Houston serial killer Dean Corll's accomplice David Brooks could be paroled John Spong writes primarily about popular culture. He loved his children and his grandchildren, he was sharp., We didnt get along. As he did so, Williams lifted her head and asked Henley, "Is this for real?" Henley's conviction was overturned on appeal on December 20, 1978. This exhibition drew outrage from some victims' relatives. Elmer Wayne Henley said Corll eventually offered him and David Brooks money to commit petty crimes including theft. 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. Elmer Wayne Henley (left) admired Dean Corll (right) and wanted to make him proud. You won't do it!" Looking back, I can see he was carrying a burden he was trying to. Please notify us by email that the article will be republished at, Supreme Court had declared to be cruel and unusual punishment. Dean had been training me to react, to react fast and to react, greatly. Kahan said so far, he lacks details about the nature of Henleys request. Bettmann/Getty Images (l.) / Netflix (r.), Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. (left) is portrayed by Robert Aramayo in the Netflix series. At the age of 15, Henley dropped out of high school. Autopsies revealed each victim had been killed by either strangulation, shooting or a combination of both.[25]. When Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. was introduced to Dean Corll in 1971, he had no idea that he had been targeted by one of Americas most vicious serial killers. 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. Now that youve read about serial killer Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., check out the story of Barbara Daly Baekeland, who tried to cure her sons homosexuality with incest causing him to stab her to death. He sits cross-legged on a folding chair in the hospital ward of the Harris County jailhouse, laughing and brandishing a Marlboro. The following day, David Brooks turned himself in, and assisted authorities in locating the remaining bodies. Elmer Wayne Henley is a convicted serial killer involved in a series of murders in Houston. As a result, the estimated number of victims rose to at least 29. Henley drives that point home when, near the end of the documentary, Porras asks him if he is a serial killer. Henley eventually killed Corll and then confessed his crimes to police. Acute asthma attacks were overcome with the aid of his grandparents, who tended Henley while his mother was occupied with younger children and an unpredictable husband. FactualTV host a documentary focusing upon the murders committed by Corll and his accomplices. [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. David Owen Brooks - Wikipedia 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. 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. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. Within a week he led authorities to 27 clandestine graves. She sent him a box of candy. Thats what kept me around before he started talking about killing people. The term serial killer had not yet been invented. Before kids started coming around, we got money from Dean for thieving, for setting up places to rob. Elmer Wayne Henley Documentary - YouTube Williams, who was jailed and hospitalized for a time, was let go and told to forget and never speak of that night again. He is currently incarcerated at Mark W. Michael Unit in Anderson County, Texas, and he will next be eligible for parole in 2025. A 'Game of Thrones' Actor Plays One of the Murderers on 'Mindhunter' According to Texas Monthly, Henley and Brooks began roaming the Houston Heights neighborhood, smoking marijuana, drinking beer, and shooting pool. [45], A pen pal with whom Henley has corresponded has also organized several exhibitions of his artwork. [27]:161 Henley was not charged with the death of Dean Corll, which was ruled self-defense. 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. Eventually he calmed down and would give the two teenagers alcohol and drugs. In a few weeks, he would be transferred to the Ramsey Unit of the Texas prison system. 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. Although I have conducted hundreds of interviews, I am uneasy in the presence of this high-school dropout from Houston Heights. On July 25, Henley and his attorneys filed an appeal, contending that Henley had been denied an evidentiary hearing; that the jury had not been sequestered; that a motion to move the initial trial away from San Antonio had also been denied and that the presence of news media in the courtroom had also prejudiced his trial. Williams was just 15 when she. 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 . If you support this mission, we need your help. Henley referring to criticism of his art exhibitions. Survivor of Dean Corll's slayings maintains contact with serial killer He would later develop a minor criminal record, being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon in 1971 and burglary one year later. 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. When asked how he felt about killing his friend and mentor, Elmer Wayne Henley told Texas Monthly he did exactly what Dean Corll trained him to do. Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? He could be around people, but still you never knew what Dean Corll was doing. The two boys were killed by strangulation later the same day. Performance meets portability with Apple's 2023 MacBook Pro. Andy Kahan, the victim advocate for Houston Crime Stoppers, said that several murder other victims relatives are concerned and angry about the request. I hated to lose my father, but since then weve just had a little friction. He had brought enough people to Corll to know what would happen. Sorry for the bad video editing, I've made that quickly, I don't know much about . But film maker Teana Schiefen Porras managed to break through not only correctional system red tape, but Henley's reluctance, to come away with a filmed interview. 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. In addition to driving them around town, Dean Corll often drank alcohol and smoked marijuana with the boys. Henley represents a larger problem because he seems to be quite sane. But Henley was subsequently convicted of six other murders in which he actively participated. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr is currently serving six life sentences for participating in a murder, rape, and torture ring when he was a teenager. 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. He was hoping to get enough money together to take his girlfriend to the latest James Bond movie. Bettmann/Getty ImagesElmer Wayne Henley Jr., 17, leads law enforcement agents along a grassy dune on a beach at High Island, Texas. They had a little dinner tray they put on the edge of the bed to hold the cups. When Elmer Wayne Henley contacted authorities that August day in 1973, he initially stated that he killed only one man Dean Corll. He untied Henley, and the two of them went back into the living room, Corll with a gun and Henley with a knife. Henley will shortly be sentenced to 594 years by a San Antonio court, but that is a formality. I liked being there. The 2023 NFL Draft runs April 2729 live from Kansas City, Missouri. However, in early 1972, he decided he would "help find a boy" for Corll, as he was in dire financial circumstances. And if I'm going to make a documentary, I wanted to send a powerful message.". He told the operator that he had just shot and killed Corll and then gave them the address of Corlls house in the Houston suburb of Pasadena. Maybe theres not just twenty-seven murders. 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. I asked if he sleeps at night, and he doesnt. Maybe theres forty, maybe more. 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. 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. 2021 The Texas Observer. The 15 Most Interesting Serial Killers On Mindhunter (& 5 They Should 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. 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. Displays and public sales of Henley's artwork have drawn severe criticism from victim support groups. Most of those missing boys and young men had been branded as runaways by policeand their murders had gone undetecteduntil Henley killed Corll. Henley is currently housed in Texas' Mark W. Michael Unit. 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.. [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. There were rumors going around school about Dean, but he was never overt. One of Texas most famous death row exonerees died before winning compensation under a law inspired by his own story. Site made in collaboration with CMYK. Later, I became fascinated with how much stamina people have. In a 2010 interview, Henley stated: "I couldn't leave anyway. After one hour of deliberation they reached their conclusion:[35] Henley was found guilty and sentenced to six consecutive 99-year terms of imprisonment. On August 8, 1973, Henley brought a further potential victim, 19-year-old Timothy Kerley, to Corll's home upon the promise of a party. Gregg started the interview, but struggled to get Henley to admit any involvement in anything. Much of that first year was spent driving aimlessly about the Heights in Corlls car, drinking beer and smoking marijuana and planning petty theft. He later stated that though he admired Corll because he worked hard, he also suspected that Corll was homosexual, and concluded that Brooks was "hustling himself a queer. Most capital murderers are ineligible for compassionate release in Texas: That path is not available to those sentenced to death or life without parole. Thats exactly what I did. Henley himself had actively participated in the search for them. Is Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. Still In Jail? 'Mindhunter' Season 2 - Bustle 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. I admired Dean because he had a steady job. You either enjoy what you do which I did or you go crazy. Bettmann/Getty Images (l.) / Netflix (r.)Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. (left) is portrayed by Robert Aramayo in the Netflix series Mindhunter.
