Although Trena rode with McElroy at the end, she was victimized by him at age 12. Its amazing that she was able to recover and lead a fulfilling life. On 1 June 1934, Ken Rex McElroy became the 15th of 16 children for Tony and Mabel McElroy. Realize you have something disgusting deep within you because of those horrid pieces of shit. When they met him on the street, parents steered their children, especially their daughters, away from McElroy, a notorious womanizer who favored young women and was married multiple times . His bloodline should end. There is a photo of Trena with Alice in the book, and an obituary photo of Trena in an earlier post on this blog. But, dont defend that nasty man. Kids are easily misled by the adults who say trust me or I can give you this and that and they dont have the maturity to turn it down, much less defend themselves. Interesting comment.In later years I think Trena did come to see what happened as almost inevitable given Kens crimes. I agree the lawyer may have encouraged this. Its use generally means that the person uttering it fears being exposed for his own crimes or the crimes of his friends or family. Very interesting. This guy spend decades cultivating the reputation he had. The sleeziest lawyer can only do so much for a thug if the judges and prosecutors are doing hat they should. Theres not a day that goes by I dont think of her. I couldnt capture that in the book. Ken married first name McElroy. She insisted that I hadnt told the whole story about McElroy: he was much worse than portrayed, than anybody could imagine, and it had been harder than people would ever realize for her to give up her four children. Where is that lot? What did they ever do with the lot were Kens house was? I learned today that Trena McElroy, Ken McElroys former wife, died on January 28, 2012. Anyone find out why the judge was so lacking? She said the house didnt burn down and in that same sentence she said faulty wiring. A very interesting post, and thanks for the kind words. Same with all the killers we see in courts.. their lame defense attorneys snivel that they had a rough child hood. https://www.maryvilleforum.com/gallery-2021-skidmore-punkin-show/collection_14ebd20e-f5fa-11eb-8cdc-c35d90891f9e.html#1. this link is broken. I intend to write something on it soon. Required fields are marked *. Ive been amazed at the messages Ive gotten since the post. However, she had her opportunities to disappear or move on on numerous occasions and she didnt take it. It was right for the town to take action, they were prisoners in their own town. Juarez, I know has been in and out of jail, but I hadnt heard anything about Mouse or Tonya. More insight into Trenas life with Ken. He would have only threatened me with a gun one time. I lived and worked in Maryville for 8 years and got to know a few of the folks who were in and around Skidmore when this happened. ken was shoot on my forth birthday. Damien would not know anything about his grandpa except hear say as he was not even a live than. I find it AMAZING that someone like Ken Rex McElroy could even sire such a respectable son in the first place! I would guess that if someone was saying and doing things that McElroy agreed with, theyd get along ok. Ken was a lazy theif , rapist, hild molester, he got what he deserved/ this type needs dealt with this wAy more to show the criminals that they they cant hide behind the law because we will get you / thats whats wrong with this country nobody wants to work just take what they want and blame it on you because they dont have what youve got. I believe trena is in heaven , as for Ken well I think he ended up in hell. Not once do you hear of him going toe to toe with anyone, just threats and guns and of course beating on women, which is a classic sign of a coward. Why he did it, well never know. When the shooting happened in 1980, a friend, who had been working at the hospital in 1973, told me, that baby being kept hidden was Ken & Trenas son. The ones on the Sundance series were from Alice Woods. Things are much different now. Ken was my grandfather derome was my father Im deromes oldest my mother is trace I wish I could of meet my grandfather. This society punishes girls and women who are victims for the horrors they have endured. Oh, and by the way the skidmore people need not pat themselves on the back to hard they shot him from behind and he went to town that day knowing it was his last day and they just done him a favor. To many people make excuses for bad people. Back then, law enforcement tended to side with the man or ignored the situation. Not something she wants to talk much about. Cell phones taking photographs, calling police would have made a big difference back then. Seriously, what was the point of even making your comment? She doesnt get a free pass because of it. While Trena may have been the only person who sought justice for McElroy's. This man was a horrible human being. Could someone on this blog sheet tell me what the title of that other movie was? I just re-read In Broad Daylight and would like to visit Skidmore (I live in KCMO), and also would like to see a pic of Trena that wasnt with Ken. He had no social security number and never filed a tax return. Unsolved recounts how approximately 60 people were in attendance at the meeting, including both the mayor and the sheriff. ( unlike myself) And to look into his eyes one can see alot of innocence in a grown mans eyes, For he has a gentle soul.So Harrys first impression at the airport, was not a clear picture of the man he really is. People can change, and she proved this. No sympathy for KM or his wife. I agree with you and Jack. It makes me realize that no matter who your biological parents are, you choose to be the person you want to be. When Jeffrey turns his head that way, in his eyes is a streak of coldness that is remarkable in its intensity. Im not justifying what happened, but there were a lot of contributing factors and I believe people were legitimately scared and felt they had to do something since the law and the legal system failed them so abysmally. 1952: Ken McElroy marries his first wife Oleta. All those kids to support. Right. But as years went on, Trena chose to harass the people of Skidmore along with her husband. I drove through there one day, slowed down, parked, and got a very unpleasant feeling. The thug known as Ken has a few defenders just as all criminals have a few defenders. only if you are from that area could you understand what happened. It is titled The Town Bully and it was released in 1988. The show was a cheap hatchet job. This girl was trapped in hell and as I see it had absolutely no way out. https://www.laclederecord.com/stories/debbie-ann-mcelroy,8800: Harry, Are they aware of their father and the history about him? I remember hearing about this story for the very first time on 60 Minutes when I was in high school. On occasion, such people will be prosecuted and even imprisoned or disbarred. Among the many facts known about the Ken McElroy shooting, the one thing that's not known is who actually pulled the trigger. I was brutally beaten by a 24 year old boyfriend when I was 14. [1] McElroy successfully appealed the conviction and was released on bond, after which he engaged in an ongoing harassment campaign against Bowenkamp and others who were sympathetic to Bowenkamp, including the town's Church of Christ minister. im sorry that some people dont have sympathy for trena. Im a true crime buff, and your book is one of my favourites. This is something my family especially my Grandma and the 3 children she had with that monster dont want to remember or think about. Give the lady a break. Extremely hard working people. I look forward to your thoughts on the book. they couldve easily put a bullet in the back of her head but they didnt , it was Ken they hated & despised with a venom only known in hell . McElroy was known to have stolen grain, alcohol, gasoline, antiques, and even livestock. THATS TOTAL BS. The reason the lack of resolution around McElroy's death is so noteworthy is because of the simple fact that the man was gunned down in the middle of the street in broad daylight in front of approximately 60 witnesses; and yet, to date, nobody has ever been charged with the crime. The bar was called The Timeout and has since been torn down. I must say that I read the book and it was my favorite true crime of all time. She is hardly mentionedwhat happened to her after Ken died? I would have shot that punkass on my own if he ever started with me..he got what he deserved for sure..I have a real problem with bullies to this day.. Everyone is a victim. You could argue that the town failed to protect an abducted 12 year old and owed her damages for the subsequent rapes and abuse she endured. I always felt very sorry for her. DNA can and is irrefutable evidence though. btw will be reading the book soon. Not surprising that one of the kids engaged in a shooting in a bar. Aside from his cruelty and sociopathy, given different life circumstances he could have put that nimble mind of his to some meaningful use. Hopefully incredibly painful. The few legal papers they located mentioned McElroys name. Its been a while since I saw any new posts on this blog. His behavior with women, however, was an entirely different matter. He has been alive and living. Goodbye Ken. Yep. The kids of the farmers who were doing well, at school he was bullying them by fourth or fifth grade.". She tried to get away from him more then once , t so true .she will answer 4 her deeds on judgement day 4 what she did 2 the townspeople but if they say she turned her life around thats good heaven ..HERESSSSSSSSS TRENA, Mp? [1][3] The next day, McElroy was shot to death in broad daylight as he sat with his wife Trena in his pickup truck on Skidmore's main street. You seem to be a good guy. Now, DNA evidence could have convicted McElroy of statutory rape when a 16 year old gave first gave birth, supporting her testimony. In 1980, one of McElroy's children got into an argument with a clerk, Evelyn Sumy, in a local grocery store owned by 70-year-old Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp and his wife Lois, allegedly because the young McElroy child tried to steal some candy. Bravo for justice. Such beautiful words. I agree that the laws are much better this day and time in regard to stalking, etc., but I still dont feel law enforcement did enough in this situation. According to court records, McElroy tracked them down and brought them back. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Im not sure I agree that her parents just turned her over to him they lost their home and dog (twice if I recall correctly). [3] McElroy was acquitted. this is not new to us here, it hppeans all the time but a town bully? I think the children are who I feel the worst for. she probably had to start all over elsewhere. [1], McElroy was born in 1934, the 15th of 16 children born to a poor, migrant tenant-farming couple named Tony and Mabel (ne Lister) McElroy, who had moved between Kansas and the Ozarks before settling outside of Skidmore. SKIDMORE, Mo. I, of course, never met McElroy, but Ive heard the descriptions and Ive seen the pictures. I would be scared to death of him (although, I dont think I would give in to him if it were my daughter, he probably would have killed me, but I would have died trying to save her from him). hi, Harry. You can find it on YouTube, or at least you could a few weeks ago. I dont think people realize how many things go by the wayside in these rural areas. Before then he just knew he had been adopted. Its an old saying, but one can argue that his children are also victims in this case. And, Im sorry for this too, but as a former English teacher, did she ever get educated so she learned proper grammar. Especially when youre as young as she was and probably financially dependent on your abuser. I understand that was probably the case. Just a comment on the burning of the house: Trena, Alice and their children were all long gone by the time McElroys house burned down. The blazing summer heat. If the filmmaker was from the US and over 40, he would know that. The aide said the mother had left the hospital to stay with her family, they were waiting for her to return to pick up her son, once she knew she was safe from the father. I believe she attempted to extort 5 million dollars from them. Which at the very least is what every human deserves. I wonder if del clement and kr made peace in hell, because I know they are both there. She was a wonderful, amazing, caring woman. Its around 2 hours away from Skidmore. It was amazing the town folk found the restraint not to grant her Kens fate. When she balked at sex, he beat her and threatened to kill her father. No one lives where his house used to be, but his brother Tim lives in house not far away. But his side was never told! I havent been able to find an address for Ken McElroys house that was burned. truth is she was kens partner in crime terrorizing the residents of skidmore( yeah I know she was young) but you dont just simply forget that . Im amazed Ken lives as long as he did. She was a grade-a bozo and victim-blamed everyone that was every assaulted by her bumpkin husband, including the children and young women that he sexually assaulted. That, alone, is testament to just how horrible a human being this man must have been. Ken Rex McElroy was born Jun 16 1934 [1], the fifteenth of sixteen children born to a poor, migrant tenant-farming couple named Tony and Mabel (ne Lister) McElroy, who had moved between Kansas and the Ozarks before settling outside of Skidmore. I understand his thieving ways gave him plenty of cash to attend to his and his familys needs, but WHO did he buy off to get repeated passes on his crimes? A few stiff sentences, and Dan would have been forgotten, as he deserved to be. When McElroy was spotted leaving the D&G, the crowd in the Legion Hall followed him outside to the parking lot to confront him. I believe your book is one of the better true crime books I have read. In late 1964, with Sharon again pregnant and both young women with newborns, McElroy took up with Alice, a 15-year-old from St. Joseph, Mo., 50 miles south of Skidmore.

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