By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library, the Needham Free Public Library (NFPL) shared an online event with true crime authors Dr. Katherine Ramsland & Tracy Ullman. Throughout this event, Ramsland and Ullman discussed their book "The Serial Killer's Apprentice" which details how Houston’s deadliest murderer turned a kid into a killing machine.
The NFPL website went on to explain the book, “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.”
“The Serial Killer’s Apprentice,” the website additionally stated, “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.”
Ramsland, who teaches forensic psychology and criminology at DeSales University in Pennsylvania, has appeared as an expert in criminal psychology on more than 200 crime documentaries and magazine shows and has consulted for CSI, Bones, and The Alienist. She has written more than 1,500 articles and 71 bookspertaining to true crime stories, including Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, The BTK Killer and How to Catch a Killer.
Ullman is a documentary producer, director, and writer living in Chicago. She has gone on to produce dozens of non-fiction television programs for Discovery Networks, Oxygen, AETN Networks, and PBS. Her most recent production is a six-part limited documentary series about the serial murderer John Wayne Gacy. Within this series, she sheds new light on discoveries made in his case for NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
Together, these two incredible authors were able to speak with Henley about his experience working with Corll. After conducting extensive research, Ramsland and Ullman created this book in just over a year’s time. For both of them, they feel as if this book helps people become more aware of what is/could be happening around them.
Sex trafficking rings can unfortunately be seen across the world, and the money made from them leads these authors to believe they will be extremely hard to stop. “Why would that sex trafficking ring” Ullman stated, “ever go away? It is seen all over the world. So for me it was very important to let people know today that this was so big, it made so much money, and it had such a far reach. How can we make people more aware that these things happen and how they happen? And the other part that I think Katherine really brought to the story was being able to work with Henley to have us get advice from somebody like him who was never spoken to prior to this. He laid out with Katherine ways in which people can avoid succumbing to this type of behavior.”
Ramsland went on to further state that children nowadays are more prone to being vulnerable in these situations, especially when it comes to aspects like technology and social media. It can be easy for them to be groomed into a situation like Henley was and ultimately become a part of something they do not wish to be involved in.
“Our last chapter in this book,” Ramsland mentioned, “actually goes through some of the things that parents, teachers and counselors can be watchful of to assist them to see what is going on. Because these predators ruined entire neighborhoods, they groom the family, they groom everyone that's important to the child so that they can be thought of as completely acceptable like a boy scout leader or somebody nobody is looking at as a threat.”
Ullman and Ramsland both agree that while this type of conversation can be a tough and/or gross one to have, it has to be discussed within society so that children out there do not have to go through anything like Henley did. Towards the end of the discussion, they took audience questions, including how common it is for a serial killer to have an accomplice. Ramsland stated that at least 20% of serial killers have one or more accomplices to help with their crimes. This further proves that we must make children aware of warning signs, and ultimately listen to them when they discuss an uncomfortable situation they had.
For more information about Ramsland and Ullman’s book, please visit the NFPL in person or at their website, www.needhamlibrary.org.
