Dean ‘Candy Man’ Corll Murders

[Heights2Bastrop]

My mom is moving from Houston to Austin. She closes on her house next Wednesday, and we will move the next day. We will get a U-Haul truck for the move, and will store her excess furniture and other belongings in a storage unit here in Bastrop.

I signed for the unit this morning. As with most business people in this town, the guy at the place was a talker. People just love to talk here. Charlie would enter something into the computer, then talk some more. As it turned out, he lived in The Heights for a good while in a rental on Dorothy near 11th. Small world.

One of the stories I told Charlie was about taking a date to DePaul

[FilioScotia]

a boat shed in Houston off Hiram Clark

Well let's see. Dateline 1973. I'm betting it would be the same boat shed where Houston police found a number of the bodies of teenagers murdered by mass murderer Dean Corll. It was also where one of his accomplices, Elmer Wayne Henley, borrowed TV reporter Jack Cato's car phone to call his mother and make that tearful confession "momma -- I killed Dean". How'm I doing?

[Heights2Bastrop]

Good job, Filio!

That had to have been one of the stranger things that I have experienced. Here I am talking about the Henley/Corll case, and the boat-shed owner was standing in front of me.

When the guy walked in, Charlie introduced him as something Harriman (can

[TJones]

Good job, Filio!

BTW, I am going back today and give the book to Harriman.

Why would you want to drudge up bad memories for him, why don't you just go put a bag of flaming dog poop on his door and yell Merry Christmas and run off ?

[FilioScotia]

Why would you want to drudge up bad memories for him, why don't you just go put a bag of flaming dog poop on his door and yell Merry Christmas and run off ?

I agree. This Mr. Harriman was closer to that story than most of us, and something tells he already knows everything he wants to know about it. I'd let it go and leave him alone.

Edited December 21, 2006 by FilioScotia

[Heights2Bastrop]

For one thing, Harriman is the one who brought up his connection, otherwise I never would have known. Second, I think he was pretty young when it happened, maybe in his teens, so he may not have been exposed to all the gory details at the time.

Lastly, he seemed as though he enjoyed the notoriety of being connected with such a famous (infamous) case. And why not? It

[TJones]

For one thing, Harriman is the one who brought up his connection, otherwise I never would have known. Second, I think he was pretty young when it happened, maybe in his teens, so he may not have been exposed to all the gory details at the time.

Lastly, he seemed as though he enjoyed the notoriety of being connected with such a famous (infamous) case. And why not? It

Edited December 21, 2006 by TJones

[Vertigo58]

This scary incident shocked 1973 Houston... NEW BOSTON, Texas - Although it's been more than 30 years, many people still remember the serial murders of 26 boys in the Houston area. Elmer Wayne Henley was convicted of six of the murders. Now he is known as one of the state's most notorious killers.

It was an older man, Dean Corll, who convinced a young Elmer Wayne Henley to seek out victims for murder. Before it was over, 26 young boys were murdered in the Houston area in the 1970's. The crimes are now even hideous to one of the convicted killers.

Dean Corll's home

(courtesy Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library)

[Subdude]

Note merged topics.

[nmainguy]

Note merged topics.

One of my best friends ended up in that boat shack on High Island. I lived through the trama as I'm sure H2B did as well. It's a tough row to hoe being a young boy or girl having to witness the horrors of an event such as this. I know that H2B, myself, my sisters and my cousin had to endure an experience that few adults could barely have the idea of the horror we were a part of.

[FilioScotia]

Dean Corll's home

FYI: That house is in Pasadena, and it was where Corll was living when Henley and David Brooks killed him. Can't remember which street, but it's off South Shaver just a block or two from Shaver Elementary School.

Edited February 6, 2007 by FilioScotia

[Heights2Bastrop]

I lived through the trama as I'm sure H2B did as well.

Actually, NMG, I was not as affected as you because you and those involved (perpetrators and victims) are a few years younger than I am. In fact, I had already gone through a marriage and a stint in the Navy by the time that happened.

I knew none of those involved other than knowing people who knew them. It wouldn

[yuan1274]

Good job, Filio!

That had to have been one of the stranger things that I have experienced. Here I am talking about the Henley/Corll case, and the boat-shed owner was standing in front of me.

When the guy walked in, Charlie introduced him as something Harriman (can't remember his first name). By chance, I have the book, "Mass Murder in Houston" which is all about the case.

The owner the cops first encountered was a Mrs. Meynier who lived on the road to the shed. Her daughter was married to W. C. Harriman who was the father or grandfather of the storage owner I met

BTW, I am going back today and give the book to Harriman.

Yes, I saw a show on the ID Network about the Corll-Henley murders. That was before cell phones. Henley said to his mother: "I killed Dean!" To say that Corll was sick would be a gross understatement. The fact that a man in his 30s would hang out with only teenagers should have raised someone's eyebrows even back then.

On 48 Hours (I think that was the show) it had a segment on Henley in prison. It said that he was a model prisoner. Does anyone know if he's ever come up for possible parole?

[FilioScotia]

Does anyone know if he's ever come up for possible parole?

Wayne Henley has been eligible for parole since 1983, and he applies every chance he gets, but he's turned down every time.

Apparently nobody on the Parole Board wants to be remembered for putting one of the Houston Mass Murderers back on the streets.

[mkultra25]

I've been reading Jack Olsen's "The Man With The Candy" lately (actually rereading, but I'd forgotten many things in it as I hadn't read it since it was first published), and seeing the Henley-Brooks-Corll horrors in quite a different light as I'm much more familiar with the Heights now than I was as a kid when the murders first came to light. I'm wondering how many of the Heights-area houses (and other structures, like Corll's old candy factory) mentioned in the book are still standing, but in order to find out the addresses I'll probably have to hit the Texas Room and sift through the phone directories from the early 70s.

I had forgotten that Henley and a couple of his victims lived on 27th St. When I was in high school, one of my English teachers lived on 27th. He offered summer writing classes outside of school to some of the advanced students, and I spent the summer of 1981 heading over to his house three mornings a week for one of those classes. I used to walk around the neighborhood quite a bit, and given that he lived on the stretch of 27th between Shepherd and Yale, I'm guessing that I walked right past the house Henley grew up in on many occasions without realizing it at the time.

[ChampionsAdam]

Dean Corll's home

FYI: That house is in Pasadena, and it was where Corll was living when Henley and David Brooks killed him. Can't remember which street, but it's off South Shaver just a block or two from Shaver Elementary School.

2020 Lamar, The house looks better today then it did in the pic

[Vertigo58]

2020 Lamar, The house looks better today then it did in the pic

Is it possible the persons living in this house know what happened there? Creepy. Imagine having dinner in the same room where this scary stuff happened in once, real scary.

Should be torn down just like the former Sharon Tate residence was a few years ago. Living next door is just as freaky. I forgot if Coryl was renting or it was his moms home. I bet even cats and dogs are afraid to walk past it.

Now! This kind of creepy.

Wiki even tells the story for the younger viewers that missed out on this tripped out story when it happened:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Corll

Edited June 4, 2008 by Vertigo58

[Native Son]

when somebody tells me how dangerous things are today I remind them of what it was like to be an 11 year old living a couple of mile from that boat storage shed in 1973.... back then missing kids were not on milk cartons or TV, they were mostly called run aways and written off.... it's not more dangerous, just more coverage.... 35 years later it still makes me feel sick

[Vertigo58]

when somebody tells me how dangerous things are today I remind them of what it was like to be an 11 year old living a couple of mile from that boat storage shed in 1973.... back then missing kids were not on milk cartons or TV, they were mostly called run aways and written off.... it's not more dangerous, just more coverage.... 35 years later it still makes me feel sick

I for one am glad we were told by parents to learn from this sad event.

Never stare at people driving real slow, its the eye contact that makes them think you want to indulge in conversation. Yuk, no way.

If anyone tries to get near you in a car walk back farther where they cant grab you. Never look if they are whistling or saying vulger stuff, and yes it has happened where it was a man or men. Gross.

Always start to look around for a big rock or stick to throw at them. Some of you out there may think this is drastic but heck, its better than being nabbed and taken away never to be seen again.

We had to grow up fast after learning about this. During these times public schools never even had sessions or lessons to protect your self. No Amber alerts, nada. You had to fend for yourself. We had at least 2 near attempts as teens. We made those rocks sail pretty far and hit some freaks windows, they got spooked and fled, or hit the gas rather. It worked!

[Rammer]

My mom is moving from Houston to Austin. She closes on her house next Wednesday, and we will move the next day. We will get a U-Haul truck for the move, and will store her excess furniture and other belongings in a storage unit here in Bastrop.

I signed for the unit this morning. As with most business people in this town, the guy at the place was a talker. People just love to talk here. Charlie would enter something into the computer, then talk some more. As it turned out, he lived in The Heights for a good while in a rental on Dorothy near 11th. Small world.

One of the stories I told Charlie was about taking a date to DePaul's Pizza on Shepherd near 16th. The girl was reluctant to go there because this was not long after a bunch of murders occurred in The Heights. I convinced her it was totally safe.

Then in, the middle of dinner, Mr. DePaul and a customer got into an argument about the lack of ingredients on his pizza, but he had already eaten two slices of it. The guy said he was leaving without paying, to which DePaul said, "Over my dead body!" As this was happening, my date slumped lower and lower in her chair. She was terrified!

As I was telling my story to Charlie, the owner of the storage place came in. As it turned out, his family owned a boat shed in Houston just off Hiram Clark at that time. Small world got even smaller.

You Houston old-timers can piece the rest of this together, and you can see why this thread is under Houston History.

Dean Corll locations:

Boat shed - Silver Bell & Player; shed #11

Heights candyshop - West 22nd street; just north of Helms elementary

Pasadena house - 2020 Lamar street, Pasadena

[Vertigo58]

Dean Corll locations:

Boat shed - Silver Bell & Player; shed #11

Heights candyshop - West 22nd street; just north of Helms elementary

Pasadena house - 2020 Lamar street, Pasadena

You mean that boat shed is still standing? Not torn down yet? Ugh

and was Heights candyshop really a candyshop or was it just a nickname? what was that? one of the places he picked up these teens at? Story was never that clear at the time.

Still somewhat shocked that anyone in thier right mind would actually inhabit that Pasadena house? Like living in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre home.

[Rammer]

You mean that boat shed is still standing? Not torn down yet? Ugh

and was Heights candyshop really a candyshop or was it just a nickname? what was that? one of the places he picked up these teens at? Story was never that clear at the time.

Still somewhat shocked that anyone in thier right mind would actually inhabit that Pasadena house? Like living in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre home.

There is a shed there...don't know if it is the same one or not.

The candyshop was his mother's...it was a real candyshop. Corll would make friends with teenagers by passing out candy samples.

In 'The Man with the Candy', author Jack Olsen suggests that other victims might be buried around Corll's candy shop, but authorities show no interest in pursuing the case further.

Henley insisted there were at least two more corpses in the boat shed.

[OkieEric]

There is a shed there...don't know if it is the same one or not.

The candyshop was his mother's...it was a real candyshop. Corll would make friends with teenagers by passing out candy samples.

In 'The Man with the Candy', author Jack Olsen suggests that other victims might be buried around Corll's candy shop, but authorities show no interest in pursuing the case further.

Henley insisted there were at least two more corpses in the boat shed.

I did some digging into this on my own as well, and read that the shed was indeed on Silver Bell St - it's only a small stretch of road in SW Houston, which seems consistent with the descriptions I've read. There are several shed-looking structures in that stretch, which can easily be seen on maps.live.com (maybe even in streetview on google?). I couldn't find anything in my digging on hcad.org in terms of when these structures were built, though, or at least nothing to make me think they existed back in the 70's

Stories like this are obviously disturbing, but for some reason I want to see where it all happened...as is obviously the case with some others here. It was surprising to see that Corll's house in Pasadena still stands, and that we can now see it on something like streetview. I can't imagine living in that place...reminds me of the Amityville horror house - not physically, but talk about a terrible history

[Vertigo58]

I can't imagine living in that place...reminds me of the Amityville horror house - not physically, but talk about a terrible history

Exactly. If you read the true story, at least one bedrooms was the "torture" room. Only thing missing was a guillotine.

In fact, I personally would not want to live on the same street. Feel nautious...turning blue...

[OkieEric]

Exactly. If you read the true story, at least one bedrooms was the "torture" room. Only thing missing was a guillotine.

In fact, I personally would not want to live on the same street. Feel nautious...turning blue...

You'd think such a history would have a tangible effect on the sales price...it seems like a lot of the more recent serial killer-related housing - think BTK, Dahmer, several others - have been torn down or are planned to be torn down. This house has somehow slipped through the cracks, and I think it'd be difficult to find a place that has witnessed more murders...at least in this part of the country

[Retama]

Yeah, those boatsheds on Silver Bell are still there.

Drove by Corll's Pasadena house just the other day. Corll told a boy he was having an affair with that he would never take him into the back bedroom of the house on Lamar and did not say why. According to a Pasadena cop, that room was in the back on the southwest side of the house, same room in which Corll was killed. It is believed that some bodies are buried in the backyard there. Vince's Bayou runs behind the place but it has concrete banks.

Other related spots: The Westcott Tower (I have no address) -- Corll lived there with Brooks and Henley was a frequent visitor. Neighbors reported hearing weird stuff and seeing lots of kids coming and going.

The Hart's Chicken Joint near old Hamilton Junior High in the Heights -- frequent pickup spot for Henley and Brooks.

402 W. 16th Street Heights -- Corll lived here.

6363 San Felipe (an apartment complex, I believe) -- Corll lived there and Henley told cops Ruben Haney was killed there.

The Place One Apartments on Mangum -- Corll lived and killed there.

The Princessa Apartments on Wirt -- Corll lived there and took the lives of several victims there as well.

My brother once bought a house where a double murder/suicide took place. Apparently, a teenage girl shotgunned her parents while they slept then killed herself. I used to go over there to do yard work before he moved in and then after he moved out and was selling the place. Knowing its history made the place creepy. My mind tended to regard every odd noise as a ghost.

Edited July 16, 2008 by Retama

[FilioScotia]

Yeah, those boatsheds on Silver Bell are still there.

Drove by Corll's Pasadena house just the other day. Corll told a boy he was having an affair with that he would never take him into the back bedroom of the house on Lamar and did not say why. According to a Pasadena cop, that room was in the back on the southwest side of the house, same room in which Corll was killed. It is believed that some bodies are buried in the backyard there. Vince's Bayou runs behind the place but it has concrete banks.

I'm almost a hundred percent sure that the bayou wasn't channelized with the concrete banking until some years after the Corll/Henley murders. So if there are bodies buried there, they're under that concrete.

Edited July 17, 2008 by FilioScotia

[icepickphil]

Yes Corll lived in an apartment complex in the early 70s on San Felipe called Woodway Square. The entire complex has since been torn down. I think that's where one of his first murders occured.

I believe he also lived in some apartments on the west side of Yorktown between San Felipe and Westheimer for a short while. Does anyone know anything about this?

Yeah, those boatsheds on Silver Bell are still there.

Drove by Corll's Pasadena house just the other day. Corll told a boy he was having an affair with that he would never take him into the back bedroom of the house on Lamar and did not say why. According to a Pasadena cop, that room was in the back on the southwest side of the house, same room in which Corll was killed. It is believed that some bodies are buried in the backyard there. Vince's Bayou runs behind the place but it has concrete banks.

Other related spots: The Westcott Tower (I have no address) -- Corll lived there with Brooks and Henley was a frequent visitor. Neighbors reported hearing weird stuff and seeing lots of kids coming and going.

The Hart's Chicken Joint near old Hamilton Junior High in the Heights -- frequent pickup spot for Henley and Brooks.

402 W. 16th Street Heights -- Corll lived here.

6363 San Felipe (an apartment complex, I believe) -- Corll lived there and Henley told cops Ruben Haney was killed there.

The Place One Apartments on Mangum -- Corll lived and killed there.

The Princessa Apartments on Wirt -- Corll lived there and took the lives of several victims there as well.

My brother once bought a house where a double murder/suicide took place. Apparently, a teenage girl shotgunned her parents while they slept then killed herself. I used to go over there to do yard work before he moved in and then after he moved out and was selling the place. Knowing its history made the place creepy. My mind tended to regard every odd noise as a ghost.

[Vertigo58]

This reminds me of a home, a few houses from where we grew up on the near East End that was rented out after our childhood friends moved away. This house was rented to a couple with a child. One day there were cops and lots of hoopla. Seems he killed her with an ax in the hallway entering the dining room. After all the media died down the owners finally rented out. These crazy hippies we knew, rented it and said the blood was still visible on the door and bottom of wall. They thought it was sort of far out and left as is. The home is still there and I can assure that even present owners are not aware of its gory past. No telling how many hundreds of residences have been the scenes of similar horror stories.

[Retama]

I'm almost a hundred percent sure that the bayou wasn't channelized with the concrete banking until some years after the Corll/Henley murders. So if there are bodies buried there, they're under that concrete.

I wondered about when that concrete was poured, Filio. A number of bodies Corll buried in the Heights might be under a parking lot behind where Corll's old candy biz was located.

There used to be some folks around Pasadena who remembered Corll oddly cruising around some of the neighborhoods there as early as the mid-1960s. Trouble is, the homosexual angle to the murders caused them to keep their mouths shut, least they be thought to be in the same company.

This terrible crime still fascinates me, in part, because I remember it so well as a 12-year-old kid and because I still cross threads of it today: my mother-in-law has a beach house near where some of Corll's victims were buried. We also frequently travel across Lake Sam Rayburn, passing very near a second burial place Corll used, through Broaddus, where he spent time, into San Augustine where Henley was held briefly. When I worked for the Pasadena Citizen I talked to people who had some interesting things to say -- verifiable things -- about Corll. By chance, at the funeral of a family friend, I talked to a guy who knew Dean Corll through another teenager (not Henley or Brooks) and went to one of the periodic shindigs they'd hold. He told me about some odd and scary stuff that went on and said he feels certain that he'd have been a victim if he'd continue to go back, but he didn't.