Inside the mind of Elmer Wayne Henley Jr.: Dean Corll’s twisted mentorship

A new Investigation Discovery documentary, The Serial Killer’s Apprentice, centers on recorded conversations between Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. and forensic psychologist Dr. Katherine Ramsland.

The documentary revisits how a teenager entered Dean Corll’s orbit, took part in a string of abductions and murders, then shot Corll and led police to hidden graves. For viewers of the show, the focus stays on what Henley says now, how he explains his past choices, and where the record is clear.

The case dates to the early 1970s in Houston and Pasadena. Dozens of boys and young men had vanished at the time. Many families were told that their sons had run away.

The pattern later tied to Corll and two teen accomplices, Henley and David Brooks, showed planning, repeated methods, and an expanding set of burial sites. The documentary’s interviews ask how a boy became part of that machine, and why the same boy finally turned a gun on the man who drew him in.

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How Elmer Wayne Henley met Dean Corll

The Serial Killer's Apprentice (Image via YouTube/@investigationdiscovery)

Elmer Wayne Henley met Corll through Brooks during his mid-teens. By that time, Corll had already developed a reputation in Houston Heights for handing out candies and offering rides. By Henly's account, small favors and promises came first, followed by talk of easy money. Over months, the teen moved from hanging around Corll's places to helping bring in other boys.

The Independent (August, 2025) reports that Corll paid his teen helpers $200 per victim. Henley later admitted to luring them and eventually shooting Corll with the older man’s own .22 pistol. This came after a night that turned violent. The teen then guided police to multiple burial sites, including a boat shed and Lake Sam Rayburn.

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From witness to actor to the man who killed Corll: Elmer Wayne Henley in 1973

The turning point came on August 8, 1973. After an all-night session with paint fumes and alcohol, Henley woke up bound in Corll’s Pasadena house, alongside two others.

He talked his way to freedom, grabbed the pistol, and fired at Corll. Officers soon recovered restraints, plastic, and a plywood board fitted for tying down victims. In later statements, Henley described both the recruiting and the killing methods. Courts weighed those statements against body recoveries and other testimony.

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Trial, sentence, and parole timeline for Elmer Wayne Henley

Henley was tried for six murders. He received six 99-year terms, later running concurrently. Brooks was convicted separately and died in prison in 2020.

The total known victim count attributed to Corll stands at at least 28 boys and young men, though officials have long said the full number may never be confirmed.

Elmer Wayne Henley’s next parole eligibility is in October 2025. The timeline and charges appear in court records and contemporary reporting, summarized in the documentary and reference materials the film draws upon.

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The Serial Killer’s Apprentice places Henley’s voice beside a specialist who challenges and probes, while relatives of victims recall lost boys and years without answers.

The program features Henley’s first in-depth comments in decades and sets the premiere for Sunday, August 17, at 9 pm ET on Investigation Discovery, with streaming options available on Max.

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