i lived 14 miles from town and there were 20now nothing!! I wondered if his TX neighbors even know about his involvement in this Skidmore event. He always denied any role in the killing. I keep going back to the though of if he knew it was the end for him. 1952: Ken McElroy marries his first wife Oleta. Del and my grandpa has hauled cattle together. Sorry, Ive never heard that name. Ken Rex McElroy was shot dead inside his pick-up truck on the 10th of July, 1981, via a storm of bullets. Not to mention that Del was of average height. When the Social Contract is broken, the people must revolt. Rousseau. None broke stride, or looked at me, but i am sure they new i was a stranger, in town. One farmer told me: The killers should be given medals for what they did. You should go to Piedmont Alabama and research the Ronnie Chandler story. The day I stopped through even the bar was closed..do you know if the bar is even open anymore? For your information. When I talked with Trena, she was no longer defending McElroy. ALL cowards that rape children, burn peoples homes, shoot close range into unarmed peoples stomach & shoot hard working elderly frail innocent people deserve a shot in the back of their heads. Two additional questions Harry, I have heard that the post office in Skidmore has been closed and the high school was also closed and tore down. period. Thus, the debris pile I see is on the south side of the road just before the second turn at the corner at mile 2, and then on the west side of that same road after it turns southbound. they all still kring when you mention his name. I believe they had a little boy. did they like her or not , was she mean too ? On my first day of teaching, a little hand went up in the back of the class and this sweet boy said, Youre uncle shot my dad. I was a witness , not a shooter . Rex was starting trouble and was holding a rifle so the shooter came out and confronted Rex annd said put the gun down and lets see how tough you are without it fat boy. i just got back to the states this year was in italy taking care of a family member for some time. Denehey had the McElroy stare down perfectly, and I think Ken reveled in being able to scare people just by looking at them. its funny , when McElroy died it was like a peace & calm wafted through the air that day .everybody heard about it & sighed a sigh of relief & whispered its finally over to themselves. Did Baer ever provide you any additional details that would have changes your conclusions? In syrafoam boxes and put it on dads tab to pay later. Trena divorced her husband, and Ive been told lives in Columbia. And if not, a few dollars to the right lawyer would suffice. 4. off of RT. The photo was too graphic, in my mind, for a book. Things got repeated and repeated until he became almost larger than life. A few years after the book came out, I encountered Del one evening in a bar in nearby Maryville. Nothing will ever happen because everyone hated him and the towns people would say the shooters were not there to the law anyways. I spent three years in Skidmore, and all I ever heard was that Clement was a mean drunk and had a bad temper. skidmore is not a tuff town at all. If you have, would you recommend it and/or share your thoughts? Finally, a rumor. McElroy was soon infatuated with his future child bride. Has anyone ever actually physically tried to fight mcelroy? a small town terrorized by one man.a town stricken with fear, a town that kept asking for help & didnt get it. My grandfather loved this book, I believe, because he had heard stories about McElroy through various coffee shops and cafes. The movie was shot in Elgin, Texas, which youll note bears no resemblance to Skidmore. Last i heard she was in Columbia. All the towns mentioned were familiar to me. I would really love to find out what happened to all of his children, and women, as well as if you or the authorities have any new leads to speak of. I also was attempting to use Google Earth to observe the former Ken Rex house. its to bad he died the way he did . Are there any Pics of the Aftermath.. Morgue pics of the Body? He made me think he was McElroy. on the SKIDMORE TOPIS PAGE someone put a post on their something about a photograph a man had taken that morning , he was at the gas station caddy corner & saw something going down , pulled out a camera & snapped off a few shots & threw camera back in car . . McElroy was a brutal bully who kept a town terrified for years. I was trying to look at the site of Mcelroys farm on google earth. Thank you. You can use the computer to measure the distance by right clicking and using measure distance from point to point. Del Clement, in my view, was also a coward. Several people in town said to me of the shooters: They should be given a medal for what they did and strung up for the way they did it. As for myself, and this lends itself to my statement about the passage of time and how it can cleanse some of the more untoward facts in the drama, Ive always cheered for the bad guy wrestlers. Gary farmed west of Maryville most all his life. I guess thats understandable. I understand you are a tall man, so relatively he would be shorter than you, but he was not a short man with a chip on his shoulder. Whether it was in the heat of the moment or putting him down like a mad dog, I cannot say. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84375228/trena-louise-williams. They were stationed on Skidmore's major. I tried to give the towns point of view, but to also be fair to the other people and institutions involved. The vast majority of these rifles were chambered in 30-30; the Winchester 94 is practically synonymous with the 30-30 chambering. When you keep pushing people around, eventually they get fed up. No testing of weapons was performed,as far as I am aware. I admire the town for keeping their mouths shut, and the people who took up arms and took care of business. Small Large 300 dpi | 30.2 MP 2) Planned or not a real man could have dealt with it..when your a bully you had better be readycause its always comin, 3) Del was the main shooter but he would have gladly been the ONLY shooter. sadly i feel the man & his killing caused so much trauma it never has fully recovered. Whether in the back of the head, between the eyes or in the heart, dead is dead. Let sleeping dogs lay in this tragedy. was it because she met someone , or just to get away ? Thought I would pass on that they Punkin show is no more, have not had one since 2003 and the Freedom Fest has seen its last days this year. But, I also believe so much evidence was either contaminated by bystanders or simply was taken away. I heard that Lois also died a few years ago, and I am sure that Bo Bowenkamp died back in the late 80s or so; but didnt they have a couple of daughters? One of these women was 24-year-old. Dont kid yourselfthere are no tough guys left after one minute in hell. Thx for keeping us updated http://www.michaeljoiner.com. I think McElroy would have loved Denehey portraying him in the movie. i know she passed on , glad to hear she was happy later on & found a guy who i heard was madly devoted to her. The sheriff was chagrined to admit that the official files were not in his office. That is the the bottom line. Im a retired peace officer, as such Ive seen the inside of quite a few jails and prisons. He probably had enough of McElroy chasing his bar customers away. And we did not witness the actual shooting. the townspeople like much of the US actually believed in the law and kept hoping it would do its job. He was a man with a black soul and got exactly what he deserved. I would appreciate if you would please address a couple of questions. But we exchanged some small talk, and I left. measure .321 in diameter; bullets for the 8 mm measure .323 in diameter. Yes, Ill admit its rather ghoulish, but as time moves on and the principal players pass, they become less based in reality for the reader and more like characters in a great play. This makes it EASY for Thugs to dispose of peoples property out of state. I truly believe that any community put under the sort of pressure McElroy put it under, and with the law failing to protect it, might well have done the same thing. but he new not to cross paths with my father and i in a bad way. i wonder why a group of ppl didnt grab him and beat him half to death way b4 the shooting. So I had my coffee, a burger, tipped Pam a $5.00 spot and quietly left. Didnt want to put it down!! he was seriously evil. And all honor & thanks to he/ they that executed him. After selling his farm, he worked at Energizer in Maryville, MO, for several years. Real men dont shoot unarmed men and leave them to die. enough was enough, McElroy had pushed his last button & lit the fuse that led to his death , he sat their , just like in the movie calmly & looked in his mirror to see the crowd behind him , he knew I believed that it was the end for him & that he was about to die , no way in hell was that crowd letting him leave. Without justice, people *will* resort to extra-legal violence to right wrongs and settle scores. He had no respect for the law or those who enforced it. scared to death of the dude . I would have to drive it to be sure, but it sounds like it. I dont like people taking the Law in their own hands, but in THIS CASE I see nothing else they could do. Knew people that had bought or traded coonhounds with/from him. Again, awesome book!! all of us took an oath , the shooters & the other witnesss .it was surreal as to what happened . I think, though I do not have any data, this is not my field but in Urban areas of high crime it is very common for people to be killed and nobody sees a thing. And thats kind of bullying as well. i wonder what wouldve happened if some of the guys in town reached out to him , talk to him , have a beer be pals . we all talked & took a vow of silence , NO MATTER WHAT to our death bed. walked around the back of the old grocery, then looked at the buildings and grocery, out front. The too soon death of Del left a large whole in the heart of many. He never brought up the book or this story again. As I understand it and read your post, you were on the same corner as my grand father that morning opposite of Sumys. Let this story be told and retold and commented upon as warning to bullies and scumbags that if they want to bully people sooner or later, one way or another, they are going to get what is coming to them, one way or another. yes Skidmore is dying and its truly sad because its a sweet town full of good people. Ive been watching No One Saw a Thing on Sundance. I came from a town just like thathad 1500 people and now has 230. farmers used to go to town to buy their shoes for the kids and groceriesnow there are no farmers. He was a Korean war vet. While you all are shakin in your boots your women will be coming to me, women love a real man, and so will your property. a) Ken moved out of his family home so he could be with Alice. Screw the law and the rest of you people who have no back bone to do anything about it. On Del, Ive discussed the notion that he might have been a coward because he shot Ken in the back. Its extremely difficult nowadays to operate any kind of small business in such sparsely populated areas like these having to rely on the locals to keep it afloat whether its a local bar, gas station, or corner grocery. I currently live in Springfield, Missouri, and may just have to take a trip to Trenas grave site in Conway. I agree that Ken McElroy haunts the town, and always will. Obviously a rifle. Is there anyway you could confirm this for me? Alice McElroy May 27, 1938 - September 13, 2017 Alice Olemberio McElroy, daughter of Felix Olemberio and Agripina Sacal Olemberio, was born May 27, 1938 in Calamba, Misamis Occidental, Philippines where she grew up and attended school. Shot an old man because the old mans wife told Kens daughter that stealing was not nice. I believe Ken got what he deserved. You may email me if you do not want to post it publicly. So Ken had. I bet not one of them had the gnads to look him in the eye and do it, even with the crowd around let alone one on one, both with guns in hand. the gun could be in a glass case with lights downing on it . None of those last two incidents is surprising. Why no photos of Del ? I was 10 years old and saw the whole thing. Services noon Tuesday, November 28, at Mrs. J.W. How many more people had to be shot and live in abject heck before the law did anything about this evil SOB? I have a few questions. Good Time Charlies is very clean and much nicer than I had expected. Anyone that has the courage to stand up to a bully and shoot him is no coward in my book. As for how he died, if you will submit the autopsy report confirming the massive heart attack, I will correct the record. Im so glad I had nothing to do with it. He was a pedophile that raped 12 year old girls. Del did not die the way you described. Gary N. Dowling I wonderwonder for how long he wished he could be big and strong like Ken Rex coupled with Ken Rex imasculating him he jumped on the opportunity to get even for everything. In the middle of the second curve on Valley Road. I put it together mainly because the book was out of print other than on Kindleand I felt that a real book should always be available. Hi Im looking into this case as part of my Extended Project Qualification and would like to know whether or not you believe that McElroys murder was justifiable? Mr. MaClean, great book!! Theres much speculation about where the files are, who took them, but speculation only. They understood she had been in essence captured by McElroy as a young girl, but by the end she was riding shotgun for him and pulling weapons on people and threatening to shoot them. I seem to have the feeling that only two people had guns in their hands that day but the whole town had their fingers on the triggers. Standing at his truck, watching McElroy sit calmly in this truck with his wife, as if he owned the street, the twon, someone shouted Shoot the sonofabithch! and he grabbed his rifle. The Good Ole Boy rural thug culture killed that whole county pretty much. After a sigh of relief that could be heard for miles, anybody would be overjoyed. Thanks for writing. 60 Minutes covers the killing of Ken Rex McElroy. I also believe that the residents of Skidmore simply got tired of the legal system trying and failing to deal with Ken Rex McElroy. Im not going to comment on Mcelroys death, but all the small towns in America! Valley Road was renamed after 9/11, as a county road, the number of which escapes me at the moment. I was in Skidmore last Thursday. I spent many many weeks and weekends with my grandparents there. Every few years I will once again wonder if the culprits have finally been outted and search to find out. Over the course of his life, McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson . McElroy had four wives and more than 10 children. He was a boaster and a bully, but he carried through on just enough of his threats to scare the hell out of people. I thought Judgment Day was pretty much of a joke, but you could understand my bias. They reminded me of another family I once met who also blamed everyone else for the troubles they created for themselves. Ken Rex McElroy was born June 1, 1934 to a family of poor tenant farmers who moved near the town of Skidmore, Missouri. & those who witnessed the crime are accessories to murder- plain & simple skidmore will always have mcelroys ghost hanging over the town. Hi Harry I loved reading the book I have a question I know there was a made for TV movie made, have you been approached on making a newer version of a movie? Ken Rex McElroy was a bully to put it mildly. I was there a few years ago, and the bar was open, but I wouldnt be surprised if it was closed now, or maybe just open for parties. Can you give the straight scoop on that?. If an eyewitness had turned in the killers in, it would have been a spectacular trial, likely ending in an acquittal. When the legal system was unable to catch him, the community took it upon themselves to stop him themselves. Ken Rex was bad news from day one. In Broad Daylight is the name of the book, and there is a follow up called The Story Behind In Broad Daylight. Yet, to this day, the crime remains unsolved. The old man let the child have the candy anyway. Dying of sclerosis of the liver is a slow process; it allows the person time to reflect on his life, to prepare to meet his maker. another male mcelroy in a small town. Finally, there is some confusion on the rifles used. He always said He ended up having six children and many grandchildren. It would be interesting to know how this incident changed Skidmore and its people. I have read all the comments, here are some comments that I am sure most wont like, but hey, to each their own right? There are always many sides to a person. I hope thats not true, but it wouldnt surprise me if it was. just like a true coward. As the old proverb says; Desperate times call for desperate measures.. I read it when it was first published. Especially while drinking in the presence of overly curious people. Ken Rex was a hero to some and was running the area with the back of his hand and had a great run. I bet a lot f the boys around those parts were jealous of him but are not man enough to admit it. He was a nice, smart kid, but he had blue eyes and a compelling stare. I have been a marine and completed 2 tours of duty and travel armed at all times with a crew, so I highly doubt you are going to kick my ass these are just facts, besides the fact that this is just a message board on the internet and I cant be bothered to get into a childish flaming war with some old dude who was tormented by either Ken Rex, my comments, or both. 1. If I were ever accused of a crime then found not guilty, Im reasonably confident that Id be smiling ear to ear & might even do a happy dance! i dont know ? I think anyone who has been on the receiving end of a bullys wrath or the injustices of the legal system to deal with criminals can put themselves in the plight of the towns people of Skidmore. vigilante justice, call it what you want.MURDER IS MURDER. 2. As we And the only women you get are the ones you buy on the street corner. He was also preceded by his sister, Ronda Salsbury; son in law, Carey Barr; grandson, Rob Lowrance; and sister in law, Barb Dowling. My feeling is that he did, but he could not show fear. I said i wouldnt. Compelling read. You are full of shit. Harrys book says there was a smaller house on the property, too, where the younger brother Tim lived after the killing. Del and his brother Greg also owned the only tavern in town, the D and G, for Del and Greg, and McElroy was famous for driving away customers. He had closed up the bar and was coming home when he ran off the road. Unless I missed something, I do not see anyone being connected with that gun, the one that shot the fatal bullet. I also understand that he lost his job as an auctioneer in St. Joe because of this problem. A bullet must have been recovered from the crime scene. What they were afraid of was prosecution. Did you ever hear this story? I have a first issue hard copy that was my grandfathers and he left to me after his passing in 2006. I couldnt help getting the willies. I thing Mcelroys spirit does haunt the place. A family members say so alone is definitely not persuasive. She told of one incident in particular where her family was present when his property was being buzzed repeatedly by a low flying plane. He probably thought it would make him a bigger man in the eyes of the townfolk something he always wanted. I would assume, although I dont know, that Sheriff Estes took then when he left office. Id imagine Id be sick of it myself. Honestly, the story he told me about this man sounded so far-fetched. The most well known but never verified incident involved a time supposedly in the seventies when he stretched a guy over the railroad tracks around St. Joe and watched as the train ran over him. If this process is circumvented, it becomes more difficult (to establish these constraints) with each passing year. I was 13 when my father myself and my two sisters. Ken McElroy - Wikipedia Ken McElroy Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 - July 10, 1981) was an American criminal and convicted attempted murderer who resided in Skidmore, Missouri, United States. And even if something of a glimmer came to pass, who would believe it after all this time? It was somehow fitting, therefor, that McElroy was shot sitting in his pickup in front of the D & G. Your all wrong. Chris: We just published an e-book entitled The Story Behind In Broad Daylight. Available on Amazon. People will quit talking about this about the same time they quit talking about the St. Valentines Day Massacre, so the request to Let it die is futile. So the debris pile falls at the 2 mile point. I first heard of this story in a special edition of People Magazine (True Crime Stories; 2005). His brother, however, still lives in the Skimore area/. He was known as "the town bully", [1] and his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. I still look upon the town for all the nice things and nice people who were beyond friendly to me. My son still has the book In Broad Daylight because I was married to Kens nephew. The silence of the town since is truly amazing. 1) There was nothing Alpha about Ken or you,look what happened to Ken. We made several trips to see them after that and while my mother would here from Ronnie and Treva from time to time we never knew where they were . In this case, Ken pushed an entire town to their breaking point. Hi, Im doing a school project on the murder of Ken Rex McElroy. Watch the 60 Minutes episode here. McElroy was a rabid dog that needed to be destroyed, whether shot between the eyes or in the back of the head. maybe they should have the gun that killed mcelroy in a museuem or something, maybe they can build a museueum there celebrating the murder . unless the last living person of that oath is on their deathbed & decides to tell who the shooter was, the shooter that they all covered for. I took a deep breath and said he wasnt my uncle and I had never known him. If it was spontaneous there would have been at least one person who wouldnt have known to keep their mouth shut. My grandpa has always maintained that he was at the Albany court house awaiting ken Rex for his trial. Remember how young she was when he got a hold of her. Ive written several other true crime books and one novel. The only hope for solving the crime seemed to be that one of the witnesses, or maybe one of the killers, would confess on his deathbed in order to clear his conscience. we just thought he was some creepy dude, then when the story broke about him & i saw pics i was literally shocked. I have seen similar areas in my youth. Many people i knew standing around. It was sometimes difficult to distinguish myth from reality when it came to Ken Rex McElroy. Judging from the photos on FB, it appears that it may be where the Bowenkamps grocery store was located (judging from photos I saw in your book In Broad Daylight, and some YouTube videos that tourists have posted). The few times I saw him he was drunk, once so badly he could barely stand. lol. How many rounds were fired in total? Hi Harry, I would like to know which books you have on the case of Ken McElroy of Skidmore aka the town bully. My first encounter with the Skidmore story began when I first saw the TV episode of City Confidential some years ago. A whole new book could start here. But I certainly do understand why they did what they did and cant help but feel as they must have felt. He would have done well to learn that if you live by the sword, you die by the sword. Nevertheless, they were together for 15 years, and Alice bore two sons and a daughter. Why wasnt the pickup secured immediately by the first Officer who arrived on scene? My house on Safari Drive backed up to the cemetery where McElroy is now buried. I think when the last person involved in KRMcs killing dies, then the truth will be told. What McElroy would say about his portrayal in the book is another subject, and one which I would hesitate to hazard a guess on. I was quickly sent in the house. I do not see that you wrote of this in your comments. Pushed in a CORNER people will ACT, coward or NOT. I would suggest youve had a very comfortable life not only financially but in your career. Even an expert at anything past reading distance would not be able to tell the difference between the two. I know how you feel about Skidmore. It has happened forever. Mr. MaClean, as a writer, you should check your facts before writing such gross untruths. She had our food ready to go t was Mr Sumy. why did she leave skidmore ? Thanks for taking the time to comment. The food was quite good and the young waitress was very hospitable. RELATED: 10 Of The Best Docuseries You Should Be Watching Now Each episode is around 40 minutes each and contains dramatic and intimate . No One Saw A Thing centers around the 1981 murder of Ken Rex McElroy in Skidmore Missouri and other crimes committed in the town and surrounding area over the years. if a town can have ptsd then Skidmore has lived it for these many decades. This sparked my interest, but did not pursue any additional information until I recently viewed the movie In Broad Daylight. On July 10, 1981, on a hot summer morning in a fed-up town, he. My husband, on the other hand, believed it but we didnt talk about it much. Shooting him was a justified act of self-defense for everyone. Is it possible you will be doing an updated story, anytime soon? You are very talented and a brilliant writer, your story is in line with the tales told but maybe you can do better, I remember when this crime occurred. Sounds to me like Del Clement was a hero. The good people there, many of them are defenseless against these thugs. Just purchased The Story Behind . Last I checked: Real men dont have to use guns to intimidate. I hear now and then from others that I should just let the story die, that there is no reason to keep talking about it, etc. The other weapon was a .22 mag, but was it identified as a rifle as well? I raised it as a topic of discussion, since they shot McElroy in the back. A year or so after the book was published, I met one of Kens kids who had been adopted out as a child. AND INTO ADULTHOOD. Which now, has me asking a ton of additional questions, thoughts, etc. At least some of the witnesses surely knew. Second. The town cannot seem to catch a break it seems. SOMETIMES I WONDER IF OL KEN IS IN HELL IHE MADE LIFE MISERABLE FOR EVERYBODY IN SKIDMORE . ive been to skidmore a few times , saw the movie in broad daylight. Or in his wifes purse? Denehey was so good on the set, walking around with a shotgun in his arm, that people stayed away from him. I later heard that there were suspicions that he had been driven off of the road. Dont say Why dont you MOVE?, unless you are willing to buy it. i never took no oath to nothing. The scum-bag lawyer and family members were genuinely angry that the killers had not been brought to justice. It didnt have to end like this if the law did their job. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images) PURCHASE A LICENSE Standard editorial rights Custom rights How can I use this image? I already found a news item where one of his sons (Juarez) had been arrested at age 26 for knifing a man. Harry, I love this book for more than the story itself,which is amazing. I know you have a lot of loyalty to the town, but how do you balance that with the law? I never saw a time when he was anything but pleasant to be around. In my view, the story is a story that will stand in the annals of crime in America, whether I wrote it or someone else did. i seriously doubt the town would have done better then its current state, its a very small village in the middle of nowhere. EVERYONE has a breaking point. Yes some little crazy some very good folk. Its in the book In Broad Daylight, toward the end. WE ALL DID TILL DEATH . I dont remember any stories about him harassing the Clements in the book. And where can you find his photo? He had no use for the successful or the educated. so if your ever passing through skidmore -remember , those people got away with murder, you could be in town talking to someone, passing someone on the street & they could hve been the shooter or a witness to the crime. Then is was simply hauled off by a wrecker and taken to the insurance company. Not rocket science.. Has the road been renamed and is the farm still in existence? Memorial services are planned for July and will be announced. . I watched a YouTube video of you, the lawyer and family members on the talk show. The death of Ken Rex McElroy is a perplexing case that has hung heavy over the town of Skidmore, Missouri for decades. Well then it appears Ken Rex was done in by a fellow coward. You sound like a pussy with little man syndrome. Those people TRIED to get some relief, they were ignored.
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