elmer wayne henley jr high school
[62] In each of these abductions, Brooks is known to have been a participant. [307] The color Polaroid image had been found in the personal possessions of Henley, which had been stored by his family since his arrest in 1973. [15] Corll, however, reportedly hated military service; he applied for a hardship discharge on the grounds that he was needed in his family's business. Moreover, co-workers at HL&P would also state that, from the earliest days of his employment, Corll had repeatedly retained coils of used nylon cord that would otherwise have been discarded. Corll was known to give free candy to local children,[22]:3651 in particular teenage boys. "[217], The jury deliberated for 92 minutes before finding Henley guilty of all six murders for which he was tried. Prater is known to have continued to visit his father in Houston during weekends after he moved with his mother to Dallas. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, List of serial killers by number of victims, List of serial killers in the United States, "The Horror Remains 20 Years Later, Memories of Dean Corll Haunt Survivor", "Office of the Medical Examiner of Harris County: Case 73-3329", "Mother Says Son Called, Threatened to Take Overdose", "Alleged Slaying Leader Remembered Nice Guy", "Accused Man in Texas Slaying Ring is On Trial", "Houston Slayings: Mastermind Little Known", "Dean Corll and Elmer Wayne Henley: Houston's Most Notorious Serial Killers", "Office of the Medical Examiner of Harris County: Case 73-3365", "Accused man in Texas Slaying Ring is On Trial", "Office of the Medical Examiner of Harris County: Case 73-3339", "Body Location and Position Chart - Boat Stall 4500 Sliver Bell", "Careful Work Solved One of Houston's Oldest Cold Cases", "Father Recalls Vain Search for Son Feared to be Among 27 Slaying Victims in Houston", "Elmer Wayne Henley, Appellant, v. State of Texas, Appellee", "Jurors Hear Officers Describe Finding 27 Bodies Near Houston", "Houston Police Department: Missing Person Report 73-3409", "Elmer Wayne Henley vs. State of Texas (09/16/82)", "Quest Ends in Anguish for Sister of Killer Corll's Victim", "All Texas, Birth Index, 1903-1997 results for Roy Bunton", "Postmortem Examination of the Body of Roy Eugene Bunton", "DNA Test Confirms Serial Killer Victim's Body Misidentified", "The Horror Remains: 20 Years Later, Memories of Dean Corll Haunt Survivor", "Relative of Long-lost Murder Victim: 'We Pretty Much Lost Hope', "What's Next for the Property Where 'Candy Man' Dean Corll's House Once Stood? The bodies were discovered in three different locations in Texas. In response, Henley shouted: "I don't care who knows about it! [30], Former workers at Corll Candy Company recalled Corll doing a lot of digging in the years leading up to 1968, when his mother's third marriage was deteriorating and the firm was failing. Inside the lakeside log cabin owned by Corll's family, police found a second plywood torture board, rolls of plastic sheeting, shovels, and a sack of lime. [34] Although she often talked to her eldest son on the telephone, his mother never saw him again. The divorce was granted on amicable grounds and both boys maintained regular contact with their father. [121], At approximately 3:00a.m. on the morning of August 8, 1973, Henley and Kerley, accompanied by Williams, returned to Corll's residence. "[138] Henley gave the address to the operator as 2020 Lamar Drive, Pasadena. [84] Before Corll vacated the address on June 26, Henley assisted Corll and Brooks in the abduction and murder of two youths named Billy Baulch and Johnny Delome. In the rear of the vehicle, police found a coil of rope, a swatch of beige rug covered in soil stains,[154] and a wooden crate with air holes drilled in the sides. [181] In reference to the torture board upon which Corll had restrained and tortured his victims, Brooks stated: "Once they were on the board, they were as good as dead; it was all over but the shouting and the crying. and shot Delome in the forehead, with the bullet exiting through the youth's ear. After listening to over six hours of testimony from various people, on August 14, the jury initially indicted Henley on three counts of murder and Brooks on one count. Dreymala was abducted by Brooks and Corll while riding his bike in Pasadena and driven to Lamar Drive upon the pretense of collecting empty glass bottles to resell. [212] Inside the box, police had found hair which examiners had concluded came from both Cobble and Henley. Aguirre agreed and followed the trio to Corll's home in his Rambler. [117][n 6] Brooks was not present at the time. Two of the unidentified victims were found buried in the boat shed and were estimated to have been killed in 1971 or 1972. The youths were then forced by Corll to fight each other with the promise that the one who beat the other to death would be allowed to live. Bunton was gagged with a section of Turkish towel and his mouth bound with adhesive tape. On October 17, 2008, ML73-3349 was identified as Randell Lee Harvey, a Heights teenager who had been reported missing on March 11, 1971 two days after he had disappeared. The real stories of Mindhunter season 2: Episode 4. [110], In July 1973, after Brooks married his pregnant fiance,[30] Henley temporarily became Corll's sole procurer of victims, assisting in the abduction and murder of three Heights youths between July 19 and 25. Henley claimed these three abductions were the only three that occurred after his becoming an accomplice to Corll in which Brooks was not a participant. He (Henley) started to take a step inside (the boat shed), but then his face just turned ashen, pale, grim he staggered around outside the door. [203], By the time the grand jury had completed its investigation, Henley had been indicted for six murders, and Brooks for four. Kerleya casual acquaintance of Corll's who was intended to be his next victimaccepted the offer. [105], On July 6, 1973, Henley began attending classes at the Coaches Driving School in Bellaire,[106] where he became acquainted with 15-year-old Homer Luis Garcia. If Henley's statement is to be believed, the victim was abducted from the Heights in February or early March 1972. [81], Henley later claimed that he had not known of Corll's true intentions towards Aguirre when he had persuaded his friend to accompany him to Corll's home. [150] Corll had paid up to $200 for each victim Brooks or he were able to lure to his apartment. [9], Following the second divorce, Corll's mother married a traveling clock salesman named Jake West. The statements given by Kerley and Williams corroborated Henley's account, and the detective questioning Henley believed he had indeed acted in self-defense. [53] The body was found buried beneath a large boulder,[54] covered with a layer of lime, wrapped in plastic, naked, and bound hand and foot with nylon cord, suggesting he had been violated. [287], Forty-two boys had vanished within the Houston area between 1970 and Corll's death in 1973. [5], In several instances, Corll forced his victims to either phone or write to their parents with explanations for their absences in an effort to allay the parents' fears for their sons' safety. However, police were again unwilling to extend the search. [291], Dr. Derrick has stated she has reason to believe this victim may be named Robert (or "Bobby") French,[292] adding she has received an anonymous package containing a series of photographs potentially depicting this individual taken shortly before his murder, and that the sender of this package named this individual as one Bobby French. [202], The District Attorney requested that Henley undergo a psychiatric examination to determine whether he was mentally competent to stand trial, but his attorney, Charles Melder, opposed the decision, stating the move would violate Henley's constitutional rights. However, Scott saw Henley pointing a pistol toward him and according to Brooks, Scott "just gave up." [22]:3647, Corll was drafted into the United States Army on August 10, 1964,[5] and assigned to Fort Polk, Louisiana, for basic training. Brooks later claimed he persuaded Corll to allow Ridinger to be released, and the youth was allowed to leave the residence. ", "For Murder Victim's Parents, an Agonizing Ritual", "The Girl on the Torture Board: Rhonda Williams Opens up About Being Attacked by Dean Corll", "Police Dig up Skeletons of Eight Pervert Victims", "Affidavit: The State of Texas: County of Harris", "Serial Killer Dean Corll's Lone Female Survivor Recalls Attack", "Houston Mass Murderers Had two Private Graveyards", "Elmer Wayne Henley's Confession (Appealed)", "Dean Corll, Elmer Henley & David Brooks: The Game of Boys", "Mass Murder Probe Chief Tells Defendant's Tale", "Jurors Listen to Confession in Texas Case", "Henley Gives Statement On Manner Of Killings", "Accused Killer's Confession Made Part of Trial Record", "Supplementary Offense Report - D-68904 - 1", "Texas EquuSearch Launches New Search for Remains of Victims in Houston Most Notorious Serial Killing", "Authorities Struggle to Identify Victims", "Coroner Tries to ID Murder Victims 35 Years Later", "Supplementary Offense Report - D-68904 - 3", "Texas Toll of Boys Rises to 27 in Nation's Biggest Slaying Case", "Henley's Slaying of Corll Exposes Murders of 26 Boys", "Houston Police Lax, Victims' Parents Say", "Angry Houston Police Chief Defends Force", "Woman's 11-Year Search for Son Ends in Morgue", "Sister Identifies Body of Brother in Morgue 12 Years", "Two Teenagers Indicted for Houston Deaths", "Trial Begins Monday in Mass Texas Deaths", "Jury to Weigh Sentence for Texas Killer of Six", "Torture Board Viewed in Mass Murder Trial", "Jury Decides Sentence in Torture-Slayings", "Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Hall of Fame", "Jury in Houston Convicts Henley of Killing 6 Youths", "Police Officer Testifies on Brooks Statement", "Jury Selection Begins in Mass Murders Case", "Inmate Information Details: Henley, Elmer Wayne Jr", Offender Information Detail Brooks, David Owen, "Former Henchman of Houston Killer Corll Dies of COVID-19", "Pathological Diagnosis on the Body of James Eugene Glass", "Youths Admit Death Ring: Texas Mass Murders at 21", "Pathological Diagnosis on the Body of Ruben Watson Haney", "Sex-Torture-Murder Trial Underway in Texas", "After Decades, Another Serial Killer Victim Identified", "Residents of Houston Curbing Murder Talk", "Corll's Portrait: Polite, Quiet, Neat, 'Always With Young Boys', "Mass Murderer Elmer Wayne Henley's Parole Considered", "Office of the Medical Examiner of Harris County: Case 73-3366", "Richard Alan Kepner. In 1970, when he was 15, Brooks dropped out of Waltrip High School[30] and moved to Beaumont to live with his mother. His name was David Owen Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. She met David in 1967 and turned him into her lover, She met Elmer two years later through David. There are two suspiciously long gaps between known victims in the chronology of Corll's known murders. It was the largest of three mass graves where Corll and his helpers buried their victims. [76] He stated the "only three" abductions and murders Brooks had not assisted him and Corll with were committed in the summer of 1973. Prior to their respective trials, both Henley and Brooks would reject offers presented to them by the district attorney of life sentences in exchange for pleas of guilty in the murders for which they had been indicted. Had the search for bodies continued, both victims would have likely been discovered. [155] Another wooden crate with air holes drilled in the sides was found in Corll's backyard. In the statement Henley gave to police following his arrest, the youth stated he and Corll picked up "a boy" at the corner of 11th and Studewood,[76] and lured him to Corll's home on the promise of smoking some marijuana with the pair. [14], From 1954 to 1958 Corll attended Vidor High School, where he was regarded as a well-behaved student who achieved satisfactory grades. [118] The two youths arrived at Corll's house, where they sniffed paint fumes and drank alcohol until midnight before leaving the house, promising to return shortly. This brand of cord was the same type used to strangle and bind the bodies of many of his victims. Several victims were friends of one or both of Corll's accomplices; others were individuals with whom Corll had himself become acquainted prior to their abduction and murder,[16][38] and two other victims, Billy Baulch and Gregory Malley Winkle, were former employees of Corll Candy Company. Detective David Mullican, recollecting the Houston Mass Murders, April 2011. This unidentified victim was found wearing red-white-and-blue striped swimming trunks,[285] cowboy boots, a leather bracelet and a long-sleeved, khaki-colored T-shirt decorated with a peace symbol,[286][287] leading investigators to conclude that he was likely killed in the summer months. [193] Waldrop stated that on one of the many occasions when he visited the HPD,[194] the police chief had simply told him, "Why are you down here? Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., now 66, in a recent mug shot on the left, and at age 17 in 1973 on the right. The crimes, which became known as the Houston Mass Murders, came to light after Henley fatally shot Corll. [288] In addition, his T-shirt bore a handwritten inscription believed to read either "LB4MF", "LBHMF",[286] or "L84MF". Also known as the Houston Mass Murders, at least 28 boys and young men were raped, tortured, and killed by Corll up until By his own later admission, Brooks began regarding Corll's apartment as his second home. [113], On August 3, 1973, Corll killed his last victim, a 13-year-old boy from South Houston named James Stanton Dreymala. Forensic scientists subsequently deduced that the youth had died of asphyxiation caused by manual strangulation and a cloth gag that had been placed in his mouth. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. He was aided by two teenaged accomplices, David Owen Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley. The crimes, which became known as the Houston Mass Murders, came to light after Henley fatally shot Corll. Houston Police officer Karl Siebeneicher describing Henley's actions upon leading police to Corll's boat shed on August 8. [116], On the evening of August 7, 1973, Henley, aged 17, invited a 19-year-old named Timothy Cordell Kerley to attend a party at Corll's Pasadena residence. Henley then left the youth alone with Corll, believing he was to be sold into the sexual slavery ring. So he was going to sit down with meyou know, (just) lay down with me like he'd been doing when we talkedand he was going to put the gun by my head while we were talking then he was just going to shoot me.". [16], In February 2012, a picture was released to the news media of a likely unknown victim of Corll. [101][n 5]. "[182] In reference to the actual murders, Brooks stated his witnessing the victims' deaths "didn't bother [him]", adding "I saw it done many times. Webteenaged accomplice Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. Henley remains in prison, as does David Brooks, who also helped lure victims. The family moved to the small town of Vidor, Texas, where Corll's half-sister, Joyce Jeanine (1955-2016), was born. The two bodies that Henley had insisted were still buried on the beach may have been those of Scott and Lyles. The unidentified victims were listed as ML73-3349, ML73-3356 and ML73-3378. As had been the case in his teenage years, Corll increased the number of hours he devoted to the candy business to satisfy an increasing public demand for his family's product. In one part of his confession, Henley had described luring two of the victims for whose murder he had been brought to trial, Cobble and Jones, to Corll's Pasadena residence. But first I'm gonna have my fun! All of these victims were killed by either shooting, strangulation or a combination of both. [33], Brooks' parents were divorced; his father lived in Houston and his mother had relocated to Beaumont, a city 85 miles (140km) east of Houston. [55]:9 The police were heavily criticized for curtailing the search for further victims once the record set by Juan Corona for having the most victims had been surpassed. [55]:25, About the time of Konen's murder, Brooks interrupted Corll in the act of sexually assaulting two teenage boys whom Corll had strapped to a four-poster bed. [n 9], All of the victims found had been sodomized and most victims found bore evidence of sexual torture: pubic hairs had been plucked out, genitals had been chewed, objects had been inserted into their rectums, and glass rods had been inserted into their urethrae and smashed. At the time of Konen's disappearance, Corll lived in an apartment on Yorktown Street, near the intersection with Westheimer Road. [201] Another witness who testified to his experience at the hands of Corll was William Ridinger. [62] Sometime the following month, an 18-year-old Oak Forest youth known to both Corll and Henley named Willard Branch disappeared while hitchhiking from Mount Pleasant to Houston. [273][274] ML73-3378 was buried at Lake Sam Rayburn just 10 feet (3m) from the body of Homer Garcia, who had disappeared on July 7, 1973. A curious feature about this final discovery was the presence of two extra bones (an arm bone and a pelvis) in the grave, indicating at least one additional, undiscovered victim. He tells you he was a cheerleader if nothing else. August 10, 2022, 11:21 AM, CDT Elmer Wayne Henley Jr, a gray-haired 66-year-old serving six life sentences for his role in Houstons most notorious serial killings, Brooks initially became one of Corll's many youthful close companions, regularly socializing with Corll and various teenage boys who congregated at the rear of the candy factory. [209] Henley had confessed that after their initial abuse and torture at Corll's home, Cobble and Jones each had one wrist and ankle bound to the same side of Corll's torture board. [189], Families of Corll's victims were highly critical of the HPD,[190][191] which had been quick to list the missing boys as runaways who had not been considered worthy of any major investigation. [37][20], Between 1970 and 1973, Corll is known to have killed a minimum of 28 victims. Brooks and Henley confessed to assisting Corll in several abductions and murders; both were sentenced to life imprisonment at their subsequent trials. Moreover, Corll also is not known to have killed between February 1 and June 4, 1973. Article detailing investigators' suspicions as to, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 02:20. [198] The other youth, Willard Branch,[199] lived in the Oak Forest district of Houston. [16], Corll's mother divorced West in 1963 and opened a new candy business, which she named Corll Candy Company; her eldest son was appointed vice-president of the new family firm,[19] with his younger brother Stanley being appointed secretary-treasurer. At Corll's residenceusing a ruse he and Corll had preparedHenley cuffed his own hands behind his back, freed himself with a key hidden in his back pocket, then duped the youth into donning the handcuffs before observing Corll bind and gag him. [225] Brooks also appealed his sentence, contending that the signed confessions used against him were taken without his being informed of his legal rights, but his appeal was dismissed in May 1979. Some accounts state Branch was abducted in February 1972. After approximately two hours, Henley, Kerley, and Williams each passed out. [48] However, until he moved to Pasadena in the spring of 1973, he always lived in or close to Houston Heights. Several hours later, both youths were strangled to death and subsequently buried in a common grave inside the boat shed directly above the bodies of James Glass and Danny Yates. This had inspired the salesman to state to her: "If you've got that much energy, why don't you start making candy? [41] At Corll's residence, the youths would be plied with alcohol or other drugs until they passed out, tricked into donning handcuffs,[42] or simply grabbed by force. Several victims' parents had to leave the courtroom to regain their composure as police and medical examiners described how their relatives were tortured and murdered. Com 15 anos Henley desistiu da escola secundria. [89] Approximately one month later, on or about August 21, a 19-year-old[90] named Roy Bunton was abducted while walking to his job as an assistant in a Houston shoe store. [72][73], Henley later stated that, for several months, he ignored Corll's offer, although he did maintain an acquaintance with Corll and gradually began to view him as something of a "brother-type person" whose work ethic he admired and in whom he could confide. However, the Office of the Medical Examiner of Harris County lists Branch's death as having occurred in November 1972. [16], Corll graduated from Vidor High School in the summer of 1958. All six bodies directly linked to the Houston Mass Murders found at High Island have been identified. Between 1970 and 1973, Dean Corll, aided by David Owen Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., killed 26 young men in the [139] As Kerley, Williams, and Henley waited upon Corll's porch for the police to arrive, Henley mentioned to Kerley that he had "done that (killed by shooting) four or five times. [55]:1[58] His call was answered by an operator named Velma Lines. Nickname: Junior. "[5] Henley then fired at Corll, hitting him in the forehead. Then, of course, theres Elmer Wayne Henleyquite a bit lesser known than Gacywho was sent to prison in 1974 for the spree of murders he committed alongside Dr. Sharon Derrick is among those interviewed for the documentary. His brutal killings - known as the Houston Mass Murders - were only uncovered when he was shot dead by his accomplice Elmer Wayne Henley in 1973. Elmer Wayne Henley initially ignored Corlls offer, only changing his mind in early 1972 because he needed the money but Henleys later actions suggest that the money was only part of it. Once Henley agreed to help, he and Corll got into Corlls Plymouth GTX and began driving around looking for a boy. [72] Henley subsequently assisted Corll and Brooks in Aguirre's burial at High Island Beach. Following Hurricane Ike in 2008, the area of High Island Beach where Corll is known to have buried his victims remains submerged,[30] leaving a strong possibility that Scott's body will never be found. Given that Henley became acquainted with Corll in 1972, it is likely this boy would have been killed in 1972 or 1973. He was murdered at Corll's Westcott Towers address. His next scheduled parole review date is October of 2025. In addition, neither mentioned having seen any of the victims either filmed, photographed, or released from the devices Corll restrained his victims to until after their rape, torture, and murder. He is last known to have phoned his parents claiming to need money in much the same manner as victims Charles Cobble and Marty Jones had been forced to telephone their parents before their murder. [22]:3670 Two women had also observed three men digging at the beach in May 1973one of whom they positively identified as Brooks. The rear windows of the van were sealed by opaque blue curtains. Brooks later described Dreymala as a "small, blond boy" for whom he had bought a pizza and in whose company he had spent 45 minutes before the youth was attacked. [30], Despite the revelations that Corll was, in reality, killing the boys he and Brooks had assisted in abducting, Henley nonetheless became an active participant in the abductions and murders.