He was represented by defense attorney Richard Gene McFadin of Gallatin, Missouri. Ken had 9 siblings: Hershel Eugene Mc Elroy, Bob McElroy and 7 other siblings. McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. Even now, nearly 40 years later, the ghost of Ken Rex McElroy and those who hid their secrets of his murder looms heavily over the dying farm town. Authorities arrested no one, and nobody admitted to the killing. [4], "Many remember, few mourn, and no one blabs", "TV Weekend; An Independent Spirit on the Prairie", "TV REVIEWS : Town Bully at Large in 'Broad Daylight, "TV Q&A: Rubbed-out ruffian was Brian Dennehy", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=In_Broad_Daylight_(1991_film)&oldid=1000108188, Pages using infobox television with editor parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 13 January 2021, at 16:39. The film is based on Harry N. MacLean's nonfiction book of the same name. [6], Based on Trena's story, McElroy was indicted in June 1973 for arson, assault and statutory rape. Estes then drove out of town in his police cruiser. He told the foster family that he would trade "girl for girl" to get his child back, since he knew where the foster family's biological daughter went to school and what bus route she rode. “Nobody ever held any of that against the rest of the family,” he says. [5] She became pregnant when she was fourteen, dropped out of school in the ninth grade, and went to live with McElroy and his third wife Alice. Then on July 10, 1981, the town had enough. Sixteen days after Trena gave birth, both she and Alice fled to Trena's mother's and stepfather's house. Ken Rex McElroy, 52, was killed in Skidmore, Missouri, by townspeople in 1981 'Gun-toting bully' was shot to death by an angry crowd of as many as … [1] McElroy was fictionalized as the character Len Rowan, portrayed by Brian Dennehy. [1] McElroy successfully appealed the conviction and was released on bond, after which he engaged in an ongoing harassment campaign against Bowenkamp and others who were sympathetic to Bowenkamp, including the town's Church of Christ minister. [4], McElroy fathered more than 10 children with different women. Known as "the town bully", McElroy's unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. The citizens decided to go to the tavern en masse. On July 9, 1984, Trena McElroy filed a $5 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Town of Skidmore, County of Nodaway, Sheriff Danny Estes, Steve Peters (Mayor of Skidmore), and Del Clement (whom Trena accused of being the shooter, but who was never charged). In 1980, one of McElroy's children got into an argument with a clerk, Evelyn Sumy, in a local grocery store owned by 70-year-old Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp and his wife Lois, allegedly because the young McElroy child tried to steal some candy. The new docuseries “No One Saw a Thing,” premiering Aug. 1 on SundanceTV, explores the 1981 killing of Ken Rex McElroy, a local menace executed in front of 60 townsfolk. Check out the new No One Saw A Thing Mini-Series Clip! August 1: The Killing of Ken Rex McElroy. The harassment culminates with Rowan shooting Wes and claiming self defense while standing trial. [1] To date, no one has been charged in connection with McElroy's death. [2], In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. In all, there were 46 potential witnesses to the shooting, including Trena McElroy, who was in the truck with her husband when he was shot. On July 10, 1981, McElroy … [8] At the trial, two raccoon hunters testified they were with McElroy the day of the shooting away from Henry's property. Nodaway County Sheriff Dan Estes suggested they form a neighborhood watch. As the case dragged on without a court date, Henry said McElroy had parked outside his home at least 100 times. On the morning of July 10, 1981, townspeople met at the Legion Hall in the center of town with Sheriff Estes to discuss how to protect themselves. The story of Ken Rex McElroy was a movie without a resolution, and it still stirred up a lot of people and emotions around here, some predictable, some not. ", McElroy was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Joseph, Missouri. Ken Rex McElroy was born on month day 1934, at birth place, Missouri, to Tony Wyatt McElroy and Mabel Marie McElroy. 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. [9] McElroy was convicted at trial of assault, but freed on bail pending his appeal. After terrorizing the people of Nodaway County and repeatedly escaping … But in the years after, he attended church with Ken’s sister. Ken McElroy was a middle-aged married man with out of control sideburns and a burly physique. [2] The film is based on Harry N. MacLean's nonfiction book of the same name.[3]. McElroy was fictionalized as the character Len Rowan, portrayed by Brian Dennehy. It is titled “The Town Bully” and it was released in 1988. Synopsis:Ken Rex McElroy, the town bully, has terrified the tiny town of Skidmore, Missouri for decades. He dropped out of school at age 15 in the eighth grade and quickly established a local reputation as a cattle rustler, small-time thief and womanizer. [13] Trena remarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri, where she died of cancer on her 55th birthday on January 24, 2012. With Bob Burghardt, Coleen Callahan, Elize Caraballo, Sara Fineran. Someone shot at McElroy while he was sitting in his truck. In Broad Daylight is a 1991 American made-for-television thriller drama film about the life of Ken McElroy, the town bully of Skidmore, Missouri who became known for his unsolved murder. The “prime suspects” told investigators they were “hiding under the pool table” in a nearby bar. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 – July 10, 1981) was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri, United States. McElroy had just finished another stint at a local tavern when he stumbled back into … “He was in trouble so many times,” he recalls. Known as the town bully, Ken Rex McElroy terrorized tiny Skidmore for decades. After McElroy finished his drinks, he purchased a six pack of beer, left the bar, and entered his pickup truck. With Brian Dennehy, Cloris Leachman, Marcia Gay Harden, Chris Cooper. In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean / Via amazon.com There were as many as … Known as "the town bully",[1] McElroy's unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. As he sat drinking at the bar, word got back to the men at the Legion Hall that he was in town. Additional charges were filed against McElroy.[7]. The Story Of Ken McElroy, The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town McElroy left many children, and some of them were extremely unhappy with the way their father was killed and … The case of the murder of Ken Rex McElroy in 1981 still reverberates 38 years later. However, his part was given the fictional name of Raymond West. Home » Mysteries » The Town That Got Away With Murder – Ken Rex McElroy. After a confrontation at a local grocery, Rowan begins stalking the owner Ruth Westerman (Cloris Leachman) and her husband Wes. Through a series of legal maneuvers, Rowan prolongs his freedom for over a year, all the while continuing to harass anyone in the town who he feels is a threat including police. The tavern door opened, and out stepped Ken Rex McElroy, 47, a bulky man with a ragged pair of sideburns and a piercing stare. The bar soon filled completely. The film has not been officially released on home video in any format in the United States. The case was later settled out of court by all parties for the sum of $17,600, with no one admitting guilt, for the stated reason of avoiding costly legal fees should the suit proceed. He was arrested, booked, arraigned and released on $2,500 bail. To this day, no one has been charged with the killing. The residents of Skimore watched as the town bully was shot dead in broad daylight. Getty Investigators "couldn't really crack one person," MacLean said. McElroy for years had terrorized the small town of Skidmore Missouri, and was considered the town bully. [2][3] In 1981, McElroy was convicted of shooting and seriously injuring the town's 70-year-old grocer, Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp. He appeared in a local bar, the D&G Tavern, armed with an M1 Garand rifle and bayonet, and later threatened to kill Bowenkamp. Immediately after being released at a post-trial hearing, McElroy went to the D&G Tavern, a local bar, with an M1 Garand rifle with a bayonet attached, and made graphic threats about what he would do to Bo Bowenkamp. Ken lived in 1940, at address, Missouri. During the meeting, McElroy arrived at the D&G Tavern with Trena. That’s just like in 1991 movie titled “In Broad Daylight,” the part of Ken Rex McElroy was given the fictional name of Len Rowan. According to the autopsy report, Ken Rex McElroy was shot in … He had been charged with more than 20 felonies, robbing, raping, burning, shootings. He was shot at several times and hit twice, once by a centerfire rifle and once by a .22 rimfire rifle. The morning of July 10, 1981, was a hot one in Skidmore, Missouri. Of the shooting, Bruce says he wasn’t there. Ken married Trena Louise McElroy. McElroy began stalking the Bowenkamp family, and eventually threatened Bo Bowenkamp in the back of his store with a shotgun in hand. Directed by James Steven Sadwith. This led to several patrons deciding to see what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 – July 10, 1981) was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri, United States. An extensive Federal investigation did not lead to any charges. Why? He statutorily raped McCloud repeatedly, also burning her house down and shooting the family dog before her parents relented and agreed to their marriage. Bruce knew Ken McElroy, whom he calls Ken Rex, as a teenager. In this episode of Unsolved Mysteries, I dove into the truly odd case of Ken Rex McElroy and the vigilante town of Skidmore, Mo. He intimidated people by driving by at night and firing a shotgun blast, putting a rattlesnake in … [1], McElroy was born in 1934, the fifteenth of sixteen children born to a poor, migrant tenant-farming couple named Tony and Mabel (née Lister) McElroy, who had moved between Kansas and the Ozarks before settling outside of Skidmore.
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