19 youths found slain in Texas

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power company employe, at Corll's suburban Pasadena home.

Meanwhile police prepared to investigate Henley's statement that more bodies were buried in the Lake Sam Rayburn area of East Texas' piney woods country.

Lt. Breck Porter of the Houston police said most of the victims dug up so far were either shot or strangled. He said it would be difficult to ascertain exact cause of death because of the decomposed condition of most of the bodies.

Porter said Henley at first said Corll was the killer of the youths but that he changed his story late yesterday. Porter said Henley admitted taking part in some of the killings and burials. "This is just a sex deviate thing,” said Porter.

Porter said Henley now says he and Corll "had been into this about three years." It was about three years ago that the youth dropped out of school.

Henley was being held for grand jury action in the death of Corll but had not been charged in connection with the other deaths.

"Henley said scattered around East Texas are probably 25 or 30 bodies altogether," Porter said. "Henley said he believes there are about 19 bodies at the boat stall more around Sam Rayburn

Lake and High Island."

Officers at the scene of the mass burials said the bodies were found at about a four-foot depth in lime-laced earth.

Plastic bags had been tied around the heads of some of the victims.

Officers said an all-night sex party at

Corll's home led to the electrician's shooting death and the subsequent discovery of the graves.

"We haven't positively identified anybody," said detectiive Larry Earles, but police said most of the decomposed bodies appeared to be those of teen-age boys and young men previously reported missing.

At the Corll home, Pasadena Police Chief Charles Benson said his officers found a plywood box "large enough to support a person," knives, guns and rolls of sheet plastic similar to that wrapped around the bodies.

The long-haired, lanky Henley said in his original statement he had known Corll for some time. "Dean loved to be around kids and prattle with them about cars or fishing," he said.

Coworkers described Corll as a man with an "infectious smile... the nicest, most courteous guy you'll ever meet."

Henley said he had gone to Corll's home with a 15-year-old girl and another youth.

He said the trio sniffed spray paint, passed out. then woke up to find Corll handcuffing all of them, saying they must die.

"He said he was going to kill us all. bur first he was going to have his fun, Henley said. Henley said Corll was armed with a gun and a knife, but "I sweet-talked him and promised I'd torture and kill them (the other youth and girl) for him if he'd let me go, so he did.”

Henley said the girl and the other youth were stripped naked, gagged and lashed to a 5-foot board. Henley said he had been ordered by Corll to engage in sex with the girl while Corll planned to perform homosexual acts on the youth.