Some of them were runaways or troubled youths. "[138] Henley gave the address to the operator as 2020 Lamar Drive, Pasadena. How that man was able to go out to that storage shed, time after time, and bury one more dead boy is something I'll never understand. Ronald Clark O'Bryan (October 19, 1944 March 31, 1984), nicknamed The Candy Man and The Man Who Killed Halloween, was an American man convicted of killing his eight-year-old son Timothy (April 5, 1966 October 31, 1974) on Halloween 1974 with a potassium cyanide-laced Pixy Stix that was ostensibly collected during a trick or treat outing. [21] In response, she fired the teenager. What made Corll's crimes all the more shocking was the fact that he was helped by two teenage accomplices one of whom would eventually shoot Corll dead. [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. to which Henley answered, "Yes." Each victim would be tied to a wooden torture board, whereupon he would be brutally raped. [10][11] Corll's mother and stepfather started a small family candy company, initially operating from the garage of their home. [5], Although police never discovered when or where O'Bryan bought the poison,[19] he was arrested for Timothy's murder on November 5, 1974. He was murdered in 1970. ", In one section of his subsequent testimony at Henley's 1974 trial, Detective Sergeant David Mullican would state to the court: "Other means of torture were pulling their pubic hairs out one by one, shoving glass rods up the penis and shoving a large, bullet-like instrument in the victim's rectum.". The various policies totaled approximately $60,000. [1] His car was about to be repossessed, he had defaulted on several bank loans, and the family home had been foreclosed on. As Henley's claim that the victim known as ML73-3355 was not Scott has been proven to be correct, a strong suspicion remains that Scott's body remains buried on High Island. PASADENA, Texas (KTRK) -- The house in Pasadena where the infamous "Candy Man" Dean Corll once lived and died was demolished Friday. [123], Henley awoke to find himself lying on his stomach and Corll snapping handcuffs onto his wrists. He thanks you for reading his content. We understand the opportunity to grow engagement with new audiences of all ages and through new partnerships with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, along with our podcasts and on-demand SVOD services, we ensure our programming and unique stories reach audiences across the full demographic spectrum. Serial killer Dean Corll, nicknamed the "Candy Man" and his teenage accomplices raped, tortured and murdered 28 boys in Houston in the '70s. "[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. The youth pinned the reward posters around the Heights and attempted to reassure Hilligiest's parents that there might be an innocent explanation for the boys' absence. Corll's final victim was a 13-year-old boy, James Stanton Dreymala, abducted in Houston. [213] Upon advice from his defense counsel, Henley did not take the stand to testify. [295][n 14]. Henley gave a verbal statement; stating he initially had believed the boys he had abducted were to be sold into a Dallas-based organization for "homosexual acts, sodomy, maybe later killing,"[147] but soon learned Corll was himself killing the victims procured. But police soon realized that wasn't the start of a case, it was the horrific end to a. The company employed a small workforce, and he was seen to behave flirtatiously toward several teenage male employees. [159] Police continued excavating through the earth of the shed, unearthing the remains of more victims in varying stages of decomposition. [n 1] From the earliest days of the business, Corll worked day and night while still attending school. Police didnt find the remains of the 28th victim until 1983. In his confession, Brooks stated the youth killed immediately prior to Henley's involvement in the murders was abducted from the Heights and kept alive for approximately four days before his murder. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. Brooks later stated he had assisted Corll in the abduction and murder of two youths during the time Corll resided at this address, including one youth who was killed "just before Wayne Henley came into the picture." When Henley woke up, he discovered that he was tied up alongside Kerley and Williams. In response, Corlls mother fired the boy. Meanwhile, the candy factory itself seemed to attract several teenage boys both as employees and as customers. The police did not initially suspect O'Bryan of any wrongdoing until Timothy's autopsy revealed that the Pixy Stix he had consumed was laced with a fatal dose of potassium cyanide. Brooks lured Elmer Wayne Henley to Corll's address in 1971, where the killer decided Henley would make a better accomplice than a victim. YouTubeDean Corll with Elmer Wayne Henley, his 17-year-old accomplice in several murders, in 1973. Henley later said, Dean told me he would pay me $200 for every boy I could bring in and maybe more if they were really good-looking boys. In reality, Corll usually paid the boys just $5 or $10. Elmer Wayne Henley's Introduction to the 'Candy Man' Killer Henley dropped out of high school at the age of 15, and it was around the same time that he met 16-year-old David Owen Brooks. [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. This is how he got his name Candy Man or the Pied Piper. You get close to evil like that, no matter how long ago it was, and it never leaves you. Following the decision to terminate the search for victims' bodies in August 1973, one lieutenant from the HPD is known to have remarked: "I don't know if [we have] found all the bodies or not", before adding, "What difference does it make?". Ronald Clark O'Bryan, known as the "Candy Man," leaves court in Houston, Texas, September 30, 1982, after being sentenced to die by lethal injection on Halloween, exactly eight years after he poisoned his 8-year-old son with a cyanide-laced treat. They immediately knew that something was terribly wrong. This execution is one of those wrongs yet doesnt mean our whole system of justice is wrong. Bunton was gagged with a section of Turkish towel and his mouth bound with adhesive tape. [9], Following the second divorce, Corll's mother married a traveling clock salesman named Jake West. At A+E Networks EMEA youll find a team of innovative, creative and collaborative people who embrace change and want to continually try new things. "[5] Henley then fired at Corll, hitting him in the forehead. Kerley began writhing and shouting as Williams, whose gag Henley had removed, lifted her head and asked Henley, "Is this for real?" [124], Corll then handed Henley a hunting knife and ordered him to cut away Williams's clothes,[131] insisting that, while he would rape and kill Kerley, Henley would do likewise to Williams. [86], During the time Corll resided at Schuler Street, the trio lured a 19-year-old named William Ridinger to the house. [30] Upon Corll's urging, a sexual relationship gradually developed between the two. Police also found a plywood torture board measuring 8 by 3 feet (2.44 by 0.91m) with handcuffs attached to nylon rope at two corners, and nylon ropes to the other two. [29] Corll is also known to have installed a pool table at the rear of the candy factory where employees and local youths would congregate. 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. [59], Six weeks after the double murder of Glass and Yates, on January 30, 1971, Brooks and Corll encountered two teenage brothers, Donald and Jerry Waldrop, walking toward their parents' home. "[132][n 7], Henley then asked Corll whether he might take Williams into another room. One of these three victims, 15-year-old Randell Harvey, was last seen by his family on the afternoon of March 9 cycling towards Oak Forest,[63] where he worked part-time as a gas station attendant. Henley later compared the acceleration in the frequency of killings and the increase in the brutality exhibited by Corll towards his victims to being "like a blood lust", adding that he and Brooks would instinctively know when Corll was to announce that he "needed to do a new boy," due to the fact that he would appear restless, smoking cigarettes and making reflex movements. [16], By the time Brooks dropped out of high school, Corll's mother and his half-sister, Joyce, had moved to Colorado after the failure of her third marriage and the closure of Corll Candy Company in June 1968. Instead, they were supposedly all there just to party. [200], On August 13, a grand jury convened in Harris County to hear evidence against Henley and Brooks: the first witnesses to testify were Williams and Kerley, who testified to the events of August 7 and 8 leading to the death of Corll. Ronald C. OBryan P.S. The two bodies that Henley had insisted were still buried on the beach may have been those of Scott and Lyles. But over a period of two years, Corll groomed Brooks and steadily built his trust. [203], By the time the grand jury had completed its investigation, Henley had been indicted for six murders, and Brooks for four. Harvey, who had been shot through the eye. Dean Corll became known as the 'candy man' killer for his horrific spree in the early 1970s Credit: Alamy 5 Searching one of Corll's mass graves in 1973 - the object in the wheelbarrow is a skull Credit: AP Dean Corll raped, tortured and murdered at least 28 boys and young men in Texas between 1970 and 1973. [64], As had been the case with parents of other victims of Corll, both sets of parents launched a frantic search for their sons. [22]:3647, Corll was drafted into the United States Army on August 10, 1964,[5] and assigned to Fort Polk, Louisiana, for basic training. [312], There is still no conclusive evidence to suggest that Corll had ever solicited any of his victims in this manner, not only because the HPD chose not to pursue this potential possibility, but also because neither Brooks nor Henley ever mentioned having met any individuals from the "organization" Corll had claimed he was involved with. Our culture embraces individuals, in all their daring, passionate, ambitious glory. Thats when Henley decided to grab the weapon and put an end to the crime spree for good. (Brooks later claimed that Henley became involved in the abductions while Corll resided at the address he had occupied immediately prior to Schuler Street.) [82] Scottwho was well known to both Henley and Brookswas grabbed by force and fought furiously against attempts by Corll to restrain him, even attempting to stab his attackers with a knife. The first of these victims, 17-year-old Steven Sickman, was last seen leaving a party held in the Heights shortly before midnight on July 19. [297] Former workers also recalled that Corll had rolls of clear plastic of precisely the same type used to bury his victims. As had been the case in his childhood, Corll was also considered somewhat of a loner, although he is known to have occasionally dated girls in his teenage years. That's the urban legend at the heart of the new Candyman film released today but a real life serial killer with the same nickname was even more terrifying. Brooks served his life sentence at the Terrell Unit near Rosharon, Texas. [56][57] Corll promised Brooks a car in return for his silence; Brooks accepted the offer and Corll later bought him a green Chevrolet Corvette. "[195] The mother of Gregory Malley Winkle stated: "You don't run away (from home) with nothing but a bathing suit and 80 cents. [70] However, Corll evidently decided the youth would make a good accomplice[71] and offered him the same fee of $200 for any boy he could lure to his apartment, informing Henley that he was involved in a "white slavery ring" operating from Dallas. [14][27][28] O'Bryan's trial began in Houston on May 5, 1975. No known victims were killed between February 1 and June 4, 1973. His parents reportedly never had a happy marriage, and they would often argue. The individual depicted has been ruled out by the Harris County Medical Examiner as being any of Corll's known victims, including his one remaining known unidentified victim. And with that, the Houston Mass Murders finally came to an end. [16][36] He worked in this employment until the day of his death. Around the time of Konen's death, Brooks interrupted Corll as he was raping two other teenage boys in one of his apartments. [19] After walking the neighborhood with police three times, O'Bryan led them to the home where no one had answered the door. Prater is known to have continued to visit his father in Houston during weekends after he moved with his mother to Dallas. Andy Kahan, a victim advocate at Crime Stoppers of Houston, spoke of Brooks' evil after his death. [25], Following his honorable discharge from the army, Corll returned to Houston Heights and resumed the position he had held as vice-president of Corll Candy Company. "[143][144], In PPD custody, Henley was initially questioned about the killing of Corll. According to the book The Man With Candy, one young teenage boy who worked at the company complained to Corlls mother that Corll had made sexual advances toward him. [8] After tasting the candy, Timothy complained that it tasted bitter. FactualTV has screened a documentary focusing upon the murders committed by Corll and his accomplices. That chief would later be voted out of office in the first election that was held after Corlls murders became known to the public. As reported by ABC13, Elmer Wayne Henley led . [8], Corll's parents attempted reconciliation and remarried in 1950, subsequently moving to Pasadena, Texas, a suburb of Houston; however, the reconciliation was short lived and, in 1953, the couple once again divorced, with the mother again retaining custody of her two sons. [125], Noting Henley had awoken, Corll removed the gag from his mouth. [20] The home was owned by a man named Courtney Melvin. With our diverse line-up of original, high-quality programming, our distribution partners across EMEA recognise the benefits of offering A+E Networks EMEA's distinctive, high quality brands on their platforms and services. [22]:3661 A possibility exists that the earliest double murder victims were Glass and Yates; however, Brooks specifically described Glass as being killed in an altogether separate double murder from Corll's first double murder in his confession to police. Texas EquuSearch announced Sunday it will soon begin searching for the. [124] His mouth had been taped shut and his ankles had been bound together. It would become the typical modus operandi of the candy man. [1][24] Police discovered that O'Bryan had taken out life insurance policies on his children in the months preceding Timothy's death. Product Identifiers. This route often involved West traveling to Houston, where much of the product was sold. [72] Henley subsequently assisted Corll and Brooks in Aguirre's burial at High Island Beach. [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. [187] Henley initially insisted that there were two more bodies to be found inside the boat shed and that the bodies of two more boys had been buried at High Island Beach in 1972. [1][2] He was a deacon at the Second Baptist Church, where he sang in the choir and ran a local bus program. 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. [80] Henley called Aguirre over to Corll's van and invited the youth to drink beer and smoke marijuana with the trio at Corll's apartment. And I pray and ask Gods forgiveness for all of us respectively as human beings. Striving to always do so requires passion. [74][75] In early 1972, he decided to accept Corll's offer because he and his family were in dire financial circumstances. Just a few months later in December, Dean Corll abducted two teenage boys and tied them to his bed in his home. [55]:1[58] His call was answered by an operator named Velma Lines. Everyone has a voice and should feel proud and free to run with their ideas, enjoying their successes and journey with us. [3][5][26] O'Bryan's wife maintained that she did not know about the insurance policies on her children's lives. [91] Neither youth was named by either Brooks or Henley as being a victim of Corll, and both youths were identified as victims only in 2011. 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. He was found guilty of Lawrence's murder on March 4, 1975, and sentenced to life imprisonment. To those close to me, know in your hearts I love you one and all. But Brooks lived a far quieter life behind bars. One month before Timothy's death, O'Bryan took out additional $20,000 policies on both children, despite the objections of his life insurance agency. The bullet failed to fully penetrate Corll's skull,[22]:3641 and he continued to lurch toward Henley, whereupon the youth fired another two rounds, hitting Corll in the left shoulder. HOUSTON - Houston authorities are still working to identify the last unknown victim of the 1970s serial killer Dean Arnold Corll, also known as 'The Candy Man'. Houston Police officer Karl Siebeneicher describing Henley's actions upon leading police to Corll's boat shed on August 8. But later, he confessed to Brooks that he had killed them. 48 years ago, Dean Corll, one of the country's most prolific serial killers, was shot dead at his home in Pasadena, Texas. [62] In each of these abductions, Brooks is known to have been a participant. He'll return to screens this summer in a movie reboot produced by Get Out director Jordan Peele and directed by up-and-comer Nia DaCosta. [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. [88] The youth was savagely bludgeoned about the chest with a blunt instrument before he was strangled and buried in the boat shed. [17] As well, his wife rejected the claim that Timothy chose the Pixy Stix, stating that O'Bryan had, in fact, forced him to choose the Stix. Dean Arnold Corll (December 24, 1939 August 8, 1973) was an American serial killer and sex offender who abducted, raped, tortured, and murdered a minimum of 28 teenage boys and young men between 1970 and 1973 in Houston and Pasadena, Texas. Brooks agreed to the sick offer and quickly got to work. 'Candy Man' serial killer's Houston home, where he lured back many of his 28-plus teen victims to torture and murder in the early 70's, goes on sale for $185,000. Brooks would later describe Henley as being especially sadistic.. [30] However, Corll refused, informing Henley that he had raped, tortured, and killed the previous victim he had assisted in abducting, and that he intended to do the same with Aguirre. [62][290] It is likely, though not conclusive, that the unidentified sixteenth victim found within the boat shed may have been killed in the late summer or early fall of 1971. 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