Defendant James Dolphs Elmore Jr., right, sits with his attorney, William Agnew, while listening to witness testimony during his trial in Galveston, Texas, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News via AP, Pool)

A man convicted over a  Texas Killing Fields  death was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday in a rare trial related to the bodies of dozens of women found near Houston beginning in the 1970s.

James Dolphs Elmore Jr. was given the maximum sentence by a Galveston County jury a day after they found him guilty of manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Laura Miller, whose body was found in the infamous area in 1986.


What became known as the  Texas Killing Fields  refers to a stretch of land along Interstate 45 southeast of Houston where the bodies of more than 30 girls and young women have been found. The area has inspired books, movies and a Netflix documentary.

Most of the deaths remain unsolved, and investigators believe multiple people may be responsible.

Miller's body was found 17 months after she went missing. After the long search for her and frustration with authorities, her father, Tim Miller, started Texas EquuSearch, a nonprofit that helps search for missing people.

 I begged, I pleaded for somebody to do something,  Miller told jurors.  I knew something happened to Laura, I just knew it. I just didn't know what it was. 

Charges filed decades after Texas teenager's killing

Elmore, 61, had approached Miller several years ago, telling him he was there when Laura Miller died, and the two men met dozens of times. During the trial, jurors watched a video produced by Tim Miller showing the two men visiting locations connected to his daughter's death.

Elmore was arrested earlier this year, accused of preparing the dose of cocaine that killed her.

She was one of four young women whose bodies were found between 1984 and 1991 in a rural field off a desolate dirt road in League City, located about 28 miles (45 kilometers) southeast of Houston. The other three women were: Audrey Cook, Heidi Fye-Villareal and Donna Pru

#click2houston   #crimewatchhouston