In July 1981, Ken Rex McElroy, the “town bully” of Skidmore, Missouri, known for decades of intimidation, assaults, and witness tampering, was gunned down in his truck on the main street, surrounded by 40+ townspeople. Every witness claimed they saw nothing, and the case remains officially unsolved.
by IloveRamen99
37 Comments
Ken Rex McElroy had terrorized the small town of Skidmore, Missouri for decades and was accused of over 20 felonies, including theft, assault, child molestation, and even shooting an elderly grocer in the neck, but he almost always escaped conviction by intimidating witnesses or hiring aggressive lawyers. On July 10, 1981, while out on bond after his assault conviction, McElroy sat in his truck outside the local tavern with his wife when multiple townspeople opened fire. Dozens witnessed the killing, but every single one claimed they saw nothing. Bullets from at least two different firearms were recovered, but no one was ever charged.
everyone went blind
FAFO
The villain in the movie Roadhouse was based on this guy.
I have new found respect for the people of Skidmore Missouri.
“In Broad Daylight” by Harry MacLean is a great read about this.
Murder on the Orient Express…
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Good old fashioned Vigilante justice. But for the betterment of the town ,Nice!!!
Tbf it happened during the summer, it was probably too bright to see anything.
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
“Some people need a killin’.” is a phrase from a documentary I saw about this that has stuck with me and became part of my vocabulary.
There are times when the community has to do what the courts will not.
It was the bar owner. But I didnt see him do it so.
Ayyy heard about this on the Twisted History podcast!
He wasn’t killed and became the host of Man vs Food
What murrrrrrrda????
Isn’t this how the main villain was killed in Road House?
However, in the passing years since then, numerous calamities have befallen on the town, and it’s residents. There is an article giving details somewhere on the web, if you want to read about them.
McElroy’s Cat?
Everyone did it, and no one did it.
There was a TV movie about this.
Guy was a real POS, if you have the time look at the buzz feed unsolved episode on him
There is also a 1991 movie about it “In Broad Daylight”. That’s how I learned about him a long time ago.
The people have spoken
I remember hearing this case on Casual Criminalist. Everyone present basically went *”Oh noes! Anyway…”* and continued on with their lives.
The skidmark of Skidmore
If I was a judge, I wouldn’t have seen anything either.
I hope to never live a life that people would celebrate my death.
There’s a great documentary called “No One Saw A Thing” about him and the town.
Violence isn’t the answer. But every rule has exceptions.
Hmmmm interesting what happens to bullies
There was a documentary about this. At the end he walked out of the bar and the townsfolk followed him and let him have it in his truck. Then they gathered up all the shotguns and made them disappear. The FBI never found the weapons.
Very disco
The reason he got away with his bullying for so long was because of his attorney. When a court system fails to protect people, well.. I don’t want to get a reddit ban.
It is a kc legend. Everyone knows the town had enough and they took him out. Some say even cops turned blind eye or were in on it.
Justice was served.
The entire town like:
