Ken McElroy and the Skidmore Avengers (10 photos)

Surely many have encountered situations where one person manages to screw over many others - a family, a class, a team or any other group - and at the same time gets away with it. This guy was kind of a record holder for terror. But one day the string finally found an end.





Ken Rex McElroy was a strong guy with thick sideburns and a completely uncontrollable temper. The morning of July 10, 1981 in the small town of Skidmore, Missouri, turned out to be muggy. Ken had just finished another bender at the local bar and stumbled back to his car. Next to him sat his wife Trena. Several dozen townspeople, up to 30-45 people in total, crowded around the car. In front of a huge number of witnesses, McElroy was killed. Amazingly, absolutely all the people insisted that they had not seen or heard anything.

Ken McElroy - Terror of the City



Skidmore

Over the course of his life, McElroy acquired a dubious reputation. Almost all the inhabitants of the sleepy town of Skidmore knew that it was better not to mess with him. There was a very high probability that he would take out the pistol that he always had at hand and use it.

Ken had free reign over everyone and everything in Skidmore. For the main part of his adult life, he lived in a quiet community.

Ken McElroy was born in 1934 and became the second to last child among 16 other children. His parents, Tony and Mabel, were modest tenants. When the boy was still small, an event occurred that probably influenced the formation of his personality.

He was riding a hay wagon on a farm, fell and injured his skull. The injury was so serious that he had to have a metal plate surgically implanted in his head. Ken remained semi-literate and dropped out of school in the eighth grade.

Criminal path





Ken Rex McElroy

The dubious career of the future urban terrorist began with minor crimes. He stole livestock, molested women, destroyed property and threatened lives. For a long time he was accused of numerous serious crimes - according to his lawyer, at least three per year. But he never went to jail.

Marriage



Trena

This notorious womanizer had at least ten children from different women. Many were still practically children themselves. In 1971, a local terrorist met a girl named Trena McCloud. At that time she was only 12 years old. Among all his victories, she was the youngest and the last. Just a couple of years after the fateful meeting, she was carrying her first child.

The issue of domestic violence came up during a visit to a local doctor. Since she was practically a child, and not just a minor, Ken also faced charges of molestation. However, he was told about a possible way to avoid responsibility. If they got married, the girl would not be able to testify against him. Therefore, McElroy divorced his third wife and married Tren. Who then moved to live with him and his ex-wife.

Trena comes home



Soon after giving birth, she escaped and ended up in her parents' house with the baby. It didn't take long for McElroy to organize a chase, and he forced the unfortunate woman back to her home.

But the matter did not stop there. He returned to the McCloud estate, shot the dog and set fire to the house, which burned to the ground.

Beginning of the End



It came to an end when a grocery store clerk accused one of McElroy's daughters of stealing. Store owner Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp's 70-year-old wife, Lois, tried to smooth things over by insisting it was all a simple misunderstanding. But Ken did not accept the claims and began to pester the spouses. He forced them into a car outside the store and scared them by periodically shooting into the air. In the days that followed, poor old Lois was so frightened that her neighbors took turns letting her sleep in their houses.

In July 1980, Beau was waiting for an air conditioning technician when Ken McElroy suddenly appeared armed with a shotgun and shot the old man in the neck. Incredibly, he survived, but the whole city realized that the time had come to act. Even such an insolent person must have boundaries of what is permitted. Although he was arrested, charged and convicted of assault and shooting, the court released him pending an appeal.

Town meeting



Deceased's car

Instead of taking the opportunity to develop a defensive strategy, if such a thing existed, McElroy decided to continue what he had started. He set out to take revenge on the spouses and everyone who could speak out in their defense. The townspeople realized that the point of no return had come.

They first approached the governor, the attorney general and even state legislators. None of them made any attempt to protect people. They had only one solution: someone had to become an avenger, and they had to act quickly. McElroy arrived in town at the D&G Tavern with a rifle.



While he was there, the residents held a meeting. What was on the agenda is a mystery, but it seemed they were discussing how to rid the city of this disgusting man. This would also allow McElroy to avoid harming those who witnessed the attempt on Bo's life. When the gathering was complete, the group headed to the D&G Tavern, where McElroy and Trena were sitting in a car with a pack of beer and a rifle. In a few seconds it was all over. Although there were 46 possible witnesses at the tavern, no one other than Trena claimed to have seen anything. The ambulance did not come.

Justice



Despite the fact that everyone hated McElroy, the investigation began anyway. When police arrived at the scene, they found shell casings. Ballistic examination showed that there were two shooters. One was immediately behind the pickup, and the second chose a position about half a block in front of the car. Trena was the only witness to provide information about the murder. Although she could not prove it conclusively, the woman insisted that one of the shooters was a man named Del Clement.



The book and film adaptation of "In Broad Daylight" were based on McElroy's death.

There was no one to bring charges against. And officially the crime was recognized as murder, which was committed by an unknown person or persons. Only after three decades of constant tension did the city free itself from Ken McElroy and breathe deeply.