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Reporters, documentarian people,
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newspapers, book writers,
tourists
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come from all over the world
to see Skidmore, Missouri
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and where Kenneth Rex McElroy
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was shot down on the streets.
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It happened 40 years ago.
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People are still coming.
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People are still asking
questions.
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Everybody wants to know
why or how
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a town can keep quiet
for 40 years,
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and not naming the people
they-- that shot him.
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Does anybody know what happened?
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Does anybody really know
what happened?
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We had to be violent
to settle this country.
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This was a very wild country.
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We still have places in this
country that are totally wild.
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Sometimes violence is necessary.
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In Skidmore,
we just had a bad guy.
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The story of Skidmore
was more like the Old West.
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They call him a bully,
a big guy. A bully.
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So these others here in town
got together and killed the man.
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His death created a story
that went on and on and on.
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You can't hold
a secret like that
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and not have it affect
the psyche of the town.
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It's still such a secret.
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I know that there
are people who know
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who shot Ken McElroy.
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But, in all those years,
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no one has ever talked.
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They've shaken the tree
and shaken the tree,
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00:03:06,669 --> 00:03:09,219
and nothing has fallen out.
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People don't understand
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what drove a whole town
to the point
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where they felt like they
had no other choice.
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Skidmore's secret.
Skidmore, Missouri.
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It is said that there are no secrets
in a small town, but in Skidmore,
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those who know who killed
Ken Rex McElroy, won't say.
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Ken McElroy terrorized the town of
Skidmore, Missouri for more than ten years.
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The locals called him
"Bad Dog."
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He raped a 13-year-old girl
and then married her,
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so she couldn't
testify against him.
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He set fire
to her parents' barn.
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He murdered a man in cold blood.
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Then, in broad daylight,
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00:03:45,811 --> 00:03:47,741
with more than
45 people watching,
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Ken McElroy
was gunned down and killed.
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But nobody looked up,
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until the shooting stopped.
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Nobody saw a thing,
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00:03:55,959 --> 00:03:58,029
and nobody did anything.
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He's held a gun to my family,
to my mom,
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to my brother and me.
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He tried staring you down.
He tried making you crawl.
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A lot of reporters have come to
Skidmore in the past five months,
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and people here
are getting sick of them.
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Tired of having their town
portrayed as some
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00:04:12,976 --> 00:04:15,736
vigilante village,
hiding a dark secret.
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Who pulled the trigger?
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I don't know.
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I couldn't tell you.
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00:04:20,846 --> 00:04:22,876
Would you turn in
the person who did it?
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00:04:22,986 --> 00:04:24,466
No.
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00:04:24,574 --> 00:04:26,204
Would you, preacher?
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00:04:26,300 --> 00:04:28,300
I wouldn't.
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00:04:28,406 --> 00:04:29,916
If they catch somebody,
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00:04:30,028 --> 00:04:32,378
and he's tried,
and he's found guilty,
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00:04:32,479 --> 00:04:35,589
would you feel
that justice has been done?
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No.
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00:04:37,035 --> 00:04:40,415
No, because it was
the whole town.
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00:04:45,319 --> 00:04:47,839
That was the one mistake
that they made
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00:04:47,942 --> 00:04:50,432
was that they
didn't kill his wife.
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I would have killed his wife.
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00:04:52,982 --> 00:04:56,882
I probably would have ambushed
him in his driveway.
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00:04:58,056 --> 00:05:00,576
I-- I'd have waited for him
in the cornfield
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00:05:00,679 --> 00:05:02,749
and let him have it
in his driveway.
76
00:05:02,854 --> 00:05:05,624
And then I'd have
set his house on fire.
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00:05:06,789 --> 00:05:08,649
I'd have burned everything.
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00:05:09,999 --> 00:05:11,929
When we moved here,
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00:05:12,035 --> 00:05:13,585
it was a movin' town.
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00:05:13,692 --> 00:05:15,322
It was a hoppin' town.
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There were three gas stations,
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00:05:18,179 --> 00:05:21,319
there was a convenience store
up on the corner.
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00:05:21,424 --> 00:05:23,984
The bank was catty-corner
to that gas station.
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00:05:26,947 --> 00:05:28,847
You know,
after the McElroy shooting,
85
00:05:28,949 --> 00:05:31,019
everything
pretty well folded up.
86
00:05:31,123 --> 00:05:34,263
And it was a shame.
You know, it's a shame.
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00:05:34,368 --> 00:05:36,608
It killed the town.
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It did, it poisoned
everybody's life.
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00:05:42,100 --> 00:05:44,620
Skidmore is home.
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00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:48,520
I'm fifth-generation, here,
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00:05:48,624 --> 00:05:50,524
of farmers.
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00:05:50,626 --> 00:05:52,936
Working the land,
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00:05:53,042 --> 00:05:55,772
following
in my father's footsteps.
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00:05:57,702 --> 00:06:00,532
- What're you doing, young man?
- Hanging out.
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00:06:00,636 --> 00:06:02,776
- Hanging out?
- How are you, Ken?
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00:06:02,879 --> 00:06:04,879
- All right. How's Kurt?
- Doing good.
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00:06:04,985 --> 00:06:07,295
When you're put into a situation
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00:06:07,401 --> 00:06:09,781
that you're not
used to being in,
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00:06:11,509 --> 00:06:14,549
you don't know
what you're going to do.
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00:06:16,410 --> 00:06:17,830
Countless times,
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00:06:17,929 --> 00:06:19,969
the law enforcement
had been called
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00:06:20,069 --> 00:06:21,139
for some help.
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00:06:21,242 --> 00:06:23,692
Nothing, nothing, nothing.
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00:06:23,797 --> 00:06:26,137
So it comes to a point
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00:06:26,247 --> 00:06:28,177
where the people feel,
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00:06:28,284 --> 00:06:30,084
well, it's you or me.
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00:06:31,218 --> 00:06:32,738
Well, 41 years ago,
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we moved here--
I think it's been about 41.
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00:06:35,118 --> 00:06:38,498
I didn't want
to come to Skidmore,
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00:06:38,605 --> 00:06:42,015
but my husband got a job.
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00:06:42,125 --> 00:06:45,435
And from there on, that's...
that's when things
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00:06:45,543 --> 00:06:47,513
really, you know,
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was happening.
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00:06:57,865 --> 00:06:59,625
My husband was a smoker,
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00:06:59,729 --> 00:07:02,179
and he was sitting
out in the garage,
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00:07:02,283 --> 00:07:04,323
fairly early that morning
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He was out there smoking,
and I said,
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00:07:06,287 --> 00:07:08,257
"Leland, did you hear?"
119
00:07:10,153 --> 00:07:14,093
And I said, "Sounds like
a big firecracker or something."
120
00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,510
He said, "That wasn't no
firecracker, that was a gunshot."
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00:07:23,719 --> 00:07:25,889
So my husband went up to town,
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00:07:25,997 --> 00:07:29,207
and when he come back,
he was pretty well shook up.
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00:07:29,310 --> 00:07:30,690
He said, "Call the kids
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and don't let them be out
on the street or nothing
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00:07:33,522 --> 00:07:35,972
because there's
a whole mess up there.
126
00:07:36,076 --> 00:07:38,346
And McElroy
is sitting in the truck
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00:07:38,458 --> 00:07:39,908
with his head shot off
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and blood running
down the highway."
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00:07:42,807 --> 00:07:45,397
We were working
away at the store.
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00:07:45,499 --> 00:07:47,709
And Mom had gone to the bank.
131
00:07:47,812 --> 00:07:49,682
And then I heard a shot,
and I told my dad--
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00:07:49,779 --> 00:07:51,679
He was back there
at the meat case.
133
00:07:51,781 --> 00:07:53,441
I go, "Dad,
he's shooting somebody."
134
00:07:53,542 --> 00:07:56,582
And then I looked again 'cause
I saw his head go forward.
135
00:07:56,683 --> 00:07:58,963
I go, "No, they shot him."
136
00:07:59,064 --> 00:08:02,034
I was working at the farm.
137
00:08:02,136 --> 00:08:04,616
My dad came out to the field,
138
00:08:04,725 --> 00:08:06,485
stopped me in the tractor.
139
00:08:06,589 --> 00:08:08,489
Looked up, and he said,
140
00:08:08,591 --> 00:08:10,971
"Well, they blew him away."
141
00:08:12,492 --> 00:08:13,672
I said, "What?"
142
00:08:13,769 --> 00:08:16,249
He said, "They shot Ken Rex."
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00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:19,360
I thought, "Wow."
144
00:08:19,464 --> 00:08:21,054
McElroy came into town,
145
00:08:21,155 --> 00:08:23,085
parked in front of the bar,
walked into the bar.
146
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The guys who were inside said,
"You know,
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00:08:25,505 --> 00:08:27,775
you need to get the hell out
of town right now."
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00:08:27,886 --> 00:08:30,226
And he went out
and got in his truck,
149
00:08:30,337 --> 00:08:34,437
and then they opened up on him
from behind.
150
00:08:34,548 --> 00:08:37,828
His wife, she was
sitting in the truck with him.
151
00:08:37,931 --> 00:08:40,071
She sat right there
and seen his head blowed off.
152
00:08:40,174 --> 00:08:42,254
And they were
shooting right around her.
153
00:08:42,349 --> 00:08:46,839
We left the D&G
and went to our pickup.
154
00:08:46,940 --> 00:08:49,360
And as soon as
we walked out the door,
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00:08:49,459 --> 00:08:52,639
everybody else
walked out the door behind us.
156
00:08:52,739 --> 00:08:56,539
And they gathered around
on my side over here,
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00:08:56,639 --> 00:08:59,469
on my passenger side
of the truck.
158
00:08:59,573 --> 00:09:03,893
I seen a man go across
the street, go to his pickup,
159
00:09:03,991 --> 00:09:07,481
take the gun out,
and I seen him shoot it.
160
00:09:11,343 --> 00:09:15,663
When he got shot,
his foot froze on the gas pedal,
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00:09:15,762 --> 00:09:21,082
so the engine was going maxed
out, and it started smoking.
162
00:09:29,154 --> 00:09:34,094
Finally, the engine blew,
and then it was just silence.
163
00:09:36,886 --> 00:09:39,026
The ambulance had pulled
across the street,
164
00:09:39,130 --> 00:09:42,480
and I saw the ambulance drivers
go from McElroy's pickup,
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00:09:42,582 --> 00:09:46,032
back to the ambulance, and back
again, with some equipment.
166
00:09:46,137 --> 00:09:48,417
And I told whatever lady
was standing there beside me,
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00:09:48,518 --> 00:09:52,038
if he's still alive,
they're just gonna have to shoot him again
168
00:09:52,143 --> 00:09:54,633
because he'll kill
all those people.
169
00:09:57,044 --> 00:09:58,744
I was in the pickup,
170
00:09:58,839 --> 00:10:01,049
and this man told me
to stay in there,
171
00:10:01,152 --> 00:10:03,092
or they was gonna shoot me too.
172
00:10:03,188 --> 00:10:05,668
A couple of guys
helped, uh, Trena out of here,
173
00:10:05,777 --> 00:10:10,467
she'd wet her pants,
and walked her up to the top of the hill
174
00:10:10,575 --> 00:10:12,885
to get her out of harm's way.
175
00:10:14,234 --> 00:10:16,654
I still thought
they was going to kill me
176
00:10:16,754 --> 00:10:18,624
when they took me up to the bank
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00:10:18,721 --> 00:10:22,311
because he told me there was
women up here to take care of me.
178
00:10:22,414 --> 00:10:25,284
Of course, there was
a little blood and a few teeth
179
00:10:25,383 --> 00:10:27,183
and stuff laying around.
180
00:10:27,281 --> 00:10:31,151
My brother went around
and picked up his teeth.
181
00:10:33,460 --> 00:10:36,810
Then the people started coming
out of the pool hall, and...
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00:10:38,016 --> 00:10:39,806
everybody left town.
183
00:10:41,710 --> 00:10:43,370
Everybody cleared the town.
184
00:10:43,470 --> 00:10:46,300
Everybody was
in their houses and stuff.
185
00:10:46,404 --> 00:10:48,064
Nobody was up there
on that street.
186
00:10:48,164 --> 00:10:51,064
That truck
was just sitting there.
187
00:10:54,861 --> 00:11:00,421
I went across the street to make sure
there was a sheet up over his head.
188
00:11:00,521 --> 00:11:03,421
And, of course, then everybody
went back about their business.
189
00:11:03,524 --> 00:11:07,914
And then, somebody stopped,
opened the door of the store and said,
190
00:11:08,012 --> 00:11:13,432
"It's over. You can sleep tonight.
Now just stand behind us."
191
00:11:26,133 --> 00:11:28,763
I was glad he was dead.
192
00:11:30,172 --> 00:11:34,312
Killing him was the only way
it was going to stop.
193
00:11:34,417 --> 00:11:37,137
People were afraid of Ken Rex.
194
00:11:37,248 --> 00:11:40,078
They knew he would shoot you.
195
00:11:40,182 --> 00:11:43,942
He was definitely a bully.
196
00:11:44,048 --> 00:11:47,598
If somebody crossed him,
he'd burn their house down.
197
00:11:47,707 --> 00:11:49,777
They had a whole problem
with that.
198
00:11:51,538 --> 00:11:54,298
He was a monster.
199
00:11:54,403 --> 00:11:56,683
Unlike the fish that you caught,
200
00:11:56,785 --> 00:12:01,025
it passes hands and gradually
gets bigger as the story's told.
201
00:12:01,134 --> 00:12:04,314
Ken Rex was already there.
202
00:12:04,413 --> 00:12:08,113
He must have been
about 6'2 " or 6'3".
203
00:12:08,210 --> 00:12:11,180
Jet-black hair, long sideburns.
204
00:12:11,282 --> 00:12:14,322
Steely blue eyes. He just
stared right through you.
205
00:12:14,423 --> 00:12:16,943
Really, really cold eyes.
206
00:12:17,046 --> 00:12:19,256
He could make my legs
turn to Jell-O.
207
00:12:21,499 --> 00:12:24,919
He was picking on people
who were smaller than he was.
208
00:12:25,020 --> 00:12:27,190
He was picking on women.
209
00:12:27,298 --> 00:12:30,088
He probably picked on kids.
210
00:12:31,578 --> 00:12:33,958
He was a career criminal.
211
00:12:35,478 --> 00:12:38,478
We just knew he was a bad man.
212
00:12:38,585 --> 00:12:43,065
You never heard of Ken Rex
getting in a fist fight.
213
00:12:43,176 --> 00:12:45,416
It always had to do with a gun.
214
00:12:45,523 --> 00:12:48,663
Romaine Henry remembers
when McElroy shot him
215
00:12:48,768 --> 00:12:50,938
and says X-rays show his stomach
216
00:12:51,046 --> 00:12:54,946
still has the buckshot in it from
the incident, more than a decade ago.
217
00:12:55,050 --> 00:12:58,430
One of the local farmers,
riding in the pickup truck,
218
00:12:58,536 --> 00:13:01,876
shoots him in the stomach
with a shotgun.
219
00:13:01,988 --> 00:13:04,228
Excuse me?
220
00:13:06,578 --> 00:13:08,238
One of the boys
come out and said
221
00:13:08,339 --> 00:13:11,099
that he heard somebody
shooting down the road.
222
00:13:11,204 --> 00:13:16,524
When I got pretty close, well,
I recognized it was Ken McElroy.
223
00:13:16,623 --> 00:13:22,943
And then next thing I knew, I was looking
right down the barrel of that shotgun.
224
00:13:23,043 --> 00:13:25,153
He said that I was a dirty SOB
225
00:13:25,252 --> 00:13:28,462
and had been over to his place
in a white Pontiac.
226
00:13:30,326 --> 00:13:31,906
I don't even have
a car like that.
227
00:13:32,018 --> 00:13:34,808
And he said,
"Well, you're a lying SOB,"
228
00:13:34,917 --> 00:13:36,567
and pulled the trigger.
229
00:13:36,677 --> 00:13:38,467
And when they brought
him into the hospital,
230
00:13:38,576 --> 00:13:40,336
just like, they went,
231
00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:44,860
Romaine Henry's been shot in the stomach.
We think McElroy got him.
232
00:13:44,962 --> 00:13:47,072
And that was
all over the hospital.
233
00:13:47,171 --> 00:13:51,071
Of course, it laid my flesh all open
and blew my flesh into this door here.
234
00:13:51,175 --> 00:13:54,065
And I just figured
I was as good as dead.
235
00:13:54,178 --> 00:13:56,208
Yet, when he went to court,
236
00:13:56,318 --> 00:13:59,418
he had two witnesses
said he was somewhere else.
237
00:14:02,358 --> 00:14:05,808
McElroy had two dozen felony
charges over the years.
238
00:14:05,914 --> 00:14:09,404
Cattle rustling, hog rustling,
molesting a child,
239
00:14:09,503 --> 00:14:14,273
assault with intent to kill,
burglary, theft and on and on.
240
00:14:14,370 --> 00:14:18,200
The lawyer who got him out
of those scrapes with the law
241
00:14:18,305 --> 00:14:20,685
was Richard McFadin
of Kansas City.
242
00:14:20,790 --> 00:14:23,900
I looked
at this fella, who was huge.
243
00:14:24,001 --> 00:14:28,871
I had a pair of old jeans on and
an old shirt. And I said, "Well,
244
00:14:28,971 --> 00:14:32,871
I don't think that you probably could
afford to hire me. I'm kind of expensive.
245
00:14:32,975 --> 00:14:36,695
And he said, "Well, let me be
the judge of that, counselor."
246
00:14:36,806 --> 00:14:41,666
He got his load of bills
and put the money on the table,
247
00:14:41,777 --> 00:14:43,777
and I have to tell you,
it was kind of humorous,
248
00:14:43,883 --> 00:14:50,613
I said, "Mr. Ken... McElroy, sir,
you hired yourself a lawyer."
249
00:14:50,717 --> 00:14:55,267
McFadin, he was what we
called a nickel-slick lawyer,
250
00:14:55,377 --> 00:14:58,377
fast talker, worked for cash...
251
00:14:58,483 --> 00:15:02,693
The consensus seems to be that whoever
killed him did Skidmore a favor.
252
00:15:02,798 --> 00:15:07,458
And you know, that disturbs me.
I'm appalled by that.
253
00:15:07,561 --> 00:15:11,221
There have been all kinds
of articles that call him
254
00:15:11,324 --> 00:15:13,294
"The Brute of Nodaway County,"
255
00:15:13,395 --> 00:15:15,535
"The Bully of Nodaway County."
256
00:15:15,638 --> 00:15:20,818
The point is, as bad as allegedly he
was, and I'm not saying he was,
257
00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:24,230
what they did was worse than
anything they could say about him.
258
00:15:24,337 --> 00:15:26,617
They went outside
that system of justice,
259
00:15:26,718 --> 00:15:29,268
and they took the law in
their own hands, in my opinion,
260
00:15:29,376 --> 00:15:32,206
and they decided they were
going to get rid of him.
261
00:15:41,147 --> 00:15:43,907
We just pulled
onto Missouri 113,
262
00:15:44,012 --> 00:15:47,982
and I'm going to stop
in front of the D&G Tavern,
263
00:15:48,085 --> 00:15:50,945
where Ken Rex was shot dead.
264
00:15:52,468 --> 00:15:55,608
I was the first police officer
dispatched over here.
265
00:15:57,301 --> 00:16:02,621
Pretty much, I'm parked where Ken Rex's
truck was at, on the day I saw it.
266
00:16:03,997 --> 00:16:05,897
I knew this was significant.
267
00:16:05,999 --> 00:16:08,799
Danny asked us-- He was the
sheriff, he was a friend of mine.
268
00:16:08,898 --> 00:16:12,938
Good guy, very courageous man,
Vietnam combat vet.
269
00:16:13,041 --> 00:16:15,601
He was-- He was visibly upset.
270
00:16:15,698 --> 00:16:18,488
Very, very upset
that this had happened.
271
00:16:18,598 --> 00:16:21,978
Sheriff, what kind of
calls did you get on McElroy?
272
00:16:22,084 --> 00:16:25,334
Did you get a sense that he
was intimidating those people?
273
00:16:25,432 --> 00:16:30,992
I think that calls for an opinion,
and I don't want to give one.
274
00:16:31,093 --> 00:16:34,893
I'd had people discuss it
with me, dealing with McElroy.
275
00:16:34,994 --> 00:16:39,724
'Cause they wanted me to just
take the badge and go shoot him.
276
00:16:39,826 --> 00:16:42,726
You know. We're going
to make you our policeman,
277
00:16:42,829 --> 00:16:46,209
you're gonna be
the town marshal, have at it.
278
00:16:46,315 --> 00:16:50,555
And I just--
It didn't fit my plan.
279
00:16:53,667 --> 00:16:56,567
I was out in Vegas
and saw it in the newspaper,
280
00:16:56,670 --> 00:16:59,740
and I saw his picture
on the newspaper.
281
00:16:59,846 --> 00:17:02,116
And, when they
asked the sheriff,
282
00:17:02,228 --> 00:17:05,508
what about this
Vietnam veteran out here?
283
00:17:05,610 --> 00:17:10,310
Uh, the sheriff said,
"No, I know it wasn't Brett."
284
00:17:10,408 --> 00:17:15,378
If it was Brett, there'd have been a
hole right between McElroy's eyes."
285
00:17:18,209 --> 00:17:22,209
People know that, if they
push us the wrong direction,
286
00:17:22,317 --> 00:17:24,937
it's gonna come back in lead.
287
00:17:25,044 --> 00:17:29,814
There's a lot of people
that seen it, 50 or 60.
288
00:17:29,910 --> 00:17:32,640
People's afraid to say what
they seen 'cause they're afraid
289
00:17:32,741 --> 00:17:35,501
what's gonna happen to them
and their family.
290
00:17:37,849 --> 00:17:40,959
And that's
kind of what small towns do.
291
00:17:41,060 --> 00:17:47,240
They just kind of band together
and do what's best for the town.
292
00:17:47,342 --> 00:17:54,212
In the aftermath of that, you have to
use all the resources at your disposal.
293
00:17:54,314 --> 00:17:57,424
Well, in Skidmore,
they're non-existent.
294
00:17:57,524 --> 00:18:02,324
Nobody in the town
would even give a name.
295
00:18:05,567 --> 00:18:09,537
After the murder,
a task force was put together
296
00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,130
of area and regional
law enforcement,
297
00:18:15,266 --> 00:18:18,366
And they engaged the case.
298
00:18:24,275 --> 00:18:28,345
They investigated,
they talked to witnesses.
299
00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,810
And they were coming up empty.
300
00:18:45,227 --> 00:18:49,127
All of a sudden, in newsrooms
across the country,
301
00:18:49,231 --> 00:18:50,821
people were looking at maps,
302
00:18:50,922 --> 00:18:54,692
trying to determine
where Skidmore, Missouri was.
303
00:18:54,788 --> 00:18:58,968
We had a reporter
from theLondon Times
304
00:18:59,068 --> 00:19:02,758
stop by our newsroom
and politely ask
305
00:19:02,865 --> 00:19:06,935
to see our dossier
on the Ken Rex shooting.
306
00:19:07,042 --> 00:19:09,602
Tonight, Gary Wilson reports
on a northwest Missouri town
307
00:19:09,700 --> 00:19:11,740
on the threshold
of the national spotlight.
308
00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:16,640
And I think that's kind of
when it dawned on people here
309
00:19:16,741 --> 00:19:19,121
that this was something big.
310
00:19:19,227 --> 00:19:21,507
This was something so unusual,
311
00:19:21,608 --> 00:19:25,468
that it captured the attention of
media outlets all over the world.
312
00:19:25,578 --> 00:19:29,168
Reporting live from Skidmore, Missouri,
Tracy Toft, Action 4 News at five.
313
00:19:29,271 --> 00:19:34,761
As more and more media
outlets reported on this,
314
00:19:34,863 --> 00:19:36,833
the bigger and bigger
the story got.
315
00:19:48,946 --> 00:19:53,946
I was teaching at the
University of Texas that summer.
316
00:19:55,435 --> 00:19:57,225
And I'm sitting there
having my coffee,
317
00:19:57,334 --> 00:20:00,034
and all of sudden, Skidmore,
Missouri comes on the news.
318
00:20:00,129 --> 00:20:04,339
And they tell me about
the murder of Ken Rex McElroy.
319
00:20:07,689 --> 00:20:09,999
Right away,
I knew who the man was.
320
00:20:10,105 --> 00:20:13,755
My thought was, well,
Dad won't lose any more pigs.
321
00:20:18,182 --> 00:20:23,332
Was Skidmore more violent
than other communities?
322
00:20:23,429 --> 00:20:26,979
I hate to say
they're more violent,
323
00:20:27,087 --> 00:20:30,437
but it seems like, yes.
324
00:20:30,539 --> 00:20:33,749
There was a culture of violence
in the area.
325
00:20:33,853 --> 00:20:35,923
McElroy, who was known
as the town bully,
326
00:20:36,027 --> 00:20:38,507
was killed,
while dozens of people watched.
327
00:20:38,616 --> 00:20:43,346
Investigation into the vigilante-style
slaying of Ken Rex McElroy...
328
00:20:43,449 --> 00:20:46,209
Because it was so unusual,
329
00:20:46,314 --> 00:20:49,664
because it was so violent...
330
00:20:49,765 --> 00:20:51,765
Camera roll 27, take 55...
331
00:20:51,871 --> 00:20:55,391
...CBS sent a crew in
to do a story.
332
00:20:55,495 --> 00:21:00,045
Some hot-shot reporter that, I'm sure,
thinks he's going to break the case...
333
00:21:00,155 --> 00:21:03,465
There's more to Ken Rex McElroy
versus the town of Skidmore
334
00:21:03,572 --> 00:21:07,402
than just the story of a local
bully and frightened townspeople.
335
00:21:07,507 --> 00:21:13,337
It's not gonna happen. Skidmore will
never give up who they think did it.
336
00:21:13,444 --> 00:21:17,314
There was a lot of
angry people, townspeople,
337
00:21:17,414 --> 00:21:20,764
that didn't want reporters here.
338
00:21:20,865 --> 00:21:22,865
But I didn't mind
talking to them.
339
00:21:22,971 --> 00:21:26,531
I mean, it happened,
you got to deal with it.
340
00:21:26,630 --> 00:21:28,670
If your rights
are violated to the point
341
00:21:28,770 --> 00:21:31,640
that you fear your life
or your friend or family's life,
342
00:21:31,738 --> 00:21:38,538
then you're gonna take somebody else's.
That's basic law of nature.
343
00:21:38,642 --> 00:21:44,682
Having so much of a spotlight,
on this tiny, tiny, little town,
344
00:21:44,786 --> 00:21:46,646
it had to be traumatic.
345
00:21:46,753 --> 00:21:49,033
He was just a bully,
346
00:21:49,135 --> 00:21:51,585
had everyone scared to death,
all over the county.
347
00:21:51,689 --> 00:21:53,549
He was pretty vicious.
He shot this man
348
00:21:53,657 --> 00:21:55,997
at the store
over a two-cent piece of gum.
349
00:21:56,107 --> 00:21:58,557
Richard Bennett thinks
everyone knows who did it.
350
00:21:58,662 --> 00:22:00,662
Far as I'm concerned, everybody
in this town is guilty.
351
00:22:00,767 --> 00:22:02,977
I am scared that they
will do the same to us
352
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:04,670
that they did to McElroy.
353
00:22:04,771 --> 00:22:06,741
If you open your mouth too much.
354
00:22:06,842 --> 00:22:10,092
And it's not right.
One murder is not right.
355
00:22:10,190 --> 00:22:11,640
They was proud they did it.
356
00:22:11,744 --> 00:22:13,954
That's how they felt,
a lot of them.
357
00:22:14,056 --> 00:22:16,746
They was proud
they had killed him.
358
00:22:16,852 --> 00:22:20,992
Nobody deserves to be murdered.
359
00:22:21,098 --> 00:22:22,168
However,
360
00:22:22,271 --> 00:22:24,411
something had to be done,
361
00:22:24,515 --> 00:22:28,415
for the safety
of this community.
362
00:22:28,519 --> 00:22:30,559
If everything else failed,
363
00:22:30,659 --> 00:22:34,389
then the murder was the answer.
364
00:22:36,078 --> 00:22:39,768
Some of them, probably,
shook their heads and said,
365
00:22:39,875 --> 00:22:42,565
"OK, we killed a bully.
Big deal."
366
00:22:45,294 --> 00:22:47,234
There's an old saying,
367
00:22:47,331 --> 00:22:49,641
you know, "He needed killing."
368
00:22:49,747 --> 00:22:51,467
People were scared,
369
00:22:51,577 --> 00:22:54,437
and it just kept escalating,
and escalating.
370
00:22:54,545 --> 00:22:56,475
And I don't know about you,
371
00:22:56,582 --> 00:22:59,142
but, you know,
everyone has a limit.
372
00:22:59,239 --> 00:23:00,899
You get pushed so far,
373
00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:04,040
law or not,
something's gonna happen.
374
00:23:09,422 --> 00:23:12,152
Well, this is
the back of the grocery store
375
00:23:12,252 --> 00:23:18,022
and the alley where Bowenkamp
was shot by McElroy.
376
00:23:21,192 --> 00:23:24,232
A bad day in Skidmore's history,
377
00:23:24,333 --> 00:23:27,203
but you can't change it.
378
00:23:29,615 --> 00:23:32,505
It was on a Friday,
two little girls come in.
379
00:23:32,618 --> 00:23:35,928
Now, one of them wasn't so little,
she was about 14 or 15 years old,
380
00:23:36,035 --> 00:23:38,585
and then the smaller one,
which was about four years old.
381
00:23:38,693 --> 00:23:42,393
The little girl had picked up two
or three little pieces of candy.
382
00:23:42,490 --> 00:23:46,670
We didn't have any idea who
either one of the children were.
383
00:23:46,770 --> 00:23:48,740
Ken McElroy got mad
384
00:23:48,841 --> 00:23:51,781
when they accused his children
385
00:23:51,878 --> 00:23:53,808
of stealing bubble gum.
386
00:23:53,915 --> 00:23:56,465
The lady that worked
in the grocery store,
387
00:23:56,573 --> 00:23:57,993
accused my little girl
388
00:23:58,091 --> 00:23:59,991
of taking some candy,
389
00:24:00,093 --> 00:24:01,653
and raiding the store.
390
00:24:03,994 --> 00:24:06,724
She had my girl really upset.
391
00:24:06,824 --> 00:24:08,934
She was bawling
when she came home.
392
00:24:09,033 --> 00:24:11,073
She was only four.
393
00:24:13,313 --> 00:24:15,183
Trena McElroy walked in,
394
00:24:15,281 --> 00:24:16,421
and Trena wanted to know
395
00:24:16,524 --> 00:24:17,974
who accused their kids...
396
00:24:18,077 --> 00:24:20,177
And I'm cleaning up
the language, quite a bit.
397
00:24:20,286 --> 00:24:23,626
...of raiding the store,
and of course, no one had.
398
00:24:23,738 --> 00:24:25,978
The door opened again,
399
00:24:26,085 --> 00:24:29,605
and she said, "Well, you're
about to meet Kenneth McElroy."
400
00:24:32,091 --> 00:24:34,371
I went out
and tried to straighten it out,
401
00:24:34,473 --> 00:24:38,063
and she didn't want-- She wanted
to have no part of it.
402
00:24:38,166 --> 00:24:41,166
That's pretty much
what started the ball rolling.
403
00:24:43,896 --> 00:24:49,656
McElroy started driving past Mom and
Dad's house and cruised slowly by,
404
00:24:49,764 --> 00:24:51,354
and then during the day,
405
00:24:51,455 --> 00:24:53,485
they would sit in the pickups
outside the store
406
00:24:53,595 --> 00:24:55,485
and just watch the store
all day.
407
00:24:55,597 --> 00:24:56,977
One day, McElroy turned up
408
00:24:57,081 --> 00:24:59,051
at the loading bay
behind the store,
409
00:24:59,152 --> 00:25:01,262
where Mr. Bowenkamp
was sitting,
410
00:25:01,361 --> 00:25:03,541
watching the world go by.
411
00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:06,230
He just rolled up his sleeves,
like this,
412
00:25:06,332 --> 00:25:07,712
he says, "Do you want to fight?"
413
00:25:07,816 --> 00:25:10,536
I said,
"I have no reason to fight."
414
00:25:10,647 --> 00:25:14,647
I turned around. Well, I was looking
down a double-barrel shotgun.
415
00:25:17,274 --> 00:25:19,454
When I walked up the stairs,
416
00:25:19,552 --> 00:25:22,242
Bo was laying
on the wooden floor,
417
00:25:22,348 --> 00:25:23,828
all stretched out.
418
00:25:23,936 --> 00:25:26,106
There was blood
just pumping out of his neck.
419
00:25:26,214 --> 00:25:28,984
And there was a pool of blood
that streamed across the floor
420
00:25:29,079 --> 00:25:30,839
probably six or eight feet.
421
00:25:30,943 --> 00:25:34,333
He was gurgling,
and he was trying to tell me--
422
00:25:34,429 --> 00:25:36,539
I know he said "McElroy."
423
00:25:57,279 --> 00:26:01,799
Shortly after the
shooting, McElroy was arrested.
424
00:26:01,905 --> 00:26:05,735
He was caught by
one of the troopers, down here.
425
00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:08,770
Then they put him in jail,
down here
426
00:26:08,877 --> 00:26:11,087
at Savannah, overnight.
427
00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:13,640
They did take him in,
428
00:26:13,744 --> 00:26:15,754
and again, they let him go.
429
00:26:15,850 --> 00:26:17,920
He bonded out.
430
00:26:18,024 --> 00:26:20,794
The next day, McElroy was
back out on the street again.
431
00:26:20,889 --> 00:26:24,509
Not only that, he was back here in
the pool hall, bragging about it.
432
00:26:24,617 --> 00:26:26,447
He was still out free.
433
00:26:26,550 --> 00:26:29,040
And after, he drove into town,
434
00:26:29,139 --> 00:26:32,799
and shot a man that owned
a little grocery store.
435
00:26:32,901 --> 00:26:34,451
He actually shot the man.
436
00:26:34,558 --> 00:26:38,358
And he never was
put in jail for it.
437
00:26:38,458 --> 00:26:42,698
That was one of the hardest
things for Skidmore to accept.
438
00:26:42,808 --> 00:26:44,738
We had grown up good people,
439
00:26:44,844 --> 00:26:46,984
believing, that
if you did the right thing,
440
00:26:47,088 --> 00:26:49,058
the law would be there for you.
441
00:26:52,852 --> 00:26:56,652
But we pretty much
were on our own over here.
442
00:26:58,271 --> 00:27:00,831
Miraculously,
Bo survived his wounds
443
00:27:00,929 --> 00:27:02,789
and continued
at the grocery store.
444
00:27:02,897 --> 00:27:07,417
But he and his family hadn't
heard the last of Ken McElroy.
445
00:27:09,317 --> 00:27:12,667
After Dad got out of the
hospital, it still continued.
446
00:27:12,769 --> 00:27:16,079
McElroy would be sitting in front of
the store, when they left the store,
447
00:27:16,186 --> 00:27:19,706
and then he'd pull up in front of
the house later and just sit there.
448
00:27:19,810 --> 00:27:22,430
Fired their shotgun
into the air.
449
00:27:22,537 --> 00:27:24,947
Must have been a nightmare
for you and your folks.
450
00:27:25,057 --> 00:27:27,917
Constant fear. You wake up
scared, you're scared all day,
451
00:27:28,025 --> 00:27:31,855
you go to bed scared, and then you
start all over again the next day.
452
00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:34,100
And every time
453
00:27:34,204 --> 00:27:37,484
the Nodaway County Sheriff's
Department was called,
454
00:27:37,586 --> 00:27:40,306
if they came at all,
it would be three days later.
455
00:27:40,417 --> 00:27:45,277
Dave Dunbar, he was the marshal
when McElroy was around,
456
00:27:45,387 --> 00:27:48,247
till he quit because they started
threatening him and his family.
457
00:27:48,356 --> 00:27:52,906
He goes, "Are you gonna testify
in the Bowenkamp trial?"
458
00:27:53,016 --> 00:27:57,496
And I said, "Yeah, I'll be-- I'm
the marshal, I was there that night.
459
00:27:57,606 --> 00:28:00,226
Sure, I'll be over there,
you know, that's my job."
460
00:28:00,333 --> 00:28:03,543
And he goes, "Well, I believe
in killing any son of a bitch
461
00:28:03,647 --> 00:28:07,957
that tries to put me in the pen the rest
of my life." That's his exact words.
462
00:28:09,791 --> 00:28:11,521
For almost a year,
463
00:28:11,620 --> 00:28:15,560
it was just our family
that had to deal with it.
464
00:28:15,659 --> 00:28:17,449
It was hell.
465
00:28:17,557 --> 00:28:21,417
Scared, every single minute
of your entire life.
466
00:28:31,433 --> 00:28:34,543
A year after shooting
grocer Bowenkamp,
467
00:28:34,643 --> 00:28:36,513
McElroy finally comes to trial.
468
00:28:36,611 --> 00:28:41,031
He is charged with first-degree
assault with a deadly weapon.
469
00:28:41,133 --> 00:28:44,003
He faces a minimum
of ten years in prison
470
00:28:44,101 --> 00:28:47,281
and possibly
up to life in prison.
471
00:28:47,380 --> 00:28:49,940
His adversary was prosecutor,
David Baird.
472
00:28:50,038 --> 00:28:51,968
Only three years
out of law school,
473
00:28:52,075 --> 00:28:53,895
just months as prosecutor.
474
00:28:54,008 --> 00:28:55,908
Once they did that,
we went to trial.
475
00:28:56,010 --> 00:28:57,940
I was probably
too young and naive
476
00:28:58,046 --> 00:29:00,186
to be intimidated.
477
00:29:00,290 --> 00:29:02,150
The defense team
for Mr. McElroy,
478
00:29:02,257 --> 00:29:04,977
they tried to make
the argument that, somehow,
479
00:29:05,088 --> 00:29:08,468
Mr. McElroy
was acting in self-defense,
480
00:29:08,574 --> 00:29:11,274
relative to Mr. Bowenkamp.
481
00:29:11,370 --> 00:29:13,440
At that time,
you had David Baird
482
00:29:13,544 --> 00:29:17,834
who is a very young
and inexperienced prosecutor.
483
00:29:17,928 --> 00:29:21,998
But Ken was actually
found guilty of that crime.
484
00:29:22,105 --> 00:29:24,205
Ken Rex McElroy,
I think I read somewhere,
485
00:29:24,314 --> 00:29:27,254
he was charged
with 37 felony crimes
486
00:29:27,351 --> 00:29:30,601
and convicted of none,
until the very last one,
487
00:29:30,699 --> 00:29:33,529
when he was convicted
of shooting Bo Bowenkamp.
488
00:29:33,633 --> 00:29:38,473
But his attorney,
filed an appeal
489
00:29:38,569 --> 00:29:41,609
and then requested of the judge
490
00:29:41,710 --> 00:29:44,710
that Ken be released on bond.
491
00:29:44,817 --> 00:29:46,467
The judge agreed,
492
00:29:46,577 --> 00:29:49,507
and there was a caravan
of people from Skidmore
493
00:29:49,615 --> 00:29:52,615
that drove over
to be in the courtroom.
494
00:29:52,721 --> 00:29:55,351
They drove back to Skidmore,
495
00:29:55,448 --> 00:29:59,178
and when they got back,
Ken Rex was already there.
496
00:30:00,453 --> 00:30:06,013
It had to have been
pretty traumatic.
497
00:30:06,114 --> 00:30:09,574
Not even probably a week
after that, he was in the bar
498
00:30:09,669 --> 00:30:12,399
with an old Army rifle
with a bayonet.
499
00:30:13,466 --> 00:30:17,226
You know, a fixed bayonet is--
That's war.
500
00:30:17,332 --> 00:30:20,092
You know,
you don't even discuss it.
501
00:30:22,027 --> 00:30:25,817
Walking into the bar
with an M1 and a fixed bayonet
502
00:30:25,927 --> 00:30:28,097
and sitting in the corner...
503
00:30:28,205 --> 00:30:31,825
You know, if I had been
the marshal, at that point,
504
00:30:31,933 --> 00:30:34,143
and they called me on the phone,
505
00:30:34,246 --> 00:30:36,106
he'd have been dead.
506
00:30:36,213 --> 00:30:38,113
Because I'd walked into the bar,
507
00:30:38,215 --> 00:30:41,115
I'd walk right up to him
and put a hole in him.
508
00:30:47,328 --> 00:30:50,638
I don't look
at "vigilante" as a bad term,
509
00:30:50,745 --> 00:30:53,155
but I think some people do.
510
00:30:53,265 --> 00:30:57,295
It was necessary, at the time,
for the situation.
511
00:30:59,098 --> 00:31:01,098
A man comes up
512
00:31:01,204 --> 00:31:03,524
and shoots your father.
513
00:31:03,620 --> 00:31:06,450
He doesn't kill him,
but he shoots him.
514
00:31:08,314 --> 00:31:10,944
And his mentality was
515
00:31:11,041 --> 00:31:13,461
that he could get away
with anything.
516
00:31:14,873 --> 00:31:17,083
All you can do is run.
517
00:31:18,428 --> 00:31:20,978
Cow down and get beat some more
518
00:31:21,086 --> 00:31:23,496
or stand up and fight.
519
00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:27,750
These guys around here carry
520
00:31:27,851 --> 00:31:30,681
Winchesters or Henrys,
you know, saddle guns.
521
00:31:30,785 --> 00:31:32,645
They're cowboys.
522
00:31:33,753 --> 00:31:36,073
That's the way it is
around here.
523
00:31:36,170 --> 00:31:38,240
Everybody's got a gun.
524
00:31:38,344 --> 00:31:40,454
You know, everybody does.
525
00:31:42,245 --> 00:31:45,515
You put things in your own hands.
I know that's vigilantism.
526
00:31:45,627 --> 00:31:47,457
But you've got to
take care of yourself.
527
00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:49,560
You've got to protect
yourself, at times.
528
00:31:49,666 --> 00:31:52,876
That's our American
gun mentality.
529
00:31:52,980 --> 00:31:54,740
And that's what
the Skidmore people did.
530
00:31:54,843 --> 00:31:58,123
Was there fear that,
if McElroy remained a free man,
531
00:31:58,226 --> 00:32:00,496
he would do further damage
in the town?
532
00:32:00,608 --> 00:32:04,158
Yes, there was
a feeling like that.
533
00:32:04,267 --> 00:32:07,677
Fear is
an emotion that takes energy.
534
00:32:07,787 --> 00:32:11,857
Most tired people
don't feel fear,
535
00:32:11,964 --> 00:32:15,834
except when faced with evil.
536
00:32:15,934 --> 00:32:18,214
And by all accounts,
537
00:32:18,315 --> 00:32:21,275
Ken Rex McElroy was evil.
538
00:32:21,387 --> 00:32:25,247
Anyone who doesn't understand and
hasn't lived through this fear,
539
00:32:25,357 --> 00:32:28,427
just can't understand
the pressure
540
00:32:28,532 --> 00:32:31,672
that has been on,
the emotional strain.
541
00:32:31,777 --> 00:32:34,947
We have never, ever, as Ken
said, never locked our doors.
542
00:32:35,056 --> 00:32:38,646
But now, we never go to sleep
without the doors locked.
543
00:32:41,269 --> 00:32:45,379
You had people who were on-edge.
544
00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,860
Townspeople had lost their
faith in the court system
545
00:32:48,967 --> 00:32:54,387
because Ken was found guilty
but released on bond.
546
00:32:54,489 --> 00:32:57,629
These people are
crying out for justice,
547
00:32:57,734 --> 00:33:00,564
they finally get justice,
548
00:33:00,668 --> 00:33:04,218
and it does no good,
it has no affect.
549
00:33:05,535 --> 00:33:10,255
That was a tipping point,
in that town.
550
00:33:10,367 --> 00:33:14,367
And that's why they
called the town meeting.
551
00:33:14,475 --> 00:33:17,715
So, what they did was decide to
get everybody into the Legion Hall
552
00:33:17,823 --> 00:33:19,623
and have a meeting,
trying to figure out
553
00:33:19,721 --> 00:33:22,761
how they were going
to protect themselves.
554
00:33:22,862 --> 00:33:26,762
It was
a hotly-contested meeting.
555
00:33:26,866 --> 00:33:29,796
There were rumors
of money changing hands
556
00:33:29,904 --> 00:33:33,114
for the death
of Ken Rex McElroy.
557
00:33:33,218 --> 00:33:36,048
Oh, we heard a lot of rumors,
what they was gonna do to him.
558
00:33:36,152 --> 00:33:37,772
Were you at the meeting?
559
00:33:37,877 --> 00:33:39,497
No, I was in Boulder, Colorado.
560
00:33:39,603 --> 00:33:41,993
- Were you at the meeting?
- I was not there, no.
561
00:33:42,089 --> 00:33:44,369
- Were you at the meeting?
- Yes, I was at the meeting.
562
00:33:44,470 --> 00:33:48,410
They don't know my husband.
All they know is what they hear.
563
00:33:53,755 --> 00:33:55,895
I had my five-year-old
daughter with me.
564
00:33:55,999 --> 00:33:58,479
And everybody was
gathering around, you know.
565
00:33:58,588 --> 00:34:01,208
It was pretty wild
and crazy and hectic
566
00:34:01,315 --> 00:34:03,795
and all kinds of emotions.
567
00:34:03,903 --> 00:34:05,773
And I thought,
568
00:34:05,871 --> 00:34:08,081
I don't need
my five-year-old daughter,
569
00:34:08,184 --> 00:34:11,084
you know, around this.
570
00:34:11,187 --> 00:34:13,257
There were a hundred people.
571
00:34:13,361 --> 00:34:18,571
That's almost every adult
citizen in the city of Skidmore.
572
00:34:18,677 --> 00:34:21,607
They lured him into town
so they could kill him.
573
00:34:22,612 --> 00:34:26,342
The town had no choice
574
00:34:26,443 --> 00:34:29,143
because they had gotten together
at the Legion building
575
00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:32,759
and had a meeting,
and the sheriff was there.
576
00:34:32,863 --> 00:34:36,803
And the sheriff
drove out of town,
577
00:34:36,902 --> 00:34:41,602
and just as he drove out of
town, McElroy drove into town.
578
00:34:41,700 --> 00:34:44,080
That meeting, the morning
of July 10th, in Skidmore,
579
00:34:44,185 --> 00:34:47,635
you were at that meeting,
what was the mood of the place?
580
00:34:47,740 --> 00:34:50,500
They were
concerned about the welfare
581
00:34:50,605 --> 00:34:53,185
of the people
who had signed statements,
582
00:34:53,298 --> 00:34:56,718
uh, concerning
the bond-revocation hearing.
583
00:34:56,818 --> 00:34:59,608
- And they were concerned
about their safety. -Right.
584
00:35:01,478 --> 00:35:05,208
About 60 townspeople were gathered
in the American Legion Hall.
585
00:35:05,310 --> 00:35:08,590
The red brick building. They were talking
about what to do with the town bully.
586
00:35:08,692 --> 00:35:12,662
At about that time,
Ken Rex McElroy showed up at the bar.
587
00:35:12,765 --> 00:35:16,625
They followed him
inside the bar.
588
00:35:16,735 --> 00:35:20,255
And what was the atmosphere
in the bar that morning?
589
00:35:22,948 --> 00:35:24,538
It was strange.
590
00:35:24,639 --> 00:35:28,679
I mean, 'cause everybody
was getting free beers.
591
00:35:28,781 --> 00:35:32,821
And no way that many people
would come in like that.
592
00:35:32,923 --> 00:35:35,553
It was all different.
593
00:35:36,893 --> 00:35:39,073
So were you made to
feel uncomfortable in there,
594
00:35:39,171 --> 00:35:40,721
that morning?
595
00:35:40,828 --> 00:35:45,348
Yeah, we've-- We figured
that they had a meeting.
596
00:35:46,316 --> 00:35:48,176
Just tell me what happened.
597
00:35:48,284 --> 00:35:52,504
We left the D&G
and went to our pickup.
598
00:36:02,298 --> 00:36:03,948
As soon as we
walked out the door,
599
00:36:04,058 --> 00:36:07,228
everybody else
walked out the door behind us.
600
00:36:08,718 --> 00:36:12,578
My husband, he hadn't started
the pickup yet.
601
00:36:12,687 --> 00:36:15,067
We were just sitting there.
I looked at them,
602
00:36:15,173 --> 00:36:18,493
to see what they was looking at.
See if they wanted anything,
603
00:36:18,590 --> 00:36:20,800
and they was just
staring and laughing.
604
00:36:23,871 --> 00:36:25,701
It was the whole town.
605
00:36:28,255 --> 00:36:30,945
-Sixty-three.
606
00:36:31,050 --> 00:36:34,470
There may have been as many as
a dozen people outside the D&G
607
00:36:34,571 --> 00:36:37,891
and around McElroy's pickup
at the time of the shooting.
608
00:36:37,988 --> 00:36:41,918
Or there may have been
as many as 50 or 60.
609
00:36:42,027 --> 00:36:43,477
How many bullet holes?
610
00:36:43,580 --> 00:36:46,550
That's part of the investigation
that I can't tell you.
611
00:36:46,652 --> 00:36:49,452
I've heard reports there were
two guns used, two weapons used.
612
00:36:49,552 --> 00:36:53,282
That is also part of the
investigation, and I can't tell you.
613
00:36:53,383 --> 00:36:55,773
Do you have any suspects?
614
00:36:55,868 --> 00:36:57,938
Not at this time.
615
00:36:58,043 --> 00:37:02,123
I mean, they had nothing
to work with, ballistics-wise.
616
00:37:02,220 --> 00:37:05,710
All they had was
fragments from his body,
617
00:37:05,809 --> 00:37:09,879
but you couldn't pair it with a
weapon because they had no weapons.
618
00:37:09,986 --> 00:37:12,056
There were
three different calibers.
619
00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:14,090
So at least three people.
620
00:37:14,197 --> 00:37:17,927
Two people, I believe, shot him.
621
00:37:18,028 --> 00:37:21,478
There was probably at least
three to four shooters.
622
00:37:21,584 --> 00:37:23,104
Four, in my estimation.
623
00:37:23,206 --> 00:37:24,616
Six shooters.
624
00:37:24,725 --> 00:37:26,545
Well, I think there were three.
625
00:37:29,281 --> 00:37:31,181
I know who two of them are.
626
00:37:31,283 --> 00:37:33,223
There was eyewitnesses.
627
00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:35,490
It doesn't mean they all saw it.
628
00:37:35,598 --> 00:37:37,948
It doesn't take long to go,
boom, boom, boom.
629
00:37:38,048 --> 00:37:41,668
To put your gun away,
just a few seconds.
630
00:37:43,226 --> 00:37:44,606
One other person
631
00:37:44,710 --> 00:37:48,060
that I was told was a shooter
left town.
632
00:37:48,162 --> 00:37:51,752
Then I don't know
who the third person is.
633
00:37:51,855 --> 00:37:54,885
There are some people
that aren't even convinced
634
00:37:54,996 --> 00:37:58,826
it was totally from Skidmore
because so many rumors abound,
635
00:37:58,931 --> 00:38:01,561
like, it was a Mafia hit
and all that.
636
00:38:01,658 --> 00:38:05,248
The shooters were probably
across the street, up here.
637
00:38:05,352 --> 00:38:09,492
Because the
little Quonset building,
638
00:38:09,597 --> 00:38:12,667
it had some bullet holes in it.
639
00:38:14,050 --> 00:38:19,470
But nobody knows which caliber
of weapon was the fatal blow.
640
00:38:19,573 --> 00:38:21,613
They never found any weapons.
641
00:38:21,713 --> 00:38:23,583
They couldn't prove anything.
642
00:38:25,095 --> 00:38:27,645
They can't even prove
who's got what kind of a rifle
643
00:38:27,753 --> 00:38:31,623
because we don't...
we don't register the rifles.
644
00:38:31,723 --> 00:38:35,313
And right now, we're not even
registering the handguns.
645
00:38:35,416 --> 00:38:37,206
Can't find the guns.
646
00:38:37,315 --> 00:38:39,965
Not even a shell,
they picked them all up.
647
00:38:40,076 --> 00:38:42,176
I can't really go into that
648
00:38:42,285 --> 00:38:44,905
because that's where
the conspiracy problem is.
649
00:38:45,012 --> 00:38:49,642
But, you know,
the weapons were disposed of
650
00:38:49,741 --> 00:38:51,361
in an interesting way.
651
00:38:51,467 --> 00:38:54,817
The guns was put in a van.
652
00:38:54,918 --> 00:38:57,608
If I remember the van,
it might have been blue.
653
00:38:57,714 --> 00:39:01,994
They had planned
where the van would be sitting.
654
00:39:02,098 --> 00:39:05,448
And they took the guns
out to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
655
00:39:05,550 --> 00:39:07,690
Except one.
656
00:39:09,208 --> 00:39:10,758
And that gun was the main one,
657
00:39:10,865 --> 00:39:12,935
my brother told me,
before he died.
658
00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:17,530
The main one
was throwed in the river.
659
00:39:19,495 --> 00:39:22,595
I don't know
if this is true or not,
660
00:39:22,705 --> 00:39:26,875
but I was told they have
still got McElroy's head
661
00:39:26,985 --> 00:39:29,605
in a freezer thing,
662
00:39:29,712 --> 00:39:33,892
and that case was never closed.
663
00:39:33,992 --> 00:39:37,342
If they ever could find
the shell or the gunner thing,
664
00:39:37,444 --> 00:39:41,004
then they could prove
which one's gun it belonged to.
665
00:39:42,483 --> 00:39:46,903
If you try to think about
it from a motive perspective,
666
00:39:47,005 --> 00:39:50,655
well, hell,
everybody had a motive.
667
00:39:50,767 --> 00:39:55,287
If you start thinking about who
benefits from Ken Rex McElroy's death,
668
00:39:55,393 --> 00:39:59,883
jeez, maybe everybody benefits,
I don't know.
669
00:39:59,983 --> 00:40:03,373
People in small towns
don't call the cops, anyway.
670
00:40:03,470 --> 00:40:06,680
They handle things themselves.
671
00:40:06,783 --> 00:40:08,963
That's a legacy that goes back
672
00:40:09,061 --> 00:40:12,691
to when this part
of the country was settled.
673
00:40:13,928 --> 00:40:15,758
This town was so full of sin.
674
00:40:15,861 --> 00:40:17,451
My kids are afraid for me
675
00:40:17,553 --> 00:40:19,833
because some of them that helped
676
00:40:19,934 --> 00:40:23,844
murder McElroy,
some of them are still alive.
677
00:40:23,938 --> 00:40:26,458
You better keep quiet.
678
00:40:26,562 --> 00:40:28,152
No.
679
00:40:36,054 --> 00:40:39,334
I thought it was
kind of a brutal way
680
00:40:39,437 --> 00:40:42,227
of doing away with the man.
681
00:40:51,587 --> 00:40:55,727
If he needed put to death,
I think the law should have done it.
682
00:41:04,358 --> 00:41:08,468
The killing of Ken Rex
McElroy opened up something
683
00:41:08,569 --> 00:41:12,679
that needs to be closed.
684
00:41:14,713 --> 00:41:17,233
I think I counted nine
mysterious,
685
00:41:17,336 --> 00:41:21,716
horrible, strange deaths
since Ken Rex died.
686
00:41:21,824 --> 00:41:24,454
One of them was
a young woman named Wendy.
687
00:41:24,551 --> 00:41:29,211
Her boyfriend
attacked her and killed her,
688
00:41:29,314 --> 00:41:30,974
literally stomped her to death.
689
00:41:31,074 --> 00:41:33,424
Another young woman
had a baby cut out
690
00:41:33,525 --> 00:41:35,935
and was strangled to death.
691
00:41:36,045 --> 00:41:38,875
A young man who just disappears.
692
00:41:38,979 --> 00:41:40,909
One person committed suicide
with a shotgun.
693
00:41:41,015 --> 00:41:44,985
One, supposedly,
committed suicide by hanging.
694
00:41:45,088 --> 00:41:47,468
It's a town of 280 people.
695
00:41:47,574 --> 00:41:50,824
It's hard to reconcile that.
696
00:41:52,544 --> 00:41:53,824
The question is,
697
00:41:53,925 --> 00:41:56,305
if Ken Rex was such a bully,
698
00:41:56,410 --> 00:41:58,070
if he was a monster,
699
00:41:58,170 --> 00:42:01,420
then why didn't the violence
end with his death?
700
00:42:01,519 --> 00:42:03,559
Because it hasn't ended.
701
00:42:03,659 --> 00:42:06,419
Horror and mayhem
702
00:42:06,524 --> 00:42:08,464
have visited that town
703
00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:11,110
over and over and over again.
704
00:42:12,391 --> 00:42:14,701
Maybe they're cursed to live
705
00:42:14,808 --> 00:42:20,878
with the existence of these bad
things always happening to them.
706
00:42:23,955 --> 00:42:29,815
There's no limit
on murder or conspiracy.
56393
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