Dean was a personal friend, as well as a source of income. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. | Mindhunter Wiki | Fandom 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? Andy Kahan, the victim advocate for Houston Crime Stoppers, said that several murder other victims relatives are concerned and angry about the request. This exhibition drew outrage from some victims' relatives. As the episode of "Mindhunter" explores, Henley would help lure victims to the 33-year-old serial killer Dean A. Corll. 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. A decade later, Henley was interviewed by filmmaker Teana Schiefen Porras for her documentary Decisions and Visions. Sometime in the following month, an 18-year-old named Willard Karmon Branch Jr. was emasculated and shot before his body was buried in Corll's boat shed. 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. How Galvestonians used to dance until they dropped (for fun), a former figure skater turned journalist, and other Lone Star State stories. The night of Aug. 8, 1973, Henley shot and killed Corll. Serial killer Henley grants interview Dec. 27, 2001 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. Henley is incarcerated in the Stiles Unit in Jefferson County. Families of Corlls victims have actively opposed parole for Henley for decades. Its not. In an interview with Texas Monthly, Henley said Corll, who was in his early 30s, seemed like a "quiet" and friendly man, who simply liked spending time with the teens. 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. Later, I became fascinated with how much stamina people have you see people getting strangled on television and it looks easy. reds and greens. Serial Killers - Dean Corrl & Elmer Wayne Henley - YouTube A 'Game of Thrones' Actor Plays One of the Murderers on 'Mindhunter' 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 . CLICK TO WATCH FULL DOCUMENTARY ONLINE: https://docsonline.tv/serial-killers/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_content=psycho-killer-elmer-wayne. In late 1971, Brooks introduced Elmer Wayne Henley to Corll, reportedly with the intention of selling him to the serial rapist and murderer. 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. Only when Porras asks specifics about the crimes does Henley refuse to answer. Corll then bought Brooks a car and told him he would pay him to bring him more boys. On August 13, 1973, a grand jury convened in Harris County to hear evidence against Henley and Brooks. When they questioned Henley about the items, he completely broke down. Before kids started coming around, we got money from Dean for thieving, for setting up places to rob. A film loosely inspired by the Houston Mass Murders. 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. No matter how much you talked to him, you didnt know him.. He assumed that the boy had been sold to the Dallas organization Corll was a part of but he later found out that Corll had sexually assaulted the boy and then murdered him. He was not the only searcherjust the most cunning and desperate, and quite mad. He then took them to Sam Rayburn Lake, where four more bodies were buried. 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. 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. One day, Brooks walked in on Corll raping two teenage boys. So he started getting up and he was like, Youre not going to do anything to me,' she continued. "I thought I was looking at Hannibal Lector," she said of her first meeting with Henley. [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. But Henley was subsequently convicted of six other murders in which he actively participated. Within the wooden box, investigators had found several strands of human hair which examiners had concluded came from Charles Cobble. The Last Kid on the Block - Texas Monthly 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. Most of those missing boys and young men had been branded as runaways by policeand their murders had gone undetecteduntil Henley killed Corll. David Owen Brooks - Wikipedia 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. Dad was always beating up on my little brothers. Even with the COVID-19 epidemic rendering prison conditions infinitely more hazardous, Texas officials rarely granted compassionate release. All rights reserved. Henley Sr. was a violent and abusive alcoholic who took his rage out on his family. Arkansas Online reports Brooks died on May 28, 2020, after contracting COVID-19 in prison. David Brooks parents were also divorced, so were the parents of most of the victims. Henley may represent the bottom of the trash barrel, but there is a disturbing resonance to his words. On August 3, Brooks and Corll without the assistance of Henley abducted and killed a 13-year-old boy named James Dreymala, who was strapped to Corll's torture board, raped, tortured and strangled before being buried in Corll's boat shed. Elmer Wayne Henley said Corll eventually offered him and David Brooks money to commit petty crimes including theft. Elmer Wayne Henley with police at High Island Beach on Aug. 10, 1973. On October 8, Henley and Brooks were brought to court to face a formal arraignment. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on March 4. You either enjoy what you do which I did or you go crazy. 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). 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. Production of a film directly based upon the Houston Mass Murders. During his trial, Henley's written confessions were read. 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. He should stay where he is until he dies!. 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. Wikimedia CommonsDean Corll was viewed as a friend to many children in Houston. Within a week he led authorities to 27 clandestine graves. Henley was convicted for the murder of 27 young men and boys in 1974. 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. Dean had been training me to react, to react fast and to react, greatly. Henley unequivocally stated that since the winter of 1971, he had actively participated in the abductions and, later, the murders of the victims. I wanted also to feel like I was man enough to deal with my father.. He is currently incarcerated at Mark W. Michael Unit in Anderson County, Texas, and he will next be eligible for parole in 2025. 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[16] Corll rented a boat shed on Silver Bell Street in southwest Houston (where police eventually found eight bodies) [17] Later, Corll and Brooks told Henley that his childhood friend, David Hilligiest, had also been killed and buried in that same boat shed along with his swimming companion Gregory Malley Winkle.[12]. He died in prison in 2020 of COVID-19. 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. They made their billions, but they werent going to be controlled by the government.. Because Holden and Bill were in Atlanta working on another case, Wendy and Gregg went to interview him themselves. Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks were both convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. [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. Besides, I liked him personally. Before Corll was able to manacle Kerley to his torture board, the pair left Corll's home to purchase sandwiches. 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. 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. Lise Olsenis a Houston-based senior reporter and editor at the Texas Observer. I asked if he sleeps at night, and he doesnt. Henley's next eligible parole date is October 2025[37][38] when he will be 69 years old. Dean Corlls deadly crime spree had finally come to an end. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr is currently serving six life sentences for participating in a murder, rape, and torture ring when he was a teenager. At first I wondered what it was like to kill someone. Henley did not know the extent of Brooks and Corlls relationship, though he had his suspicions. Two additional youths, John Sellars and Michael Baulch, were killed on July 12 and 19. 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. 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. 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. This is the company's first production outside of the corporate world, according to Huffine. 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. He overreacted, out of meanness. Phillips knows Brian Falcon and Mike Huffine of Silver Rock. [15] Henley later claimed that he attempted to talk Corll out of raping and killing Aguirre, but Corll adamantly refused. I wished I hadnt done it. When Henley does discuss the victims and his feelings, he speaks with an air of practiced regretfulness and seeming detachment. 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 lured the victim to Corll's Schuler Street apartment on the promise of smoking some marijuana. Instead, he was held several days and tortured before being murdered and buried in Corlls rented boatshed. John Spong writes primarily about popular culture. If you support this mission, we need your help. At the time, the so-called Houston Mass Murders were described as the most lethal in modern U.S. historythe Pope sent his condolences and Truman Capote considered writing about the case as a sequel to his book In Cold Blood. And if I'm going to make a documentary, I wanted to send a powerful message.". [36] He was tried for a second time in June 1979 and was again convicted of six murders and again sentenced to six life terms although to run concurrently rather than consecutively. [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. Gregg started the interview, but struggled to get Henley to admit any involvement in anything. 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.. Stanton Dreymala was out riding his bike and looking for glass soda bottles to redeem for cash deposits when he was lured to Corlls last home in Pasadena in August 1973. 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. As they made their way further into the house, investigators found a catalog of disturbing items, including Corlls torture board, handcuffs, and various tools. It was a great big knife. Henley's conviction was overturned on appeal on December 20, 1978. Thats what kept me around before he started talking about killing people. Although I have conducted hundreds of interviews, I am uneasy in the presence of this high-school dropout from Houston Heights. The jury heard evidence from both Rhonda Williams and Tim Kerley, who each testified to the events of August 7 and 8 leading to the shooting of Dean Corll, plus the testimony from various police officers who recited and discussed the written statements each youth had made and described how both Brooks and Henley had led them to each of the burial sites. I dont really feel about it, you know. 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. On August 8, 1973, Elmer Wayne Henley contacted Texas' Pasadena Police Department to report he committed a murder. Wikimedia CommonsElmer Wayne Henley (left) and David Owen Brooks (right) in 1973. 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. 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.