Here's Where 'Candy Man Killer' Accomplice Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. Is Now

The man who helped Dean Corll kill 28 teenage boys in Pasadena, Texas, during the 1970s is the subject of a new documentary on the Investigation Discovery channel. Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. was the serial killer's accomplice, and he helped him lure the boys to Corll's home, per KVUE News. Corll was dubbed the "Candy Man Killer" because his family owned a candy factory and Corll was known for giving candy away to kids, according to Texas Public Radio.

Henley believes that he was originally supposed to be a victim of Corll's himself, but he ended up being the killer's accomplice. He was first tasked with helping Corll with petty crimes before he lured the boys to Corll, who was a father figure for Henley. According to People, on Aug. 8, 1973, Henley shot Corll to death during a confrontation, and he told the police about the murders. Henley was just 17 years old at the time of the killing. So, where is Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. now?

Henley led the police to the boys' burial site in the summer of 1973. Corll had raped, tortured, and murdered the 28 victims — aged 13 to 20 — and buried them in Pasadena in a boat shed, a beach between Port Arthur and Galveston, and the Angelina National Forest. The boys were killed between 1970 and 1973. Henley and another accomplice, David Owen Brooks, were sentenced to life in prison. In 2020, Brooks died in prison from COVID-19.

The two accomplices were reportedly paid $200 for each victim they lured to Corrl's with the promise of beer and marijuana. In the ID documentary, The Killer’s Apprentice, Henley said that he shot Corll in self-defense because Corll had tried to kill him, a 15-year-old girl, and another friend. He also said that he'd been curious about killing before he met Corll. Corll was 33 years old when he was shot six times and killed.

Henley said in the documentary, "What scares me is, did Dean recognize a fellow psychopath?”

"You see people getting strangled on television, and it looks easy,” he added. "It’s not. Sometimes, it takes two people half an hour."

Henley pleaded not guilty but was convicted of killing six boys in 1974 and given six life sentences to be served consecutively. He is currently serving his sentence at the Barry B. Telford Unit in New Boston, Texas. He was denied parole multiple times and will be up again for parole in October of 2025.

Henley passes the time in prison with painting, and his art was displayed in several Texas galleries during the 1990s. He also reportedly makes jewelry.

One of the victims could not be identified and likely never will be. Forensic psychologist Dr. Katherine Ramsland said that Henley knows he will likely die in prison.

"He goes back and forth with recognizing the things that he did," she said. "And that he has a just punishment."

The Killer’s Apprentice is available to watch on the ID channel. It is also available to stream on HBO Max.