Stuff You Should Know: The Strange Unsolved Murder of Ken McElroy

Podcast: Stuff You Should Know
Hosts: Josh Clark & Chuck Bryant
Date: September 26, 2025
Episode: SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Strange Unsolved Murder of Ken McElroy

Overview

This episode explores one of America's most chilling unresolved true crime tales: the 1981 daylight murder of Ken Rex McElroy in Skidmore, Missouri—a story marked by a terrifying antagonist, a town’s desperate search for justice, and a community-wide conspiracy of silence that endures to this day. Josh and Chuck dig into McElroy’s menacing history, the inability (or unwillingness) of authorities to stop him, the events leading up to his murder, and the epic silence of those who witnessed his death. The episode examines the lengths to which an entire town might go when the law fails them, and raises tough questions about justice, morality, and vigilantism.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Introduction & Trigger Warning

Timestamp: 02:19

• The hosts announce a strong trigger warning: topics include sexual assault, child molestation, and violence.
• “There's no way around it,” Josh warns, “this is a story about a very bad man and some of the bad things he did, including sexual assault and some of which were with minors.” (02:19 – Josh)

Who Was Ken Rex McElroy?

Timestamps: 03:07–05:25

• Born 1934, 15th of 16 kids, raised in poverty in Skidmore, Missouri.
• Left school early; possibly illiterate; began extensive criminal activity in his teens.
• Not just a petty criminal: he supported his large family through crimes such as cattle rustling (in a region notorious for it), antique dealing, and hunting dog trading.
• Physically imposing—over 6’2” with jet black hair and “huge sideburns.”
• “He always had like a few grand in his pocket... Like that kind of dude. He was a big guy... but he picked on people smaller than him.” (09:00 – Josh Clark)

The “Teflon-Coated Hick”

Timestamps: 08:58–13:11

• Notorious for evading the law—arrested and charged at least 21 times, never convicted due to a combination of delays, intimidation, witness/jury tampering, and a savvy mob-connected lawyer, Richard Gene McFadden.
• “Gene McFadden would get delay after delay... McElroy would get busy intimidating witnesses... most of the time, almost... every single time, eventually, he would intimidate enough of the witnesses and that the cases would fall apart. And that is how he became what Crime Library referred to as this Teflon coated hick.” (10:16 – Chuck Bryant)

Extreme Violence & Intimidation

Timestamps: 11:54–14:44

• Repeatedly assaulted, shot, and terrorized townspeople without consequence.
• Shot farmer Romaine Henry in the stomach simply for being asked not to poach pheasants.
• Intimidated everyone—cops, judges, and even lawmen’s families.
  • E.g. “One day, his wife Margaret was on her way to church... McElroy walks up to the car, puts a shotgun in her face. And he did that to cops’ wives, to judges...” (13:42 – Josh)

Predatory Behavior

Timestamps: 16:34–20:14

• Serial child molester and rapist; married multiple underage girls, often after grooming, coercion, and threats.
• Tactics included threatening to kill victims’ families, burning down their homes, and killing family pets to intimidate and control.
  • “He would get her to marry him to keep her from being able to even testify against her. And Jean McFadden, in a show of just how sleazy lawyers can be, served as a witness to their wedding.” (21:02 – Chuck)

The Trina McLeod Story

Timestamps: 18:55–22:18

• Most notorious victim: Trina McLeod, groomed from age 12/13, pregnant by 14, brought to live with McElroy’s other underage wives.
• Witness intimidation extended to foster families when Trina was briefly taken into protective custody.

The Final Straw

Timestamps: 22:18–30:14

• 1980: McElroy’s four-year-old daughter caught shoplifting at the local grocery.
• Grocery owner Bo Bowenkamp (well-liked, elderly) is shot in the neck by McElroy.
• For once, McElroy is apprehended, tried, and, after extensive delays, convicted of second degree assault—a first after years of crimes.
• Released on $40,000 bail (likely paid in cash) awaiting appeal.
• “He [then] showed up at the local tavern in Skidmore, the D&G Tavern, and I'll bring an M1 carbine rifle... and talk about how I'm going to finish off Bo Bowenkamp in front of everybody in the bar.” (30:14 – Chuck)

The Showdown in Skidmore

Timestamps: 33:23–38:34

• The town has had enough: a massive meeting at the American Legion hall captures the mood—either vigilance, mutual protection, or talk of taking matters into their own hands.
• A crowd (estimates range 30–60) follows McElroy and his wife Trina from the D&G Tavern to their truck in broad daylight.
• McElroy is shot and killed—two different rifles, both shots from behind, and no attempt at medical aid.
  • “He pulled out a cigarette and I saw that he either had just lit it or was about to light it when somebody shot him in the head with a high powered hunting rifle. And then followed that up with a shot to the neck with Trina right next to him, who was suddenly covered in his blood.” (36:12 – Chuck)
• No one helps. No one speaks to police.

Aftermath & Wall of Silence

Timestamps: 38:34–43:32

• Despite dozens in attendance, “no one saw a thing.”
• Law enforcement makes a show of investigation—but not a single person is arrested, indicted, or even credibly identified.
• One would-be witness quickly retracts; Trina identifies Del Clement (local bar owner with motive), but it isn’t enough.
• The FBI closes the case in 1982, with Chief Hal Riddle calling it the most frustrating of his career.
  • “...this town got away with murder.” (44:20 – Josh)

Reflections on Justice, Law, and Vigilantism

Timestamps: 43:32–45:18

• The episode raises hard ethical questions:
  • Had the authorities not failed so badly, would mob justice ever have occurred?
  • While mob justice is wrong, can it be wholly condemned when a predator is left unchecked?
  • “If there was any theme to this, aside from this horrible bully, it was the local institutions failing the community time after time after time... That was like, the subtext of this whole thing, is that this community essentially had to take matters into their own hands.” (44:20 – Chuck)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He's a kind of money guy that, like, he always had like a few grand in his pocket with a big fat money roll, like that kind of dude.” (09:00 – Josh Clark)
• “He was arrested and charged at least 21 times without being convicted.” (09:16 – Josh Clark)
• “He shot a guy in the stomach... because that guy asked him not to shoot pheasants out of season on his land anymore.” (13:11 – Chuck Bryant)
• “This guy got married more than once to keep the girl that he was raping from testifying against him.” (17:51 – Chuck Bryant)
• "We don't know... at the very least the law can't say who killed Ken McElroy. There are between 30–60 people who were standing right there... and no one saw a thing. The town circled the wagons and clammed up." (38:34 – Josh Clark)
• “They did what they did because we didn’t do our job.” (47:16 – paraphrasing Richard Stratton, by Josh Clark)
• “If there was any theme to this... it was the local institutions failing the community time after time after time after time... The community essentially had to take matters into their own hands...” (44:20 – Chuck Bryant)
• "I think you can not agree with mob justice and also say the town of Skidmore—and the world—was probably better off without this child rapist walking around." (45:06 – Josh Clark)

Timeline of Critical Segments

• Trigger Warning & Set-up: 02:19–03:07
• McElroy's Background/Character: 03:07–06:03
• Criminal Methods & Legal Evasions: 08:58–11:54
• Witness Tampering & Violence: 11:54–14:44
• Sexual Assaults & Predation: 16:34–22:18
• The Bo Bowenkamp Shooting: 22:18–25:12
• Arrest, Trial, Bond, and Town's Breaking Point: 25:12–31:26
• American Legion Hall Meeting & Mob Justice: 33:23–38:34
• Aftermath, Silence, and Legal Failure: 38:34–47:16
• Ending Reflections: 43:32–48:18

Conclusion

This episode provides a harrowing look at what happens when a community is chronically failed by the legal system, ultimately leading—to paraphrase the hosts—to a grisly but perhaps inevitable act of vigilante justice. Through their characteristically engaging and thoughtful style, Josh and Chuck examine the complexities of community, law, and moral ambiguity, making this a quintessential SYSK deep-dive into a case both infamous and deeply unsettling.

For listeners who need more, the hosts reference:

• Book: In Broad Daylight by Harry MacLean (1988)
• Documentary: No One Saw a Thing (SundanceTV, 2019)
• 1991 TV movie starring Brian Dennehy

Note: All ads, intro, outro, and listener mail omitted from summary per instructions.