“No One Saw Anything” | The Skidmore Shooting of Ken Rex McElroy
In 1981, a man was shot in broad daylight on Main Street in Skidmore, Missouri in front of dozens of witnesses.
Yet, no one was ever arrested.
This is the story of Ken Rex McElroy, a man accused of violence, intimidation, and terrorizing a small town for years… and the moment that town stopped waiting for the system to act.
This episode of When Killers Get Caught explores what happens when justice fails, fear takes over, and silence becomes a community decision.
When everyone knows what happened… and no one speaks up, is it still murder?
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Business inquiries / sponsorships:📧 caughtpodcast@gmail.com (Brittany Ransom)
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It's just before 11 AM on a
quiet Friday morning in
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Skidmore, MO, July 10th, 1981.
Population 440.
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Main Street is small, familiar,
the kind of place where everyone
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00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:20,160
knows everyone and everything.
A man walks out of a local bar
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and climbs into a pickup truck.
He's tall, around 6 feet, with a
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solid build.
Dark hair, bright blue eyes, by
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some accounts even attractive.
In the passenger seat sits his
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wife, Trina McLeod.
Smaller, quiet, long, dark hair.
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Still, at first, there's nothing
really unusual about this scene.
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Until people start showing up.
Not one or two dozens.
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Some standing in the street,
some lingering near the bar,
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others watching from a distance.
No one says anything, but you
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can feel it, the tension, the
weight of it, the kind of
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silence that isn't empty, it's
just waiting.
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The man behind the wheel looks
at the crowd.
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They're angry.
He is too, because as far as
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he's concerned, they should know
better than to cross him.
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Then gunshots.
Not one or two.
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Several, all coming from
different directions, tearing
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into the truck.
The crowd scatters.
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Some duck, some run, some
freeze.
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Inside the cab, Trina drops down
into her seat.
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The man behind the wheel slumps
forward, and just as quickly as
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it started, it's over.
Silence again, until Trina
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starts screaming.
Her husband is dead.
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Shot in broad daylight on Main
Street in front of over 50
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witnesses.
The police arrived to a street
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full of people.
And when they start asking
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questions, no one saw anything.
I'm Brittany Ransom and This is
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00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,880
When Killers Get Caught, a
podcast where I examine the
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people, the psychology, and the
moments that lead to the most
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00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,880
extreme acts of violence and
what happens when silence
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finally takes over.
Now, I've said this over the
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years and I'll say it again, I
really don't like unsolved
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cases.
I hate the endless theories, all
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the speculation, the way that we
go in circles and still end up
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with nothing.
So if you've been listening
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since 2021, you've probably
wondering why I'd even be here
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right now.
And if this story sounds
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familiar, it should.
I covered it years ago, It's one
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of my favorites.
And as we are leading up to
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episode 100 next week, I wanted
to revisit this case with a
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different lens.
Error.
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A better understanding of what
this case actually represents
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because it is different.
This isn't a mystery where we
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don't know what happened.
It's a case where dozens of
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people were standing right there
when Ken Rex McElroy was
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murdered.
They saw it, they knew who did
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it, and still no one has ever
been arrested.
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So this episode isn't about
guessing.
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It's really about systemic
failure, fear and what happens
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when a group of people are just
pushed too far.
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Now, to understand how something
like this could happen, we have
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to talk about where it all
started.
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Skidmore, Missouri.
It isn't just a small town, it's
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isolated.
At the time, the population
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hovered around 440 people.
Today, it's closer to half of
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that.
This is a rural farming
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community where generations of
families have lived within a few
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miles of each other, The kind of
town where everyone knows your
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name, your parents name, and all
of your business.
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There's really no anonymity, and
there's not much in the way of
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protection either.
Law enforcement has always been
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limited, thinly spread across a
massive county, slow to respond,
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and in some cases, hesitant to
get involved.
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Not because they don't care, but
because in a town so small,
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stepping in can mean putting a
target on your back.
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And that's the part that people
don't always get.
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In a place like Skidmore, the
fear doesn't stay contained.
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It spreads, and it spreads
quickly.
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Reputation matters.
Power matters.
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And when the system that's
supposed to protect you feels
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unreliable, people start looking
for other ways to feel safe in
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their homes.
And that's where the story
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really starts.
It all cycles around Ken Rex
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McElroy, a man not born into
power.
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He was born into abject poverty
on June 1st, 1934 in Overland
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Park, KS, 15th of 16 children.
His parents were migrant
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sharecroppers moving between
Kansas and the Ozarks before
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eventually settling in Skidmore,
Missouri.
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Home was cramped into a 2
bedroom house packed with
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people, noise, and not a lot
else.
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By most accounts, McElroy stood
out physically.
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He had dark hair, bright blue
eyes, and that's pretty much
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where all the positives end when
discussing this man's childhood.
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He dropped out of school in the
eighth grade, just 15 years old.
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Around that time, he also
suffered a serious head injury
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after he fell out of a hay wagon
bad enough that doctors
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implanted a steel plate in his
skull.
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Something that gets mentioned a
lot in discussions about him,
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but it doesn't fully explain
what happened next.
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Because by 15, the pattern had
already started.
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If we're fair, he'd already
become known by the police by
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the age of 13.
And not in a passing way, in a
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we pick this kid up often kind
of way.
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It started with him just
bullying other kids,
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specifically kids from families
who were doing better
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financially than his.
He would take lunch money,
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intimidate people, steal things
from their book bags or their
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lockers, But it didn't stay
small.
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As he got older, the crimes
escalated.
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Shoplifting turned into breaking
and entering, stealing from kids
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turned into stealing from
businesses.
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And next to that, his behavior
towards women started raising
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red flags.
He was drinking heavily, chasing
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women constantly, and harassing
anyone he found attractive,
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whether they were interested or
not.
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Now, most kids eventually hit a
space where consequences forced
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them to stop.
This kind of behavior McElroy
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never did.
By the time he died, he had
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racked up over two dozen felony
charges assault, arson, cattle
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rustling, burglary, theft of
grain, theft of livestock,
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repeated allegations of child
molestation and statutory rape.
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But somehow, nothing ever stuck.
His own attorney once said that
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Ken averaged 3 criminal cases
per year every year, and he
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never spent more than a short
stint in county jail.
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It wasn't that people didn't
report him.
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Nothing ever stuck.
And that wasn't luck.
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It was Ken's strategy.
See Ken McElroy build his life
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around intimidation.
Witnesses would always back out
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of trial surrounding him.
The victims would recant their
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testimony.
People who considered speaking
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up suddenly had someone sitting
outside of their house or
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calling in the middle of the
night.
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Or making it very clear that if
you testify against Rex, there
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will be consequences.
He didn't just commit crimes, he
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also controlled the aftermath
and at one point even pulled a
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gun on a town Marshall.
And when the other officers
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refused to step in, afraid of
retaliation, the Marshall quit.
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That's the kind of presence that
Ken Rex McElroy hadn't Skidmore.
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And then there was his lawyer,
Richard McFadden, a very skilled
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defense attorney who knew how to
work the system.
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Delays, venue changes,
technicalities.
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Whatever it took, he was willing
to do it.
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And McElroy always had the cash
to pay him, because while
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farmers in the area were
struggling, McElroy would show
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up to bars with pockets full of
money, sometimes sitting right
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next to the man who he'd just
stolen from, and no one could
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ever say a word.
And then there's the part of the
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history that's a little harder
to hear but impossible to
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ignore.
McElroy had a pattern when it
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came to women.
He started young, when they were
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vulnerable, still girls, usually
from poor families.
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He gained their trust.
Offer them rides, give them
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small gifts, and then isolate
them.
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At 18 years old, he married a 17
year old named Auletta.
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But she wasn't the only one.
Over the next decade, he
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fathered multiple children with
different women, many of them
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underage.
He never had it.
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At one point he was married to a
15 year old while also abusing a
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13 year old that he beat into
compliance and then moved her
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into his home.
And this wasn't rumor.
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Everyone in town knew these
girls.
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Families knew, law enforcement
knew, but nothing stopped him.
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By the early 70s, McElroy wasn't
just a criminal, he was a
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constant presence.
A man who would steal from you,
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threaten you, hurt you, and walk
free every single time.
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For this case, the point of
Rex's abuse centers around 1
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girl.
Trina McLeod was 14 when she
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became entangled in Ken
Mcelroy's world.
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By that point, he already had
his pattern.
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He wasn't just dating the young
girls.
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He would groom them, move them
into his orbit, away from their
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family, away from all stability,
away from anyone who would
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intervene.
And when Trina became pregnant
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as a teenager, that pattern
locked into place completely.
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She dropped out of school and
moved in with Rex and another
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young woman in his household.
Neither of them were there by
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choice.
At one point they actually both
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tried to escape and ran to
family for help, but McElroy
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found them and at gunpoint he
forced both girls back into his
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car.
The followed wasn't just
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violence, it was escalation with
no limits.
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He beat one of the women
severely.
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He forced Trina into sexual
acts.
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Then he took her back to her own
family home, killed her dog in
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front of her and her family, and
burned her parents house down as
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they watched.
That wasn't just punishment,
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though.
This was a message, a reminder
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of what would happen if you
tried to leave.
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But Trina was stronger, probably
stronger than most people
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realized.
She tried again just two days
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later.
This time, she used a medical
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appointment as a cover to escape
at the doctor's office.
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She was visibly distressed, and
the staff immediately recognized
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that something was wrong and
contacted authorities.
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Social services intervened.
Her baby was placed in foster
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care.
Trina got hospitalized for her
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own safety and mental health
issues.
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And for a moment, it looked like
the system was going to actually
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do something.
And then in June of 1973, Gelroy
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was indicted on charges of
arson, assault and rape.
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He was arrested, arraigned and
then released on $2500 bond.
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Within days, he walked back into
his attorney's office with
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$15,000 in cash.
His defense was already
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structured.
Delay the case, break things
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apart, wear the system down.
And it worked.
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Meanwhile, Trita was in foster
care, supposedly protected, but
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Ken found her anyway.
He began showing up outside of
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the home where she was staying,
sitting in his car for hours,
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watching, waiting, just close
enough to be legal, but distant
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enough that he was still
untouchable.
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When the police were called,
they would tell him to leave,
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and he would, briefly.
Then he would start making phone
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calls, Threats, constant
surveillance, psychological
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pressure that followed Trina
into every part of her life.
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She was terrified of ringing
phones, of strangers, of
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silence.
And at one point, McElroy called
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the foster family directly and
said, I know where your daughter
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goes to school and she can be
taken care of.
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That's when the case expanded.
Prosecutors actually added
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additional felony charges after
interviewing Trina and learning
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00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:49,400
the extent of the abuse that she
had endured for years.
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00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:52,840
That should have been the
turning point, but it became
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00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,080
another delay.
Mcelroy's attorney split the
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00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:59,800
charges into separate trials.
Dates were set, postponed, reset
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00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:02,360
again.
The process stretched on for
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00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:07,120
years, bleeding momentum out of
a case until it didn't have any
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00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,680
urgency anymore.
Eventually, Trina got moved
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00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:14,400
again, this time to live with
her grandmother, And that's when
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00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:18,360
everything fell apart.
In rapid succession, Mcelroy's
222
00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:21,160
wife filed for divorce.
And then, almost immediately, he
223
00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:23,480
reappeared, asking for Trina's
hand in marriage.
224
00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,800
Her mother signed the paperwork,
exhausted after the years of
225
00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,880
being worn down.
A judge married them the next
226
00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:34,000
day.
And just like that, Mcelroy's
227
00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:35,680
defense lawyer made the final
move.
228
00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,960
He informed the prosecutor that
Trina, now his legal wife, could
229
00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:41,880
no longer be compelled to
testify.
230
00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:46,240
And just like that, the central
witness to the case was gone.
231
00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:50,320
It could have been challenged.
This could have been something
232
00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:52,080
that was fought.
But it wasn't.
233
00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:59,280
Everyone was just so tired and
they really understood the same
234
00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:02,200
truth.
Even when the system had
235
00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:09,320
McElroy, it still let him go.
For a brief stretch.
236
00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:12,760
Things and Skidmore go quiet,
but the silence is short lived.
237
00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:17,520
On July 27th, 1976, Ken McElroy
crossed the line he had never
238
00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:21,200
crossed before, at least not
publicly.
239
00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:24,200
Romaine Henry was working on his
farm.
240
00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:28,040
When McElroy arrived, uninvited,
he fired a shotgun into the air,
241
00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:31,720
claiming Henry had been on his
property earlier in a white
242
00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:33,840
Pontiac.
Henry was confused.
243
00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:37,720
He didn't know what Ken was
talking about, and he told him
244
00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,880
plainly.
I don't even have a white
245
00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:44,200
Pontiac.
That's when McElroy shot him
246
00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:47,840
once in the stomach, and then
again as Henry tried to get into
247
00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:50,520
his truck.
The second blast hit him in the
248
00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:53,400
face.
Henry survived only because the
249
00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:55,720
shotgun jammed after the second
shot.
250
00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:59,720
His wife drove him to a nearby
hospital, and McElroy was
251
00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:03,000
arrested the next day on a
charges of assault with intent
252
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,840
to kill.
But from the beginning, he
253
00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:09,800
denied even being there.
And then the system did exactly
254
00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,520
what it did before.
Delays, venue changes,
255
00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:16,560
procedural resets.
McElroy walked right back into
256
00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:20,120
his attorney's office, and
McFadden was already working it,
257
00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:25,160
just like all the other trials.
But something changed.
258
00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:27,880
This time, Mcalroy didn't just
rely on the courtroom.
259
00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:33,040
He returned to Henry's farm over
and over again, over 100
260
00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:35,600
separate visits between the
shooting and the trial.
261
00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:40,520
Sitting, watching, waiting.
Henry reported him over and over
262
00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,640
again, but nothing happened.
And that's the moment the town
263
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:48,400
really understood something.
Reporting McElroy doesn't
264
00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:53,960
protect you, it exposes you.
When the trial finally started,
265
00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:56,920
the prosecution was
inexperienced and completely
266
00:15:56,920 --> 00:15:59,400
outmatched.
The state presented witnesses
267
00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:03,200
who placed McElroy at the scene,
but the defense countered with
268
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,960
conflicting testimony, including
men who claimed he was elsewhere
269
00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:10,680
entirely, out hunting with them
miles away.
270
00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:13,760
The jury ultimately returned a
full acquittal.
271
00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,840
No assault, no attempted murder,
no consequences.
272
00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:20,200
And Miguel Roy didn't just walk
free.
273
00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:25,760
He made sure people knew it.
He bragged openly that he might
274
00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:28,160
as well as killed Henry and
gotten away with it.
275
00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:33,120
A few months later, Henry was
back on his tractor when he got
276
00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:34,920
shot again, this time with a
rifle.
277
00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,720
There were no witnesses, no
arrest, no trial.
278
00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,600
He survived again, but he didn't
return to the same life
279
00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:45,400
afterward.
And in Skidmore, a message had
280
00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:49,080
been delivered that everyone
understood without anyone having
281
00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:51,760
to say it.
The first time you report Ken
282
00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:56,240
McElroy, nothing happens.
The second time, it'll be worse
283
00:16:56,240 --> 00:17:00,560
for you.
By 1980, Skidmore wasn't just
284
00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,400
tense.
The town was waiting.
285
00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:06,560
Everyone knew something bad was
going to happen eventually.
286
00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:10,000
The only question was when and
who it would happen to.
287
00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:15,079
And it started, almost absurdly,
with a 10 cent piece of candy.
288
00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:19,800
On April 25th, children from the
Ken McElroy family walked into a
289
00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,160
local grocery store.
There was confusion at the
290
00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:24,440
register.
Multiple kids, lots of different
291
00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:25,760
payments.
A small mistake.
292
00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:29,360
One child left without paying
for one piece of candy.
293
00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:33,280
The clerk called after her, and
that's when things escalated.
294
00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:37,360
One of the older children came
back furious, threw the candy
295
00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:40,440
down, stormed out.
Another sibling followed,
296
00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,680
yelling that no one was going to
accuse them of stealing.
297
00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:48,200
The store owners were Lois and
Bo Bowen Camp, new residents to
298
00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:51,960
the town, trying to run a quiet
business in a town that didn't
299
00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:55,360
feel all that quiet anymore.
Bo was almost 70.
300
00:17:55,640 --> 00:18:00,360
Louis was in her late 40s.
They tried to calm the situation
301
00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:03,120
down.
They didn't stand a chance and
302
00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:05,000
within minutes the tension
boiled over.
303
00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:07,720
Beau told the family they were
no longer welcome in the store
304
00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:09,680
and that really should have been
the end of it.
305
00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:12,600
But it wasn't.
About 20 minutes later, Ken Rex
306
00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:15,920
McElroy arrived in his truck
carrying a knife and right
307
00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:19,440
behind him was Trina McCloud
shouting threats at Lois.
308
00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:23,160
Beau tried again to de escalate.
He explained it was just a
309
00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:25,920
misunderstanding.
No one was being accused of
310
00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:30,200
theft in any serious way.
For a moment it almost worked.
311
00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:35,600
And then Ken demanded free
cigarettes, and that's when he
312
00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:39,600
was told by Bobo and camp that
his family were no longer
313
00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:44,760
welcome in the store.
Ken left, but he stayed outside
314
00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:49,200
for hours, just watching.
Later that night, he followed
315
00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:52,360
the Bowen camp's home and
circled their property over and
316
00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:55,480
over again.
They called the sheriff, who
317
00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:59,040
told them to ignore it.
That's just Ken being Ken.
318
00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:05,800
At one point, McElroy even
offered Lois $100 if he would
319
00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:10,320
physically fight Trina and
whatever happened would settle
320
00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:13,280
what was between them.
Lois refused.
321
00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:17,240
The next day, Ken returned
again, this time with Trina,
322
00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,120
waited outside their home when
police were called.
323
00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,960
They left before they arrived,
helped by a police scanner he
324
00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:27,280
had in his truck.
And again, officers said there
325
00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:30,160
was nothing they could do as
long as Ken stayed off of their
326
00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:32,840
property.
But it escalated.
327
00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:36,120
About one month later, McElroy
and Trina parked outside the
328
00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:39,440
Bowen Camp property.
Lois watch from inside as
329
00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:41,560
McElroy walk the perimeter with
a shotgun.
330
00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,400
He fired it into the air, left,
came back, fired again.
331
00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:49,120
She reported it, but no report
was even filed.
332
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:54,120
No follow up was made by police.
No interventions came and on
333
00:19:54,120 --> 00:19:58,120
June 8th, 1980, Bo, Bo and Camp
was working late at his store
334
00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:01,960
when Ken McElroy arrived again.
This time, though, it wasn't a
335
00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,720
threat, he shot him.
A young boy found Bo collapsed
336
00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:08,360
inside of the store and called
for help, and when police
337
00:20:08,360 --> 00:20:12,120
arrived they asked him who did
this and Bo answered
338
00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:14,120
immediately.
Ken McElroy.
339
00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:17,120
McElroy was arrested hours
later.
340
00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:21,320
He denied everything as usual,
called his lawyer, posted bond.
341
00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:23,920
He was released.
That night, he and Trina were
342
00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:28,480
seen at a local bar celebrating.
Beau survived, but just barely.
343
00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:31,560
And when he returned home, the
intimidation didn't stop.
344
00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:35,280
It escalated.
Anyone who visited Beau was
345
00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,640
threatened.
A minister came to offer support
346
00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:43,840
and received warning calls.
Not only were the Bowen camps
347
00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:46,720
being threatened, but they were
being isolated from friends,
348
00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:51,360
family, and any kind of comfort.
Lois began writing to state
349
00:20:51,360 --> 00:20:55,480
officials, begging for help.
Are we to live in fear for the
350
00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:57,640
rest of our lives?
She asked them.
351
00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,560
And yet, despite a shooting, a
named attacker, and a town all
352
00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:05,720
watching this unfold, Ken
McElroy was still free.
353
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:10,560
He started telling people in
bars that Beau had actually come
354
00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:14,400
at him first with the knife that
he used while cutting boxes,
355
00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:17,600
that he'd been forced to act in
self-defense.
356
00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,800
But the story didn't really hold
up, not to the people who knew
357
00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:25,280
the timeline, But Ken wasn't
really trying to convince
358
00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,600
everyone.
He was reinforcing something
359
00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:33,400
subtly.
The rules don't apply to me.
360
00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:37,800
Then came the moment that made
law enforcement uneasy.
361
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,880
McElroy walked up to the part
time town Marshall, David
362
00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:46,000
Dunbar, and asked him, Are you
planning to testify against me?
363
00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:52,520
And Dunbar said I might have to,
and McElroy responded.
364
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,440
I'll kill anyone who tries to
put me in jail.
365
00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:59,960
Then he pulled a shotgun from
out of his truck and pointed it
366
00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,840
at the Marshall.
That should have been the moment
367
00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:08,760
where everything changed, but
instead Dunbar simply calmed him
368
00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:11,240
down.
De escalated and called it in.
369
00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:14,800
The response from the
authorities was routine and
370
00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:18,760
almost comical.
Don't provoke McElroy, just keep
371
00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:22,760
an eye on him.
By Monday morning, Dunbar turned
372
00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:25,960
in his badge.
He had a family, and he
373
00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:27,800
understood the direction that
this was going.
374
00:22:28,120 --> 00:22:30,800
If the system wasn't going to
back him up, he was not going to
375
00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:33,920
be the only one left standing in
front of McElroy alone.
376
00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:38,000
Later, he would learn that
McElroy had also harassed the
377
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,840
state officer who arrested him,
including drive by intimidation
378
00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:45,480
attempts aimed at the officer's
wife while the officer was on
379
00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:48,480
duty.
There was no boundary this guy
380
00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:51,840
wasn't willing to cross.
Meanwhile, his attorney,
381
00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:55,400
McFadden, continue doing what he
always did, moving the case,
382
00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,560
delaying things, breaking things
apart until it barely resembled
383
00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:02,600
urgency anymore.
The trial got moved 75 miles
384
00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:07,000
away to Bethany, MO, and in June
of 1981, it finally began.
385
00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:11,040
The prosecutor was young, only a
couple years out of law school,
386
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:13,360
but presented a very
straightforward case.
387
00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:15,720
Witnesses placed McElroy at the
scene of the shooting.
388
00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:18,240
The evidence was clear enough,
even if the system wasn't.
389
00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:21,400
The defense countered with the
familiar tactics witnesses
390
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:24,160
brought in from Mcelroy's
circle, claiming he was
391
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:26,920
elsewhere.
Men who waited nearly nine
392
00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:29,960
months to come forward with
their version of events.
393
00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:34,400
They couldn't explain the delay,
but it didn't matter.
394
00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:39,560
The jury deliberated quickly and
for the first time and Mcelroy's
395
00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:44,600
life, he was convicted.
Assault second degree, two to
396
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:48,480
four years recommended.
Ken Rex McElroy had just been
397
00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:51,080
convicted of assault in
connection with the shooting of
398
00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:54,840
Beau Bowenkamp.
For the first time in his 47
399
00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:58,600
years, someone had found him
guilty of something.
400
00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:02,200
But in Skidmore, it didn't feel
like justice.
401
00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:06,520
It felt like this was just a
delay because nothing even
402
00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:10,080
changed about Mcelroy's behavior
after the conviction.
403
00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:14,840
If anything, it made him worse.
He posted bail immediately, and
404
00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:16,800
within days he was back in
Skidmore.
405
00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:20,680
Four days after his conviction,
he walked into a local bar
406
00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:23,960
carrying an M1 rifle with a
sharpened bayonet.
407
00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:27,640
He told people in the bar he was
looking to sell it, but he
408
00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:33,520
couldn't resist talking trash.
Sitting there openly, He
409
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:37,120
described how he planned to kill
Bo Bo and camp in detail in
410
00:24:37,120 --> 00:24:39,600
front of witnesses, with Trina
sitting beside him.
411
00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:44,040
One man in the bar, retired
farmer Pete Ward, walked out
412
00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:46,720
immediately.
He gathered other people.
413
00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,200
They documented what they all
heard, signed statements, went
414
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:53,640
to the authorities.
They revoked his bail.
415
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:59,600
It should have been urgent, a
convicted man openly threatening
416
00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:03,320
to kill the person he had tried
to kill before sitting armed in
417
00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:07,280
public.
The judge set the hearing to
418
00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:11,200
discuss the bail revocation for
five days later.
419
00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:14,520
Even that wasn't the breaking
point.
420
00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:18,760
Not yet, because the town was
preparing, People were
421
00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:20,680
organizing.
They were going to travel to
422
00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:25,680
court, watching, waiting, hoping
the system would finally do
423
00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:28,800
something.
Then came another delay.
424
00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:31,920
The trial was pushed 10 more
days.
425
00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,360
McFadden had a scheduling
conflict.
426
00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:38,720
And in that gap, everything
shifted.
427
00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,920
People decided to gather in the
Legion hall to coordinate
428
00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:45,880
travel, to talk, to figure out
what came next.
429
00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:48,760
What they didn't know yet was
the next chapter wasn't going to
430
00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:51,880
be decided in a courtroom.
It would happen on Main Street,
431
00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:56,560
and the question really wasn't
if something would happen, this
432
00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:02,640
was just a win kind of thing.
By the morning of the final
433
00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:05,640
confrontation, about 60 people
gathered at the local legion
434
00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:07,520
hall.
It started the way these things
435
00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:10,280
often do in small towns.
Quiet frustration spills into
436
00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:12,640
conversation.
People comparing stories,
437
00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:14,880
shaking their heads, asking the
same question they've been
438
00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,840
asking for years.
How is this still happening?
439
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:21,040
But this time, things felt
different.
440
00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:24,400
There was talk of finally
bringing in outside help.
441
00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,840
Someone suggested reaching out
to the sheriff from nearby
442
00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:31,360
Maryville.
Someone believed that he might
443
00:26:31,360 --> 00:26:35,240
actually listen.
The idea wasn't revenge or
444
00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:37,120
violence.
They were actually talking about
445
00:26:37,120 --> 00:26:40,840
protection, structure, anything
that felt like a control on a
446
00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:42,440
situation where they didn't have
any.
447
00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:46,200
According to Sheriff Danny
Estes, the conversation that
448
00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:50,680
morning even turned toward
forming A informal town watch.
449
00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:53,840
People asked if they were
legally allowed to patrol each
450
00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,960
other's homes and farms.
This wasn't to confront anyone,
451
00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:01,040
but they just wanted to feel
safe again because by then,
452
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:03,760
safety and Skidmore was
theoretical.
453
00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:06,920
And while the group sat trying
to figure out what they were
454
00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:10,880
allowed to do, they were about
to discover that the question
455
00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,040
had already stopped being about
what was allowable at all.
456
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:20,640
About an hour later, the idea of
a town watch stopped mattering
457
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:24,120
entirely.
What happened next has never
458
00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:27,080
been confirmed in full.
It's been reconstructed through
459
00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:29,400
witness statements, law
enforcement reports, and the
460
00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:33,920
silence that followed.
But somehow, Ken heard the town
461
00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:35,600
was talking about him again that
morning.
462
00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:38,680
And true to pattern, he came
into Skidmore anyway.
463
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:43,320
Just before 11 AM, he pulled his
brand new Chevy Silverado onto
464
00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:45,920
Main Street, parked in
Plainview.
465
00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,480
No hiding, not cautious in the
slightest.
466
00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,360
It was like he always wanted to
be seen.
467
00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,160
He wanted the reminder that it
didn't matter if he had been
468
00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:59,640
convicted.
He was still moving freely
469
00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:02,760
through a town that had spent
years trying to stop him.
470
00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:05,640
He and his wife, Trina McLeod,
walked into the same bar they
471
00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:08,320
always went to.
He ordered a beer, Camel,
472
00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:11,080
cigarettes, Rolaids.
Ordinary motions.
473
00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:14,080
Familiar habits.
Almost casual.
474
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:17,720
As the Legion Hall meeting broke
up, people filtered out onto
475
00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:20,080
Main Street and saw his truck
was there.
476
00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:23,080
Word spread fast through the
crowd.
477
00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:26,960
By the time that Sheriff Estes
left for his office in Nottaway
478
00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:31,040
County, 15 miles away, the crowd
had shifted.
479
00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:34,280
They weren't scattering.
They were converging.
480
00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:37,160
Roughly 30 people stayed outside
the bar.
481
00:28:37,360 --> 00:28:41,160
Another 30 went inside.
No one announced anything.
482
00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:44,800
This wasn't coordinated.
It just happened.
483
00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:49,520
A presence, a pressure.
People all standing still,
484
00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:53,080
watching the door, watching the
windows, watching the man inside
485
00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:55,560
who defined their fear for
years.
486
00:28:56,160 --> 00:29:00,160
And Ken noticed it.
Witnesses later said the
487
00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:02,920
atmosphere changed.
The conversation stopped.
488
00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:06,280
The room got tighter after a
while.
489
00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:09,320
Ken got up, paid, and bought a
six pack to go.
490
00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:15,400
He walked outside, but the crowd
didn't move. 45 people stood on
491
00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:19,320
or near the street now, close
enough to see, close enough that
492
00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:21,920
everyone knew what was
happening, even if nobody said
493
00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:23,840
it.
Trina got into the passenger
494
00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:26,520
seat first.
McElroy got behind the wheel.
495
00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:30,560
He paused for a moment, long
enough that several witnesses
496
00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:35,000
described it the same way.
Not rushed and not panicked.
497
00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,840
It was deliberate, like he was
aware of being observed and he
498
00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:42,720
wanted to acknowledge it.
Without speaking, he reached for
499
00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:45,040
a cigarette.
Someone said he even started to
500
00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:49,360
light it, but he never finished.
The shots rang out first from
501
00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:52,000
the left, then several more from
different directions.
502
00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:54,680
The sound didn't come as one
moment, it came as pieces
503
00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:59,680
breaking apart in real time.
People dropped, people ran,
504
00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:03,680
others froze.
Katrina's screams cut through
505
00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:06,760
everything as she was pulled
from the passenger side, covered
506
00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:11,880
in her husband's blood, then
chaos distance, then nothing.
507
00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:15,640
By the time Sheriff Estes heard
the call over the radio, he was
508
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,080
already miles away.
He turned his car around
509
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,640
immediately and drove back
towards Skidmore, and when he
510
00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:23,920
arrived, Ken was sitting dead in
the driver's seat of his
511
00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:27,680
Silverado, bullet holes marking
the truck like evidence of
512
00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,000
something that had already
finished happening.
513
00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:36,040
After the shooting, Skidmore
didn't erupt.
514
00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:40,600
It went quiet.
There were dozens of witnesses,
515
00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:43,720
people in the street, people
outside the bar, people close
516
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:45,920
enough to see everything unfold
in real time.
517
00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:49,360
And yet, as law enforcement
began asking questions, the
518
00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:52,600
story started to dissolve.
No one saw anything.
519
00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:55,880
Or at least, they wouldn't say
they did.
520
00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:59,480
The first round of interviews
made it clear almost immediately
521
00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:01,840
there was going to be no
cooperation.
522
00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:05,560
There was no hesitation, no
confusion, just silence.
523
00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:08,560
The state stepped in.
Then federal agencies.
524
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:12,720
A task force of 23 officers from
six different law enforcement
525
00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:16,360
agencies was assembled to sort
through what happened in a town
526
00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:19,160
full of eyewitnesses.
They brought in the men who have
527
00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:20,800
been standing closest to the
car.
528
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:23,320
They interviewed the witnesses
one by one.
529
00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:26,160
They set up a tip line, but
nothing came in.
530
00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:29,040
No statements, no leads and no
names.
531
00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:33,240
Missouri Sheriff Gary Howard
later summarized it quite
532
00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:37,560
simply.
We had 35 leads and 35 leads,
533
00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:42,600
said nothing and heard nothing.
And the investigation stalled,
534
00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,120
not because there were no
witnesses, but because none of
535
00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:50,600
them were willing to become one.
On July 20th, Ken Rex McElroy
536
00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:54,440
was buried in Saint Joseph, a
deliberate decision to keep him
537
00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:55,800
out of skin.
More soil.
538
00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:59,680
That same day, all evidence was
handed to a county prosecutor.
539
00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:03,440
Witness statements, autopsy
findings, sheriff's testimony
540
00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:06,920
from the Legion Hall meeting,
everything that should have been
541
00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,800
able to build a case.
And the grand jury heard it.
542
00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:13,360
The next day, Trina McLeod
testified, So did the law
543
00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:15,360
enforcement.
So did townspeople who had been
544
00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:16,800
standing feet away from the
truck.
545
00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:20,320
But there was no indictment.
The conclusion was blunt.
546
00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:23,440
McElroy had been killed by
bullets fired by a person or
547
00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:27,360
persons unknown.
No arrests, no charges, no
548
00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:31,360
names.
Sort of a delicious irony.
549
00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,840
Three weeks later, a state grand
jury tried again. 15 meetings,
550
00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:39,960
five weeks of testimony.
They heard from witnesses, from
551
00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:42,600
officers, from survivors of
Mcelroy's violence.
552
00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:47,680
They even revisited conflicting
accounts involving a man named
553
00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:51,640
Del Clement, whose name had
surfaced in Trina's statement.
554
00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:56,720
Some forensic evidence suggested
proximity, but most witnesses
555
00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,920
contradicted Del Clement being
anywhere near.
556
00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:03,880
The jury ultimately refused to
indict.
557
00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,720
Then it went to a federal level.
The Department of Justice opened
558
00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:11,440
an FBI investigation.
Agents interviewed the same
559
00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:14,600
witnesses in winter, then again
in spring.
560
00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:18,280
The answers never changed.
I didn't see anything.
561
00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:22,960
A federal grand jury followed.
Same testimony, same outcome.
562
00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:27,520
No one was ever charged, and by
the fall of 1982, the prosecutor
563
00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:30,280
closed it formally.
There's not enough evidence with
564
00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:33,040
which to establish guilty on a
reasonable doubt.
565
00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,480
And that was the end of the
criminal case, not with
566
00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:43,720
resolution, but exhaustion.
In 1984, Mcelroy's widow fought
567
00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:47,200
A wrongful death lawsuit against
Nottaway County, the sheriff,
568
00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:50,920
the mayor and every other person
they thought they could connect
569
00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:55,680
to the day it settled for 17,600
across all defendants.
570
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:59,640
No admission of guilt, just the
quiet logic of cost versus time.
571
00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:04,360
Years later, in 2001, Dell
Clement would dismiss renewed
572
00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:09,760
attention with blunt finality.
Everything I ever said about it
573
00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:13,960
has been said before.
Inside Nottoway County, most
574
00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:16,000
people eventually settled into
the same pattern.
575
00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:19,000
Avoidance.
Not really denial, not
576
00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:22,800
confession, just attempting
distance away from the
577
00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:25,600
situation.
Even today, there is no agreed
578
00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:29,360
upon version of who fired what
shot, only theories, only
579
00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:32,480
fragments.
Some residents rejected the idea
580
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:36,080
of vigilante justice entirely,
insisting no one at the Legion
581
00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:39,679
hall had ever discussed anything
violent, only protection.
582
00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:43,560
Sheriff Estes himself maintained
that virgin for many decades.
583
00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:47,080
The outside observers rarely
describe it that way, though.
584
00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:51,639
They call this unresolved, a
silence that survived every
585
00:34:51,639 --> 00:34:55,520
investigation.
Life after Skidmore split in
586
00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:58,320
predictable ways.
Trina McLeod remarried and left
587
00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:00,520
Missouri.
Mcelroy's children scattered
588
00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:02,920
across the country.
Most of the people involved
589
00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:05,640
Asian to retirement, carrying
versions of the story they were
590
00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:08,640
willing to repeat, or some
refusing to repeat it at all.
591
00:35:09,160 --> 00:35:11,080
Bobo and Camp died a decade
later.
592
00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:14,120
Lois eventually served on the
town council.
593
00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:19,240
Romaine Henry lived until 2012.
When asked about McElroy years
594
00:35:19,240 --> 00:35:21,840
later, Lois Bowencamp didn't
hesitate.
595
00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:26,160
Her answers stayed consistent.
The town is well rid of him.
596
00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:33,920
Justice is served.
But even Lois's words added
597
00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:35,840
something more complicated
beneath it.
598
00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:42,200
Things should have never reached
the point where someone had to
599
00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:49,000
deal with Ken Rex McElroy on
their own, and Skidmore never
600
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:53,160
really returned to what it was.
The population shrank, attention
601
00:35:53,160 --> 00:35:55,040
faded.
The story remained.
602
00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:58,520
To outsiders, it was a true
crime case, a mystery, a moral
603
00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:01,080
debate.
To the people who stayed, it was
604
00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:05,000
something else entirely, a
memory that everyone agreed not
605
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:08,360
to fully look into.
A town that couldn't stop one
606
00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:11,360
man and then couldn't explain
how he died.
607
00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:15,320
So where does this leave us?
Because this isn't really a case
608
00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:17,920
you can neatly close.
There's no final confession, no
609
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:20,960
verified shooter, no clean
answer that ties everything
610
00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:24,240
together with a bow.
What happened in Skidmore forces
611
00:36:24,240 --> 00:36:25,880
you into uncomfortable
questions.
612
00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:30,160
Was this justice?
Was it what happens when justice
613
00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:33,960
fails for too long?
Was it inevitable that a man
614
00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:36,960
like Ken Rex McElroy would
eventually meet a moment like
615
00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:40,600
this, when fear, frustration,
and exhaustion all occupy the
616
00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:44,400
same small stretch of Rd.
And more importantly, what does
617
00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,960
it say about a place when the
system designed to protect it
618
00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:48,840
becomes something that you can't
trust?
619
00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:54,240
Because the law didn't just fail
to stop Miguel Roy in the eyes
620
00:36:54,240 --> 00:36:57,040
of the people who live there, it
failed to stop anything.
621
00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,360
And when that happens,
communities don't stop having
622
00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:04,120
standards, they just start
enforcing them from somewhere
623
00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:10,760
else, silently, collectively,
without ever agreeing to say it
624
00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:13,400
out loud.
And that's what sticks with you,
625
00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:15,440
right?
It's not just the violence, but
626
00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:17,800
the coordination of silence that
followed.
627
00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:22,520
Dozens of witnesses, multiple
investigations, state, federal,
628
00:37:23,240 --> 00:37:27,400
and still no one could or would
explain what happened.
629
00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:30,960
There wasn't a lack of truth,
just a refusal to carry it
630
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:32,960
forward.
And maybe that's the most
631
00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:35,560
unsettling part.
Because if you follow this story
632
00:37:35,560 --> 00:37:37,800
for long enough, you realize
something strange.
633
00:37:38,160 --> 00:37:40,080
The truth didn't really
disappear.
634
00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:43,440
It split every time someone was
asked to speak.
635
00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:46,160
It fractured again.
More versions, more distance,
636
00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:48,800
less clarity.
Almost like the truth itself
637
00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:51,160
stopped being one thing and
became something that only
638
00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:53,360
existed in places no one was
willing to hold it.
639
00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:57,640
The truth always leaves a trail,
but in Skidmore, it didn't lead
640
00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:00,640
to answers.
It led to more trails and less
641
00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:03,000
truth.
So maybe the real question isn't
642
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:06,720
who pulled the trigger.
Maybe it's what had to break in
643
00:38:06,720 --> 00:38:11,280
order for a town full of people
to decide that silence was safer
644
00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:15,600
than certainty.
I'm Brittany Ransom and this has
645
00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:20,120
been When Killers Get caught And
next week's episode is episode
646
00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:20,800
100.