Defendant James Dolphs Elmore Jr., right, sits with his attorney, William Agnew, while listening to witnesses on the first day of testimony of his trial in Galveston on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. Elmore is accused of manslaughter in the 1984 death of Laura Lynn Miller. STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News A jury Wednesday convicted James Elmore on a manslaughter charge in the 1984 death of 16-year-old Laura Miller, one of the victims found in the infamous Texas Killing Fields. The guilty verdict against Elmore, 61, of Bacliff, could send him to prison for up to 20 years. He is the first person found guilty in connection with the deaths of four women found in a single field in League City between 1984 and 1991. Galveston County prosecutors and Elmore's lawyer, Bill Agnew, rested their cases Wednesday afternoon. Nine witnesses testified over about 12 hours of questioning. The jury deliberated for around an hour before coming back with a guilty verdict. WHO IS JAMES ELMORE? What to know about this week's Texas Killing Fields trial Houston Chronicle Logo Want more Houston Chronicle? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source In closing, prosecutors argued that Elmore admitted to preparing and supplying the cocaine that killed Laura and knew what it would be used for. That made him guilty of manslaughter in her death, Assistant District Attorney Adam Poole said. When James Elmore loaded up the dope in a syringe, he might as well have been loading bullets in a gun, Poole said. Agnew said prosecutors were trying to find someone to take the fall for killings that the late Clyde Hedrick, the prime suspect in the Killing Fields murders, committed. Agnew argued that Elmore, a convicted fraudster, had entrapped himself in a scheme to get money from Laura Miller's father. James is shrewd, Agnew said. James likes money. James will do anything for money. But Agnew argued that prosecutors hadn't proved that Elmore did what he claimed. He said the seem #houstonchronicle #crimewatchhouston