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. If a child in opulent River Oaks had disappeared, the force would have mobilized, but those reported missing in the Heights were considered de facto trash, and expected to drift. I stepped aside, he ran through the door, and I shot him once in the back of the shoulder, and twice in the small of the back. 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. If I did go, I knew Dean would go after one of my little brothers, who he always liked a little too much.". When Brooks was 14, Corll began molesting him, all the while showering him with gifts and money to keep him quiet. So when I did something, I enjoyed it, and didnt dwell on it later.. 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. Henley then left the youth alone with Corll, believing he was to be sold into the sex slavery ring. Brooks introduced Henley to Corll, a heavyset employee of the Houston Lighting & Power Company, who was twice their ages. He and I can get along for a little while, when hes half sober and Im half sober.. They made their billions, but they werent going to be controlled by the government.. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. There is a coziness here that goes beyond sweating together. He said, "Dean had been training me to react, to react fast and to react, greatly. I feel remorse because Im supposed to, he says, and he is laughing. Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks were both convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. In the spring of 1973, Henley attempted to enlist in the U.S. Navy, but his application was rejected on June 28 due to the fact he had dropped out of high school andalthough a later intelligence test would reveal his IQ to be 126[20]possessed a limited education. I shot him once in the forehead; my hand went down, and I shot him twice in the shoulder. I had Dean in a corner, see, and he told me, You wont kill me. I shot himcoollyuntil I ran out of bullets. Elmer Wayne Henley feels many things, remorse not among them. He is obviously pleased with his clients performance. By the time Richard Kepner had been killed and buried at High Island, Henley had assisted in the abduction and murder of a minimum of nine teenage boys. [28] Both youths pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. The three drove back to Corlls apartment, and Henley left. 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. Henley referring to criticism of his art exhibitions. Elmer Wayne Henley, 17, (R), accused of 6 of 27 Houston mass murders, is escorted to District Court by Chief Bexar County Deputy Rudy Garza, (L). White fatigues hang open at the neck, revealing a sunken chest and the colorless flesh of the restricted prisoner. Initially, Henley was an excellent student at school;[1]:201 but after his parents' divorce he took a series of menial part-time jobs to help his mother with household finances, and his grades dropped sharply. He had brought enough people to Corll to know what would happen. Fellatio was just another antidote to boredom, no more disagreeable than bagging. For 26 years, Henley refused to talk to anyone in the media about those crimes. On October 8, Henley and Brooks were brought to court to face a formal arraignment. Willie Nelson Is Helping Billy Strings Stay California Sober on a New Duet, Fifteen Hours and Thirty Drinks With the Minds Behind When Where What Austin, MakingLove & Death: Lesli Linka Glatter, Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons, and Patrick Fugit, Why These Ugly, Abandoned Longview Homes May Be Worth Saving, An El PasoBred Childrens Author Illustrates Border Life for the Next Generation, The Glowing Letter That Brought Thousands of German Immigrants to Texas Was a Lie, A Writer Revisits His Search for His Grandfathers Darkest Secrets, Step Aside, Perrys: This 30-Ounce Smoked Pork Chop Is Ready to Take the Crown, Willie Nelsons Son Lukas on Ancient Texts, Pearl Jam, and I Never Cared for You, Love and Death in Silicon Prairie, Part I: Candy Montgomerys Affair, I Biked the I-35 Hell Route From Austin to San Antonio So You Dont Have To, Texas-Style Pulled Pork Is Embarrassing, 15 Treasure-Filled Spots to Antique in Small-town Texas, Mosquito Hawks Are Flitting All Over Texas, Love and Death in Silicon Prairie, Part II: The Killing of Betty Gore. Texas has the nations largest prison population, with more than 140,000 people incarcerated in 2022. Emily McCullar is a senior editor covering pop culture, news, and Texas history. August 10, 2022, 11:21 AM, CDT. All of Corlls 28 known victims had either been shot or strangled, and in at least six instances, Henley himself fired the shots or pulled the cords that killed them. The next day, Corll paid Henley $200. On August 8, 1973, Elmer Wayne Henley contacted Texas' Pasadena Police Department to report he committed a murder. He never really impressed me as masculine unless he was lifting something. Corll was furious that a girl had been brought to his house, telling Henley in private he had "ruined everything." Sorry for the bad video editing, I've made that quickly, I don't know much about . Nor was he deterred when Dean Corll told him he had abducted, tortured, and murdered a close friend of Henleys, David Hilligeist, in May 1971. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. is a killer. On July 16, 1974, after hearing closing arguments from both prosecution and defense, the jury retired to consider their verdict. Henley was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences of 99 years each. The state Board of Pardons and Paroles approved 76 persons for release in 201959 terminally ill and 17 already assigned to long-term care. He does NOT deserve to have any compassion for any illness as my brother was not even treated with basic humanity, she wrote. Cato allowed Henley the use of his mobile radio telephone to call Henley's mother, at which time Henley blurted the words, "Mama, I killed Dean," into the receiver, confessing to her that he had killed Dean Corll, all while Cato was capturing the conversation on film. [27]:161 Henley was not charged with the death of Dean Corll, which was ruled self-defense. At Corll's home (where he was possibly taken as an intended victim), the youth was told by Corll that he belonged to an organization based in Dallas which recruited young boys for a child sex slavery ring. Brooks became emotionally dependent upon Corll, and played a passive role in later, demented exaltation, for which he would be sentenced to only 99 years. Brooks accompanied Henley and the police to High Island Beach on Aug. 10, 1973, where they recovered another six bodies. When Elmer Wayne Henley contacted authorities that August day in 1973, he initially stated that he killed only one man Dean Corll. Because Holden and Bill are busy in Atlanta, Wendy and Gregg meet with Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., the mentee of "The Candyman" Dean Corll who acted as an accomplice to . My only regret is that Dean isnt here now, Henley would say afterward, so I could tell him what a good job I did killing him., Hed of been proud of the way I did it, he added, if he wasnt proud before he died.. His mother moved to Colorado, but this time Corll didnt go with her. Stantons parents, James and Elaine,and his sister Michelle definitely dont want Henley to be released and feel that he can be treated in prison for whatever is wrong with him, Michelle Wilson said via email. If theres a common theme among the boys it is rootlessness. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr is currently serving six life sentences for participating in a murder, rape, and torture ring when he was a teenager. He was still talking about organized theft, and wanting to know in case was I cornered, was I willing to off the guy. During his trial, Henleys written confessions were read. In the beginning he seemed quiet and in the background, and that made me curious. It was a great big knife. To appease Corll, Henley told him they could rape and kill Kerley and Williams together. No matter how much you talked to him, you didnt know him.. Despite the abuse, Mary Henley tried to ensure that her children received a good education and stayed out of trouble. In his confession given almost two years later, Henley told detectives Brooks lured him to Corll's home on the promise he could participate in "a deal where I could make some money." 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. From arguably the best film . A film loosely inspired by the Houston Mass Murders. The Dreymala family and others are seeking Zoom meetings with the parole board to express their opposition to Henleys request. But Henley wanted money. In an interview for a 2002 documentary film, Henley said, I needed Deans approval. 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. Henley unequivocally stated that since the winter of 1971, he had actively participated in the abductions and, later, the murders of the victims. One of them is his. [7] Initially, Henley was oblivious to the true extent of Corll's and Brooks' relationship. 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. Some say it's too much", "One of Houston's most notorious killers has Facebook page", "Real Horror: Local Filmmaker Brings the Horrific Crimes of Dean Corll to the Silver Screen", "Investigation Discovery Reveals Who Is Most Evil with Leading Forensic Psychologist Dr. Kris Mohandie On Sunday, December 7", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elmer_Wayne_Henley&oldid=1146493240, 7 (including Corll, which was ruled to be self-defense), "All I ask is that they look at my artwork firstit may be the only contribution I can give to society.". Williams, who was jailed and hospitalized for a time, was let go and told to forget and never speak of that night again. Once Henley agreed to help, he and Corll got into Corlls Plymouth GTX and began driving around looking for a boy. They came across one Corll liked the look of, so Henley asked the teen if he wanted to come and smoke pot with them. . It was a promise she kept, until now.. Henley may represent the bottom of the trash barrel, but there is a disturbing resonance to his words. I asked if he sleeps at night, and he doesnt. 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. By July 25, 1973, Henley had assisted in leading more than two dozen boys to horrific deaths at the hands of Dean Corll and himself. 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. Later, I became fascinated with how much stamina people have you see people getting strangled on television and it looks easy. Filmed when he was 42 years old . Production of a film directly based upon the Houston Mass Murders. However, the abuse the younger Henley endured during his early life at the hands of his father would stay with him. Henley later told police that he ignored Corll's offer for several months. The Texas Observer is known for its fiercely independent, uncompromising work which we are pleased to provide to the public at no charge in this space. 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. Porras initially set out to interview "anybody on death row," she said. The depths of Corlls depravity soon started to come to light. I was an ignorant, stupid child. When they began regaining consciousness, Corll stood Henley up and brought him into the kitchen, where he berated him for bringing Williams, saying hed ruined everything.. According to Texas Monthly, Henley and Brooks began roaming the Houston Heights neighborhood, smoking marijuana, drinking beer, and shooting pool. Sometimes it takes two people half an hour.. Texas did not adopt life without parole sentences until 2005. The assembled jury also heard the testimony of a youth named Billy Ridinger, who had been abducted by Corll, Henley and Brooks in 1972 and who testified as to his torture and abuse at the hands of the trio. Wayne seemed to enjoy causing pain, Brooks told police, a fact Henley readily admits. In interviews, Henley has stated that he suffers from a severe color deficiency in his eyesight that makes it impossible for him to clearly distinguish between Elmer Wayne Henley (left) and David Owen Brooks (right) in 1973. I wanted also to feel like I was man enough to deal with my father.. Volunteers from his Dickinson-based nonprofit, which specializes in missing persons and conducts searches nationwide, used specialized equipment to survey and excavate the yard around Corlls former home in Pasadena and in other places, but unearthed no human remains, Miller told the Texas Observer. Promotional materials distributed by your outlet, including all social media work, must include cites for the Observer and our reporter. All the victims found were young males and many had been sexually tortured in addition to being sexually assaulted. The lawyer and his young partners want to sell Henley's life story to recover their fees, and they. In one of the more dramatic moments in Houston television history, Jack Cato, a reporter for Houston's NBC television affiliate KPRC-TV, accompanied Henley and police as Henley led them to the storage shed where he and Corll had buried some of the murder victims' bodies. But as far as any emotion to it, theres no heartfelt emotion.. As the episode of "Mindhunter" explores, Henley would help lure victims to the 33-year-old serial killer Dean A. Corll. She has made commercials and short films in the past. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. was born May 9, 1956, to Elmer Wayne Henley Sr. and Mary Henley in Houston, Texas. Although some of the victims' families were suspicious of the postcards, authorities were reluctant to investigate the disappearance of boys who appeared to be runaways. His other needs would prove too complicated for ordinary sexuality, hetero or otherwise, and would match those of his mentor, but with a deadlier lack of passion. His father was an alcoholic who physically assaulted his wife and sons. 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. Henley fired a round at Corll, hitting him in the forehead. He does NOT deserve to have any compassion for any illness as my brother was not even treated with basic humanity.. 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. As promised, Henley was paid $200 the next day. No one seemed impressed by the fact that the unusually large number of runaways in the Heights involved teen-age boys who attended the same schools. I dont really feel about it, you know. Hunter and prey were products of divided families that owed more allegiance to the hardscrabble farms of the past than to the pavement of the present. The State of Texas presented a total of 82 pieces of evidence . In 1994, at the suggestion of a Louisiana art dealer, Henley began to paint as a hobby, in part as a means of generating income for himself and his mother. However, Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks did not become involved until later that same year when, as reported by All That's Interesting, Corll began offering Henley and Brooks money to lure other teenage boys to his home. Corll was known throughout the community as the Candy Man, as his parents owned a candy company. As a result, the estimated number of victims rose to at least 29. Even after Elmer Wayne Henley found out what happened to the first boy hed lured to Corlls home, he didnt stop. Photos, illustrations and other art may be available for syndication but must be confirmed. From what Wayne says, there may be more bodies out there. He gestured vaguely in the direction of the Gulf of Mexico, where in August 1973, police discovered the remains of seventeen teen-age boys beneath the dirt floor of a boat shed, wrapped in plastic shrouds and laced with lime, and subsequently dug up ten more along a lonely stretch of beach. As had been the case with Frank Aguirre, Scott was raped, tortured, strangled and buried at High Island Beach before another two Heights youths, Billy Gene Baulch Jr. and Johnny Ray Delome, were also murdered and buried at High Island on May 21. When Porras first met with Henley, according to the Houston Chronicle, she said, I thought I was looking at Hannibal Lecter., As the interview went on, she relaxed more, realizing Henley was not as terrifying as she initially thought. During his trial, Henley's written confessions were read. I mean, you see people getting strangled on television and it looks easy. On February 1, 1973, Corll abducted and killed a 17-year-old youth named Joseph Lyles, apparently without the assistance of Henley, who had temporarily moved to Mount Pleasant in early 1973. The fact that he did work, wasnt a wild drunk, got along with kids and people in generalthats what started it.. After he killed Dean Corll, Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. untied Tim Kerley and Rhonda Williams, picked up the phone, and called 911. As he did so, Williams lifted her head and asked Henley, "Is this for real?" To compensate, any people Henley paints are in black and white while his other works are usually in color. Corll was an average, submissive student who played the trombone in the Vidor school band, on the outskirts of Beaumont. On more than 300 occasions,[34] Henley's attorneys raised objections to the testimony given or evidence presented against Henley which was overruled by the judge presiding at his trial. He brought out a little blade, you knowand it wasnt a little knife, either. [29], Henley was brought to trial in San Antonio in July 1974,[30] charged with the murders of six teenage boys whom he himself had lured to Corll's apartment between March 1972 and July 1973. Once Corll had raped and murdered Aguirre, Henley, Brooks, and Corll buried him at a beach near Houston called High Island. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. It focuses on FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench as well as Dr. Wendy Carr as they interview many of America's most famous serial killers in the hopes of gaining some insight into their methodology and having a better shot at catching criminals like them before their body count continues to grow. He would later develop a minor criminal record, being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon in 1971 and burglary one year later. He beat up my mother, he beat up my mother and my grandmother once, at the same time. Henley himself had actively participated in the search for them. Sex didnt become a factor until later. Autopsies revealed each victim had been killed by either strangulation, shooting or a combination of both.[25]. My only regret is that Dean isnt here now, so I could tell him what a good job I did killing him.. However, he eventually confessed that he, Corll, and Brooks, worked together to kill at least 28 young men and boys. Henley fatally shot Corll after Corll hog tied, handcuffed and began to torture two of Henleys friends on the morning of August 8, 1973. On August 13, 1973, a grand jury convened in Harris County to hear evidence against Henley and Brooks. Texas officials rarely grant compassionate release, though people who are terminally ill, permanently disabled or elderly are potentially eligible for whats called medically recommended intensive supervision. Besides, I liked him personally. Families of Corlls victims have actively opposed parole for Henley for decades. In his opinion, Corll would have "been proud" of the way he killed him. Bettmann/Getty Images (l.) / Netflix (r.)Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. (left) is portrayed by Robert Aramayo in the Netflix series Mindhunter. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. He stated that Brooks had also been an active accomplice albeit for a longer period of time than he. Corll stayed with her through it all, obtaining a hardship discharge from the Army to return to the family candy business, this time in Houston. I admired Dean because he had a steady job. He should stay where he is until he dies!. Corll provided him inspiration, and a program, but at some point the apprentice seems to have surpassed the master. Corll told Henley that he was involved in organized theft, and he, Brooks and Henley burgled several addresses, for which Henley was paid small sums of money. [15] Henley later claimed that he attempted to talk Corll out of raping and killing Aguirre, but Corll adamantly refused. David Courtney, a.k.a. Before Corll was able to manacle Kerley to his torture board, the pair left Corll's home to purchase sandwiches. So when I did something, I enjoyed it, and didnt dwell on it later., It is not incidental that one of Henleys favorite books is Robert Heinleins Stranger in a Strange Land. [14], On March 24, Henley, in the company of Corll and Brooks, persuaded an 18-year-old friend of his named Frank Aguirre to accompany him to Corll's home on the promise of smoking marijuana with the trio. 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,. The compassionate release process, which is confidential, first requires the board to consider whether Henleys request is based on a legitimate medical condition or other hardship covered under the law. The son attempted to assume the role of surrogate provider, worked at odd jobs and gave some money to his mother, took a proprietary view of his old man. For years, Corll had used Henley and another teen as procurers to lure victims. If you support this mission, we need your help. You either enjoy what you dowhich I didor you go crazy. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. vs. Less than two weeks later, a 20-year-old hitchhiker named Raymond Blackburn was likewise strangled and buried at Lake Sam Rayburn before a 15-year-old South Houston youth named Homer Garcia was shot and buried at the same location after his July 7 abduction. [46] In 1997, the Hyde Park Gallery in Houston's Neartown area hosted Henley's first art show. Elmer Wayne Henley first became eligible for parole on July 8, 1980; on this occasionand each successive parole hearing to datehe has been denied parole. Another adolescent identified as Corlls co-conspirator, David Brooks, was arrested at 18 and sentenced to life for Lawrences murder. [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. His mother married a salesman, divorced him, later married a merchant seaman and divorced again. 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. Henley replied in the affirmative and Williams then asked Henley whether he intended to "do anything about it," upon which Henley grabbed the pistol Corll had laid on a bedside table and ordered Corll to stop what he was doing, shouting, "You've gone far enough, Dean! Bail was set at $100,000. In the documentary, Henley, wearing a white prison outfit, his thinning brown hair neatly cut, talks about his childhood, his relationship with Corll, and the possibility of additional victims and accomplices. Andy Kahan, the victim advocate for Houston Crime Stoppers, said that several murder other victims relatives are concerned and angry about the request. So he started getting up and he was like, Youre not going to do anything to me,' she continued. Bettmann/Getty ImagesElmer Wayne Henley Jr., 17, leads law enforcement agents along a grassy dune on a beach at High Island, Texas. He overreacted, out of meanness. 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. 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. "I also said he would have a chance to apologize and say what he feels.". The interview, along with other extensively compiled footage, comprises "Decisions and Visions," an hourlong documentary produced by Silver Rock Productions, an Oak Ridge North-based film company. Henley woke to find Corll placing handcuffs upon his wrists,[1]:100,101 Kerley and Williams had each been bound and gagged and lay alongside Henley on the floor. medically recommended intensive supervision. [45], A pen pal with whom Henley has corresponded has also organized several exhibitions of his artwork. Henley later said during his confession, Dean told me he would pay me $200 for every boy I could bring in and maybe more if they were really good-looking boys.. [5][6], Prior to his leaving high school, Henley became acquainted with a youth one year his senior named David Brooks.

Dan Koppen Wife, Shooting In Tullahoma, Tn Today, Khiry Abdulsamad Wife, Articles E