What happens if you are such an awful person that you are hated, not just by the neighborhood, but by your entire town, you might ask, and I’m glad you did because the story of Ken McElroy from Skidmore, Missouri is just such a tale of mutual hatred.
It happened on the morning of July 10, 1981
The morning of July 10, 1981, proved to be the very morning residents of Skidmore, Missouri, decided they’d had enough of the town bully and with approximately 40 witnesses standing silently by, Kenneth Rex McElroy was found guilty before a jury of his peers and subsequently shot dead in broad daylight outside D&G Tavern located at 208 West Elm Street in Skidmore, Missouri.
His murder remains unsolved to this day.
Who was Ken McElroy?
Before anyone starts reaching for the tissues on McElroy’s account, it’s important to consider what drove the people of Skidmore to witness [some might say plan] the “death” of one of its residents in a hail of bullets while every member of the community claimed to see and hear nothing.
When looking at the totality of accusations made against McElroy, it becomes clear the residents of Skidmore were being terrorized, and an impotent police force and judicial system appeared powerless to help.
McElroy wasn’t just alleged to have assaulted women and young girls, it is said he also found time to harass law enforcement, elected officials—and on and on the list of his reported victims stretch.
In one instance, McElroy allegedly sexually assaulted a 13 -year-old girl and burned down her home after her parents threatened to press charges for the assault.
A convicted felon, the crimes McElroy stands accused of extend far beyond sexual assault and arson, to attempted murder, burglary, child molestation, and statutory rape.
According to terrified residents, McElroy also employed intimidation tactics like stalking his victims, parking outside their homes, and in some cases, even threatening them with weapons.
Unfortunately for Skidmore residents, law enforcement and the court system just kept turning McElroy loose.
Breaking the camel’s back
Watching Ken McElroy skate through charges, only to be released back to Skidmore, returning every time more brazen and malignantly cocky than before each arrest, did not sit well with the locals. No, it did not.
When in 1980, one of McElroy’s children was accused of stealing from a local grocery store owned by beloved community member Ernest “Bo” Bowenkamp, the resulting legal fallout had residents convinced McElroy’s time had finally come.
They were certain this time justice would be served; after all, hadn’t McElroy just shot Bowenkamp in the neck as a result of the two men’s confrontation?
Well, McElroy was convicted of assault and sentenced to two years in prison for shooting the shop owner, however, he was later released on a $40,000 appeal bond.
This temporary legal reprieve shocked residents who truly believed McElroy was finally going to go down.
In this environment of incredulousness and renewed despair, McElroy decided to drive down to the D&G Tavern with his wife for a little adult refreshment.
After tossing back a few cold ones, McElroy became belligerent and started making threats against the shop owner, Bowenkamp, who had previously accused one of his children of stealing, resulting in the confrontation and McElroy’s shooting of the shopkeeper in the neck.
Around the same time, local Sheriff Danny Estes was holding a meeting with local citizenry at Skidmore’s Legion Hall.
Following the meeting, residents of Skidmore felt let down by the legal system, and having heard McElroy was again loose, and, on the rampage, decided to march as one over to the tavern, intent on taking matters in their own hands.
Reading the room, McElroy and his wife decided it was time for them to go, and McElroy went outside and got inside his truck. A true bully to the very end, McElroy had to prove he was still in control, and so he sat in his truck with his wife by his side in the passenger seat and pulled out a cigarette he never got the chance to light.
The moment the unlit filter touched his lips, gunshots rang out.
Despite being witnessed by upwards of forty townsfolk, it is believed only two gunmen in the crowd shot McElroy. Also, despite the abundance of eyewitnesses to the event, every single one claimed not to see the shooters.
Strangely, no one on scene thought to call an ambulance for Ken McElroy either.
Some might ask, where was the sheriff during all this? After convening the town meeting, and as the D&G Tavern filled with angry, fed-up men, the sheriff got in his vehicle and left town—or drove to the Sheriff’s Office conveniently located outside Skidmore.
Six individual law enforcement agencies ultimately investigated the murder of McElroy before resigning his case to the “cold case files,” citing a lack of evidence and witness testimony.
McElroy’s most recent wife at the time of his demise, Trena, insisted one of the gunmen was a man named Del Clement. However, when no one could be found to corroborate her accusation, a state grand jury passed on indicting Clement.
Trena McElroy is the only person on earth to ever advocate for a conviction of her husband’s killer(s).
From there, the case went cold.
Pop culture
The story of Ken McElroy is highly interesting, and this article only scratches the surface of the tortures allegedly experienced by Skidmore residents at the hands of McElroy—so much so, it has even made its way into pop culture.
An excellent movie starring Kadeem Hardison [Dwayne Wayne for us 90s kids!] is a “documentary” called Dunsmore and is loosely based on McElroy’s demise. Playing the part of an FBI investigator dispatched to the small town, Hardison is tasked with shaking down a confession or at least finding a suspect.
A made-for-TV miniseries titled No One Saw a Thing (2019-2021) is also based on the events surrounding McElroy’s death.