A Galveston County jury found James Elmore Jr. guilty of manslaughter Wednesday, Sept. 2, in the 1984 death of 16-year-old Laura Miller.

Elmore, 61, of Bacliff, is the first person convicted in connection with the deaths of four women found in a field off Calder Road in League City between 1984 and 1991. The site is part of the area known as the Texas Killing Fields along the I-45 corridor, adjacent to the Clear Lake-area communities. Jurors also made an affirmative deadly weapon finding against Elmore.

The jury deliberated about an hour after a two-day trial in which nine witnesses testified over roughly 12 hours, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Elmore faces two to 20 years in prison. The punishment phase is set for Thursday, Sept. 3, at 9 a.m. before the same jury.

A father's testimony

Tim Miller, Laura's father and founder of Texas EquuSearch, gave emotional testimony Tuesday, Sept. 1, describing his daughter's death and his years-long effort to find answers.

Miller testified that Elmore first contacted him in 2022, saying he wanted to discuss an old case and "get something off his chest," according to ABC 13. Elmore directed Miller to locations and described details Miller said were not publicly known, including pointing out the former home of prime suspect Clyde Hedrick on Nevada Street in Dickinson, two blocks from where the Miller family once lived.

"Nobody knew Laura hung out at the cemetery … I knew then that, hey, this guy's real," Miller testified, according to KPRC 2.

Recorded interviews and corroboration

Prosecutors alleged Elmore prepared a vial of cocaine for Hedrick to administer to Laura Miller. They also alleged Elmore helped move her body afterward.

Jurors watched a 90-minute video, commissioned by Tim Miller, in which Elmore discussed the night of Laura's death and said he handed Hedrick a "rig" filled with cocaine, according to the Chronicle. In a separate police body-camera recording played for the jury, Elmore said of Laura: "He shot her up full of dope."

A Dickinson detective testified that information Elmore provided matched investigative details, including a description of a Western-style shirt found near Laura's remains and details about the death of another victim, Audrey Cook. Elmore described Cook being shot in the back with a .22-caliber weapon after rejecting Hedrick's advances. Cook's autopsy confirmed she was shot in the lower back with a .22-caliber round.

Investigators believed Hedrick killed Laura, Cook and other women. The detective testified that authorities were preparing to seek indictments against Hedrick in four killings. Hedrick died by suicide in March 2026 before he could be charged.

Defense challenges credibility

Defense attorney Bill Agnew called three witnesses, all members of Elmore's family, who testified they believed Elmore fabricated his account because he was not living in the area when Laura died and had not yet met Hedrick. One defense witness, Elmore's sister Debra Warren, was confronted during cross-examination with a prior forgery conviction after initially testifying she had no criminal record.

Miller acknowledged paying Elmore nearly $33,000 over several years: $25,000 in reward money and about $8,000 more because Elmore was experiencing financial and medical problems. Miller said he wanted to keep Elmore close as a source of information. He testified that Elmore described Laura's death and implicated himself before learning about the reward.

Former defense attorney Jessica Ebbs also came forward during the trial with a proposed immunity agreement from a former prosecutor. Ebbs testified, "I was assured that as long as he did not put the needle in Laura Miller's arm, he was safe from prosecution." The agreement was never finalized. District Court Judge Jeth Jones said he did not believe evidence showed a completed agreement.

After the verdict, Miller was surrounded by supporters, many of them Texas EquuSearch volunteers. He embraced Galveston County Chief Assistant District Attorney Kate Willis as Elmore was walked from the courtroom in handcuffs, the Chronicle reported.

Laura Miller disappeared Sept. 10, 1984. Her remains were found Feb. 2, 1986, in an overgrown field in League City.