Some of the torture devices found in the home of Dean Corll. 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. 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. His mother married a salesman, divorced him, later married a merchant seaman and divorced again. On August 13, 1973, a grand jury convened in Harris County to hear evidence against Henley and Brooks. Elmer Wayne Henley is a convicted serial killer involved in a series of murders in Houston. It was, says Elmer Wayne Henley, snapping his fingers, such cool. Phillips knows Brian Falcon and Mike Huffine of Silver Rock. [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. 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. Henley represents a larger problem because he seems to be quite sane. Other evidence included the "torture board" Corll handcuffed his victims to and the "body box" that he used to transport bodies to burial sites. Twenty-eight young boys killed in all, from 1970 to 1973. 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. His father was an alcoholic who physically assaulted his wife and sons. In the beginning he seemed quiet and in the background, which made me curious. As Henley claimed in an interview with Texas Monthly, Corll allegedly promised him $200 for every boy he brought to him, as part of "a homosexual porn ring in California." Henley eventually killed Corll and then confessed his crimes to police. Henley's next eligible parole date is October 2025[37][38] when he will be 69 years old. Henley Sr. was a violent and abusive alcoholic who took his rage out on his family. 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. John Spong writes primarily about popular culture. The 2023 NFL Draft runs April 2729 live from Kansas City, Missouri. 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. Little did Corll or Henley realize how consequential their meeting would be or the deadly repercussions it would have. 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. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. is a killer. Im glad now Im not hiding it, waiting, and Dean aint out there killing little kids. 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. Another adolescent identified as Corlls co-conspirator, David Brooks, was arrested at 18 and sentenced to life for Lawrences murder. One of those killed was 13-year-old. The fact that he did work, wasnt a wild drunk, got along with kids and people in generalthats what started it.. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. Dean Corll obscured his crimes by forcing his victims to send postcards to their families, explaining that they left town willingly and were safe. 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. 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. At the end of the conversation, Henley told Porras, "You have your interview. If I did go, I knew Dean would go after one of my little brothers, who he always liked a little too much.". 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. [18] The same month, a 19-year-old named Richard Kepner was abducted while walking to phone his fiance from a pay phone.[19]. YouTubeSome of the torture devices found in the home of Dean Corll. 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. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Henley is incarcerated in the Stiles Unit in Jefferson County. Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks were both convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. His homosexuality played second fiddle to this aura of experience and latent power, as viewed in the boys narrow perspective. 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. 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. "I thought I was looking at Hannibal Lector," she said of her first meeting with Henley. 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. The state Board of Pardons and Paroles approved 76 persons for release in 201959 terminally ill and 17 already assigned to long-term care. [39][40][41]:7[39][42], David Brooks was tried for the June 1973 murder of Billy Ray Lawrence in February 1975. ", Even with a weapon pointed at him, Corll was not cowed: he walked towards Henley, shouting, "Kill me, Wayne! Two additional youths, John Sellars and Michael Baulch, were killed on July 12 and 19. the Texanist, is a staff writer. 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. Henley lured the victim to Corll's Schuler Street apartment on the promise of smoking some marijuana. 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. At Corll's address, Henley helped con the teenager into donning the handcuffs,[13] then watched Corll pounce on the youth, tie his feet and place tape over his mouth. I wished I hadnt done it. 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. When they questioned Henley about the items, he completely broke down. I thought divorce was a good idea, and I told him so. As the episode of "Mindhunter" explores, Henley would help lure victims to the 33-year-old serial killer Dean A. Corll. A decade later, Henley was interviewed by filmmaker Teana Schiefen Porras for her documentary Decisions and Visions. 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. 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. Please notify us by email that the article will be republished at, Supreme Court had declared to be cruel and unusual punishment. I was known as a playboy, a party person. 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. Both survived, and Corlls murder was ruled justifiable homicide. As Corll began to assault and torture Tim Kerley, Henley began to cut away Williams' clothes with the knife Corll had handed him. At first I didnt sense that Dean might be a murderer, but later I did sense it. 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. Henley will shortly be sentenced to 594 years by a San Antonio court, but that is a formality. He was still talking about organized theft, and wanting to know in case was I cornered, was I willing to off the guy. Dad was always beating up on my little brothers. 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. Based on the real cases of former special agent John E. Douglas, Netflix's Mindhunter features chilling dramatized interviews with serial killers. ", "I told him teenagers could learn from him," she said when asked how she succeeded where many others had failed. In 1991, 48 Hours produced a segment on the Houston Mass Murders, which included an interview with Henley in prison. Hen. In an interview for a 2002 documentary film, Henley said, I needed Deans approval. He also allowed them to stay at his home when they did not have anywhere else to go. "[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. On July 16, 1974, after hearing closing arguments from both prosecution and defense, the jury retired to consider their verdict. For 26 years, Henley refused to talk to anyone in the media about those crimes. He overreacted, out of meanness. Dean searched for a climax he never found, says Henley. Henley says his father also beat him and once fired a pistol at him. All rights reserved. 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. 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. medically recommended intensive supervision. FactualTV host a documentary focusing upon the murders committed by Corll and his accomplices. Within the last year, Henley provided information about other possible clandestine graves to Tim Miller, the founder and executive director of Texas EquuSearch. He beat up my mother, he beat up my mother and my grandmother once, at the same time. 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. At the age of 15, Henley dropped out of high school. He stated that Brooks had also been an active accomplice albeit for a longer period of time than he. 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. 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. I didnt have to do nothing but steal. 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. He loved his children and his grandchildren, he was sharp., We didnt get along. He is obviously pleased with his clients performance. Henley was offered the same fee as Brooks ($200) for any boy whom he could bring to Corll.[10][11]. Maybe thats what started it, the divorce and all I trapped him over the head with the vacuum cleaner, and called the police.. In his opinion, Corll would have "been proud" of the way he killed him. Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? Lise Olsenis a Houston-based senior reporter and editor at the Texas Observer. It was a great big knife. Wikimedia CommonsElmer Wayne Henley (left) and David Owen Brooks (right) in 1973. Corll agreed. However, the abuse the younger Henley endured during his early life at the hands of his father would stay with him. Henley is currently housed in Texas' Mark W. Michael Unit. 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. On August 8, 1973 Dean Corll was upset with Elmer Henly as the then seventeen year old had brought a girl back to the house. August 10, 2022, 11:21 AM, CDT. YouTubeElmer Wayne Henley (left) admired Dean Corll (right) and wanted to make him proud. And if I'm going to make a documentary, I wanted to send a powerful message.". Leave them blank to get signed up. Even after Elmer Wayne Henley found out what happened to the first boy hed lured to Corlls home, he didnt stop. 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. I had Dean in a corner, see, and he told me, You wont kill me. I shot himcoollyuntil I ran out of bullets. Henley may represent the bottom of the trash barrel, but there is a disturbing resonance to his words. Arkansas Online reports Brooks died on May 28, 2020, after contracting COVID-19 in prison. 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. Articles must link back to the original article and contain the following attribution at the top of the story: This article was originally published by the, Articles cannot be rewritten, edited or changed beyond alignments with house style books. Only when Porras asks specifics about the crimes does Henley refuse to answer. HBO Maxs Love & Death Needed a Home for an Axe Killer. When that didnt kill him, Henley shot him five more times in the back and shoulder. Corll provided him inspiration, and a program, but at some point the apprentice seems to have surpassed the master. His mother moved to Colorado, but this time Corll didnt go with her. Henley was charged with six counts of murder and Brooks with four counts. Its not. I admired Dean because he had a steady job. He died in prison in 2020 of COVID-19. You either enjoy what you dowhich I didor you go crazy. 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. David Brooks parents were also divorced, so were the parents of most of the victims. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Elmer Wayne Henley feels many things, remorse not among them. I stayed around because there was no reason for me to leave. 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. After one hour of deliberation they reached their conclusion:[35] Henley was found guilty and sentenced to six consecutive 99-year terms of imprisonment. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. (born May 9, 1956) is a convicted American serial killer, incarcerated in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system. As a result, the estimated number of victims rose to at least 29. Williams was just 15 when she. In the beginning he seemed quiet and in the background, and that made me curious. They had a little dinner tray they put on the edge of the bed to hold the cups. 15-year-old Michael Baulch was the younger brother of Billy Gene Baulch Jr., who was murdered the previous spring. 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 brought out a little blade, you knowand it wasnt a little knife, either. In all, 49 states provide some type of compassionate release. Henley pleaded for his life, promising to participate in the torture and murder of the other youths if Corll released him. Fellatio was just another antidote to boredom, no more disagreeable than bagging. 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." [46] In 1997, the Hyde Park Gallery in Houston's Neartown area hosted Henley's first art show. He was getting drunk too much, getting too rowdy. Elmer is one of the most respected voice actors in the business. 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. [15] Henley later claimed that he attempted to talk Corll out of raping and killing Aguirre, but Corll adamantly refused. He then took them to Sam Rayburn Lake, where four more bodies were buried. 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. Wayne seemed to enjoy causing pain, Brooks told police, a fact Henley readily admits. 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. [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. 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 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. The Astrodomes Decline From Eighth Wonder to Eighth Blunder of the World, Matthew McConaughey Is Monetizing His Whole Vibe. Later, I became fascinated with how much stamina people have you see people getting strangled on television and it looks easy. 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. Those victims also were his friends, classmates or neighbors: Frank Aguirre, a 17-year-old high school senior only weeks away from graduation; his former junior high classmate Johnny Delome, 16; Charles Cobble, 17; and Marty Jones, 18, who shared an apartment blocks from Henleys home; Homer Garcia, a 15-year-old who took drivers ed classes with Henley; and Billy Lawrence, another 15-year-old who was apparently held captive and abused longer than any other victim, according to trial testimony. "I'm willing to die for the cause, because I can't live.". However, Henley is not a typical aging and ailing Texas prisoner. There wasnt anything that could have made me more uptight than to have been drunk and stoned and hungover and having withdrawals, and then I just blew his life away. He agreed to accompany police to each of the burial sites to assist in the recovery of the victims. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. Arkansas Online reports Brooks died on May 28, 2020, after contracting COVID-19 in prison. [7] Initially, Henley was oblivious to the true extent of Corll's and Brooks' relationship. Unfortunately, this would lead him down a dark and deadly path. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on March 4. . Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr is currently serving six life sentences for participating in a murder, rape, and torture ring when he was a teenager. Henley exchanges a few words with his attorney, and shuffles off down the hall. 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. Besides, I liked him personally. Its not.. This is the company's first production outside of the corporate world, according to Huffine. 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. He does NOT deserve to have any compassion for any illness as my brother was not even treated with basic humanity.. Even with a COVID-19 epidemic that rendered prison conditions infinitely more hazardous, Texas officials reported granting compassionate release to very few. "I also said he would have a chance to apologize and say what he feels.". Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. Henley's conviction was overturned on appeal on December 20, 1978. While Holden and Bill sweated through a thousand work shirts in a humid Georgia, Wendy and a nervous Gregg took on the interview of this week's killer: Elmer Wayne Henley, an . 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. No matter how much you talked to him, you didnt know him.. Dean Corll, known as the Candy Man, was. 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. 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
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