The truth is that some of the victims were traveling no further than the corner store (one on his bicycle), that for three years Houston authorities did nothing but add names to a list on a clipboard. David Brooks parents were also divorced, so were the parents of most of the victims. I feel remorse because Im supposed to, he says, and he is laughing. Excerpted from The Texans, by James Conaway,to be published this spring by Alfred A. Knopf. No one had the energy to discover what was common knowledge among students: that any kid who wanted could turn on and pick up a few bucks by allowing a certain fat electrician to go down on himand that some who had done so were no longer around. Within the wooden box, investigators had found several strands of human hair which examiners had concluded came from Charles Cobble. He had a big build, but he was flabby. Another project entirely brings me to Houston, and yet it seems quite proper while here to be dealing with Henley, a commodity as valuable as a state bank charter or a fast-food franchise. In late 1971, Brooks introduced Elmer Wayne Henley to Corll, reportedly with the intention of selling him to the serial rapist and murderer. Henley and Kerley later returned to Corll's home in the company of a 15-year-old girl named Rhonda Williams. Corll was an average, submissive student who played the trombone in the Vidor school band, on the outskirts of Beaumont. On August 3, Brooks and Corll without the assistance of Henley abducted and killed a 13-year-old boy named James Dreymala, who was strapped to Corll's torture board, raped, tortured and strangled before being buried in Corll's boat shed. Gregg started the interview, but struggled to get Henley to admit any involvement in anything. Henley then shot Corll once in the forehead. You won't do it!" A much more heavyset Kemper was seen in this extended interview footage with French true crime expert Stphane Bourgoin. "[8], Nonetheless, in late 1971, Henley also began spending time in Corll's company. Corll agreed. So Corll not only provided an addressa curious sense of belonging to his fictitious crime ringhe was also an inspiration, an intimation that life held some mystery beyond the Heights. Read this book and help me make up for the things I was too ignorant to teach you when I was in my twenties. Four days before his death, Dean telephoned his mother in Colorado and told her he was in trouble, feared he was losing his mind, and might commit suicide. If you support this mission, we need your help. Huffine pointed out that the video's purpose was to encourage parents and children to become more aware of their surroundings. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. vs. In 2020, they released 60, including 40 terminally ill and 20 in long-term care. Even after the pandemic began, that did not change. His mother moved to Colorado, but this time Corll didnt go with her. When he instructed Henley and Brooks to bring him boys, instead of stolen television sets, to be sold to a fictitious white-slave market in Dallas for $200 apiece, they complied. He untied Henley, and the two of them went back into the living room, Corll with a gun and Henley with a knife. As reported by ABC13, Henley's last victim was Dean Corll who was known throughout Houston, Texas, as the Candy Man. The pair then drove around Houston Heights and, at the corner of 11th and Studewood, Henley persuaded a youth to enter Corll's Plymouth GTX. She is the author of Code of Silence: Sexual Misconduct by Federal Judges, the Secret System that Protects Them and the Women who Blew the Whistle. CLICK TO WATCH FULL DOCUMENTARY ONLINE: https://docsonline.tv/serial-killers/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_content=psycho-killer-elmer-wayne. He is obviously pleased with his clients performance. As Corll began to assault and torture Tim Kerley, Henley began to cut away Williams' clothes with the knife Corll had handed him. Bettmann/Getty ImagesElmer Wayne Henley with police at High Island Beach on Aug. 10, 1973. Brooks introduced Henley to Corll, a heavyset employee of the Houston Lighting & Power Company, who was twice their ages. As a result of Henley killing Corll and Brooks dying in prison in 2020 from COVID-19, Henley is the only one of the trio still alive. The death toll associated with the ring he joined as a junior high school dropout made international news in 1973 and continues to rise. Henley may represent the bottom of the trash barrel, but there is a disturbing resonance to his words. At one point during the trial, Mullican testified that Henley had informed him that in order to restrain the youths; he, Brooks and Corll had "handcuffed (the victims) to the board and sometimes to a wall with their mouths taped so they couldn't make any noise".[33]. Within a week he led authorities to 27 clandestine graves. His homosexuality played second fiddle to this aura of experience and latent power, as viewed in the boys narrow perspective. He does NOT deserve to have any compassion for any illness as my brother was not even treated with basic humanity.. In August 1973, Henley, then 17, shirtless and jittery from a night of partying, was arrested and confessed to participating in a murder, rape, and torture ring led by Dean Corll, a Houston electrician and former candy maker with no criminal history. Henley did not know the extent of Brooks and Corlls relationship, though he had his suspicions. Maybe theres forty, maybe more. When Henley does discuss the victims and his feelings, he speaks with an air of practiced regretfulness and seeming detachment. Later, he got down to the fact that we was going to be killing people. "I'm willing to die for the cause, because I can't live.". Corll moved to an address at Westcott Towers in June 1972 and within one month, a 17-year-old youth named Steven Sickman had been murdered. Corll then bought Brooks a car and told him he would pay him to bring him more boys. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. Much of that first year was spent driving aimlessly about the Heights in Corlls car, drinking beer and smoking marijuana and planning petty theft. Im glad now Im not hiding it, waiting, and Dean aint out there killing little kids. One of them is his. Elmer Wayne Henley Jr, a gray-haired 66-year-old serving six life sentences for his role in Houston's most notorious serial killings, is requesting compassionate . On July 25, Henley lured two friends of his named Charles Cobble and Marty Jones to Corll's apartment where, two days later, Cobble was shot and Jones strangled before the youths were buried in Corll's boat shed. [24] Seventeen of the victims were found buried in the boat shed, a further four victims were found at Lake Sam Rayburn, six bodies were found buried at High Island Beach (although the body of a seventh victim buried at High Island, Mark Scott, still lies undiscovered at this location) and the body of a 28th victim was found buried at Jefferson County Beach in August 1983. I was known as a playboy, a party person. There is a coziness here that goes beyond sweating together. Elmer Wayne Henley said Corll eventually offered him and David Brooks money to commit petty crimes including theft. According to Texas Monthly, Henley and Brooks began roaming the Houston Heights neighborhood, smoking marijuana, drinking beer, and shooting pool. [7] On one occasion, in an apparent test of character, Corll asked Henley if he would be willing to kill if required, to which Henley replied, "Yes. Henley is the compleat American punk, the kid your mother warned you against becoming if you let smoking stunt your growth. He told them that Corll had been killing boys for the past two-and-a-half years and burying many of them at Southwest Boat Storage, according to the Houston Chronicle. Im glad I got it over with, telling. Dean Corll, known as the Candy Man, was. The fact that he did work, wasnt a wild drunk, got along with kids and people in generalthats what started it.. Maybe theres not just twenty-seven murders. Both Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., now in their late 50s, are serving life prison terms for their part in luring the boys to Corll's home, where they were sexually assaulted and killed.. [47][n 2], Following the revelation of Henley's subsequent involvement in the murders initiated by Corll, the mother of David Hilligiest would recollect: "He (Henley) would ask if we had heard anything and he would look off into the distance. Dean had been training me to react, to react fast and to react, greatly. It was, says Elmer Wayne Henley, snapping his fingers, such cool. He lacked a male figure in his life who would treat him with dignity and respect and he would end up finding this in Dean Corll. He gave him money and provided him with a place to stay when he didnt want to go home. Within the last year, Henley provided information about other possible clandestine graves to Tim Miller, the founder and executive director of Texas EquuSearch. One time she wrote about sports. Bettmann/Getty Images (l.) / Netflix (r.), Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. (left) is portrayed by Robert Aramayo in the Netflix series. Dean was a personal friend, as well as a source of income. When Elmer woke up he was laying on his stomach and felt Dean Corll trying to handcuff him. HBO Maxs Love & Death Needed a Home for an Axe Killer. In the beginning he seemed quiet and in the background, and that made me curious. As he did so, Williams lifted her head and asked Henley, "Is this for real?" At first I wondered what it was like to kill someone, Henley once said. On October 8, Henley and Brooks were brought to court to face a formal arraignment. Even with the COVID-19 epidemic rendering prison conditions infinitely more hazardous, Texas officials rarely granted compassionate release. So when I did something, I enjoyed it, and didnt dwell on it later.. Brooks accompanied Henley and the police to High Island Beach on Aug. 10, 1973, where they recovered another six bodies. Image: Netflix. At the end of the conversation, Henley told Porras, "You have your interview. Henley pleaded for his life, promising to participate in the torture and murder of the other youths if Corll released him. Here Henley and a schoolmate, David Brooks, failed the ninth grade together, skipping, smoking a little weed, shooting pool.. [18] The same month, a 19-year-old named Richard Kepner was abducted while walking to phone his fiance from a pay phone.[19]. Henleys view of himself at that time is instructive. The identity of this first victim in whose abduction Henley assisted remains unknown. However, Henley is not a typical aging and ailing Texas prisoner. In the years since, a judge told her to forget about that night, her family abandoned her, she's had death threats and she's never talked about any of it -- until now. GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man connected with the murders of six teenagers in 1973 died Thursday in a Galveston hospital while in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice,. Henley is appearing at a pretrial hearing before District Judge Preston Dial, who is to hear pretrial motions and arguments. [39][40][41]:7[39][42], David Brooks was tried for the June 1973 murder of Billy Ray Lawrence in February 1975. I wanted to find out what his deal was. I got along with everybody. Corlls apartment provided a place to waste time. Henley realized that the candy shop operated by Corlls motherwhere her son constructed a giant frog with red eyes that lit up when the telephone rang, for the amusement of childrenwas a store he had visited earlier. He was not the only searcherjust the most cunning and desperate, and quite mad. As fate would have it, Corll saw something promising in Henley that he hadnt seen in other boys, and he became a twisted mentor of sorts for the troubled 15-year-old. The oldest of the couples four sons, Henleys childhood home was an unhappy one. He overreacted, out of meanness. Their parents seemed unwilling or incapable of providing direction. I dont really feel about it, you know. Henleys earliest memory is of near suffocation. We rely on the generosity of our readers who believe that this work is important. Some of those who live around what was once the home of Dean Coryll, know about the horrible things that happened here others don't. He was charged with six counts of murder, according to The New York Times, but he was not charged with killing Corll, as the shooting was ruled self-defense. Weve got this problem of culpability, the lawyer had said earlier, when the two of us were seated outside in his dusty Cadillac, the windowsills too hot to touch. Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks were both convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Tools David Owen Brooks (February 12, 1955 - May 28, 2020) [1] was an American convicted murderer and accomplice of serial killer Dean Corll, who, along with Elmer Wayne Henley, abducted, raped, tortured, and murdered at least 28 boys and young men between 1970 and 1973 in Houston, Texas. In fact, Henley even brought another of his friends, Frank Aguirre, to Corll. Filmed when he was 42 years old . Dean looked up and he was surprised. He brought out a little blade, you knowand it wasnt a little knife, either. He then released Kerley and Williams, phoned the Pasadena police and subsequently confessed to his role in the Houston Mass Murders.[22]. The Wild History Of Predjama Castle, The Medieval Fortress Built Into The Mouth Of A Cave, The Disturbing Story Of Ward Weaver III, The Oregon Dad Who Brutally Murdered His Daughter's Preteen Friends, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. On August 13, 1973, a grand jury convened in Harris County to hear evidence against Henley and Brooks. But in Henleys case, Harris County prosecutors did not seek a death sentence, which the U.S. Supreme Court had declared to be cruel and unusual punishment on June 29, 1972. [15] Henley later claimed that he attempted to talk Corll out of raping and killing Aguirre, but Corll adamantly refused. Abbott, FBI announce rewards for info on Cleveland mass shooter, Massive ranch up for sale near Texas next big state park, 3,800-acre San Antonio-area property to become Texas state park, Texas man catches giant alligator snapping turtle, releases it, Former KPRC 2 anchor Dominique Sachse to launch podcast Monday, Uber ranks Houston among most 'forgetful' U.S. cities, Texas to host national hot air balloon championship this summer, Report: Texas man took break from dinner date to kill man outside, One of Houston's tallest skyscrapers to become apartment complex, J.J. Watt tweets the 2 things he doesn't miss about Houston, You can own your own cave system for a cool $875k, home included, Texas college baseball player hit by stray bullet mid-game, Greg Abbott announces $50k reward for information on Cleveland shooting, Massive Coastal Bend ranch up for sale near Texas next big state park, Property north of San Antonio set to become a new Texas state park, Texas man catches massive alligator snapping turtle, then releases it back into the wild, How former KPRC 2 anchor Dominique Sachse is getting back to reporting, Uber ranks Houston among the most 'forgetful' U.S. cities. Corll agreed and untied Henley, then carried Kerley and Williams into his bedroom and tied them to opposite sides of his plywood torture board: Kerley on his stomach; Williams on her back. The state Board of Pardons and Paroles approved 76 persons for release in 201959 terminally ill and 17 already assigned to long-term care. Once Corll had raped and murdered Aguirre, Henley, Brooks, and Corll buried him at a beach near Houston called High Island. Henley exchanges a few words with his attorney, and shuffles off down the hall. After one hour of deliberation they reached their conclusion:[35] Henley was found guilty and sentenced to six consecutive 99-year terms of imprisonment. When Henley took the investigators there, they found 17 bodies. He died in prison in 2020 of COVID-19. At Henley's trial in 1974, one of the six bodies found buried at High Island, that of 17-year-old John Manning Sellars, was disputed as being a victim of Corll by a forensic pathologist who examined his remains. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. But Henley was subsequently convicted of six other murders in which he actively participated. According to Williams, something in Henley appeared to have snapped that night: He stood at my feet, and just all of a sudden told Dean this couldnt keep going on, he couldnt let him keep killing his friends and that it had to stop, she recalled. Texas did not adopt life without parole sentences until 2005. As they made their way further into the house, investigators found a catalog of disturbing items, including Corlls torture board, handcuffs, and various tools. The Houston police claimed they were runaways, in an attempt to cover up what must be one of the grossest displays of inadequacy of any police department. Trial and Conviction. She has made commercials and short films in the past. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. [Texas Monthly, April 1976 edition p. 124], Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. & Dean Corll Documentary Clip, List of serial killers in the United States, List of serial killers by number of victims, "The Houston Mass Murders: What Really Happened", "Houston Finds Murder Ring a Random, Enigmatic Intrusion", "Dean Corll and Elmer Wayne Henley: Houston's most notorious serial killers By Chris Hanson", "Woman's 11-Year Search for Son Ends in Morgue", "Police News Reporter "Identifies" Houston Mass Murder Victim Bodies to be Exhumed", "2 Texas Youths File Pleas of Not Guilty In Mass Slayings (abstract)", Offender Information Detail Henley, Elmer Wayne Jr, "David Brooks, accomplice in Houston Mass Murders, dies at 65 of COVID-19", "Sentenced to life in prison for one of society's most heinous mass murders, it's all Elmer Wayne Henley has. Arkansas Online reports Brooks died on May 28, 2020, after contracting COVID-19 in prison. Dad was always beating up on my little brothers. Of course I said yesego would dictate that. To appease Corll, Henley told him they could rape and kill Kerley and Williams together. [28] Both youths pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Unfortunately, this would lead him down a dark and deadly path. No matter how much you talked to him, you didnt know him.. A total of 25 witnesses testified as to Henley's involvement in the abductions and murders, including Detective David Mullican. Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. (born May 9, 1956) is a convicted American serial killer and painter incarcerated in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system. Elmer Wayne Henley initially ignored Corlls offer, only changing his mind in early 1972 because he needed the money but Henleys later actions suggest that the money was only part of it. Since the 2000s, forensic anthropologist Sharon Derrick, who formerly worked for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, restored names to several victims, including some whose disappearances had previously not been attributed to Corlls group. However, Henley and Brooks had led police to Sellars' body on August 13, 1973, and the youth's body was found bound hand and foot and buried in a manner similar to Corll's other known victims. I asked if he sleeps at night, and he doesnt. Henley was born May 9, 1956, in Houston, Texas, the eldest of four sons born to Elmer Wayne Henley Sr. (September 21, 1938 June 18, 1986) and Mary Pauline Henley (ne Weed) (born May 4, 1937). There were rumors going around school about Dean, but he was never overt. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. I was an ignorant, stupid child. [46] Henley refuses to paint or draw any images of a violent or exploitative nature: many of his works depict serene imagery such as landscapes, buildings and flowers and the majority being created using acrylics and graphite. That's exactly what I did." White fatigues hang open at the neck, revealing a sunken chest and the colorless flesh of the restricted prisoner. On the evening of August 8, Henley confessed to police that for almost three years, he and David Brooks had helped procure teenage boys some of whom had been their own friends for Dean Corll. Other evidence included the torture board Corll handcuffed his victims to and the body box that he used to transport bodies to burial sites. Porras initially set out to interview "anybody on death row," she said. He sits cross-legged on a folding chair in the hospital ward of the Harris County jailhouse, laughing and brandishing a Marlboro. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr is currently serving six life sentences for participating in a murder, rape, and torture ring when he was a teenager. Following advice from his defense counsel, Henley did not take the stand to testify in his own defense, although one of his attorneys, Will Gray, did cross examine a number of witnesses. I had Dean in a corner, see, and he told me, You wont kill me. I shot himcoollyuntil I ran out of bullets. All rights reserved. He stated that Brooks had also been an active accomplice albeit for a longer period of time than he. Instead, he was held several days and tortured before being murdered and buried in Corlls rented boatshed. The term serial killer had not yet been invented. She inscribed it: From your 54-year-old mother who has just begun to live. He had brought enough people to Corll to know what would happen. Less than one month later, Henley and Brooks persuaded another friend of theirs, 17-year-old Mark Scott, to attend a party at Corll's home. There could be more. Rubber thong sandals dangle from grubby toes; gone are the wispy beard and shoulder-length hair of those blurred news photos, replaced by dark, oily curls pressed against his head. Porras was reluctant to say whether she considered Henley sincere in his thoughts, saying simply, "I think (the documentary) sends a powerful message. He loved his children and his grandchildren, he was sharp., We didnt get along. Henley will shortly be sentenced to 594 years by a San Antonio court, but that is a formality. He could be around people, but still you never knew what Dean Corll was doing. Andy Kahan, the victim advocate for Houston Crime Stoppers, said that several murder other victims relatives are concerned and angry about the request. I owe my life to them., He describes his grandfathera hard-working baker who died when Henley was only sevenwith a term that for him is close to adulation. I hated to lose my father, but since then weve just had a little friction. It was a promise she kept, until now.. You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. The Dreymala family and others are seeking Zoom meetings with the parole board to express their opposition to Henleys request. Williams, who was jailed and hospitalized for a time, was let go and told to forget and never speak of that night again. At first I wondered what it was like to kill someone. Bettmann/Getty ImagesElmer Wayne Henley Jr., 17, leads law enforcement agents along a grassy dune on a beach at High Island, Texas. Porras got together with Silver Rock Productions also using her inestimable networking skills: her father, Jack Schiefen, knows Malcolm Phillips, the film's audio person. Leave them blank to get signed up. He said, "Dean had been training me to react, to react fast and to react, greatly. As a result, the estimated number of victims rose to at least 29. The 2023 NFL Draft runs April 2729 live from Kansas City, Missouri. A TDCJ spokesman said she was unable to comment, as this is protected medical information.. PS I will be back in late August. Production of a film directly based upon the Houston Mass Murders. YouTubeElmer Wayne Henley (left) admired Dean Corll (right) and wanted to make him proud. As reported by ABC13, Elmer Wayne Henley led authorities to the bodies of the majority of the victims. He never really impressed me as masculine unless he was lifting something. Seven minutes from true crime documentary, "THE KILLING OF AMERICA," on the infamous Henley/Corll Houston torture - murder case.
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