Elmer Wayne Henley’s Biography, Net Worth, Fact, Career, Awards and Life Story

Discover key updates regarding Elmer Wayne Henley’s Biography, Net Worth, Fact, Career, Awards and Life Story.

In the winter of 1971, when he was 15, Wayne Henley was again taken by David Brooks to meet Corll. 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.” At Corll’s home (where he was possibly taken as an intended victim), the youth was told by Corll that he belonged to an organization based in Dallas which recruited young boys for a homosexual slavery ring. Henley was offered the same fee as Brooks ($200) for any boy whom he could bring to Corll.

Henley later told police that, for several months, he completely ignored Corll’s offer. However, in early 1972, he decided he would “help find a boy” for Corll as he was in dire financial circumstances. 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. The pair then drove around Houston Heights and, at the corner of 11th and Studewood, Henley persuaded a youth to enter Corll’s GTX. The victim was lured to Corll’s Schuler Street apartment on the promise of smoking some marijuana. At Corll’s address, Henley helped con the teenager into donning the handcuffs, then watched Corll pounce on the youth, tie his feet and place tape over his mouth. Henley then left the youth alone with Corll, believing he was to be sold into the homosexual slavery ring. The next day, Corll paid Henley $200.

The identity of this first victim Henley assisted in the abduction of is not known, although it is possible the youth was 17-year-old Willard Karmon Branch, who disappeared in February 1972 and was found buried in Corll’s boat shed.

Participation in killings

On March 24, Henley, in the company of Corll and Brooks, persuaded an 18-year-old friend of his named Frank Aguirre to accompany him to Corll’s home on the promise of smoking marijuana with the trio. At Corll’s home, Aguirre was plied with marijuana, then persuaded to handcuff himself. Corll dragged Aguirre to his bedroom and secured him to his torture board where he was raped, tortured and strangled before being buried at High Island Beach. Henley later claimed that he attempted to talk Corll out of raping and killing Aguirre, but Corll adamantly refused. 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. Later, Corll and Brooks told Henley that his childhood friend, David Hilligiest, had also been killed and buried in his boat shed along with his swimming companion Malley Winkle.

Despite the revelations to the reality of the fate of the boys brought to Corll, Henley nonetheless continued to assist Corll and Brooks in the abductions and murders of youths, who would be lured to Corll’s home either alone or in pairs. Less than one month later, Henley and Brooks persuaded another friend of theirs, 17-year-old Mark Scott, to attend a party at Corll’s home. As had been the case with Frank Aguirre, Scott was raped, tortured, strangled and buried at High Island Beach before another two Heights youths, Billy Baulch and Johnny Ray Delone, were also murdered and buried at High Island on May 21.

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. On October 3, Henley assisted Corll in the abduction and murder of two Heights boys named Wally Simoneaux and Richard Hembree. David Brooks later stated Hembree was accidentally shot in the mouth by Henley who, according to Brooks’ confession “just came in (the room where the two boys were bound) waving the .22 and accidentally shot one of the boys in the jaw.” The two boys were killed later the same day Hembree was shot and later buried in the boat shed. One month later, a 19-year-old named Richard Kepner was abducted while walking to phone his fiancee from a pay phone.

By the time Richard Kepner had been killed and buried at High Island, Henley had assisted in the abduction and murder of a minimum of nine teenage boys. On February 1, 1973, Corll abducted and killed a 17-year-old youth named Joseph Lyles, apparently without the assistance of Henley, who had temporarily moved to Mount Pleasant in early 1973.

In the spring of 1973, Henley attempted to enlist in the U.S. Navy, but his application was rejected due to the fact he had dropped out of high school and possessed a limited education. In a 2010 interview, Henley stated: “I couldn’t leave anyway. If I did go, I knew Dean would go after one of my little brothers, who he always liked a little too much.”

Nonetheless, between June and July 1973: he, Brooks and Corll had killed a further seven victims between the ages of fifteen and twenty, at least six of whom Henley participated in either the abduction of or murder. On June 4, a 15-year-old friend of Henley’s named Billy Lawrence was abducted and, after 3 days of abuse and torture at an address Corll had moved to in Pasadena, strangled with a ligature and buried at Lake Sam Rayburn. Less than two weeks later, a 20-year-old hitch-hiker named Raymond Blackburn was likewise strangled and buried at Lake Sam Rayburn before a 15-year-old South Houston youth named Homer Garcia was shot and buried at the same location after his July 7 abduction. Two additional youths, John Sellars and Michael Baulch, were killed on July 12 and July 19 and on July 25, Henley lured two friends of his named Charles Cobble and Marty Jones to Corll’s apartment where, two days later, Cobble was shot and Jones strangled before the youths were buried in Corll’s boat shed.

On August 3, Brooks and Corll – without the assistance of Henley – abducted and killed a 13-year-old boy named James Dreymala. Dreymala was strapped to Corll’s torture board, raped, tortured & strangled before being buried in Corll’s boat shed.