John Manning "Johnny" Sellars, a 17-year-old white male, tragically lost his life on July 12, 1973, in Pasadena, Texas. Sellars was one of the victims of the notorious serial killer Dean Corll, also known as "The Candy Man." Corll, along with his teenage accomplices Elmer Wayne Henley and David Owen Brooks, was responsible for the abduction, rape, torture, and murder of at least twenty-eight teenage boys and young men between 1970 and 1973 in Houston and Pasadena, Texas.
On the day of
his death, Sellars was shot four times in the chest and buried at High Island Beach. His body was discovered on August 13, 1973, during the second day of digging at the beach. Sellars was the only victim to be buried fully clothed, wearing a yellow shirt and blue jeans. The case broke open on August 8, 1973, when Henley, then 18 years old, called the police in suburban Pasadena and confessed to shooting and killing Corll in self-defense. This confession led to the discovery of the bodies of Corll's victims, including Sellars.
Henley and Brooks were both charged with multiple counts of murder for their roles in the Houston Mass Murders. Henley was indicted on six counts of murder, while Brooks faced four counts. The two teenagers had assisted Corll in procuring victims, participating in the killings, and burying the bodies. The case was considered one of the worst examples of serial murder in United States history at the time.
Sellars' death, along with the deaths of the other victims, highlighted the horrific nature of Corll's crimes and the devastating impact on the families and communities involved. The investigation and subsequent trials of Henley and Brooks brought some measure of justice for the victims and their loved ones, but the scars left by the Houston Mass Murders remain a dark chapter in the history of Pasadena, Texas.
