At just 15 years old, Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. stepped into a nightmare no one around him could see coming—not even his own family.
For decades, he remained silent behind prison walls, known as one of America’s youngest serial killer accomplices. Now, after half a century, Henley is breaking that silence.
In a gripping new documentary, he’s not asking for forgiveness but demanding that the truth finally surface. But what is that truth—and why has it taken so long to hear it?
The Dark Beginning: From Teen to Accomplice
Henley was a teenager when he crossed paths with Dean Corll, a man from Houston whose seemingly innocent candy business earned him the sinister nickname “Candy Man.”
Behind the sweet façade hid one of Texas’s most brutal serial killers, responsible for a chilling spree of abductions and murders targeting young boys.
Fifty years later, The Serial Killer’s Apprentice revisits those grim early 1970s days, spotlighting how Henley became deeply entangled in Corll’s horrific crimes.
Introduced by 16-year-old David Owen Brooks, another of Corll’s teenage collaborators, Henley was drawn into a grim world far beyond his years.
Corll reportedly told Henley that he worked for a secret organization involved in trafficking boys and offered Henley money for each victim he helped lure—more if the boys were “good-looking.”
Desperation and youthful naivety led Henley to accept, cruising neighborhoods with Corll and Brooks to find victims. Henley would lure boys with promises of marijuana or friendship, only to later learn they were raped and murdered after being taken to Corll’s home.
Though fully aware of the horrors, Henley continued aiding Corll, becoming complicit in a series of murders that claimed at least 28 lives. Henley himself was convicted of six murders.
The killing spree ended in 1973 when Henley shot and killed Corll during a confrontation, leading authorities to the remains of many victims and exposing the full scale of the atrocity.
Breaking the Silence: A New Documentary
Decades later, Henley’s story is finally told in The Serial Killer’s Apprentice, premiering August 17 on Investigation Discovery. Henley candidly confronts his past, refusing to excuse his actions but determined to reveal what truly happened. “I’m not asking for forgiveness,” he says. “I want people to understand.”
He describes the haunting memories of taking lives: “You don’t forget that feeling. It stays with you. I was horrified.”
The documentary includes insights from forensic psychologist Dr. Katherine Ramsland, who explores the psychological forces that may have led a teenage boy to become an accomplice to unspeakable evil.
Original investigators and law enforcement officials also provide perspective, weaving together a detailed account of the case and Henley’s internal struggles.
Life Behind Bars and Parole Controversies
Sentenced to life imprisonment, Henley has spent decades in custody. While eligible for parole, his potential release continues to ignite outrage among the victims’ families.
James Dreymala, whose son was Corll’s last known victim, shared his anguish with Click2Houston: “You know it’s coming… but when the time comes, what do you say? You just tell the board what this has done to your life.”
Henley’s 2022 request for compassionate release was denied. His parole status is under review again, with a decision expected soon. David Owen Brooks, Corll’s other teenage partner-in-crime, also served life and died in prison in 2020.
Conclusion: A Haunting Legacy
More than fifty years after becoming entwined in one of America’s darkest serial murder cases, Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. is finally telling his story—not seeking sympathy, but a clearer understanding of how manipulation, desperation, and silence can transform a boy into an accomplice to evil.
As Henley awaits parole decisions, the wounds inflicted by the “Candy Man” case remain raw—for survivors, families, and a nation still grappling with the shadows of a past many thought buried.