However, he eventually confessed that he, Corll, and Brooks, worked together to kill at least 28 young men and boys. 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. 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. Lise Olsenis a Houston-based senior reporter and editor at the Texas Observer. He then released Kerley and Williams, phoned the Pasadena police and subsequently confessed to his role in the Houston Mass Murders.[22]. [46] In 1997, the Hyde Park Gallery in Houston's Neartown area hosted Henley's first art show. During his trial, Henleys written confessions were read. Henley later told police that he ignored Corll's offer for several months. 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. 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. 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. 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. But through all these years, one of his victims remains unidentified. Dean Corlls deadly crime spree had finally come to an end. The depths of Corlls depravity soon started to come to light. When Elmer Wayne Henley contacted authorities that August day in 1973, he initially stated that he killed only one man Dean Corll. 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. Henley will shortly be sentenced to 594 years by a San Antonio court, but that is a formality. 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. 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. [5][6], Prior to his leaving high school, Henley became acquainted with a youth one year his senior named David Brooks. Thats something Ive tried to build in me. Henley was initially fascinated by Dean Corll and later said, I admired Dean because he had a steady job. Bettmann/Getty ImagesElmer Wayne Henley with police at High Island Beach on Aug. 10, 1973. I have decided to go to Austin because I have got a good job offer. The State of Texas: Full, This page was last edited on 25 March 2023, at 06:41. "I also said he would have a chance to apologize and say what he feels.". The lawyer and his young partners want to sell Henley's life story to recover their fees, and they. His other needs would prove too complicated for ordinary sexuality, hetero or otherwise, and would match those of his mentor, but with a deadlier lack of passion. [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]. Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., 17, leads law enforcement agents along a grassy dune on a beach at High Island, Texas. 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. 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. When Brooks was 14, Corll began molesting him, all the while showering him with gifts and money to keep him quiet. Besides, I liked him personally. Henley represents a larger problem because he seems to be quite sane. John Spong writes primarily about popular culture. Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. & Dean Corll documentary clip Once Henley agreed to help, he and Corll got into Corlls Plymouth GTX and began driving around looking for a boy. They came across one Corll liked the look of, so Henley asked the teen if he wanted to come and smoke pot with them. However, Henley is not a typical aging and ailing Texas prisoner. She inscribed it: From your 54-year-old mother who has just begun to live. 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.

Director Of National Intelligence Salary, Car Accident In Virginia Yesterday, How Do Clay Masks Work Science, Hmong In California Cultural Issues And Trends, Articles E