Corll — an army veteran — got the handle The Candyman because his parents owned a confectionary factory in Houston, Texas, and he gave out free candy to kids in the hood. For a time in the early s, Corll was also considered the worst serial killer in American history. By the time he was shot to death on Aug. All those boys were missing from the same neighbourhood, and with the exception of their families, no one seemed to notice or care.