In one of the most notorious cases in American true crime history, criminologist Dr. Katherine Ramsland has revisited the murders committed by Dean Corll — a man infamously nicknamed the “Candy Man” killer — through rare, extensive interviews with his teenage accomplice, Elmer Wayne Henley Jr.
Corll, active in the early 1970s, lured adolescent boys with candy, drugs and alcohol before torturing, raping and killing them. The nickname stemmed from his childhood in his mother’s candy shop, where he handed out sweets to children.
Henley was introduced to Corll through another teenage accomplice, David Brooks, who targeted runaways, school dropouts and kids struggling with addiction. Instead of becoming a victim, Henley became a participant.
Henley eventually killed Corll in 1973, after Corll bound him and two others, declaring he would rape and kill them. Henley convinced Corll to free him, then shot him after Corll rushed him.
Watch our full, in-depth interview with Dr. Ramsland here.