Trena McElroy was the wife of Ken McElroy, a criminal and attempted murderer who was killed in a vigilante shooting in Skidmore, Missouri, in 1981. The identity of his killer or killers has never been revealed, despite the presence of dozens of witnesses. Trena McElroy was the only person who sought justice for her husband’s death, and filed a civil suit against the town of Skidmore. However, she settled for a small amount and did not learn anything about the murder. She later remarried and moved away from Skidmore, but the mystery of her husband’s death haunted her for the rest of her life. Trena McElroy passed away in 2012, after suffering from cancer. What was the cause of her death, and how did it relate to her traumatic past?
Trena McElroy’s Early Life and Marriage to Ken McElroy
Trena McElroy was born in 1957 as Trena Louise McNeeley. She met Ken McElroy when she was 12 years old and in eighth grade, and he was 35. He raped her repeatedly, and she became pregnant with his child when she was 14. Her parents initially opposed the relationship, but after McElroy burned their house down and shot their family dog, they agreed to the marriage. Trena McElroy was one of McElroy’s four wives, and he fathered more than 10 children with different women. He was also accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, animal cruelty, and burglary. He escaped conviction each time, except for the last, when he was found guilty of attempted murder in the shooting of a 70-year-old grocer named Bo Bowenkamp. He appealed the conviction and was released on bond, and continued to harass and threaten Bowenkamp and other townspeople who were sympathetic to him.
The Shooting of Ken McElroy and the Civil Suit by Trena McElroy
On July 10, 1981, Ken McElroy was shot to death in broad daylight as he sat with Trena McElroy in his pickup truck on Skidmore’s main street. He was hit by bullets from at least two different firearms, in front of a crowd of people estimated as numbering between 30 and 46. No one called an ambulance, and no one admitted to seeing the shooter or shooters. The case became known as the “town bully” murder, and attracted national and international attention. Trena McElroy claimed that it was a planned vigilante attack, and filed a civil suit against the town of Skidmore, the county of Nodaway, and several individuals, seeking $5 million in damages. She was represented by attorney Richard Gene McFadin, who said that the town “got away with murder”. However, the suit was settled in 1984 for only $17,600, with no admission of guilt or liability by any of the defendants. Trena McElroy also did not learn anything about the identity or motive of the killer or killers.
Trena McElroy’s Later Life and Death
After the settlement, Trena McElroy left Skidmore and remarried in 1983. She changed her name to Trena Williams, and lived in Conway, Missouri. She had three more children with her second husband, and worked as a nurse’s aide. She rarely spoke about her first husband or his murder, and tried to move on with her life. However, she was still haunted by the mystery and the trauma of the shooting. She was also featured in several documentaries and books about the case, such as No One Saw a Thing, In Broad Daylight, and The Story of a Murdered Town. She died on January 24, 2012, in her daughter’s home, near Conway, Missouri, at the age of 55. The cause of her death was cancer, according to her obituary. She was survived by her husband, children, grandchildren, and siblings.
Conclusion
Trena McElroy was the wife of Ken McElroy, a notorious bully and criminal who was killed in a vigilante shooting in Skidmore, Missouri, in 1981. She was the only person who sought justice for his death, and filed a civil suit against the town. However, she did not get any answers or closure, and settled for a small amount. She later remarried and moved away from Skidmore, but the mystery of her husband’s death remained unsolved and unresolved. She died in 2012, after suffering from cancer. Her life and death were marked by tragedy and mystery, and she was a victim of her husband’s crimes and the town’s silence.
