BACLIFF, Texas – A jury has found James Dolphs Elmore Jr. guilty of manslaughter in a “Texas Killing Field” case.
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He was charged in the death of 16-year-old Laura Miller, who disappeared in League City in 1984. Her remains were recovered more than a year later.
What’s next:
Court will resume on Thursday with the same jury to determine his sentence.
Indictment decades in the making
The backstory:
In March, the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office announced Elmore’s indictment in connection with the deaths of Audrey Lee Cook, 30, and Miller.
He was indicted for tampering with evidence and manslaughter in Miller’s death and tampering with evidence in Cook’s death.
Calder Road deaths
Dig deeper:
Between 1984 and 1991, the bodies of Cook, Miller, Heidi Fye and Donna Gonsoulin Prudhomme were discovered in a Leage City field near Calder Road.
The investigation has centered heavily on another man, Clyde Hedrick. The district attorney’s office says they recently decided to seek grand jury indictments against Hedrick for the deaths of the four Calder Road victims.
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However, Hedrick will never face a jury. The district attorney revealed that Hedrick took his own life shortly before the case was going to be presented to a grand jury.
Despite Hedrick’s death, the case against Elmore moved forward, motivated by what District Attorney Kenneth Cusick described as extensive lab results, thousands of investigative hours, and past statements made by Elmore himself.
Cusick says Hedrick and Elmore were friends for decades. According to the district attorney’s office, Elmore assisted Hedrick by giving him a vial of cocaine to administer to Miller.
The “Texas Killing Fields”
Big picture view:
The Calder Road field is just part of a larger area known as the “Texas Killing Fields” along the I-45 corridor between the southeast side of Houston and Galveston where the bodies of at least 30 women have been recovered over the decades. They are not all linked to one killer.
The Galveston County District Attorney’s Office says they are making a renewed effort, along with local enforcement, to bring justice to the murderers responsible for the women’s deaths.
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