Jan 26, 2024 · As the chapter unfolds, readers are invited to walk alongside C. Roy Kelly, exploring the layers of his journey that ultimately converged with the shadows that loomed over West Plains. A Wave of Unsolved Crimes. The tranquil town of West Plains was shaken by a series of unsolved burglaries.

Sheriff C. Roy Kelly was shot and killed by two members of the Barker Gang while investigating a suspicious car. At approximately 7:40 pm, Alvin Karpis and Fred Barker drove a blue DeSoto sedan to the Davidson Garage on East Main Street in …

C. Roy Kelly, 46 years old, sheriff of Howell county, was shot and instantly killed shortly before 9 o’clock this morning by a bandit believed to have been implicated in the burglary of the C.C. McCallon store here yesterday morning, and who made his escape afoot over Kelly’s body.

Sheriff C. Roy Kelly was shot and killed by two members of the Barker Gang while investigating a suspicious car. One of the suspects was responsible for the murder of Chief Manley Jackson, of the Pocahontas Police Department, Arkansas. This suspect was later shot and killed by …

The "Ma" Barker gang intended to rob the West Plains bank if Sheriff Kelly hadn’t ruined their plans. So even though the brave sheriff had been killed, he was still a hero in Howell County.

Jan 24, 2011 · By December the gang was robbing banks in Missouri and on Saturday December 19th the gang killed the Howell County Sheriff, C. Roy Kelly in West Plains after the Sheriff began investigating a suspicious car.

Oct 11, 2015 · The car matched the description of a vehicle seen near McCallon’s store on the night of the burglary, and garage owner Carac Davidson immediately relayed his suspicions to Howell County sheriff C.R. “Roy” Kelly.

Aug 26, 2024 · The Explore West Plains guidebook outlines a self-guided history tour. Learn about the murder of Sheriff Roy Kelly by the Ma Barker gang and the most tragic chapter of the town’s history, the Bond Dance Hall explosion, which killed 39 people in 1928.

Just down the street from the dance hall site and to the left is the spot where Sheriff C. Roy Kelly was shot and killed on Dec. 19, 1931, minutes after exiting what was then the brand-new West Plains Post Office.

Nov 14, 2017 · Native of Van Buren, Missouri, C. Roy Kelly, formerly a Springfield candy salesman and a restaurant proprietor of Mountain View, Missouri, was elected as sheriff of Howell County.