Investigators dug and dug, but Skidmore residents maintained their silence. [3] McElroy was acquitted. Ken Rex McElroy was a 6-foot, 270 pounds, dark-complexioned, blue-eyed man who lived in Skidmore, Missouri. July 10th, 1981: The townspeople gather around Ken's truck once he and Trena exit the bar. 1955 or 56: Ken and Oleta McElroy move back to Missouri after Ken's accident in Colorado. McElroy made a living leasing land near his farm, and trading and racing dogs. YouTubeThe towns local bar in Skidmore, Missouri. Nobody wanted to talk to us, retired Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Boyer tells A&E True Crime. A trial took place the following year and for the first time ever, Ken McElroy was convicted. This led to several patrons deciding to see what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. I said it in 1981, and Ill say it now, Baird told Patch. McElroy was hit twice by two different guns and died from injuries to his head and neck. A lot of them didnt even tell their wives and children. We were so bitter and so angry at the law letting us down that it came to somebody taking matters in their own hands, said Bowenkamps daughter, Cheryl Huston. His unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. Ken had 13 siblings: Hershell Eugene McElroy, Orvil O McElroy and 11 . McElroy started his pickup and the sound of shots pierced the silence. His successor, Robert Rice, already knew how Mr. McElroy died. [2], In all, he was indicted 21 times but escaped conviction each time, except for the last. But if tried by a jury of their peers, I doubt anybody around here would have convicted the shooters. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead inside his pick-up truck on the 10th of July, 1981, via a storm of bullets. McElroy would just sit and glower at you just stare at you and youd never know what he was thinking.. Over the course of his life, McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary. Three grand juries heard evidence. 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. Everyone was so uncomfortable and scared.. We stood up and did the right thing. Watch the new and 7th season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime! One assumption Skidmore hasnt been able to shed is that McElroys killing was an act of vigilante justice. Stratton knew McElroy from a previous stop when he threatened the trooper with a shotgun. I am a History Educator and a Lifelong Learner with a Masters in Global History. The guns were never recovered. As the case dragged on without a court date, Henry said McElroy had parked outside his home at least 100 times. Known as "the town bully", McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary. The story was thrust back to the forefront this month by No One Saw a Thing, a six-part Sundance TV docu-series exploring the moral ambiguity of frontier justice and the unspoken, yet universally intriguing, question: When, if ever, does someone like McElroy deserve to die? The town got away with murder, Mr. McFadin said. He divorces Oleta and marries Sharon to get out of a chargeof assault after shooting Sharon during an argument. Genealogy profile for Ken Rex McElroy Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) - Genealogy Genealogy for Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. For over twenty years he raped, robbed and burned almost at will.