On July 10,1981, forty-seven-year-old Ken McElroy was sitting in his truck in Skidmore, Missouri with his wife, Trina, when the vehicle was struck by a hail of gunfire that seemed to come from all directions. Although there were nearly fifty witnesses to the shooting, they all claimed not to have seen the shooters, and none of them called an ambulance. Later, when asked why no one did anything to help McElroy or cooperate with investigators, the people of Skidmore all agreed, Ken McElroy got what he deserved.

The story of Ken McElroy’s death captured the nation’s attention, primarily because it amounted to a modern-day lynching. However, while no one denies that McElroy’s death was murder, few people in and around Skidmore were interested in holding anyone accountable for the shooting. In fact, many seemed pleased to hear of McElroy’s death, which raised the question, how could someone become so hated by their neighbors that they’d be willing to overlook one of the most heinous crimes?

Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!

References

Associated Press. 1981. "FBI enters Missouri shooting case." New York Times, July 18: 6.

—. 1981. "Little chance of trial in 'town bully' shooting." St. Joseph News-Press, October 26: 1.

Graham, O.E. 1968. "What is justice?" St. Joseph News-Press, July 19: 9.

Hansen, Rose. 2018. Skidmore revisited. February 6. Accessed April 9, 2025. https://missourilife.com/skidmore-revisited-part-1-death-ken-mcelroy-2/.

Loh, Jules. 1981. "Brute of Nordaway County: chilling rembeberances ." Kansas City Star, August 2: 1.

MacLean, Harry. 1988. In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

McGuire, Donna. 2001. "Two decades after bully's death, Skidmore still guards its secrets." Kansas City Star, July 10: 1.

St. Joseph News-Press. 1968. "Dismissals to 2 more defendants in beating case." St. Joseph News-Press, July 11: 9.

—. 1968. "Four now charged in beating of man, attack on woman." St. Joseph News-Press, June 14: 7.

—. 1973. "Three charges against man." St. Joseph News-Press, September 22: 5.

—. 1968. "Victim of assault testifies four men struck, kicked him." St. Joseph News-Press, July 4: 1.

Stewart, Paul. 1981. "Grand jury disappoints lawyer." St. Joseph News-Press, September 26: 1.

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On the night of October 23, 1989, Charles and Carol Stuart were returning home from a childbirth class and drove through the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. According to Charles Stuart, they were stopped at a red light when a black teenager forced the driver’s door open and robbed the couple, then shot Charles and Carol before running off. Charles managed to call 911 from his car phone, but by the time emergency responders arrived, Carol was in a very bad state and would die a few hours later at a nearby hospital.

The murder of Carol Stuart captured the attention of residents in and around Boston, and the story remained on the front pages in the weeks that followed. On one hand, it was a tragic story of a young couple on the verge of starting a family who were robbed of a future. On the other hand, it shined a bright spotlight on the city’s long-simmer racial tensions and the unequal treatment and application of law enforcement with regard to race. And those tensions would be significantly exacerbated when the truth about Carol Stuart’s murder was finally discovered.

Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!

References

Brelis, Matthew. 1989. "Stuart suspect held on charges." Boston Globe, November 12: 1.

Canellos, Peter. 1989. "Roxbury probe is criticized." Boston Globe, November 1: 29.

Canellos, Peter, and Irene Sege. 1989. "Couple shot after leaving hospital; baby delivered." Boston Globe, October 24.

Cullen, Kevin. 1989. "Stuart suspect linked to Brookline case." Boston Globe, November 13: 1.

Hayes, Constance L. 1990. "Illusion and tragedy coexist after a couple dies." New York Times, January 7.

Howe, Peter, and Jerry Thomas. 1989. "Reading woman dies after shooting in car." Boston Globe, October 25.

Howe, Peter, Kevin Cullen, and Anthony Flint. 1990. "Police focus on brother, woman." Boston Globe, January 8: 1.

Jacobs, Sally. 1989. "Stuart is said to pick out suspect." Boston Globe, December 29: 1.

—. 1989. "Stuart reportedly reacted physically to suspect's picture." Boston Globe, November 23: 93.

Jacobs, Sally, and Diego Ribadeneira. 1989. "No wallet, so killer opened fire." Boston Globe, October 26: 1.

Koh, Elizabeth. 2023. "Stuart shooting timeline." Boston Globe, December 1.

Kong, Dolores, and Sally Jacobs. 1989. "Infant of shooting victims dies of respiratory failure." Boston Globe, November 10: 1.

Murphy, Sean. 1989. "Man questioned in shooting still held." Boston Globe, November 7: 17.

New York Times. 1991. "U.S. won't indict Boston policemen." New York Times, July 5: D7.

Rollins, Rachel. 2019. "30 years after Stuart case, Boston still healing." Commonwealth Beacon, November 9.

Sharkey, Joe. 2015. Deadly Greed: The Riveting True Story of the Stuart Murder Case. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Walker, Adrian, Evan Allen, Elizabeth Koh, Andrew Ryan, Kristin Nelson, and Brendan McCarthy. 2023. "The untold story of the Charles and Carol Stuart shooting." Boston Globe, December 1.

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In October 2001, the dismembered remains of seventy-one-year-old Morris Black were found floating in Galveston Bay. A few days later, Black’s neighbor, Robert Durst, was arrested on suspicion of murder and released on $250,000 bail. After posting bail, Durst jumped bail and disappeared for six weeks, before being arrested by Pennsylvania authorities at the end of November.

In the years that followed, investigators and prosecutors began combing through Durst’s life, discovering disturbing connections between the excentric millionaire and the mysterious disappearances and deaths of several people who were once close to Durst. Robert Durst had been a suspect in the murder of Morris Black, but was it possible he was in fact a multiple murderer who’d evaded detection for decades?

Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!

References

Associated Press. 2001. "Fugitive is arrested in Galveston man's death." Fort Worth Star-Telegram, December 1: 26.

Babineck, Mark. 2001. "A mysterious trail left in Galveston." Austin American-Statesman, October 20: 25.

Bagli, Charles. 2020. "4 decades of Durst's past are traced as trial begins." New York Times, March 11.

—. 2021. "Durst faces new charge for murder of his wife." New York Times, October 23.

—. 2021. "Durst is convicted of murder after 2 decades of suspicion." New York Times, September 18.

—. 2021. "Durst is sentenced to life in prison for 2000 murder of friend." New York Times, October 15.

—. 2020. "Real estate scion admits he wrote note in case profiled in 'The Jinx'." New York Times, January 1.

—. 2014. "Stranger than fiction? Try fact." New York Times, December 2.

Bagli, Charles V., and Kevin Flynn. 2001. "A two-decade spiral into suspicion." New York Times, October 21: A33.

Bagli, Charles, and Kevin Flynn. 2001. "On the run with a fugitive: tales of aliases and disguises." New York Times, December 7: D1.

Bagli, Charles, and Vivian Yee. 2015. "Straight from TV to jail: Durt is charged in killing." New York Times, March 16.

Cartwright, Gary. 2002. "Durst case scenarios." Texas Monthly, February: 87-112.

Collins, Marion. 2002. Without a Trace: Inside the Robert Durst Case. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.

Forbes. 2020. Durst family. December December. Accessed March 28, 2025. https://www.forbes.com/profile/durst/.

Gerber, Marisa. 2021. "The Hollywood ‘Mafia princess’ was Robert Durst’s best friend. Did loyalty lead to murder?" Los Angeles Times, May 21.

Hale, Mike. 2024. "Conversations on murder." New York Times, April 24.

2015. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. Directed by Andrew Jarecki. Performed by Andrew Jarecki.

Lozano, Juan. 2003. "Juey to see Galveston case evidence." Austin American-Statesman, August 14: 21.

—. 2003. "Officer testifies there's no direct evidence against heir." Austin American-Statesman, October 21: 17.

—. 2003. "Murder trial gets under way for multimillionaire Robert Durst." Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 23: 21.

Miller, Julie. 2015. "Robert Durst may have had a Mission Impossible-style plan to flee the country." Vanity Fair, March 18.

Palmer, Alex. 2015. The Creepiest Things Robert Durst Says in His All Good Things DVD Commentary. April 15. Accessed April 1, 2025. https://www.vulture.com/2015/04/robert-dursts-all-good-things-dvd-commentary.html.

Reporter-Dispatch. 1950. "Durst death in Scarsdale ruled an accident." Reporter-Dispatch (New York, NY), November 10: 9.

Stewart, Richard, and Kevin Moran. 2003. "Millionaire is acquitted of murder." Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Nevember 12: 1.

Streeter, Kurt. 2001. "N.Y. police had sought to quiz slain author." Los Angeles Times, January 9: 28.

Zeman, Ned. 2020. "He also decided to kill her." Vanity Fair, April 23.

—. 2015. "The fugitive heir." Vanity Fair, March 16.

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