Ken McElroy and the town of Skidmore Missouri

I cannot tell you the first true crime story I remember hearing about or what was the first movie or book I read related to true crime. What I can tell you is that I have known about this story for many, many years and it is one I have always found fascinating. That should not be surprising since this case has had a following for more than forty years and is something Skidmore wish would go away.

Some say the events of July 10, 1981 put a curse on the town of Skidmore. It is a small farming community that technically is less than one square mile. Unless you have lived in or near farming towns I am unsure I can even describe it to you. To the average person it does not even seem like a town, but officially it is. According to Wikipedia Skidmore covers about 270 acres. Now, that being said there are farms scattered throughout the area that officially probably have a Skidmore address but are not within the “town limits” per se. It was said that the peak of their population was in 1910 when there were about 562 residents. It seems that in 1981 there were just under 450 and in 2022 there were just under 250. Back in 1981 there was a grocery store, a church, an American Legion Hall and of course a tavern. Was there much else? I cannot say but from my understand much of that is gone today. But, in 1981 you could get essentials and gather with friends and family. If you wanted anything more than that you would have to find a much larger area to go to.

Kenneth Rex McElroy was born into a very large, but poor family on the outskirts of Skidmore in 1934. It was said that he was the fifteenth of sixteen children. Can any of you even imagine this? It looks as if his mother had her first child at the age of sixteen and was thirty-nine by the time he was born. Not counting any miscarriages she may have had, which were quite common in those days, his mother gave birth to sixteen children in twenty-four years. I point all of this out because it should be no surprise that it appeared to most that McElroy had not seen much discipline or structure in his youth. It was said that alcohol and abuse were pretty prevalent in his home and lets face it, that Mama was tired! I often say there is a fine line between an excuse and a reason and sometimes that line is blurred. This is a prime example.

By the age of twelve McElroy was already having issues with authorities. From all accounts that I have studied about this (and I've seen and read a lot) little to no effort was given from home to change his ways. It was more as if he was protected inside the circle of family and was convinced by others that he was being targeted rather than there being an acknowledgment that he should change his ways. He quit school in the 8^th grade and never attempted to finish his education. But he grew up, and he grew big. He also grew a reputation. By the time it was all over he was nicknamed “the town bully.”

By all accounts McElroy never held a job. In fact, according to author, Harry MacLean who wrote the 1988 book In Broad Daylight

McElroy never even had a social security number (they were first issued in 1936 when he was two). From an early age it seems that McElroy made his living from theft, mainly from burglaries and cattle rustling. This would explain why he had all the time in the world not just to attract women and bed them but to have many children (all reports say he had “more than ten” children, one says the number was 15) and still have time to sit outside the homes of people he was in the habit of intimidating for hours on end.

It was said that over the years McElroy had been indicted more than twenty times but had escaped responsibility every time. Many argue he could have faced many, many more charges but as time went on less and less people were willing to even attempt to file charges against him. People knew what he was capable of and they were not willing to risk it. It is unclear if he had made enough threats and followed through with them to give him this reputation or whether simply his actions alone made people realize that he was a dangerous person. The charges he had faced at one time or another had included things such as assault, attempted murder, child molestation, and arson. Generally what would happen would be that the charges would be filed but before it could go to trial they would be dropped because no one would testify against him. There were a few exceptions but the out comes were no different.

In the early 1970s McElroy was in his 30's and was married to his second wife, Alice. He began molesting a twelve year old girl name Trena McNeeley. Details are sketchy but it appears that it went on for some time and by the time she was fourteen she was pregnant, had left school and attempted to live with McElroy and his wife, Alice. Her parents adamantly opposed the relationship and several charges were filed against McElroy including statutory rape and child molestation. In retaliation it was said that McElroy burned down Trena's parents' home and shot their family dog. They gave in, McElroy and Alice divorced, he then married Trena and all charges were dropped. Sometime after Trena gave birth she and Alice fled and went to her parents' home. McElroy went and got them back and once again burnt down the home and shot the dog.

In June of 1973 once again McElroy was indicted on charges of arson, assault, and statutory rape. Trena and her baby were put in a foster home in nearby Maryville and McElroy was released on bail. He proceeded to sit in his vehicle (his trademark) outside the foster home for hours on end watching the home. He even spoke to the foster family telling them he knew where their own daughter went to college and that they could “trade.” He did not want to trade but his goal was to intimidate the family. More charges were filed but they too were dropped when no one was willing to testify and eventually Trena ended up back living with him.

In July of 1976 a local farmer said that McElroy had shot him two times. He was charged with assault with intent to kill. He denied everything and was released on bail. He spent that time like he had so many other times, sitting outside the victim's home in an effort to intimidate. It was reported that he did this at least 100 times. At his trial he was able to get two hunters to testify that they were with him and he was acquitted but that may have not been the only reason.

Over the years it was said that there was only one law enforcement officer in the area that was not intimidated by McElroy and so he would make the arrests. McElroy had no qualms with threatening officers and there were incidences where rather than fight him, or risk their lives, the officer would let him go and then quit their job. In every case in which he was charged he would be let out on bail and use his intimidation tactics. If they did not work and the case was going to trial he would find out who the jurors were and would intimidate them. It was said one juror from a trial found a snake in their mailbox and it was believed to have been McElroy's doing. He had a lawyer pretty much in his pocket. Charges would be filed, he would call the lawyer, pay him, get bail and then most of the time charges were dropped. According to the lawyer McElroy was his best client and he saw him 3-4 times a year.

The townspeople feared him and avoided him as much as possible. By 1980 pretty much everyone knew that the justice system was not on their side and no one would help them. Every time he would get charges dropped he would be sure to make a trip through town to let everyone know their efforts to have him locked up had failed. But, not everyone, especially business owners could avoid him. In April of 1980 McElroy, Trena and some of their children had gone into town. They were outside the grocery store and apparently the kids went inside. It was later said the clerk inside the store saw one of the children pick up some candy and inquired about them paying for it. The child went outside and told his/her parents that there was an accusation of stealing. Trena went inside and threw a fit. Rumor was McElroy beat her but she was not beyond using the fact the entire town feared him to her advantage. By now she too had entered that protective circle that were either convinced McElroy was unfairly targeted by law enforcement and others, or just simply knew his ability to intimidate and used it to get her way and do the same.

McElroy then began stalking and threatening the owners of the grocery story, an elderly couple name Ernest “Bo” and Lois Bowenkamp as well as the store clerk who just so happened to live directly across the street from the Bowenkamp family. One day things came to a head and seventy year old Ernest Bowenkamp was shot in the neck by a rifle in the hands of Ken Rex McElroy. Amazingly Bowenkamp survived but McElroy was soon arrested and charged with attempted murder. He spent one night in jail and was again out on bail. He spent that time out doing what he did best, sitting outside the home of his victim watching and staring. He also attempted to intimidate and harass any resident who supported Bowenkamp.

The shooting of Bowenkamp had really set the townspeople off. While I am sure there were still many who would not openly show their support to Bowenkamp in fear of harassment, there many who would. They stood together and they would ensure that they went to court in basically a caravan. It seems they believed they had safety in numbers, at least when it came to court. When they were in their own homes it may have been different. But, it seems the overwhelming idea was that they had McElroy dead to rights this time and there was absolutely no way he could get out of this. There had been witnesses and those witnesses were not going to back down this time and they were going to rid Skidmore of McElroy.

While I cannot tell you exactly what and how things went at the trial in the end McElroy was not convicted of attempted murder but of assault in the second degree. The jury even only recommended he spend two years in jail. But, that being said it was still more than had ever happened to him and I am sure believed it was a start. Then, to everyone's surprise the judge granted McElroy bail while awaiting an appeal. Once again McElroy, only now technically a convicted felon, left the courtroom freely. As per usual, he made sure everyone in town knew it. Within days he was back to his old tricks and then someone got an idea. It was fairly usual for residents to drive around with firearms as it was a hunting and farming community but per his bail restrictions McElroy was not to be in the possession of a firearm and yet he still drove around with firearms clearly visible in his truck. It was reported and a hearing about revoking his bail was set for July 10, 1981.

It is unclear exactly when the townspeople were informed that the bail hearing had been delayed or maybe canceled. Once again it appears that the townspeople planned to show up at the hearing in their caravan of sorts. Some say that they were not informed of this until after many of the townspeople including the sheriff of the county (which was not stationed in Skidmore), the mayor of Skidmore and many others were having a meeting at the local American Legion Hall in town. The meeting had been called allegedly to see what legal avenues the people had left to protect themselves and stop McElroy from his harassment. They already had a telephone system of sorts. When someone on the outskirts of town saw that McElroy was headed toward town there were calls made. It has also been alleged that during this meeting a call was received that he seemed to be going to town. The story goes that the sheriff told the people to form a neighborhood watch and to not engage McElroy and he soon left the meeting. Some believe that the sheriff did not leave at all; others believe he left on purpose at the time he did, knowing full well what was about to happen in order to claim later to know nothing; and still others believe that nothing was said at the meeting that would have indicated what would happen next. However, it is believed that if in fact the sheriff did leave, whether he knew anything or not, he had to have passed McElroy's vehicle as he left town.

McElroy and Trena went straight to the tavern that day when they got into town. They parked right outside and went into the building. It is alleged that soon after the meeting at the Legion Hall broke up and and those inside, or at least the men, walked across the way and into the tavern also. The story goes that while McElroy and Trena sat drinking their drinks the townsmen stood and stared. It seemed to be they were giving McElroy a taste of his own medicine. They finished their drinks and McElroy ordered a six pack of beer to go and the couple walked out of the tavern.

Keep in mind that the only person who has ever spoken about what next occurred was Trena herself. In the more than forty years since that day no one else has officially said publicly, to a law enforcement officer, a government official and some say even privately what happened or what they saw. So, according to Trena they walked out of the tavern and everyone inside followed them out. McElroy got into the truck and started it. As he did someone reached through quickly and pulled Trena out of the truck. It has been reported that there were somewhere between thirty and fifty residents of Skidmore around the vehicle. It is unclear how many different people opened fire on the truck but it seems clear that MOST were hitting the truck itself. In the end only two bullets actually hit McElroy. One came from a Centerfire rifle and the other from a .22 caliber rifle. Ken Rex McElroy was dead, in his truck with his foot pushing down on the accelerator causing the engine to rev in place. No one ever called for an ambulance and everyone left the area. When law enforcement arrived (it took some time as they were not near by) the town was empty save for McElroy's truck, still running and still revving with him inside.

The only person who reported seeing anything was Trena McElroy. She told law enforcement her story and named at least one person, Del Clement, as one of the shooters. When officers spoke to everyone else No one Saw A Thing (this became the title of a 2019 documentary). There were some who said they heard guns being fired but had hidden and did not look. No one it seems admitted to being in or outside the tavern that day or at least at that time. The townspeople had learned from the victim himself if no one talked then nothing could be done. Local and state law enforcement could not get anything out of anyone and the news spread about a “vigilante town” who took care of the “town bully” since the justice system had failed them. It was big news! Trena and McElroy's family and I am sure maybe a few supporters of his, if he had any, kept pushing and insisting that something be done. So the federal government launched an investigation of their own. Still, when they were done no charges were filed because nothing could be proven.

In July of 1984 Trena filed a five million dollar wrongful death lawsuit. Included the suit was the Town of Skidmore, the county, the sheriff who had been present earlier at the Legion Hall, Skidmore's mayor and Del Clement who she had named as a shooter. The case never went to trial and was settled out of court for about $17,600. No one ever admitted guilt and it was said that the reason for the settlement was because the legal fees to fight it in court would have outweighed anything.

Trena would move out of the Skidmore area with her children and later remarry. She never seemed to speak of the incident again and died in January of 2012 of cancer. McElroys mother died shortly after he did, in November of 1981. According to findagrave.com as of now twelve siblings are listed as passed away. It is unclear how many of them knew exactly what had gone on and what their opinions were. Findagrave also shows that at least one of McElroys children have passed. Del Clement died in 2009 and it was said that he did not give any sort of “deathbed confession.”

In the 2019 documentary some of McElroys children were interviewed and proclaimed that their father was not a bad man and deny that he was violent. They admit they saw bruises on his wives, including black eyes but claim they never witnessed any abuse.

In 1982 the home in which McElroy had lived with Trena, who was now gone, was vacant, caught fire and was burnt to the ground. No one was ever charged and it was said to be outside Skidmore town limits and even their volunteer fire department did not respond.

Harry MacLean spent several months in Skidmore researching and writing his book, In Broad Daylight. It was published in 1988 and was later turned into a television movie. MacLean is often considered to be the expert on this case. While most believe McElroy's death was a vigilante killing MacLean disagrees. He still claimed that no one would discuss or admit actually being outside the tavern that July day but it seems people were willing to talk about everything else. He stated that many townspeople were not happy with what happened. Murder is murder, no matter how you cut it. It was said the women in particularly were disturb by the events. Residents were also not happy at the attention given to Skidmore that continues, although at a much lower level most of the time than in the beginning, after the murder. This was a small town of country farmers who just wanted to work and live peacefully.

Many believe that it was decided at the Legion Hall that they had had enough. They knew McElroy was headed to town at that moment. He had skirted the law once again. Law enforcement and the justice system were doing nothing and it was a kill or be killed attitude. Again, MacLean disagrees. He does not believe that anything was planned in any way. In his opinion they all worked collectively, but also alone. They walked to the tavern probably in an attempt to intimidate him, in the way he had done to so many of them. They followed him out of the tavern for the same reason. Guns were drawn and the firing began. MacLean points out that these people had known each forever, many growing up together; they had become even closer during this time in their attempts to find justice and protect each other. He also does not believe that when it was all over that anyone said to anyone else “Don't talk.” In his opinion it was all unspoken because they did not have to speak. They all felt the same and they knew that the others did also. He never believed that there was a plan or there even needed to be a plan. One walked to the tavern, so another followed, and another and another until they all followed. The same was true when it came to leaving and then surrounding the truck, right up until they pulled guns and began firing. One person apparently had the sense enough to pull Trena out of the vehicle. Much of the town, despite how her she became, saw her as a victim of McElroy's also. They were not there to hurt her; they were there to hurt him, consciously or unconsciously.

The district attorney at the time, and into the decades that followed, received some slack that no one was ever charged in McElroy's murder. As time went on he attempted to explain how it was much like today's gang killings where a group from one gang kills someone from another and absolutely no one will talk from either side. In 1981 it seemed to be a rare thing where today it is much more common. But, in my opinion while I see what he is saying and I cannot disagree, this case is much different. In gang killings most of the participants are felons themselves. The innocent people who may have witnessed the murders and do not talk they do so out of fear of their own safety. In this case it was never alleged that those who likely participated had criminal backgrounds and if they did it was likely something minor. Reasonable if someone would have talked the most that would have happened would have been that some people went to jail. These were not your average murderers. It is my opinion that even those who did not necessarily agree with what happened knew in the end that those involved were seeing a means to an end and had tried relying on law enforcement and the courts only to be failed by them. I do not believe that most of the townspeople saw those involved as being “bad people.”

A few years ago my husband met a man who carried the McElroy name. Initially I knew the name sounded familiar but could not place it. One day my husband said “You remember that case about that guy where the town killed him and then no one talked?” Of course I answered yes and he proceeded to tell me that this man he had met was apparently a relative of Ken McElroy. I have since become friends with the man but I had been told to not mention this case or my feelings about them to him. So we absolutely do not discuss it and it has never been brought up but it is my understanding that to this day family members do not believe he was the “monster” he has been portrayed or that what happened to him was just. They are still angered that no one was ever charged with the crime. They absolutely have the right to feel that way whether it is just or not. There paper trails to show that he was not as good of a man as they believe but I will say he may not have been quite as bad as the media over the decades have portrayed him. Media almost always has an agenda and they love sensationalizing things and drama.

Many believe that the events of July 10, 1981 put a curse on Skidmore. I am an avid true crime reader, and watcher. I know about a lot of cases that involve murder but sometimes my mind does not always connect things. As small as Skidmore is they have seen a lot of crimes. Most seemed to occur in the early to mid-2000's. I had heard about these cases at one time or another but it was not until recently that I realized Skidmore was involved. In 2000 a man by the name of Greg Dragoo from Skidmore viciously murdered is ex-girlfriend Wendy Gillenwater after he had abused her throughout their relationship. In 2001 a twenty year old man named Branson Perry allegedly walked back to his garage to get a tool to work on a car and was never seen again. Then in 2004 twenty-three year old Bobbie Jo Stinnett was pregnant and had made an online friend, Lisa Montgomery, when Stinnett was selling puppies. Montgomery murdered Stinnett, opened her womb and took her baby. Montgomery was convicted and sentenced to death. In January of 2021 she became the first woman in nearly seventy years to be executed by the federal government.

Is it a curse on Skidmore? I do not know if I would go that far. I will say it appears to be an unusual amount of high profile cases there but then again, are they high profile because of the McElroy case? The Bobbie Jo Stinnett case would have likely gotten a large amount of attention due to the nature of the crime and the fact the federal government executed the woman responsible but it would have gotten a lot of attention no matter where that happened. Do the other cases mention constitute a “curse”? I do not think so. Cases such as those happen all over the country. Skidmore gets the attention because they never lost the infamy from McElroy.

Some of the residents of Skidmore were right about 1981... murder is murder. But, clearly the law and the justice department were not doing their jobs. It appears that he was able to do whatever he wanted, however he wanted and if he intimidated whomever he had to in order to not be held responsible for his actions. I am sure that some things of the more petty things as well as some of the burglaries and thefts that he has been accused of may not have actually been him and his “crimes” became legends in some ways. But, on the more serious charges he always seemed to get away with. His own lawyer was said to have said McElroy faced being charged with something 3-4 times a year, and those were the only ones reported that he actually got arrested and charged for. One cannot say that he was not guilty or not responsible for any of those actions. Early on the most clear would have been his relationship with Trena. Did he burn the house and shoot the dog, twice? Eh... maybe he did but did anyone see him? On the accusations of intimidation it would all amount to what proof was available. I am not saying he did not do it by any stretch of the imagination but as they say in the law it is not what you know, it is what you can prove, I can see him skating away from a few of the charges.

But in the end it appears that he taught his own murderers what to do in order to never get caught.