
5 terrifying facts about Dean Corll
Dean Corll is one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. Corll – who also went by the nickname Pied Piper and Candy Man – lured many young men and boys to their deaths in the early 1970s.
Corll was not convicted or arrested for his crimes, as he was killed by an accomplice before he could face justice.
Here at Crime+Investigation, we’re taking a look at five particularly interesting facts about Dean Corll and his heinous crimes.
1. He didn’t work alone
Over three years or so, Corll killed a minimum of 29 young men and teenage boys, though there could have been many more undiscovered victims. However, he did not do so alone. Corll was aided by two teenagers: Elmer Wayne Henley and David Owen Brooks.
Corll met and befriended Brooks when Brooks was only 12. They had a sexual relationship as Brooks became older, with Corll offering money and presents to Brooks if he performed sex acts on him.
Henley met Brooks in 1971 when the two were truants from school. Brooks then introduced him to Corll, and he joined him in 1972.
2. His family owned a candy factory
The nicknames Pied Piper and Candy Man came from the fact that Corll’s family previously owned a candy business. The business opened in 1963 and was called Corll Candy Company. Corll’s mother appointed him as vice president of the company in 1963.
When Corll returned to the business after military service, he began to befriend the local young children by giving them candy. His friendships were mostly with young boys. Corll was also known to have flirted inappropriately with several of the male teen employees at the factory.
3. He was drafted into the Army
From August 1964 to June 1965, Corll served in the United States Army after being drafted. While he wasn’t a fan of having to do the service, he had a clean record and no issues while there. Corll was discharged honourably at his request, as he argued that the family candy business needed him.
4. His torture methods were methodical and slow
It was the early 1970s when Corll began his horrific crime spree against young men and boys. Once he had abducted his victims, he would take them to his home, where he would torture and murder them.
There were recurring patterns in the way he did this, especially in the way he tortured the victims. Corll would drug them or give them alcohol and then handcuff them. He would ensure that they were in the spread-eagled position when handcuffed, referring to a pose wherein the victim has their arms and legs stretched out.
After this, Corll would cuff them to a plywood table and torture them. Corll took as much time as he wanted while torturing his victims. Some sessions could last half an hour, while others lasted days. During this time, he would rape and assault them. The session would end with the victim's death, either by gunshot via a .22 caliber pistol or from being strangled to death.
5. Corll was eventually killed by his accomplice
In the end, it was one of Corll’s accomplices – Elmer Wayne Henley – who killed him. Corll was angry with Henly when he brought two teenagers, Rhonda Williams and Tim Kerley, to Corll’s home to get high on paint and drink alcohol. Corll’s fury came from the fact that one of these teens was a girl.
Once the three teens fell asleep, Corll tied them up. He then started to scream at Henley when they woke up, telling him that he would kill him after having his fun. Henley manipulated Corll, pleading with him to free him and offering to help him kill his two friends. Corll agreed, untying Henley.
While Corll was taking Henley’s friends to his room to torture and kill them, Henley grabbed Corll’s gun. He then shot Corll six times, killing him and ending his murderous crime spree, even if it meant that Corll would escape justice by doing so.
Henley called the police and confessed to what he had done. Brooks also confessed to his involvement, but he was adamant that he had not participated in killing the victims. Both Henley and Brooks also offered to show police where the victims' bodies had been buried.
The remains of the last official victim were found in 1983, but it is unclear how many other victims there might have been that Corll’s accomplices were unaware of.
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