True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers by Dan Zupansky -
Dan Zupansky -
Categories: Society & Culture
Listen to the last episode:
Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. was only fourteen when he first became entangled with serial rapist and murderer Dean Corll in 1971. Fellow Houston, Texas, teenager David Brooks had already been ensnared by the charming older man, bribed with cash to help lure boys to Corll’s home. When Henley unwittingly entered the trap, Corll evidently sensed he’d be of more use as a second accomplice than another victim. He baited Henley with the same deal he’d given Brooks: $200 for each boy they could bring him. Henley didn’t understand the full extent of what he had signed up for at first. But once he started, Corll convinced him that he had crossed the line of no return and had to not only procure boys but help kill them and dispose of the bodies, as well. When Henley first took a life, he lost his moral base. He felt doomed. By the time he was seventeen, he’d helped with multiple murders and believed he’d be killed, too. But on August 8, 1973, he picked up a gun and shot Corll. When he turned himself in, Henley showed police where he and Brooks had buried Corll’s victims in mass graves. Twenty-eight bodies were recovered―most of them boys from Henley’s neighborhood―making this the worst case of serial murder in America at the time. The case reveals gross failures in the way cops handled parents’ pleas to look for their missing sons and how law enforcement possibly protected a larger conspiracy. The Serial Killer’s Apprentice tells the story of Corll and his accomplices in its fullest form to date. It also explores the concept of “mur-dar” (the predator’s instinct for exploitable kids), current neuroscience about adolescent brain vulnerabilities, the role of compartmentalization, the dynamic of a murder apprenticeship, and how tales like Henley’s can aid with early intervention. Despite his youth and cooperation, Henley went to trial and received six life sentences. He’s now sixty-five and has a sense of perspective about how adult predators can turn formerly good kids into criminals. Unexpectedly, he’s willing to talk. This book is his warning and the story of the unspeakable evil and sorrow that befell Houston in the early 1970s. THE SERIAL KILLER'S APPRENTICE: The True Story of How Houston's Deadliest Murderer Turned A Kid Into A Killing Machine-Katherine Ramsland
Previous episodes
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1020 - THE SERIAL KILLER'S APPRENTICE-Katherine Ramsland Mon, 15 Apr 2024
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1019 - BEHOLD THE MONSTER-Jillian Lauren Tue, 09 Apr 2024
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1018 - THE COURAGE TO FACE COVID-19-John Leake Mon, 08 Apr 2024
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1017 - I WILL RUIN YOU-Emilio Corsetti Mon, 01 Apr 2024
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1016 - KILLING TIME WITH JOHN WAYNE GACY-Karen Conti Mon, 25 Mar 2024
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1015 - THE MEANING OF MALICE-John Leake Mon, 18 Mar 2024
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1014 - WOMEN WHO MURDER-Mitzi Szereto Mon, 11 Mar 2024
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1013 - THE BERMAN MURDERS-Doug Kari Mon, 04 Mar 2024
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1012 - FILTHY MURDERS OF YE OLDE ROCHESTER-Michael Benson Mon, 26 Feb 2024
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1011 - ZENITH MAN-McCracken Poston Jr. Mon, 19 Feb 2024
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1010 - A MURDER IN HOLLYWOOD-Casey Sherman Mon, 12 Feb 2024
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1009 - THE EDGE OF DOUBT-David Miraldi Mon, 05 Feb 2024
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1008 - STARKWEATHER-Harry MacLean Mon, 29 Jan 2024
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1007 - THE COLONIAL PARKWAY SERIAL KILLINGS and ALAN WADE WILMER SR.-Blaine Pardoe Mon, 22 Jan 2024
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1006 - MISTRESS OF LIFE AND DEATH-Susan J. Eischeid Mon, 15 Jan 2024
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1005 - WRECKING CREW-John Ferak Mon, 08 Jan 2024
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1004 - MONSTER MIRROR-Dr. Micheal Caparrelli Tue, 02 Jan 2024
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1003 - MURDERABILIA-Harold Schechter Mon, 11 Dec 2023
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1002 - KILLERS AMIDST KILLERS-Billy Jensen Tue, 05 Dec 2023
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1001 - Listen Now-Dr. Death: Bad Magic Mon, 04 Dec 2023
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1000 - THE ASSASSINS OF YOUTH-Part 1 Sun, 03 Dec 2023
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999 - THE ASSASSINS OF YOUTH: Part 2-Satan, Marijuana and Murder Sun, 03 Dec 2023
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998 - CONFLICTING LOYALTIES-Aiden Gabor Mon, 20 Nov 2023
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997 - Introducing the Jordan Harbinger Show Mon, 15 Apr 2024
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996 - MY LIFE OF CRIME-Erin Moriarty Mon, 13 Nov 2023
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995 - CONVICTING A MURDERER-Brenda Schuler and Shawn Rech Mon, 06 Nov 2023
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994 - THE ASSASSINS OF YOUTH Mon, 30 Oct 2023
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993 - MONSTERS ON THE LOOSE-Richard Carrico Mon, 23 Oct 2023
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992 - Listen Now: MrBallen's Medical Mysteries Tue, 17 Oct 2023
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991 - BTK: Dr. Katherine Ramsland Mon, 16 Oct 2023
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990 - MURDER IN A SUNDOWN TOWN-Alexandra Kitty Mon, 09 Oct 2023
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989 - WHILE IDAHO SLEPT-J. Reuben Appelman Mon, 02 Oct 2023
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988 - RUSSIAN CANNIBALS-Nico Claux Mon, 25 Sep 2023
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987 - Listen Now: 48 Hours Mon, 25 Sep 2023
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986 - Listen Now-Even The Rich: Viva Selena! Wed, 20 Sep 2023
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985 - MURDER OUTSIDE THE BACK DOOR-John Tommasi Mon, 18 Sep 2023
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984 - MARY & BILL: An Ohio Cold Case-Justin Glanville Mon, 11 Sep 2023
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983 - I AM ABIGAIL-Jamie Collins and Abigail Alvarado Tue, 05 Sep 2023
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982 - I AM A KILLER-Danny Tipping and Ned Parker Mon, 04 Sep 2023
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981 - GRIM PARADISE-Rod Sadler Mon, 28 Aug 2023
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980 - THE COMBAT ZONE-Jan Brogan Mon, 21 Aug 2023
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979 - DEER CREEK DRIVE-Beverly Lowry Mon, 14 Aug 2023
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978 - THE CRATER LAKE MURDERS-Monty Orrick Mon, 14 Aug 2023
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977 - MURDER BY THE BATHHOUSE DOOR-John Tommasi Mon, 07 Aug 2023
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976 - BOSTON TABLOID-Don Stradley Mon, 31 Jul 2023
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975 - SMALL JUSTICE-Jim Ridings Mon, 24 Jul 2023
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974 - BAD HENRY-Ron Chepsiuk Tue, 18 Jul 2023
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973 - BEHOLD THE MONSTER-Jillian Lauren Mon, 17 Jul 2023
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972 - Listen Now: Suspect "Five Shots in the Dark" Mon, 17 Jul 2023
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971 - JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME-David B. Savitz Mon, 10 Jul 2023