No One Saw a Thing

History 3 Minutes

Today is the anniversary of a gruesome murder in a small town in Missouri.  “Despite there being dozens of witnesses, no one has ever been arrested or charged…”  This story was written in 2021 and I do not believe anything has or will change since.

True Crime

Bully’s murder remains a secret in Missouri town for 40 years

by: Kevin S. Held

Posted: Jul 13, 2021 / 12:35 PM CDT

Updated: Jul 13, 2021 / 01:31 PM CDT

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

SKIDMORE, Mo. – Tucked away in the northwest corner of Missouri is a small, dusty town 46 miles north of St. Joseph with a decades-old secret.

This past weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the killing of Ken Rex McElroy of Skidmore. And despite there being dozens of witnesses, no one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with McElroy’s murder.

In short: no one saw anything.

Ken McElroy died in a hail of gunfire on the morning of July 10, 1981, while sitting in his truck outside a local tavern. He was known as the town bully, but they may be putting it mildly.

In the decades preceding his murder, McElroy terrorized the denizens of Skidmore. He was accused or suspected of dozens of crimes, including theft, livestock rustling, burglary, arson, assault, rape, and child molestation. He was charged 21 times in theft cases but was said to have avoided conviction through witness intimidation, either by direct confrontation or by parking his truck outside their home.

McElroy raped a 12-year-old girl and, to avoid statutory rape charges, he divorced his wife at the time and married the child when she was 14 – and pregnant with their baby. McElroy burned down the girl’s home and shot her family’s dog to force her parents to agree to the marriage. He torched the home and shot the dog—again—after the girl went into hiding with her and McElroy’s baby.

In July 1976, McElroy pulled a shotgun on farmer Romaine Henry and shot the man in the stomach. Henry survived and McElroy was charged with assault with intent to kill. However, when the matter came to trial, McElroy’s attorney produced a pair of witnesses who testified they were hunting with McElroy that day and he was nowhere near the scene of the shooting. McElroy was found not guilty.

In 1980, McElroy shot the 70-year-old town grocer in the neck following a months-old dispute over an accusation about a piece of stolen candy. The grocer lived and McElroy was again arrested and charged with attempted murder. McElroy was convicted of assault but let out of jail awaiting appeal. He went about making public threats against the grocer while armed with a rifle.

On the morning of July 10, 1981, several townspeople met with the Nodaway County sheriff at a local hall to discuss what could be done about McElroy. The sheriff suggested they form a neighborhood watch and advised the group not to confront the man. Meanwhile, McElroy and his wife arrived at the D&G Tavern for a morning drink.

After the sheriff left town, the group walked from the hall and went down the street to the tavern. McElroy eventually left the tavern and got into his pickup truck with his wife, but the mob of people followed the pair outside. According to reports, some 50 people were outside the tavern when the shooting started.

McElory was struck by two different firearms and died behind the wheel of his truck. McElroy’s wife was not injured and escaped the vehicle. According to a report, no one called an ambulance.

Local authorities, including a coroner’s jury and a local grand jury, and even the FBI, investigated the killing but to no avail. McElroy’s wife named one person as a possible gunman, but no one could—or would—identify who fired the shots. She eventually filed a wrongful death against the town, the county, and some citizens but the matter was settled out of court.

McElroy’s wife—whom he victimized as a child—remarried and moved to Lebanon, Missouri. She died of cancer on Jan. 24, 2012; it was her 55th birthday.

The case inspired a book, In Broad Daylight by Harry McLean, and a 1991 TV movie of the same name starring Brian Dennehy. A&E, Rolling Stone, Playboy, 60 Minutes, and other media outlets covered the story in print or television. In 2019, the McElroy killing was the subject of a docuseries on SundanceTV. Buzzfeed’s Unsolved Network produced a 24-minute true crime documentary on the shooting.

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Published by pat frederick

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143 thoughts on “No One Saw a Thing”

  1. booger 71
    booger 71
    July 10, 2023 2:41 pm
    Reply to Trump Truth

    Found this on Truth Social

    @realDonaldTrump
    I love Iowa, protected & expanded Ethanol, got 28 Billion Dollars from China for our great Farmers, ended the Estate (Death!) Tax on farms, made the best TRADE deals in history (USMCA, China, & many more), introduced the World to our FARMERS, & kept Iowa’s “First in the Nation” status. I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won. Now, she wants to remain “NEUTRAL.” I don’t invite her to events! DeSanctus down 45 points!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. “Judge Doughty rules to deny Biden’s motion to stay the injunction: Updates – State of Missouri versus Biden – Social Media Censorship Case”

    ROBERT W MALONE MD, MS
    JUL 10, 2023

    EXCERPT: “Things are moving very fast in the State of Missouri versus Biden – Social Media Censorship Case. On the Fourth of July, Judge Doughty filed an injunction against the Biden admin (see details in the Liberty Counsel Press Release Below). Late last week, the Biden administration filed a motion to stay the injunction

    This weekend, The attorneys general for Missouri and Louisiana submitted a petition to oppose the Biden administration’s motion to stay the injunction (see The Epoch Times Analysis below). Today, Judge Doughty rules to deny the Biden administration’s motion to stay the injunction in the State of Missouri versus Biden – Social Media Censorship Case.

    Judge Doughty writes:”

    https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/judge-doughty-rules-to-deny-bidens

    Liked by 1 person

  8. “Hollywood Confused By New Movie That Depicts Child Sex Trafficking As Bad”
    ENTERTAINMENT · Jul 10, 2023 · BabylonBee.com

    HOLLYWOOD, CA — Hollywood critics, actors, and producers are reportedly confused by Sound of Freedom, an action thriller produced by Angel Studios and starring Jim Caviezel, because it depicts child sex trafficking as a bad thing.

    According to sources among the nation’s entertainment elite, Hollywood insiders had been excited to learn there was a film coming out about sex trafficking but were then disappointed when they found out it’s depicted as a negative thing in the film. Critics have been giving the film poor reviews, citing the filmmakers’ “baffling” decision to take a stance against the practice, with The New York Times slamming the movie for “not having enough kink.”

    “It’s just confusing,” said one director. “You go through all this trouble to make a film about child sex trafficking, and then you end up making the traffickers out to be the bad guys?”

    “Such a missed opportunity.”

    “Yeah, I guess I just don’t get it either,” said Ezra Miller (they/them). “You’re not supposed to kidnap people? Or it’s like, frowned upon? Was that wrong? Should I not have done that?”

    At publishing time, President Joe Biden had slammed the movie as “a far-right extremist domestic terrorist act” and called upon Congress to pass “common-sense Mormon film control.”

    Liked by 1 person

  9. the turtle wants “moderate and experienced” senatorial candidates…aka RINOS that he can dominate…instead of inexperienced MAGA newbies who he CAN’T CONTROL
    FTA
    Republicans are looking to recruit moderate and experienced candidates for Senate races in 2024 to avoid a repeat of losses in the 2022 midterms, GOP campaign experts and conservative commentators told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

    The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the GOP’s campaign arm responsible for Senate elections, is looking to place moderate nominees with elected experience in competitive races, experts told the DCNF. An emphasis on electability offered by experienced candidates, they said, is essential to winning — unlike novice candidates subscribing to former President Donald Trump’s brand of populism.

    In the 2022 midterm elections, Trump’s endorsement helped several populist candidates in Arizona, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Georgia win primary races over moderate candidates. All of them went on to lose their elections, which observers ascribed to their Trump-style views that were unpalatable to general election voters, with a “red wave” failing to materialize.

    The concern has led to “electability” as being a top priority for candidates endorsed by the NRSC. A spokesperson for Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, the NRSC’s chairman, told the DCNF that his “number one priority is recruiting candidates who can win a primary and a general election.”

    “The good news for him is that the best candidates are likely to win the primary in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio,” said Mike McKenna, a former Trump administration official who was responsible for relations with Congress.

    McKenna’s comment refers to Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania Senate candidate in 2022 who is being courted to run for the Senate against Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in 2024. McCormick, who was touted by Daines as a candidate at the NRSC’s recent winter meeting per NBC, has previously lamented populism as leading to “political extremes” and has been called a “liberal” by Trump.

    “He’s not MAGA, he’s not MAGA … I do know that he was with a company that managed money for communist China, and he is absolutely the candidate of special interests and globalists and the Washington establishment,” said Trump of McCormick at a rally for Oz in 2022.

    https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2023/07/09/gop-is-leaning-into-moderate-experienced-senate-candidates-in-2024-to-avoid-another-failed-red-wave-experts-say/

    Liked by 1 person

  10. dems in CA want judges to consider race when handing out prison sentences. how about focus on the number of crimes the felon committed previously? the severity of the crime? the impact on the victims? the $$ amount of the crime? race should NOT be a factor!
    FTA
    A Democrat-backed bill making its way through the California Legislature would require judges in the state to consider a convicted criminal’s race when determining how long to sentence them to prison.

    Assembly Member Reggie Jones-Sawyer, the Democratic chair of the California Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, quietly introduced Bill 852 in February. The Assembly went on to pass the little-known legislation in May, and the measure is currently being considered in the state Senate.

    The bill would add a section to the Penal Code of California requiring courts, whenever they have the authority to determine a prison sentence, to “rectify” alleged racial bias in the criminal justice system by taking into account how historically persecuted minorities are affected differently than others.

    “It is the intent of the Legislature to rectify the racial bias that has historically permeated our criminal justice system as documented by the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans,” the proposed new section to the Penal Code reads. “Whenever the court has discretion to determine the appropriate sentence according to relevant statutes and the sentencing rules of the Judicial Council, the court presiding over a criminal matter shall consider the disparate impact on historically disenfranchised and system-impacted populations.”

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-bill-california-mandate-judges-consider-race-when-doling-out-prison-sentences

    Liked by 1 person

  11. city on Vermont now allows 16 year olds to vote in municipal elections and hold some offices.
    what a mess they’re creating.
    FTA
    “It is an extremely unwise push to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote,” Hans von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation told Fox News Digital. “We don’t consider them to have the judgment and maturity to make important decisions, which is why they are not legally adults and can’t sign contracts, lease an apartment, buy a car, join the military, drink alcohol, or do the many other things only adults can legally do. Why would we think they have the maturity to make decisions in the political process if they can’t make any of these other decisions?”

    Critics of lowering the voting age often cite the fact that a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed, not reaching full development until about the age of 25. According to one oft-cited study on this subject from 2006, “research in neuroscience suggests that the brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex, is still undergoing major reconstruction and development during the teenage years.” The study noted that the prefrontal cortex is what “enables us to weigh dilemmas, balance trade-offs, and, in short, make reasonable decisions in politics.”

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/teens-democrats-continue-push-lower-voting-age-16

    Liked by 1 person

  14. new Threads app is draining phone batteries at a high rate
    FTA
    Users of Meta’s new “Twitter killer” Threads gripe that the app — which has amassed more than 100 million users in less than a week since it went online — is noticeably draining their phone batteries.

    “Is Threads just …. murderous to anyone else’s battery?” a user of the app wrote on their Twitter page.

    “I’m not going to use Instagram Threads until … it stops draining my phone battery,” wrote social media user Andrew Brown on Twitter.

    Other Twitter users posted screenshots of their Threads accounts which included the graphic showing low battery life.

    “Go follow us on Threads. And don’t look at my battery level,” wrote one Twitter user.

    “Follow me on threads…also 1% battery,” another Twitter user wrote, attaching a screenshot to their Threads account.

    Another Twitter user wrote: “Threads app is collecting so much background data that it’s draining users phone battery faster than any other application.”

    https://nypost.com/2023/07/10/metas-new-threads-app-murderous-for-phone-batteries/

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Well, the heat was back today – up to 93 earlier – and some really dark storm clouds showing up to the North now, with thunder in the distance…time for me to check out! Have a good night!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. check out these headlines…

    Breaking — DOJ announces multiple indictments against Dr. Gal Luft…
    Luft currently in hiding after testifying against Biden…

    Like

  17. Kentucky man finds cache of gold coins digging in his field…
    FTA

    A man unearthed a huge hoard of Civil War-era gold and silver coins on his Kentucky farm.

    A Kentucky man got the surprise of his life while digging in his field earlier this year: a cache of over 700 coins from the American Civil War era.

    The “Great Kentucky Hoard” includes hundreds of U.S. gold pieces dating to between 1840 and 1863, in addition to a handful of silver coins. In a short video, the man who discovered the hoard — whose identity and specific location have not been revealed to the public — says, “This is the most insane thing ever: Those are all $1 gold coins, $20 gold coins, $10 gold coins,” as he aims his camera at the artifacts tumbling out of the dirt.

    According to the Numismatic Guaranty Co. (NGC), which certified the coins’ authenticity, and GovMint, where the coins were sold, 95% of the hoard is composed of gold dollars, along with 20 $10 Liberty coins and eight $20 Liberty coins. The rarest is the 1863-P $20 1-ounce gold Liberty coin. Just one of these coins can go for six figures at auction, and the Great Kentucky Hoard boasts 18 of them. NGC’s website notes that the $20 Liberty coin, which circulated from 1850 to 1907, was minted by the Treasury Department after gold was discovered in California. The $20 Liberty coins in the hoard are even rarer because they do not include “In God We Trust,” which was added in 1866 after the end of the Civil War.

    Potentially more important, though, is what the hoard can tell us about America’s history during an extremely tumultuous period.

    Ryan McNutt, a conflict archaeologist at Georgia Southern University who has heard about but not seen the hoard, told Live Science in an email that “given the time period and the location in Kentucky, which was neutral at the time, it is entirely possible this was buried in advance of Confederate John Hunt Morgan’s June to July 1863 raid.”

    Many wealthy Kentuckians are rumored to have buried huge sums of money to prevent it from being stolen by the Confederacy. James Langstaff left a letter saying he had buried $20,000 in coins on his property in Paducah, William Pettit buried $80,000 worth of gold coins near Lexington, and Confederate soldiers quarantined for measles reportedly stole payroll and hid it in a cave in Cumberland Gap. None of these caches has ever been recovered.

    https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/kentucky-man-finds-over-700-civil-war-era-coins-buried-in-his-cornfield

    Like

  18. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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