Naman Shrestha
Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Serial Killer’s Apprentice’ is a true crime documentary that chronicles the horrific crimes of Dean Arnold Corll in Texas in the early 1970s. The investigation revealed that he didn’t act or work alone in the killings; he had help from Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks. The former was an accomplice to multiple murders that took place in Dean’s house in Pasadena, Texas. In the documentary, Elmer talked with a renowned criminologist named Dr. Ramsland about the intricate details of his past and the crimes he committed.
Elmer Wayne Henley’s Friendship With David Brooks Led to His Introduction to Dean Corll
Born on May 9, 1956, in Houston, Texas, to Elmer Wayne Henley Sr. and Mary Pauline Henley, Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. was allegedly raised in a volatile household alongside his three brothers. Although he claimed to have had a happy childhood, his mother claimed that his father was an abusive alcoholic who used to physically assault her and their sons. On a few occasions, Elmer also reportedly stood up against his father while the latter was assaulting Mary. Not only was he bright in academics, but he also grew up to be religious, thanks to the fact that his mother and grandparents were devout Christians.
For a while, he also aspired to become a preacher and a state trooper. According to Elmer, he also participated in Cub Scout and Boy Scout activities during his childhood. When his parents divorced in 1970, he found it hard to process it. As his early teenage years rolled around, he dropped out of school and took up a part-time job at the gas station to support his mother financially. In May 1971, when one of his friends, David William Hilligiest, vanished, Elmer did what he could to help out in the search by putting up flyers in the neighborhood. In the following years, he not only got into alcohol and marijuana, but he also had a few run-ins with the law, including an arrest for assault with a deadly weapon in 1971 and burglary in 1972.
His life changed when he met David Owen Brooks in Hamilton Junior High School. After they began spending time together, David introduced him to an older man named Dean Corll, who ran a successful candy store. Elmer was impressed and inspired by Dean, who became a father figure to him, as per Elmer’s mother. According to Elmer, “Dean’s front was wholesome and masculine. He was a loner in his own right. He could be around people, but still you never knew what Dean Corll was doing. No matter how much you talked to him, you didn’t know him.”
Elmer Wayne Henley Claimed He Killed Dean Corll in Self-Defense
Initially, Elmer used to participate in petty thefts for Dean, alongside David. Having gained the young men’s trust, Dean then introduced them to a nonexistent slave market in Dallas, for which Elmer and David started to pick up teenagers for him and received about $200 for each victim. Elmer claimed that he was not aware of the fact that Dean had been killing the teenagers and not sending them to the market. He allegedly found out the truth when the serial killer killed one of his friends, Frank Aguirre, on March 24, 1972. Instead of reporting the crime to the police, Elmer helped him kill a 17-year-old boy named Mark Scott on April 20, 1972. By August 1973, Dean Corll had killed at least 28 boys and young men, most of whom were lured by Elmer and David to the killer’s residence in Pasadena, Texas, under the pretense of having fun.
Besides luring victims, Elmer was also reportedly responsible for the killings of at least six of them. On August 8, 1973, Elmer took a couple of his friends, Tim and Rhonda, to Dean’s house, allegedly to smoke and hang out. Soon, when the three of them passed out, Dean reportedly tied and taped them. Upon regaining consciousness, Elmer allegedly convinced him to untie him so that they could get rid of Tim and Rhonda together. Once free, he picked up Dean’s gun and shot him to death. After the confrontation, he called the police and admitted to killing him in self-defense. Elmer also led the authorities to a warehouse in Houston, where Dean had buried the remains of most of his victims. Later, he also confessed to killing six of them between March 1972 and July 1973.
Elmer Wayne Henley is Currently Incarcerated at a Texas Prison Facility
Elmer Wayne Henley decided to plead not guilty and take his chances in court. On July 1, 1974, his trial for the six murders he had committed commenced. The prosecution presented dozens of incriminating evidence against Elmer, including his written confession wherein he admitted to killing and abducting several teenagers for Dean Corll. After more than two weeks of the prosecution and defense going back and forth, on July 16, the jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before finding the defendant guilty of six murders. Elmer was sentenced to a total of 594 years in prison for his crimes. Within a couple of weeks, he and his defense counsel filed an appeal, claiming that an evidentiary hearing was denied, the trial was prejudiced because of the presence of news media in the courtroom, and more.
His conviction was eventually overturned on December 20, 1978, but he was once again convicted of six murders on June 27, 1979, and sentenced to six concurrent life terms. Over the following years, he has been up for parole multiple times, but he has been denied each time. In 1994, the killer started to paint in his free time and sold his artworks to local galleries, including the Hyde Park Gallery in Neartown, Houston, in 1997. Elmer also got into making handmade jewelry, which he sold on a Facebook page, alongside his artwork. As of today, 69-year-old Elmer Wayne Henley is serving his sentence at the Barry B. Telford Unit (TO), AKA Telford Unit, in New Boston, Texas, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for 1980.
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