elmer wayne henley interview

Texas did not adopt life without parole sentences until 2005. [7] On one occasion, in an apparent test of character, Corll asked Henley if he would be willing to kill if required, to which Henley replied, "Yes. 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. In fact, Henley even brought another of his friends, Frank Aguirre, to Corll. 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. 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. On Aug. 8, 1973, Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. brought his friends Tim Kerley and Rhonda Williams to Corlls home. PASADENA, Texas - Convicted killer Elmer Wayne Henley directed Texas Equusearch Friday to the Pasadena home of Dean Corll, otherwise known as the 'Candy Man' and 'the Pied Piper,' one of his accomplices whom he shot to death.. 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. 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. Even with the COVID-19 epidemic rendering prison conditions infinitely more hazardous, Texas officials rarely granted compassionate release. As promised, Henley was paid $200 the next day. 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. The Dreymala family and others are seeking Zoom meetings with the parole board to express their opposition to Henleys request. Because Holden and Bill were in Atlanta working on another case, Wendy and Gregg went to interview him themselves. 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. Before Corll was able to manacle Kerley to his torture board, the pair left Corll's home to purchase sandwiches. Elmer is one of the most respected voice actors in the business. You either enjoy what you dowhich I didor you go crazy. After he killed Dean Corll, Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. untied Tim Kerley and Rhonda Williams, picked up the phone, and called 911. 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.. Thats something Ive tried to build in me. By the time he finally made an advance, I was an accomplice.. Corll dragged the two victims into his bedroom and tied them to his torture board. As he taunted Kerley and Williams, Henley entered the bedroom holding Corlls gun. Henley is serving six consecutive terms of 99 years for his involvement in the Houston Mass Murders,[3] which at the time were characterized as "the deadliest case of serial murders in American history". 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. He agreed to accompany police to each of the burial sites to assist in the recovery of the victims. She inscribed it: From your 54-year-old mother who has just begun to live. Dean was a personal friend, as well as a source of income. 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. Both survived, and Corlls murder was ruled justifiable homicide. 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. [27]:161 Henley was not charged with the death of Dean Corll, which was ruled self-defense. 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I wanted also to feel like I was man enough to deal with my father.. He loved his children and his grandchildren, he was sharp., We didnt get along. Not all of the serial murder victims were immediately identified. However, in early 1972, he decided he would "help find a boy" for Corll, as he was in dire financial circumstances. When Henley does discuss the victims and his feelings, he speaks with an air of practiced regretfulness and seeming detachment. As Corll began to assault and torture Tim Kerley, Henley began to cut away Williams' clothes with the knife Corll had handed him. The major interview that takes place in this episode of Mindhunter was that of Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. Henley is defensive about several things during this interview. Henley represents a larger problem because he seems to be quite sane. He was hoping to get enough money together to take his girlfriend to the latest James Bond movie. Andy Kahan, the victim advocate for Houston Crime Stoppers, said that several murder other victims relatives are concerned and angry about the request. On August 13, 1973, a grand jury convened in Harris County to hear evidence against Henley and Brooks. Porras said she spoke with Henley for four hours, sans notebook, recorder or any journalistic accoutrements. Some of the torture devices found in the home of Dean Corll. 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. Other evidence included the torture board Corll handcuffed his victims to and the body box that he used to transport bodies to burial sites. [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]. 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. 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. In addition to driving them around town, Dean Corll often drank alcohol and smoked marijuana with the boys. You won't do it!" "[8], Nonetheless, in late 1971, Henley also began spending time in Corll's company. It was a great big knife. Sorry for the bad video editing, I've made that quickly, I don't know much about . Of course I said yesego would dictate that. The Astrodomes Decline From Eighth Wonder to Eighth Blunder of the World, Matthew McConaughey Is Monetizing His Whole Vibe. 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,. 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). 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. Elmer Wayne Henley, 17, (R), accused of 6 of 27 Houston mass murders, is escorted to District Court by Chief Bexar County Deputy Rudy Garza, (L). You either enjoy what you do which I did or you go crazy. 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. 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. Within a week he led authorities to 27 clandestine graves. On October 3, Henley assisted Corll in the abduction and murder of two Heights boys named Wally Simoneaux and Richard Hembree. Henley fired a round at Corll, hitting him in the forehead. Bluish acne scars cover his cheeks and the back of his neck; beneath curving brows lies the intimation of his reputed IQ of 126. While he insisted it was only meant to be a night of fun, not a night of torture and murder, this seems nave on Henleys part. Production of a film directly based upon the Houston Mass Murders. 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. Performance meets portability with Apple's 2023 MacBook Pro. He sits cross-legged on a folding chair in the hospital ward of the Harris County jailhouse, laughing and brandishing a Marlboro. 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. Eventually he calmed down and would give the two teenagers alcohol and drugs. [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. 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. No matter how much you talked to him, you didnt know him.. And people knew that if you ran around with me, you ran around with broads.. All of Corlls 28 known victims had either been shot or strangled, and in at least six instances, Henley himself fired the shots or pulled the cords that killed them. 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. Little did Corll or Henley realize how consequential their meeting would be or the deadly repercussions it would have. 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. Elmer Wayne Henley Jr, a gray-haired 66-year-old serving six life sentences for his role in Houston's most notorious serial killings, is requesting compassionate . 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. Corll was an average, submissive student who played the trombone in the Vidor school band, on the outskirts of Beaumont. He brought out a little blade, you knowand it wasnt a little knife, either. Delivering up friends was easier, less risky, more prestigious. But Henley was subsequently convicted of six other murders in which he actively participated. How Galvestonians used to dance until they dropped (for fun), a former figure skater turned journalist, and other Lone Star State stories. The State of Texas presented a total of 82 pieces of evidence . 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. One of those killed was 13-year-old. 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. In an interview for a 2002 documentary film, Henley said, I needed Deans approval. 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. A decade later, Henley was interviewed by filmmaker Teana Schiefen Porras for her documentary Decisions and Visions. In 2020, they released 60, including 40 terminally ill and 20 in long-term care. Henley later told police that he ignored Corll's offer for several months. 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. 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. 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." My only regret is that Dean isnt here now, so I could tell him what a good job I did killing him.. His mother moved to Colorado, but this time Corll didnt go with her. Maybe thats what started it, the divorce and all I trapped him over the head with the vacuum cleaner, and called the police.. Henley was handed a long hunting knife by Corll, who ordered him to cut away Williams' clothes, insisting that he would rape and kill the youth as Henley would do likewise to Rhonda Williams. During his trial, Henley's written confessions were read. He then turned himself over to police, confessing his involvement in one of the country's largest murder sprees. 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Brooks introduced Henley to Corll, a heavyset employee of the Houston Lighting & Power Company, who was twice their ages. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. Many children buggered, tortured, strangled, and discarded with fiendish intenta process that took years. Despite the abuse, Mary Henley tried to ensure that her children received a good education and stayed out of trouble. As reported by Texas Monthly, Dean Corll's suggestion piqued Henley's curiosity, as he "wondered what it was like to kill someone.". [43] Brooks died of COVID-19 complications in May 2020.[44]. 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. When Brooks was 14, Corll began molesting him, all the while showering him with gifts and money to keep him quiet. 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. Her work is featured in CNN's The Wrong Man (2015) about the innocence claims of executed offender Ruben Cantu and the six-part A&E series on the victims of a 1970s serial killer, The Eleven, (2017). [7] Through his acquaintance with Brooks, Henley became aware that his friend spent a lot of his free time in the company of an older man with whom he himself gradually became a casual acquaintance: Dean Corll. 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. So when I did something, I enjoyed it, and didnt dwell on it later.. When that didnt kill him, Henley shot him five more times in the back and shoulder. Bettmann/Getty Images (l.) / Netflix (r.), Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. (left) is portrayed by Robert Aramayo in the Netflix series. I thought divorce was a good idea, and I told him so. The lawyer and his young partners want to sell Henley's life story to recover their fees, and they. He gave him money and provided him with a place to stay when he didnt want to go home. Unfortunately, this would lead him down a dark and deadly path. Deans front was wholesome and masculine. I just found that, this show still continues to amaze me a few years after. And if I'm going to make a documentary, I wanted to send a powerful message.". He was a loner in his own right. Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. (left) is portrayed by Robert Aramayo in the Netflix series Mindhunter. Then, go inside the notorious crimes of Killer Clown John Wayne Gacy. 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. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on March 4. I admired Dean because he had a steady job. Because the Behavioral Science Unit expands in. Wikimedia CommonsElmer Wayne Henley (left) and David Owen Brooks (right) in 1973. Corll was furious that a girl had been brought to his house, telling Henley in private he had "ruined everything." Henley eventually killed Corll and then confessed his crimes to police. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. Dr. Sharon Derrick is among those interviewed for the documentary. Wayne seemed to enjoy causing pain, Brooks told police, a fact Henley readily admits. Huffine pointed out that the video's purpose was to encourage parents and children to become more aware of their surroundings. He would later develop a minor criminal record, being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon in 1971 and burglary one year later. 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. He also allowed them to stay at his home when they did not have anywhere else to go. Sometimes it takes two people half an hour.. For 26 years, Henley refused to talk to anyone in the media about those crimes. 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. This exhibition drew outrage from some victims' relatives. The next day, Corll paid Henley $200. [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. However, Henley is not a typical aging and ailing Texas prisoner. Course Corrections: The Return of Prison Education, Clarence Brandley: Unjustly Convicted, Overdue for Justice, Mapping the Legacy of Prison Hunger Strikes in Texas, Last Dance with Ann Richards: Best Texas Books of 2022. 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. Once Corll had raped and murdered Aguirre, Henley, Brooks, and Corll buried him at a beach near Houston called High Island. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. Henley, answering in a soft voice, said, "No, ma'am, I'm not a serial killer. "[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. The oldest of the couples four sons, Henleys childhood home was an unhappy one. August 10, 2022, 11:21 AM, CDT. Later, he got down to the fact that we was going to be killing people. His father was an alcoholic who physically assaulted his wife and sons. Bettmann/Getty ImagesElmer Wayne Henley with police at High Island Beach on Aug. 10, 1973. Photos, illustrations and other art may be available for syndication but must be confirmed. The lawyer and his young partners want to sell Henleys life story to recover their fees, and they see this exclusive interview as a kind of literary screen test.
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