To make sure he stayed shot.. Henley then fired a further three rounds into the rear of his right shoulder and upper back, killing him. 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. Later, I became fascinated with how much stamina people have you see people getting strangled on television and it looks easy. Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., 17, leads law enforcement agents along a grassy dune on a beach at High Island, Texas. Huffine pointed out that the video's purpose was to encourage parents and children to become more aware of their surroundings. He then turned himself over to police, confessing his involvement in one of the country's largest murder sprees. His father was an alcoholic who physically assaulted his wife and sons. Brooks introduced Henley to Corll, a heavyset employee of the Houston Lighting & Power Company, who was twice their ages. Henley is currently housed in Texas' Mark W. Michael Unit. The night of Aug. 8, 1973, Henley shot and killed Corll. "I also said he would have a chance to apologize and say what he feels.". . 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. Henley drives that point home when, near the end of the documentary, Porras asks him if he is a serial killer. Filmed when he was 42 years old . Corll provided him inspiration, and a program, but at some point the apprentice seems to have surpassed the master. Hed of been proud of the way I did it, if he wasnt proud before he died.. 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. Henley will shortly be sentenced to 594 years by a San Antonio court, but that is a formality. Henley, then 17 years old, shot Corll dead on August 8, 1973.[2]. Delivering up friends was easier, less risky, more prestigious. 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. David Courtney, a.k.a. 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. Performance meets portability with Apple's 2023 MacBook Pro. 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 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. 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. "I thought I was looking at Hannibal Lector," she said of her first meeting with Henley. 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. 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. When Brooks was 14, Corll began molesting him, all the while showering him with gifts and money to keep him quiet. They had a little dinner tray they put on the edge of the bed to hold the cups. Porras initially set out to interview "anybody on death row," she said. Dean Corlls deadly crime spree had finally come to an end. Forty-five years ago this August, Houston's most notorious serial killer met his end. [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. 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. Unfortunately, this would lead him down a dark and deadly path. 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.. 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. medically recommended intensive supervision. Porras was reluctant to say whether she considered Henley sincere in his thoughts, saying simply, "I think (the documentary) sends a powerful message. 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. I mean, you see people getting strangled on television and it looks easy. He likes Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Harold Robbins, but his appreciation of Ayn Rand reveals that individuality resides in unlikely places: I like The Fountainhead because the hero is a loner who does what everybody said he couldnt do. He was still talking about organized theft, and wanting to know in case was I cornered, was I willing to off the guy. You won't do it!" Hunter and prey were products of divided families that owed more allegiance to the hardscrabble farms of the past than to the pavement of the present. I dont really feel about it, you know. Dr. Sharon Derrick is among those interviewed for the documentary. However, Henley is not a typical aging and ailing Texas prisoner. 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. At first I wondered what it was like to kill someone, Henley once said. Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks were both convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Dean Corll obscured his crimes by forcing his victims to send postcards to their families, explaining that they left town willingly and were safe. My only regret is that Dean isnt here now, so I could tell him what a good job I did killing him.. 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. He could be around people, but still you never knew what Dean Corll was doing. He is currently incarcerated at Mark W. Michael Unit in Anderson County, Texas, and he will next be eligible for parole in 2025. The two became friends and often played truant together. Henley was one of the subjects interviewed for the project. 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. Most of those missing boys and young men had been branded as runaways by policeand their murders had gone undetecteduntil Henley killed Corll. By the time he finally made an advance, I was an accomplice.. Despite his horror at the realization, Henley didnt tell the police what Corll had done. [27]:161 Henley was not charged with the death of Dean Corll, which was ruled self-defense. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. is a killer. Looking back, I can see he was carrying a burden he was trying to. She is the author of Code of Silence: Sexual Misconduct by Federal Judges, the Secret System that Protects Them and the Women who Blew the Whistle. 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. Little did Corll or Henley realize how consequential their meeting would be or the deadly repercussions it would have. [39][40][41]:7[39][42], David Brooks was tried for the June 1973 murder of Billy Ray Lawrence in February 1975. 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. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. 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. 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. 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. Photos, illustrations and other art may be available for syndication but must be confirmed. I wanted to find out what his deal was. "I'm willing to die for the cause, because I can't live.". August 10, 2022, 11:21 AM, CDT. Arkansas Online reports Brooks died on May 28, 2020, after contracting COVID-19 in prison. Im glad now Im not hiding it, waiting, and Dean aint out there killing little kids. Leave them blank to get signed up. "[8], Nonetheless, in late 1971, Henley also began spending time in Corll's company. [5][6], Prior to his leaving high school, Henley became acquainted with a youth one year his senior named David Brooks. 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. In Atlas Shrugged, I liked the little utopia of the working people. But Henley was subsequently convicted of six other murders in which he actively participated. 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Elmer Wayne Henley feels many things, remorse not among them. Then, go inside the notorious crimes of Killer Clown John Wayne Gacy. I am sorry that I decided to leave but I just had to go. 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. 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. Autopsies revealed each victim had been killed by either strangulation, shooting or a combination of both.[25]. He was hoping to get enough money together to take his girlfriend to the latest James Bond movie. Corll was an average, submissive student who played the trombone in the Vidor school band, on the outskirts of Beaumont. She sent him a box of candy. There could be more. 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. How Galvestonians used to dance until they dropped (for fun), a former figure skater turned journalist, and other Lone Star State stories. So he started getting up and he was like, Youre not going to do anything to me,' she continued. As reported by ABC13, Elmer Wayne Henley led authorities to the bodies of the majority of the victims. He said, "Dean had been training me to react, to react fast and to react, greatly. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Later, I became fascinated with how much stamina people have. Henley was convicted for the murder of 27 young men and boys in 1974. Henleys mother told police that Dean Corll was like a father to Wayne. Corll was himself the product of quarreling parents, who divorced when he was young, remarried, divorced again; his mother traveled around the South in a trailer, started a candy business with the help of a dutiful son. Corll then dragged Henley by his cuffed hands into his kitchen and placed a .22 caliber pistol against his stomach, threatening to shoot him. 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. At first I didnt sense that Dean might be a murderer, but later I did sense it. Henley, answering in a soft voice, said, "No, ma'am, I'm not a serial killer. It was a great big knife. Even with a COVID-19 epidemic that rendered prison conditions infinitely more hazardous, Texas officials reported granting compassionate release to very few. 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. [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. Dean had been training me to react, to react fast and to react, greatly. [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]. 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. At Corll's home, Aguirre was supplied with marijuana, then persuaded to handcuff himself. You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. Other evidence included the "torture board" Corll handcuffed his victims to and the "body box" that he used to transport bodies to burial sites. Two additional youths, John Sellars and Michael Baulch, were killed on July 12 and 19. He then released Kerley and Williams, phoned the Pasadena police and subsequently confessed to his role in the Houston Mass Murders.[22]. 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. Because the Behavioral Science Unit expands in. Much of that first year was spent driving aimlessly about the Heights in Corlls car, drinking beer and smoking marijuana and planning petty theft. HBO Maxs Love & Death Needed a Home for an Axe Killer. If I were you, I wouldnt want to know., Houston Heights is a seedy, lower-middle-class enclave with horizons limited to once-fashionable homes divided into low-rent apartments, and guarded by pickups on concrete blocks. I feel remorse because Im supposed to, he says, and he is laughing. [45], A pen pal with whom Henley has corresponded has also organized several exhibitions of his artwork. Once Corll had raped and murdered Aguirre, Henley, Brooks, and Corll buried him at a beach near Houston called High Island. 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. As they made their way further into the house, investigators found a catalog of disturbing items, including Corlls torture board, handcuffs, and various tools. Thats something Ive tried to build in me. [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. Trial and Conviction. However, in early 1972, he decided he would "help find a boy" for Corll, as he was in dire financial circumstances. Bail was set at $100,000. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. Before Corll was able to manacle Kerley to his torture board, the pair left Corll's home to purchase sandwiches. He untied Henley, and the two of them went back into the living room, Corll with a gun and Henley with a knife. 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. 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. Even after the pandemic began, that did not change. The state Board of Pardons and Paroles approved 76 persons for release in 201959 terminally ill and 17 already assigned to long-term care. Partners must notify. [46] In 1997, the Hyde Park Gallery in Houston's Neartown area hosted Henley's first art show. He brought out a little blade, you knowand it wasnt a little knife, either. He should stay where he is until he dies!. Corll slumped naked against the wall, dead. He also allowed them to stay at his home when they did not have anywhere else to go. Please notify us by email that the article will be republished at, Supreme Court had declared to be cruel and unusual punishment. The 2023 NFL Draft runs April 2729 live from Kansas City, Missouri. Henley represents a larger problem because he seems to be quite sane. The couple divorced in 1970 when Henley was 14. Henley's motherwho worked as a cashier at a parking lot[4]retained custody of her four sons. Instead, he was held several days and tortured before being murdered and buried in Corlls rented boatshed. For 26 years, Henley refused to talk to anyone in the media about those crimes. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. (born May 9, 1956) is a convicted American serial killer, incarcerated in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system. [1]:46[n 1], In the winter of 1971, when he was 15, Wayne Henley was again taken by David Brooks to meet Corll. I stayed around because there was no reason for me to leave. Katy Vine has been a staff writer since 2002. One of Texas most famous death row exonerees died before winning compensation under a law inspired by his own story. . 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. 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. 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. Both Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., now in their late 50s, are serving life prison terms for their part in luring the boys to Corll's home, where they were sexually assaulted and killed..
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