David Owen Brooks: What Happened to Dean Arnold Corll’s Accomplice?

David Brooks

In Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Serial Killer’s Apprentice,’ the primary focus is on the gruesome crimes committed by Dean Corll, Elmer Wayne Henley, and David Owen Brooks in Texas in the early 1970s. Elmer’s chilling interview with Dr. Katherine Ramsland in the documentary reveals most of the details about the abductions and murders committed by the trio. It also explores David’s association with Dean from a young age and how he lured several young boys to Dean’s house.

David Owen Brooks Introduced Elmer to Dean Corll

On February 12, 1955, David Owen Brooks was born to Henry Alton and Mary (née Hetherington) Brooks in Houston, Texas. Growing up with a brother, David was only six years old when his parents divorced. He and his brother stayed with their mother, who moved to Beaumont and then to Tioga, Louisiana. As he continued to stay in touch with his father, who had also remarried and stayed in Houston, Texas, David met Dean Corll in 1967 at the age of 12. At the time, Dean served as the vice-president at his family’s candy store, Corll Candy Company, in Houston Heights.

Dean Corll

As David befriended Dean, the latter started giving him free candy as well as drugs and alcohol. The two went on trips to South Texas beaches along with several other teenagers. Dean also reportedly provided him with money, gradually becoming a fatherly figure in his life. By 1969, Dean allegedly began paying David about $5 or $10 to allow him to perform oral sex on him. The following year, he permanently relocated to Houston after he was apprehended for a petty theft in a rural Louisiana parish. The same year, he enrolled in Waltrip High School, while maintaining his relationship with Dean. Soon, David was reportedly tasked by him to look for kids on drugs, runaways, and dropouts, and lure them to Dean’s house in Pasadena, Texas. In return, he would be paid $200 for each boy.

After a few months of working for Dean, David met Elmer Wayne Henley at Hamilton Junior High School and befriended him. Eventually, he introduced him to Dean, who took him under his wing just like David. Together, the trio lured multiple teenagers into Dean’s house, where they were killed. In some cases, David also reportedly helped Dean torture, kill, and bury them. On the personal front, David tied the knot with his pregnant fiancée, Bridget, on July 13, 1973, after which they moved into an apartment on Pech Road. While he focused on his family, Elmer worked alone with Dean and helped him kill several other young boys.

David Owen Brooks Surrendered Himself to the Authorities After Dean Corll’s Murder

The trio was torn apart on August 8, 1973, when Elmer shot Dean Corll to death in his house after a party with a couple of friends went sideways. Elmer reportedly admitted to killing Dean in self-defense and led them to a warehouse in Houston, where more than a dozen remains were recovered. On the same evening, David Brooks turned himself in to the police and verbally admitted to his knowledge of Dean’s crimes. He also confessed that he had introduced Elmer to Dean. As for the killings, he initially denied having anything to do with the murders but claimed that he was aware that Dean had raped and killed a couple of teenagers in 1970.

Elmer Wayne Henley

The following afternoon, he also submitted a written witness statement, wherein he talked about having knowledge of Dean’s involvement in dozens of murders. The next morning, on August 10, he handed in a three-page full confession, claiming that he had not only helped Dean abduct the teenage victims, but was also a witness to several murders. Denying any direct involvement in any of the killings, he also admitted to burying the remains of various victims. That same afternoon, he and Elmer led the authorities to a burial site on High Island Beach, where they discovered the remains of six victims. Thus, he was reportedly indicted for four murders. Later that year, on December 16, 1973, he became a father to Rachel Lynn while he was awaiting trial.

David Owen Brooks Passed Away While Serving Time

Eventually, David Owen Brooks only stood trial for the June 1973 murder of 15-year-old William Ray Lawrence on February 27, 1975, despite being indicted for four murders. After he pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, the prosecution presented David’s confession to the jury. Meanwhile, the defense argued that the defendant had no active participation in the killings and shifted the blame to Dean Corll and Elmer. Less than a week later, the jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before reaching a verdict.

On March 4, 1975, David was found guilty of killing Billy Lawrence and sentenced to life in prison. A couple of years later, his wife, Bridget, divorced him while he was incarcerated. He and his defense counsel lodged an appeal to get his conviction overturned, but their requests were dismissed in May 1979. While attempting to be released on parole, 65-year-old David was serving his time at Allan B. Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas, when he was hospitalized at Hospital Galveston for COVID-19 on May 12, 2020. On top of the respiratory issues, he also had other pre-existing medical conditions. Ultimately, on May 28, 2020, he met his demise after serving over 45 years of his life sentence.

Read More: Elmer Wayne Henley: Where is Dean Arnold Corll’s Accomplice Now?

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