Richard Edward Hembree, a 13-year-old Caucasian male, tragically lost his life on October 3, 1972, in Houston, Texas. Richard, along with his friend Wally Jay Simoneaux, was last seen on October 2, 1972, walking to Richard's home. The two teenagers were reportedly seen entering a white van parked outside a Heights grocery store. The following day, Richard was found dead, having suffered asphyxia due to strangulation and a gunshot wound to the mouth.
His body was discovered buried in a boat shed belonging to Dean Arnold Corll, a notorious serial killer known as "The Candy Man."
Dean Corll, along with his teenage accomplices David Owen Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley, was responsible for the abduction, rape, torture, and murder of at least 28 teenage boys and young men between 1970 and 1973 in Houston and Pasadena, Texas. Richard Hembree and Wally Jay Simoneaux were among the victims of this gruesome crime spree. On the evening of October 2, 1972, the two boys were lured into Brooks's Corvette and taken to Corll's Westcott Towers apartment. That night, Wally managed to make a desperate phone call to his mother's home, shouting "Mama" before the connection was abruptly cut off. The following morning, Richard was accidentally shot in the mouth by Henley, with the bullet exiting through his neck. Several hours later, both boys were strangled to death and buried in a common grave inside Corll's boat shed.
The discovery of Richard Hembree's body, along with the remains of other victims, led to a massive investigation and subsequent arrests. Dean Corll was shot and killed by Elmer Wayne Henley on August 8, 1973, during a confrontation at Corll's home. Henley and Brooks were both arrested and later convicted for their roles in the murders. Henley received six consecutive life sentences, while Brooks was sentenced to life imprisonment. The case, known as the Houston Mass Murders, remains one of the most horrific and notorious serial killing sprees in American history.
