrorize them. What they didn't know was that an instance would occur that would change everything. On April 25, 1980, at Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp's general store, store employee Evelyn Sumy asked McElroy's eight-year-old daughter, Tonya, to return a piece of candy she had not paid for. .

When he found out about the incident, McElroy became so angry that he reportedly began harassing the Bowenkamp family. This led to the events of July 8, 1980, when McElroy was driving into the alley behind the Bowenkamp General Store. Once there, he threatened Bo Bowenkamp and shot the grocer in the neck at point-blank range with a shotgun, marking at least the second time McElroy shot someone. Yes. - I guess that person died. - Uh, actually... - They shot him at point-blank range... - With a shotgun. - With a shotgun and survived? - I wouldn't consider myself a very religious man, but perhaps I could accept the concept of a little divine intervention.

Fortunately, Bo Bowenkamp survived and McElroy was arrested and charged with attempted murder. His pretrial was set for August 18, 1980. As usual, McElroy attempted to intimidate the Bowenkamp family and his supporters from testifying. Bowenkamp's wife recalled, quote: "You can't imagine how intimidating he was after that. "Before his trial, he would drive up to our house in his truck "at night and just sit there." Sometimes he would fire his gun . (gunshot) "It was terrifying." End of quote. That's some over-the-top super villain nonsense. (laughs) That's fucking crazy. - I don't like this man. -Through legal maneuvering, McElroy managed to delay the trial for almost five months, until June 25, 1981.

During this time, the acting prosecutor resigned and a young new prosecutor named David Baird was hired to take his place. Some have speculated that McElroy had intimidated the previous prosecutor into leaving. The new prosecutor, David Baird, was only three years out of law school, but Baird accomplished what no other attorney had been able to do in McElroy's entire criminal history. He convicted him of a crime. Of course, McElroy was ultimately only convicted at his trial of second-degree assault. The jury set a maximum sentence of two years and the judge released him on $40,000 bail pending appeal. This was in part because Baird reduced McElroy's charge from quote, attempt to kill, end of quote, to quote, knowingly causing serious physical injury, end of quote, to ensure that he could obtain a conviction. - You try to kill someone and there are eight different labels for it. -And he chose a label that would make conviction certain. - That's crazy.

Just put him in jail. - This lawyer they're facing must be very good for him... The guy shot a guy in the fucking neck with a shotgun! - I know, Ryan. -And he was so convinced of this other guy's abilities that he changed the label on it just so he could secure the conviction, for just two years, and he got out! This is a case of watching it go through the court system and being submerged. - Yes. - It just completely failed. - It almost seemed like a victory, and then nothing. - McElroy supposedly said at trial, quote: "The jury convicted me and they gave me two years in prison. "But I'll tell you one thing: I'm never going to jail. "I will appeal and I will go free. "I have been fighting the law since I was 13 years old, "and I am close to 50. "I have been arrested for over 53 serious crimes, "and this is the first one I have committed." lost forever." End of quote. - The boasting here is incredible. - This man's boasting is astonishing.

This is the problem with the man who, I suppose, believes in his own myth, especially when that man is capable of commit cruelty. - He's Icarus, honey. - He's Icarus. And guess what? This bad boy is about to fly into the sun, McElroy, curiously, was seen with a rifle and a bayonet. at the local barcity, D and G Tavern, where he was allegedly making graphic threats about murdering Bo Bowenkamp. So, he follows up. - So this is not Icarus flying too close to the sun. -He is flying towards the sun. - Yes, this is Icarus turning 90 degrees, looking at the sun and playing chicken with it. - (laughs) Exactly.

As a result, he was arrested and quickly released, with the only consequence being that his trial was postponed until July 20, 1981, for violating his bail provisions by being armed. Following these events, on the morning of July 10, 1981, there was a meeting at the city's Legion Hall, just down the street from the D and G Tavern. Up to 60 Skidmore residents attended, including the mayor and the sheriff. The sole purpose of the meeting was to discuss what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. County Sheriff Dan Estes suggested the formation of a neighborhood watch. You realize how desperate this town is when the sheriff says, "Maybe we should form a neighborhood watch." - It's like someone raised their hand and said, "What if we write a note?" - But the collective mentality of the attendees could seemingly be summed up in a quote from an attendee.

Quote: "We just felt like the system had failed us. "We all knew what McElroy was like," and there he was over and over again. "It seemed like no one could stop him." End quote. (squeals of horror) Those in In the meeting there were reports that McElroy and Trena were seen heading to the D and G Tavern in Skidmore for drinks. The meeting is said to have adjourned and the crowd of about 60 people quietly descended on the D and G Tavern, flanking them. McElroy's truck even entered the bar, where they waited for him to finish their drinks.

Upon returning to the truck, where Trena was sitting in the passenger seat, Trena claimed to have turned over his shoulder and saw someone pull out a rifle. The rear of the truck and aimed at McElroy and then, shots were fired, which broke the windows of the truck, Trena reportedly jumped from her side of the vehicle into the street and was picked up by a man named Jack Clement. and walked towards the bank for safety. You could feel the fear building as the meeting ended and, you know, it's subsiding right now. -He is going down. - They had had enough.

They had been pushed to the limit. It's time to take some action. I'm not afraid to admit it, I felt some joy. McElroy, 47, remained in the car, shot dead and hit twice. The shot came from roughly behind him, so he would not have seen his shooter. Bullet casings from two different weapons were found. It should be noted that none of the witnesses called an ambulance. - Do you think there was a guy who said, "I'll call you, oh." -He only received a firm look. Everyone just turns their heads towards him. Although up to 60 witnesses were reported at the scene, no one other than Trena came forward in the investigation that followed to say who had fired the shot.

Cheryl Huston, Bo Bowenkamp's daughter, witnessed the shooting from her family's store and said so in the silence that followed the

killing

. She quotes: "Once the veil of silence fell," there would be no one speaking. "They could have pushed and dug, pushed and dug, and gotten nothing. "We were so bitter and angry that the law let us down" that someone took matters into their own hands. "No one has any idea of ​​the nightmare we are experiencing." End of quote. -I would kill to know what his last thoughts were. Just knowing that it was this guy who was so sure of himself, so sure that he had the world in the palm of his hand, that he could get his way with anything, and suddenly the world, seemingly collectively, becomes to him. and she says, "No, we're going to shoot you in the street like a dog." - And you know what?

I hate to say it, but I think he knew this was going to happen and he was one of those guys who was like, "Whatever, I'm letting this happen." - That makes me angry. - Good? In the murder investigation that followed, there was only one suspect, a shooter Trena identified as Del Clement, who was co-owner of D and G Tavern. However, Clement denied the charge and no other witnesses came forward. In the end, the district attorney and coroner's jury did not issue an arrest warrant or file charges. Harry N. MacLean, author of a book about the case called In Broad Daylight, spent some time with Clement during his years of research for his book and describes Clement as, quote, a short, resentful, short-tempered man, dressed in a cowboy hat and drank a lot, end of date.

Regarding the shooting, MacLean describes Clement as saying, quote, "It wasn't hard to imagine him pulling the gun "out of his truck in a burst of rage and opening it "on the big black head on the other side" of the truck's rear window." End quote MacLean also says that in the years he spent investigating, he never heard another name seriously mentioned as the shooter besides Del Clement. In 2009, Clement passed away, and until his death, he continued to deny any role in the murder - No. I don't think anyone would seek glory in this incident - No. - You know, I don't think anyone needed to say it, the people who were directly affected by this, apparently They all knew what happened, they know who shot him, so you don't have to. than shouting to the world: "Hey, it was me!" - No. - Because you walk into that store, you nod, you give them the thumbs up. - Yes.

In a strange way, this one. horrible event has united the city in a very poetic and beautiful moment. - I imagine the town was much happier after this. - That being said, author Harry N. MacLean also noted, quote, "I personally think it's a mistake to put too much emphasis on who pulled the trigger," end quote, which brings us back to the town hall meeting that It is easy to wonder if the murder was a plot that was formed there. However, MacLean has stated that he does not believe that the murder was a planned action by a vigilante.

Rather, he believes that few people made the impulsive decision to act. but the small town supported them in solidarity with their complicit silence. - I love it - Let me ask you this - Mmhmm ​​- Some people may have wondered if this meeting was a place where they said, "Okay, "Let's go out. , "you two are going to shoot him," "and we're not going to say anything." I'm not saying that's what happened, but if that's how it happened, is that okay? - I don't think it makes it worse. Although I think it was probably spontaneous. I think, maybe, the meeting went wrong.

People saw that nothing was going to happen, the sheriff mentioned a neighborhood watch as a solution. - But I think that maybe fueled the idea. If they were talking about, "Well, we have to keep an eye on this guy." "We must all come together." Then they get the news that he's headed to the tavern, so they'd probably say, "Great, let's go." Intimidate him." Maybe all of them, a group of them, decided to go do that, which would lead to one of them, just-- - Yeah, I mean, I think it was a meeting where they were all obviously venting their disdain for this man - And if they collectively understand that everyone in this city feels the same for the first time, I don't know... - For the first time, maybe, maybe this is the first time that everyone airs their grievances.

They realize there's nothing they can do to stop this man. They know everyone feels this way. - And then you hear he's outside, in the tavern. - Green light. - Everyone says, "Let's go out." And two people... - They know it. - They say: "No, this is ending right now." - They know that everyone supports them. - Once the local Major Case Team investigated, the FBI also investigated. In the end, three grand juries heard the evidence, but no one was charged with the murder. Trena filed a six million dollar wrongful death lawsuit against the town of Skidmore, Nodaway County, Sheriff Danny Estes, Skidmore Mayor Steve Peters, and Del Clement only on July 9, 1984.

However, the case was ultimately settled for $17,600. Trena ended up leaving town and getting married again, and he passed away in 2012, when he turned 55. As recently as 2006, then-Nodaway County Sheriff Ben Espey said of the McElroy case, quote, "Everyone seems to know who did it," but they don't want to get involved. "I will do everything in my power to arrest the person." End of quote. However, it is noted that he is said to have said this in a tone, quote, that does not convey any particular optimism. - Vigilante justice is a slippery slope. - It is, it is an ethical dilemma. - You don't want an entire town to get carried away.

Maybe that guy doesn't mow the lawn often enough. You don't want an entire town to murder him. But in this case, I think it's very clear... - I do. - That some action was necessary. - It was necessary to take measures. Whatever that action was, we were going to have to live with it, because they have gone through years and decades, literally, of oppression by this man. I think it would be unfortunate to take away from what this city did as a whole and the fact that they stood against something that was truly evil. - I don't think we have ever delved into moral dilemmas like this. - Metaphorically we draw the line in the sand.

Your position is up to you. After McElroy's death, the city as a whole saw a significant decrease in the number of cattle and hog thefts in the county, even just in the following month. The case attracted the attention of national media outlets such as Rolling Stone and 60 Minutes. Headlines often emphasized the vigilante nature of the murder. What remains concrete are the facts. A man was murdered because of his actions and we will probably never officially know the shooter. How you feel about it can be debated both internally and externally. But anyway, the case of Ken Rex McElroy will officially remain unsolved. (ominous music)