He could be around people, but still you never knew what Dean Corll was doing. 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. Henley represents a larger problem because he seems to be quite sane. Murderers and murdered all drifted in a common miasma of thwarted desires, vague longings, sordid gratificationa quest of sorts. Within a week he led authorities to 27 clandestine graves. According to Texas Monthly, Henley and Brooks began roaming the Houston Heights neighborhood, smoking marijuana, drinking beer, and shooting pool. 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. David Courtney, a.k.a. He was still talking about organized theft, and wanting to know in case was I cornered, was I willing to off the guy. 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. 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. Image: Netflix. Corll then bought Brooks a car and told him he would pay him to bring him more boys. His mother married a salesman, divorced him, later married a merchant seaman and divorced again. Henley was charged with six counts of murder and Brooks with four counts. 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]. Externally, however, Corll remained calm: he waited until Henley and the other two teenagers fell asleep from a night of drinking and smoking marijuana before binding and gagging them. 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. The depths of Corlls depravity soon started to come to light. [12] At Corll's home, Corll and Henley devised a ruse in which they would lure a youth to Corll's home and Henley would then cuff his hands behind his back, release himself, then con the victim into placing the handcuffs upon himself. FactualTV host a documentary focusing upon the murders committed by Corll and his accomplices. I dont really feel about it, you know. Dean searched for a climax he never found, says Henley. The fact that he did work, wasnt a wild drunk, got along with kids and people in generalthats what started it.. Wayne seemed to enjoy causing pain, Brooks told police, a fact Henley readily admits. reds and greens. His father was an alcoholic who physically assaulted his wife and sons. From the moment Brooks and Corll met, Corll took advantage of Brooks vulnerability: Brooks father was a bully who constantly chastised his son for being weak. Visiting time has expired. Henley says his father also beat him and once fired a pistol at him. Only when Porras asks specifics about the crimes does Henley refuse to answer. 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. When Brooks was 12, hed met Dean Corll, a man twice his age. The officers who were dispatched had no inkling that they were about to uncover the most heinous and horrifying killing spree the nation had ever seen up until that point. I mean, you see people getting strangled on television and it looks easy. He does NOT deserve to have any compassion for any illness as my brother was not even treated with basic humanity.. Henley is currently housed in Texas' Mark W. Michael Unit. Within the wooden box, investigators had found several strands of human hair which examiners had concluded came from Charles Cobble. Lise Olsenis a Houston-based senior reporter and editor at the Texas Observer. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. is a killer. Elmer Wayne Henley is a convicted serial killer involved in a series of murders in Houston. One day, Brooks walked in on Corll raping two teenage boys. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Looking back, I can see he was carrying a burden he was trying to. I am sorry that I decided to leave but I just had to go. Gregg started the interview, but struggled to get Henley to admit any involvement in anything. But as far as any emotion to it, theres no heartfelt emotion.. Henley was convicted in 1974[1]:219 for his role as a participant in a series of murders known colloquially as the Houston Mass Murders in which a minimum of 28 teenage boys and young men were abducted, tortured, raped and murdered by Dean Corll between 1970 and 1973. Henley and David Owen Brooks (Corll's other teenage accomplice), together and individually, lured many of the victims to Corll's home. Fellatio was just another antidote to boredom, no more disagreeable than bagging. Its not.. After listening to the evidence presented, the jury initially indicted Henley on three counts of murder and Brooks on one count. By the time he finally made an advance, I was an accomplice.. Seven minutes from true crime documentary, "THE KILLING OF AMERICA," on the infamous Henley/Corll Houston torture - murder case. Its not. Excerpted from The Texans, by James Conaway,to be published this spring by Alfred A. Knopf. So he started getting up and he was like, Youre not going to do anything to me,' she continued. Texas has the nations largest prison population, with more than 140,000 people incarcerated in 2022. Because Holden and Bill were in Atlanta working on another case, Wendy and Gregg went to interview him themselves. Henley pleaded for his life, promising to participate in the torture and murder of the other youths if Corll released him. Henley was offered the same fee as Brooks ($200) for any boy whom he could bring to Corll.[10][11]. He is currently incarcerated at Mark W. Michael Unit in Anderson County, Texas, and he will next be eligible for parole in 2025. When Henley does discuss the victims and his feelings, he speaks with an air of practiced regretfulness and seeming detachment. In the beginning he seemed quiet and in the background, and that made me curious. At this point, Corll told him the youth he had previously assisted in the abduction of had been killed and that Aguirre was to suffer the same fate. Henley is serving six consecutive terms of 99 years for his involvement in the Houston Mass Murders,[3] which at the time were characterized as "the deadliest case of serial murders in American history". Course Corrections: The Return of Prison Education, Clarence Brandley: Unjustly Convicted, Overdue for Justice, Mapping the Legacy of Prison Hunger Strikes in Texas, Last Dance with Ann Richards: Best Texas Books of 2022. Henley was initially fascinated by Dean Corll and later said, I admired Dean because he had a steady job. At first I wondered what it was like to kill someone, Henley once said. He died in prison in 2020 of COVID-19. 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.. That some things are best left under rocks is not a sentiment appropriate for journalists; yet is there any point in plumbing the random, insane horror known as the Houston Murders? [26] The youth, who vanished on July 12, 1973, had died of four gunshot wounds fired from a rifle, whereas each other victim of the Houston Mass Murders had either been strangled or killed with the .22 caliber pistol Henley had used to kill Dean Corll. Over the next three years, Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks helped Dean Corll lure more than two dozen teenagers and young men to his home where they were raped, tortured, and eventually killed. Corll, on the other hand, did not make fun of Brooks. I wanted to find out what his deal was. He was 18 years old at the time of his conviction. [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. The two became friends and often played truant together. Displays and public sales of Henley's artwork have drawn severe criticism from victim support groups. His homosexuality played second fiddle to this aura of experience and latent power, as viewed in the boys narrow perspective. 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. Henley was handed a long hunting knife by Corll, who ordered him to cut away Williams' clothes, insisting that he would rape and kill the youth as Henley would do likewise to Rhonda Williams. Henley's conviction was overturned on appeal on December 20, 1978. 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'm willing to die for the cause, because I can't live.". 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. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. interview on episode of 48 Hours The Ghoul Can't Help It 272 subscribers Subscribe 42K views 3 years ago Very solemn and sober interview with Dean Corll's teenaged. Hed of been proud of the way I did it, if he wasnt proud before he died.. Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. was born May 9, 1956, to Elmer Wayne Henley Sr. and Mary Henley in Houston, Texas. Arkansas Online reports Brooks died on May 28, 2020, after contracting COVID-19 in prison. 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. Henley was friends with two of the youths, David Hilligiest and Gregory Malley Winkle, who had disappeared on May 29, 1971, on their way to a local swimming pool. 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. 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. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr is currently serving six life sentences for participating in a murder, rape, and torture ring when he was a teenager. 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. Not all of the serial murder victims were immediately identified. Other pieces of evidence presented included the wooden box used to transport the victims' bodies to the various burial sites and the plywood body board upon which many victims had been restrained. But Henley was subsequently convicted of six other murders in which he actively participated. From arguably the best film . 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. Dad was always beating up on my little brothers. After one hour of deliberation they reached their conclusion:[35] Henley was found guilty and sentenced to six consecutive 99-year terms of imprisonment. In a few weeks, he would be transferred to the Ramsey Unit of the Texas prison system. At first I didnt sense that Dean might be a murderer, but later I did sense it. Get our latest in-depth reporting straight to your inbox. 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. Williams, who was jailed and hospitalized for a time, was let go and told to forget and never speak of that night again. I didnt think there was anything to it, but at least I did get money for it. 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. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. "I also said he would have a chance to apologize and say what he feels.". 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. He was a loner in his own right. Wikimedia CommonsElmer Wayne Henley (left) and David Owen Brooks (right) in 1973. He was not the only searcherjust the most cunning and desperate, and quite mad. Brooks introduced Henley to Corll, a heavyset employee of the Houston Lighting & Power Company, who was twice their ages. Corll was an average, submissive student who played the trombone in the Vidor school band, on the outskirts of Beaumont. Wikimedia CommonsDean Corll was viewed as a friend to many children in Houston. Thats what kept me around before he started talking about killing people. Maybe thats what started it, the divorce and all I trapped him over the head with the vacuum cleaner, and called the police.. [18] The same month, a 19-year-old named Richard Kepner was abducted while walking to phone his fiance from a pay phone.[19]. Between 1970 and 1973, Dean Corll, aided by David Owen Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., killed 26 young men in the Heights area of Houston. Elmer Wayne Henley (left) admired Dean Corll (right) and wanted to make him proud. ", Even with a weapon pointed at him, Corll was not cowed: he walked towards Henley, shouting, "Kill me, Wayne! Im glad now Im not hiding it, waiting, and Dean aint out there killing little kids. Promotional materials distributed by your outlet, including all social media work, must include cites for the Observer and our reporter. At first I wondered what it was like to kill someone. 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. [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. Before kids started coming around, we got money from Dean for thieving, for setting up places to rob. Deans front was wholesome and masculine. As reported by ABC13, Elmer Wayne Henley led authorities to the bodies of the majority of the victims. Brooks would later tell investigators that Henley seemed to enjoy causing pain, something Henley admitted was true. 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.. [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. Even after the pandemic began, that did not change. But Henley wanted money. He was hoping to get enough money together to take his girlfriend to the latest James Bond movie. As reported by Texas Monthly, Dean Corll's suggestion piqued Henley's curiosity, as he "wondered what it was like to kill someone.". The night of Aug. 8, 1973, Henley shot and killed Corll. Henley was sent to prison. 15-year-old Michael Baulch was the younger brother of Billy Gene Baulch Jr., who was murdered the previous spring. Outlets must also tag the Observer in all social media posts. When Brooks was 14, Corll began molesting him, all the while showering him with gifts and money to keep him quiet. August 10, 2022, 11:21 AM, CDT. Henley later told police that he ignored Corll's offer for several months. Within the last year, Henley provided information about other possible clandestine graves to Tim Miller, the founder and executive director of Texas EquuSearch. Bettmann/Getty Images (l.) / Netflix (r.)Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. (left) is portrayed by Robert Aramayo in the Netflix series Mindhunter. [32], The State of Texas presented a total of 82 pieces of evidence throughout Henley's trial, including the written confession Henley had given on August 8, which was read to the court in which he admitted killing or assisting in the abduction and murder of several youths, including the 6 teenagers for whose murder he was on trial. Later, I became fascinated with how much stamina people have. Henley suspected that Corll was homosexualI just figured David was hustling himself a queera fact that had remarkably little influence upon his opinion of Corll. 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. Dad just wasnt straightening out. Before Corll was able to manacle Kerley to his torture board, the pair left Corll's home to purchase sandwiches. Dean Corll, known as the Candy Man, was. For Porras, a graduate of New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the John Ruskin School of Arts in Los Angeles, "Decisions and Visions" is her first foray into long-format film making. Elmer Wayne Henley Jr, a gray-haired 66-year-old serving six life sentences for his role in Houstons most notorious serial killings, is requesting compassionate release from Texas prison, according to letters some victims families recently received. 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. You won't do it!" The eyes dominate a face most notable for its nastiness, speckled green and too large, conveying an extraordinary distance that continues to impress long after the gaze wanders, the ready smile fades. Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks were both convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Because the Behavioral Science Unit expands in. I didnt have to do nothing but steal. 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. YouTubeElmer Wayne Henley (left) admired Dean Corll (right) and wanted to make him proud. [1]:46[n 1], In the winter of 1971, when he was 15, Wayne Henley was again taken by David Brooks to meet Corll. 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 term serial killer had not yet been invented. He brought out a little blade, you knowand it wasnt a little knife, either. There were rumors going around school about Dean, but he was never overt. Elmer Wayne Henley said Corll eventually offered him and David Brooks money to commit petty crimes including theft. He agreed to accompany police to each of the burial sites to assist in the recovery of the victims. It was a great big knife. 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. 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. 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.. "[8], Nonetheless, in late 1971, Henley also began spending time in Corll's company. Porras was reluctant to say whether she considered Henley sincere in his thoughts, saying simply, "I think (the documentary) sends a powerful message. I was known as a playboy, a party person. The 2023 NFL Draft runs April 2729 live from Kansas City, Missouri. One of those killed was 13-year-old. Henley dropped out of high school at the age of 15, and it was around the same time that he met 16-year-old David Owen Brooks. When Henley took the investigators there, they found 17 bodies. 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. 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. All That's Interesting reports Henley and Brooks did not simply lure the young men to Corll's home, they willingly participated in the torture and killing of the victims. Williams was just 15 when she. She has made commercials and short films in the past. Lise has investigated many twisted Texas tales, including crooked judges, an unjust execution, massive environmental disasters, myriad cases of corporate and public corruption, and unsolved serial killings. 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. At the end of the conversation, Henley told Porras, "You have your interview. Thats exactly what I did. Henley did not know the extent of Brooks and Corlls relationship, though he had his suspicions. The major interview that takes place in this episode of Mindhunter was that of Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. Henley is defensive about several things during this interview. At the age of 15, Henley dropped out of high school. To make sure he stayed shot.. The parents of the rings last known murder victim, 13-year-old James Stanton Dreymala, are among those who were alarmed after receiving notification of Henleys compassionate release request. Between August 8 and 13, 1973, a total of 27 boys between the ages of 13 and 20 were found buried at the three locations Henley (and later, Brooks) had stated they and Corll had buried the victims, with an additional victim being discovered in 1983. Along with Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan and serial killer Elmer Wayne Henley, Kemper is one of the subjects interviewed in this morbid 1982 Japanese-American documentary. The Dreymala family and others are seeking Zoom meetings with the parole board to express their opposition to Henleys request. However, things became more sinister when the older man suggested committing murder. Henleys view of himself at that time is instructive. . 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. Of course I said yesego would dictate that. [28] Both youths pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Was Texaswas the countryhoneycombed with the decomposing victims of some hidden force so demonic that it eluded ordinary perception and even memory lay buried? 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. Henleys mother tried to do right by her children, and when Henley Jr. was 14, she left her husband and took the kids with her, hoping for a fresh start. Corll dragged the two victims into his bedroom and tied them to his torture board. As he taunted Kerley and Williams, Henley entered the bedroom holding Corlls gun. They had a little dinner tray they put on the edge of the bed to hold the cups. The oldest of the couples four sons, Henleys childhood home was an unhappy one. Henley then fired a further three rounds into the rear of his right shoulder and upper back, killing him. 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. Corll provided him inspiration, and a program, but at some point the apprentice seems to have surpassed the master. I asked if he sleeps at night, and he doesnt. They Chose Mine. Most capital murderers are ineligible for compassionate release in Texas: That path is not available to those sentenced to death or life without parole. He said, Theyre never going to let me out, and Im OK with that.'. 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. Families of Corlls victims have actively opposed parole for Henley for decades. Although he initially confessed to killing only one man, authorities soon learned Henley was one of three serial killers who abducted and killed at least 28 boys, ages 13 to 20 between 1970 and 1973. I wanted to find out what his deal was., When they next met, Corll told Henley about an organization out of Dallas that he was involved with that trafficked boys and young men. David Brooks later stated Hembree was accidentally shot in the mouth by Henley who, according to Brooks' confession "just came in (the room where the two boys were bound) waving the .22 and accidentally shot one of the boys in the jaw." Bettmann/Getty Images (l.) / Netflix (r.), Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. (left) is portrayed by Robert Aramayo in the Netflix series. [27]:161 Henley was not charged with the death of Dean Corll, which was ruled self-defense. Henley was one of the subjects interviewed for the project. The lawyer and his young partners want to sell Henleys life story to recover their fees, and they see this exclusive interview as a kind of literary screen test. Production of a film directly based upon the Houston Mass Murders. Henley fatally shot Corll after Corll hog tied, handcuffed and began to torture two of Henleys friends on the morning of August 8, 1973. I shot him once in the forehead; my hand went down, and I shot him twice in the shoulder. Three years before his death, his mother had sent him an inspirational book entitled This Thing Called You. Delivering up friends was easier, less risky, more prestigious. Despite his horror at the realization, Henley didnt tell the police what Corll had done. The identity of this first victim in whose abduction Henley assisted remains unknown. She inscribed it: From your 54-year-old mother who has just begun to live. To compensate, any people Henley paints are in black and white while his other works are usually in color. Throughout his trial, Henley was represented by Will Gray and Edwin Pegelow. While he insisted it was only meant to be a night of fun, not a night of torture and murder, this seems nave on Henleys part. medically recommended intensive supervision. He never really impressed me as masculine unless he was lifting something. 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. And if I'm going to make a documentary, I wanted to send a powerful message.". He also allowed them to stay at his home when they did not have anywhere else to go. 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.
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