Stuff You Should Know

SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Strange Unsolved Murder of Ken McElroy

September 26, 2025

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  • Ken McElroy was a notorious, violent criminal in Skidmore, Missouri, who evaded conviction for numerous crimes, including sexual assault and abuse of minors, through intimidation and legal maneuvering by his attorney, Richard Gene McFadden. 
  • The murder of Ken McElroy in 1980 was an act of vigilante justice carried out by a large group of townspeople after McElroy shot a beloved local grocer and continued his reign of terror, yet no one was ever prosecuted for the killing. 
  • The episode highlights a systemic failure of local institutions to protect the community from McElroy, leading the townspeople to take matters into their own hands, resulting in an unsolved murder where multiple shooters were involved. 

Segments

Introduction and Context Setting
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode of Stuff You Should Know focuses on the strange, unsolved murder of Ken McElroy in early 1980s Missouri.
  • Summary: The episode begins by framing the Ken McElroy murder as a true crime story from the early 1980s in Skidmore, Missouri. The hosts issue a strong trigger warning for sexual assault and crimes involving minors before introducing McElroy as the clear villain of the story. Prior media coverage includes the 1988 book In Broad Daylight and the 2019 documentary series No One Saw a Thing.
Ken McElroy’s Criminal Profile
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(00:05:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Ken McElroy was an industrious criminal, known for cattle theft, who had a history of violence, including shooting a man for asking him to stop poaching on his land.
  • Summary: McElroy, born in 1934, was illiterate and began a life of crime early, possibly exacerbated by a severe head injury at age 18. He amassed wealth through criminal activities, leading Nottaway County in cattle thefts the year before his death. He was physically imposing but preyed on the weak, accumulating 21 arrests without a single conviction, often due to witness intimidation.
Intimidation Tactics and Legal Evasion
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(00:09:59)
  • Key Takeaway: McElroy and his attorney, Richard Gene McFadden, systematically dismantled legal proceedings by using procedural delays followed by direct, violent intimidation of witnesses and jurors.
  • Summary: McElroy hired attorney Richard Gene McFadden, who specialized in creating delays, allowing McElroy time to intimidate witnesses and jurors through threats, brandishing guns, and shooting near their homes. This tactic, combined with his reputation, earned him the moniker ‘Teflon-coated hick’ as he escaped consequences for numerous offenses, including shooting a farmer named Romaine Henry.
Abuse and Coercive Marriages
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(00:17:29)
  • Key Takeaway: McElroy repeatedly coerced and abused underage girls, marrying them to prevent them from testifying against him, utilizing a legal loophole where a wife could not testify against her husband.
  • Summary: McElroy fathered at least 10 children, many with underage girls, including marrying his first wife at 18 when she was 16. He would stalk, abuse, and rape young girls, then force them into marriage to halt prosecution; his final wife, Trina McLeod, was 12 or 13 when he began grooming her. Attorney McFadden even served as a witness to one of these coercive weddings.
The Final Incident and Vigilante Action
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(00:23:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The town’s patience snapped when McElroy shot a beloved 70-year-old grocer, Ernest Bo Bowenkamp, leading to a mass confrontation where McElroy was killed by multiple shooters.
  • Summary: McElroy fled after shooting Bo Bowenkamp in the neck for confronting his children shoplifting, but was caught by Highway Patrolman Richard Stratton. After being released on $40,000 bail, McElroy threatened to kill Bo Bowenkamp again, leading to a bond hearing. On the day of the hearing, a large group of townspeople surrounded McElroy at the DNG tavern, and he was shot multiple times, instantly killing him.
Aftermath and Unsolved Murder
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(00:40:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Despite dozens of witnesses present during the shooting, no one would testify against their neighbors, ensuring that the murder of Ken McElroy remained officially unsolved, which law enforcement considered the most frustrating case of their careers.
  • Summary: The town circled the wagons, and no one admitted to seeing who fired the fatal shots, though two different bullet calibers were found in McElroy’s body. Trina McLeod, his wife, identified Del Clement as the primary shooter but later settled a wrongful death suit for a small amount without admission of guilt. Law enforcement felt the community had taken justice into its own hands because the legal system had repeatedly failed them.