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 said Corll eventually offered him and David Brooks money to commit petty crimes including theft. However, the abuse the younger Henley endured during his early life at the hands of his father would stay with him. 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. 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. But through all these years, one of his victims remains unidentified. Henley stated to police that Corll had paid him and Brooks $200 for each victim they were able to lure to his apartment, and informed police that Corll had buried most of his victims in a boatshed in Southwest Houston, and others at Lake Sam Rayburn and High Island Beach. Corll provided him inspiration, and a program, but at some point the apprentice seems to have surpassed the master. Dean Corll obscured his crimes by forcing his victims to send postcards to their families, explaining that they left town willingly and were safe. During his trial, Henley's written confessions were read. He agreed to accompany police to each of the burial sites to assist in the recovery of the victims. Bettmann/Getty Images (l.) / Netflix (r.), Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. (left) is portrayed by Robert Aramayo in the Netflix series. I asked if he sleeps at night, and he doesnt. Because the Behavioral Science Unit expands in. Eventually he calmed down and would give the two teenagers alcohol and drugs. Gregg started the interview, but struggled to get Henley to admit any involvement in anything. As reported by ABC13, Elmer Wayne Henley led authorities to the bodies of the majority of the victims. Henley Sr. was a violent and abusive alcoholic who took his rage out on his family. 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. 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. Thats what kept me around before he started talking about killing people. The night of Aug. 8, 1973, Henley shot and killed Corll. medically recommended intensive supervision. Looking back, I can see he was carrying a burden he was trying to. Despite the abuse, Mary Henley tried to ensure that her children received a good education and stayed out of trouble. 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. They had a little dinner tray they put on the edge of the bed to hold the cups. During his trial, Henleys written confessions were read. 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. The next day, Corll paid Henley $200. 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. One of Texas most famous death row exonerees died before winning compensation under a law inspired by his own story. Other evidence included the "torture board" Corll handcuffed his victims to and the "body box" that he used to transport bodies to burial sites. 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. Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks were both convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. I feel remorse because Im supposed to, he says, and he is laughing. Henley's conviction was overturned on appeal on December 20, 1978. 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. Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., 17, leads law enforcement agents along a grassy dune on a beach at High Island, Texas. Hope you understand, but I had to go. 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. Nonetheless, between June and July 1973: Henley, Brooks and Corll killed a further seven victims between the ages of fifteen and twenty, at least five of whom Henley participated in either the abduction or murder. Some of the torture devices found in the home of Dean Corll. Her reports in three states over 20 years contributed to the prosecutions of a former congressman and afederal judge, inspired laws and reforms, helped solve cold cases, restored names to unidentified murder victims, and freed dozens of wrongfully-held prisoners. 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. All of the Texas Observers articles are available for free syndication for news sources under the following conditions: You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. So he started getting up and he was like, Youre not going to do anything to me,' she continued. FactualTV host a documentary focusing upon the murders committed by Corll and his accomplices. "I also said he would have a chance to apologize and say what he feels.". He stated that Brooks had also been an active accomplice albeit for a longer period of time than he. I hated to lose my father, but since then weve just had a little friction. "[7], The same year, Henley became aware of an insidious pattern of disappearances in his neighborhood: since the previous December, a minimum of eight boys ages 13 to 17 had disappeared from Houston Heights. A total of 25 witnesses testified as to Henley's involvement in the abductions and murders, including Detective David Mullican. When Elmer woke up he was laying on his stomach and felt Dean Corll trying to handcuff him. At first I wondered what it was like to kill someone. From arguably the best film . 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. 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. 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." Dean had been training me to react, to react fast and to react, greatly. 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. He died in prison in 2020 of COVID-19. Here Henley and a schoolmate, David Brooks, failed the ninth grade together, skipping, smoking a little weed, shooting pool.. The death toll associated with the ring he joined as a junior high school dropout made international news in 1973 and continues to rise. 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. I was known as a playboy, a party person. For 26 years, Henley refused to talk to anyone in the media about those crimes. Excerpted from The Texans, by James Conaway,to be published this spring by Alfred A. Knopf. On June 4, a 15-year-old friend of Henley's named Billy Lawrence was abducted and, after 3 days of abuse and torture at an address Corll had moved to in Pasadena, strangled with a ligature and buried at Lake Sam Rayburn. I was an ignorant, stupid child. Seated with us in the dentists officeit affords the only privacy in the ward, where Henley is considered safest from the two dozen people who have vowed to kill himis one of his defense attorneys, a retired army officer in owlish spectacles. Henley later told police that he ignored Corll's offer for several months. Through extensive networking, she was able to arrange a meeting with Henley, who was at the time in Huntsville's prison. Elmer Wayne Henley is a convicted serial killer involved in a series of murders in Houston. [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. In a few weeks, he would be transferred to the Ramsey Unit of the Texas prison system. When Henley does discuss the victims and his feelings, he speaks with an air of practiced regretfulness and seeming detachment. In his opinion, Corll would have "been proud" of the way he killed him. David Courtney, a.k.a. That's exactly what I did." Henley told the interviewer he believed he had been reformed and that he was under the spell of Corll. CLICK TO WATCH FULL DOCUMENTARY ONLINE: https://docsonline.tv/serial-killers/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_content=psycho-killer-elmer-wayne. 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. He should stay where he is until he dies!. Elmer is one of the most respected voice actors in the business. reds and greens. In an interview for a 2002 documentary film, Henley said, I needed Deans approval. When they questioned Henley about the items, he completely broke down. Forty-five years ago this August, Houston's most notorious serial killer met his end. 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,. Dean Corlls deadly crime spree had finally come to an end. Their discovery began when they first saw the dead body of Dean Corll. Corll then bought Brooks a car and told him he would pay him to bring him more boys. 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. The following day, David Brooks turned himself in, and assisted authorities in locating the remaining bodies. Although I have conducted hundreds of interviews, I am uneasy in the presence of this high-school dropout from Houston Heights. 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. He was 18 years old at the time of his conviction. He already has begun a social media campaign to ask others to contact the board to oppose Henleys release. On October 8, Henley and Brooks were brought to court to face a formal arraignment. I have decided to go to Austin because I have got a good job offer. 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. Hen. 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 also a perverted product of some of those frontier values, degraded in social transition, and emerging in the crime of the decade that seems too utterly contemporary to warrant further examination. Corll dragged Aguirre to his bedroom and secured him to his torture board where he was raped, tortured and strangled before being buried at High Island Beach. 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. The 2023 NFL Draft runs April 2729 live from Kansas City, Missouri. Henley will shortly be sentenced to 594 years by a San Antonio court, but that is a formality. On August 13, 1973, a grand jury convened in Harris County to hear evidence against Henley and Brooks. 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. Dr. Sharon Derrick is among those interviewed for the documentary. Instead, he was held several days and tortured before being murdered and buried in Corlls rented boatshed. 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. 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. Arkansas Online reports Brooks died on May 28, 2020, after contracting COVID-19 in prison. Three years before his death, his mother had sent him an inspirational book entitled This Thing Called You. [28] Both youths pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. In late 1971, Brooks introduced Elmer Wayne Henley to Corll, reportedly with the intention of selling him to the serial rapist and murderer. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. The depths of Corlls depravity soon started to come to light. [45], A pen pal with whom Henley has corresponded has also organized several exhibitions of his artwork. Corll slumped naked against the wall, dead. For years, Corll had used Henley and another teen as procurers to lure victims. I mean, you see people getting strangled on television and it looks easy. Henley was brought to trial in San Antonio in July 1974, charged with the murders of six teenage boys whom he himself lured to Corll's apartment between March 1972 and July 1973. Wikimedia CommonsElmer Wayne Henley (left) and David Owen Brooks (right) in 1973. 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). The four got high and drank beer in the living room, but Corll was apparently livid with Henley for bringing a girl to his house. Henley drives that point home when, near the end of the documentary, Porras asks him if he is a serial killer. One day, Brooks walked in on Corll raping two teenage boys. When I interviewed serial killer, Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr., in October 2010 and discovered that a second victim of the "Houston Mass Murders," Mark Scott, 17, abducted on April 20, 1972, had. YouTubeSome of the torture devices found in the home of Dean Corll. Both were later buried in the boat shed. You either enjoy what you dowhich I didor you go crazy. He and I can get along for a little while, when hes half sober and Im half sober.. Despite the revelations to the reality of the fate of the boys brought to Corll, Henley nonetheless continued to assist Corll and Brooks in the abductions and murders of youths, who would be lured to Corll's home either alone or in pairs. 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. 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. All the victims found were young males and many had been sexually tortured in addition to being sexually assaulted. Despite his horror at the realization, Henley didnt tell the police what Corll had done. White adults drink Pearl beer in Billies Gold Brick, and more than a few teenagers risk mind-dissolving highs by baggingspraying acrylic paint into paper sacks, and breathing the fumes. You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. He could be around people, but still you never knew what Dean Corll was doing. [39][40][41]:7[39][42], David Brooks was tried for the June 1973 murder of Billy Ray Lawrence in February 1975. 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. Performance meets portability with Apple's 2023 MacBook Pro. 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. HBO Maxs Love & Death Needed a Home for an Axe Killer. 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.
