Sad but true. no one planned it. My first teaching job ended up being in Skidmore. Cmon people use your head. Write a new book become current find similarities that parallel life but quit riding the wind out of this. Youre right about how the shooting went down. just wondering how the locals felt about her also. Please think before you write, you are talking about someone very dear to me and many others. Im especially interested in the troubles his kids caused once they moved out of Skidmore. We traced most of the roads you described in the book with cheat cards I had made lol. Its obvious that Del was the main shooter. AND the pedophile I will add, yet again. Thanks for the comment. Honestly, she has the townspeople to thank for that because his death was the reason she was able to move on and find her happiness with another man. I cant seem to find much information on the Internet. Meanwhile, the town struggles for its existence. he was wrong for scarring folks. Last i heard she was in Columbia. Trena only witnessed Clement with a rifle. I do not see it that way. My interest was once again renewed, so I purchased and read your book which I enjoyed very much. Pushed in a CORNER people will ACT, coward or NOT. Over the course of his life, McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson . I do not see that you wrote of this in your comments. 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? yeah , he looked just like fucking McElroy ,lol. Id imagine Id be sick of it myself. Your book, I guess, is a part of our family history, in a weird way. If youre 68 youre outside the height limit to be a Marine. I seen the croud of people on the other side of the street walk. Just after the killing two of the Mcelroy children moved into our nieghboorhood in St Joe. What they were afraid of was prosecution. I am 68, 320 pounds of solid muscle and no fat. The justice system failed in releasing this revengeful, dangerous man back to his community. Alice M. McElroy, 62, of Kansas City, Kan., passed away November 18, 2006, at Medicalodge Post Acute Care Center. This guy needs Jesus. .. For decades, the man held the town of Skidmore virtually hostage. You add it up :O. this person is a moron he was killed by a local resident this person must be smoking dope cause their high as a kite right now , why would an outsider kill him, it was a local, somebody who knew him. Granted, one needs to gloss over the statutory rape. The people in Skidmore were by and large very hostile to her. Unfortunately, NBC owns the rights, and they would have to agree to sell them, which they are apparently not likely to do. Thanks for taking the time to share our thoughts. I read on your blog a granddaughter said she was happily remarried and had a nice life which is great. The rifle was probably mis-identified by witnesses (perhaps on purpose) as a 30-30. People such as yourself who threaten other people over the Internet also tend to be cowards. You sound like a pussy with little man syndrome. That was what infuriated the townspeople. During our many trips this subject came up and she gave an entirely different perspective on the story. Although I have my own personal opinions on this, I really did not want to cause anyone trouble. which he still shared with Sharon and their two kids. 1952: Ken McElroy marries his first wife Oleta. The authors were in and out of there in a couple of weeks. Ken McElroy did this to Ernest Bowenkamp and Romaine Henry. While I know no one in this story or in the town I feel compelled to add my personal thoughts. Let sleeping dogs lay in this tragedy. I was quickly sent in the house. Figures. SOMETIMES I WONDER IF OL KEN IS IN HELL IHE MADE LIFE MISERABLE FOR EVERYBODY IN SKIDMORE . Anyways, it says this guy shot a 70yo inthe neck? However, in his book, former professional Harley Race (who is from Quitman, MO) says that he had a confrontation with McElroy. Such evidence is allowed into courts of law as an exception to the hearsay rule on the theory that someone on his deathbed would have no reason to lie. Are you a friend or relative of Ken McElroys? Thanks for writing. One farmer told me: The killers should be given medals for what they did. Over and out. I saw the new restaurant on Facebook (called Goodtime Charlies of Skidmore, Mo. The irony of course is that the way they got it back was to take a mans life. Theres what appears to be a formerly occupied lot on the south side of Delta, just before the second sharp curve. 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). Other accounts say an 8 mm. The town cannot seem to catch a break it seems. 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. Harry, I chose to prove that murder is not justified, no matter the circumstances. My question is: Is there any interviews or documentation regarding Trenas opinions on McElroy as she got older and remarried? skidmore used ti be a nice little town , ashamed what has happened to it .as for trina , well as someone else on here posted they let her livethats a fact , she couldve easily been blown away by a bullet just like McElroy was they let her walk away, she should have been grateful but she wasnt she went after the towns people in a lawsuit . If I had been there, I would have been under the pool table with the rest of the town. Too bad it had have been done sooner. Can you give the straight scoop on that?. Fantastic book! Knew people that had bought or traded coonhounds with/from him. we were from east omaha and knew ken well. 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. The guy was obviously a bad, mean, thief, rapist , and bully. Send Flowers Send Sympathy Card We all seek to find our constraints. Shooting him was a justified act of self-defense for everyone. I just came across Harrys description of the location of the McElroy house. I know you have a lot of loyalty to the town, but how do you balance that with the law? McElroy got what was coming to him plain & simple , thats sad to say but its true . Looked at your bio. They should be strung up for the way they did it. Since neither did their jobs, well, this is what happens. Its an interesting story you have made a career out of. While I personally know nothing of the case other than what Ive read over the years- One thing I wonder about Were ANY of the towns weapons confiscated and or tested to ballistics back then? No testing of weapons was performed,as far as I am aware. I watched a YouTube video of you, the lawyer and family members on the talk show. wow- denehey played the part like no one could have & spooky of the real life resemblence of denehey to mcelroy-literally gave me shivers. He and his brother owned the D & G Tavern, in front of which McElroy was parked when he died and which had recently begun closing whenever he came to town. Thoughts? I wont name them directly. They are all over. As far as the short man comments, that just seems like frat-boy rhetoric, not something a mature man, who writes for a living should use as a defense. That summer1981I met my future husband, KRMs nephew, at my summer job. I was a witness , not a shooter . I search the internet and couldnt find a link to them. Was it the standard blub the names were changed to protect the innocent or another reason for not using the real names/places in your movie? When I met him, he was a sophomore in college, which amused me greatly, to think of one of Kens kids being a college graduate. Sickening There was reasons Kenrex was the way he was.. That area. Didnt want to put it down! And by the way, theres NO ONE as tough as Jesus, because he knew what was coming, faced it squarely, did what had to be done. Doesnt Ken have a daughter in law named Tonya? The witch might be dead.. and you should just go your way. Yesterday I came across an obituary of Trooper Richard Stratton, may he rest in peace. did ANYONE try to have a freindship with him ? Sorry pal, Im one of those 6 180 pound guys you claim youd palm. I seriously doubt you are 68 and 320 and all muscle. Btw, the school was also torn down, all is left is the field where the Punkin Show was held, and the baseball diamond. i wonder why a group of ppl didnt grab him and beat him half to death way b4 the shooting. As I mentioned above, using Google Earth, you can see the remains of a structure still there. There is also a bit of the Stockholm Syndrome, where the captive begins to identify with captor, liked Patty Hearst. This story, and the book, will far outlive me, and anyone else alive today, Ive come to believe. You know, there are a lot of places out there like Skidmore. 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. If you have, would you recommend it and/or share your thoughts? McElroy was hit by a car in the middle of the day while driving his vehicle McElroy was riding his big vehicle with his spouse, Trena, the day he died. towns are mear gone now? Only hard core criminals laugh in court. Following driving instructions laid out in the book I attempted to find the McElroy farm. I also believe that the residents of Skidmore simply got tired of the legal system trying and failing to deal with Ken Rex McElroy. McElroy had been indicted a total of 21 times for crimes such as: child molestation, arson, cattle rustling, and stealing. What did you think of the frontier justice piece? He was a Korean war vet. Burnt their parents homes too. the gun could be in a glass case with lights downing on it . She swore to the law and three grand juries that the man on the 30.30 was Del Clement, a member of a prominent ranching family. Check google maps, street view. Its what someone says, not how they say it. It wasnt hard to imagine him jerking the gun from his pickup in a burst of anger and opening up on the large black head on the other side of the rear window of the pickup. Theres much speculation about where the files are, who took them, but speculation only. NO one talks about it, not even to family who werent there that day.. it happened they decided what they felt they needed to do after and it was done. Is it out of respect for the familiy. i read that TRENA CLAIMED 2 have known who 1 of the shooters were WHO WAS IT SHE NAMED ? Nothing will ever come to light. AND INTO ADULTHOOD. During the time that I worked with her they had reconciled and were going to get married again. Yet, it was in fact the very same legal system that allowed Ken McElroy to get away with what he did for all those years, also failed to bring his killers to justice. But with time I enjoy the outrage I can provoke on YouTube by maintaining Ken Rex was merely a bad ass, and youre all just jealous. Rest in Peace Ken Rex, you were all good in my book! Her parents abandoned her to his clutches. I dont know how I missed your book then, but so glad I have read it now. If in fact Del Clement was the shooter, I was curious as to why he would have shot McElroy. We are within an hours drive from Skidmore. Many people i knew standing around. On July 10, 1981, on a hot summer morning in a fed-up town, he. i lived 14 miles from town and there were 20now nothing!! Not to mention the event, which I will remind you he was never found guilty of, occurred a lifetime ago. Id me interested in your thoughts and facts. When you keep pushing people around, eventually they get fed up. I look forward to getting your new POD paperback. The people that shot Ken Rex were cowards. 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. Someone who was loved. I never considered the gunmen as cowards. Mr. MaClean, as a writer, you should check your facts before writing such gross untruths. Maybe if the District Attorney would offer immunity to anyone who witnessed or was involved in McElroys death the rest of the story could be told and the case closed. There were other incidents as well but my memory of them has faded. It is an event that is HISTORICAL, and of course sensational so somebody is always going to talk about it. These are good people who did what they had to to remedy a nightmare. Del Clement died suddenly of a massive coronary event in January of 2009. If Clement was one of the gunment, he was just protecting his neighbors. I never verified any of these facts, but I really didnt spend a lot of time trying either. It is very obvious the whole thing was planned. Thx for keeping us updated http://www.michaeljoiner.com.