The Sinister Saga of Dean Corll: The Candy Man Killer

In the annals of American crime, the name Dean Arnold Corll resonates with chilling infamy. Born on December 24, 1939, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Corll would become one of the most notorious serial killers in U.S. history, known for the abductions, rapes, tortures, and murders of at least twenty-nine teenage boys and young men from 1970 to 1973 in Houston and Pasadena, Texas. His heinous acts, executed with the assistance of teenage accomplices David Owen Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley, came to be known as the Houston Mass Murders. The grotesque reality of these crimes only surfaced after Henley fatally shot Corll, revealing the dark underbelly of what seemed like an ordinary existence.

Early Life and the Candy Man's Genesis

Dean Corll's upbringing was marked by familial discord. The son of Mary Emma Robison and Arnold Edwin Corll, his childhood was characterized by a protective mother and a strict father, whose marriage dissolved when Dean was just seven. The family moved frequently, from Fort Wayne to Memphis, Tennessee, and later to Pasadena, Texas. Throughout these transitions, Corll remained a shy child, prone to solitude but sensitive to criticism. A bout with rheumatic fever left him with a heart murmur, further isolating him from peers as he was excused from physical education classes.

The family dynamics shifted again when Corll's mother remarried a traveling clock salesman, Jake John West. They settled in Vidor, Texas, where Corll's half-sister, Joyce, was born. It was here that the family business, a candy company, took root in their garage, with young Dean and his brother Stanley laboring long hours to produce sweets. This early exposure to the candy trade would later earn Corll his ominous moniker, "The Candy Man."

From High School to Military Service

Corll's high school years were unremarkable save for his involvement in the brass band. In 1958, upon graduating from Vidor High School, the family relocated to Houston Heights, where they opened the Pecan Prince candy shop. A brief stint living with his grandmother in Indiana ended with a rejected marriage proposal, and Corll returned to Houston to help his family's burgeoning business. By 1963, he was vice president of the newly named Corll Candy Company, although whispers of his inappropriate behavior towards young male employees began to surface.

In August 1964, Corll was drafted into the Army, a tenure he reportedly despised. He achieved an honorable discharge after ten months, having applied on the grounds of family business needs. It was during his military service that Corll reportedly acknowledged his homosexuality, a realization that would shadow his interactions upon returning to civilian life.

Establishing the Candy Empire

Back in Houston Heights, Corll resumed his role in the family candy business. The shop, now across from Helms Elementary School, became a local staple known for free candy offerings, particularly to teenage boys. This practice earned Corll the nicknames "Candy Man" and "Pied Piper." His flirtations with teenage employees and the installation of a pool table at the factory for evening social gatherings painted a picture of a man eager to ingratiate himself with the youth of the community.

The Accomplice: David Owen Brooks

In 1967, Dean Corll's path intersected with that of 12-year-old David Owen Brooks, one of the many children who frequented the candy shop. Brooks, whose own family life was fractured by divorce, found in Corll a father figure who lavished him with gifts and money, and eventually a sexual relationship developed. By 1970, Brooks had dropped out of high school and was living in Houston, often staying at Corll's apartment. This relationship proved pivotal as Brooks would soon assist in the gruesome exploits that defined Corll's legacy.

The Murders: A Grim Escalation

From 1970 to 1973, Corll's murderous spree unfolded with chilling routine. His victims, primarily teenage boys aged 13 to 20, were often lured with promises of parties or rides. Once at Corll's residence, they were incapacitated with alcohol or drugs, restrained, and subjected to horrifying assaults on a marine-grade plywood torture board. Corll's methods of murder ranged from strangulation to shooting with a .22 caliber pistol. The bodies were disposed of in various locations, including a boat shed, beaches, and woodland areas.

The Unraveling: Henley's Fatal Shot

The macabre saga of Dean Corll came to a violent end on August 8, 1973, when Elmer Wayne Henley, who had become an accomplice, turned against Corll. In a confrontation that culminated in Henley shooting Corll, the horrors of the Houston Mass Murders were finally exposed. Henley and Brooks confessed to their roles in the killings, leading to their sentences of life imprisonment. The revelation of the scale and brutality of Corll's crimes left an indelible scar on the communities affected by his reign of terror.

Conclusion

Dean Corll's story is a haunting reminder of the darkness that can lurk beneath the veneer of everyday life. His legacy, forever entwined with the lives he destroyed, stands as a grim testament to the depths of human depravity. The Houston Mass Murders, once hidden in the shadows, now serve as a chilling chapter in the history of American crime.

Sources

For further details, visit the original Wikipedia article.