Guilty verdict for James Elmore Jr., accused in Texas Killing Fields case
GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A jury has found James Elmore Jr. guilty of manslaughter in a trial connected to the Texas Killing Fields case.
The trial lasted just two days. Wednesday, a possible immunity agreement surfaced after jurors watched video of Elmore showing Tim Miller where prosecutors say he helped dump the body of Miller's 16-year-old daughter more than 40 years ago.
The new issue emerged outside the presence of the jury after Elmore's former defense attorney, Jessica Ebbs, came forward with a letter outlining a proposed immunity agreement between her and the previous Galveston County District Attorney's administration.
Ebbs testified Wednesday, without the jury present, that she came forward a day earlier after hearing a Hitchcock police detective testify that there had never been an immunity deal on the table for Elmore.
The proposed agreement was never finalized. Judge Jeth Jones said he did not believe there was evidence of an agreement and that issues of immunity would be "confusing" at this point in the trial.
The development came as the fast-moving trial headed toward closing arguments Wednesday afternoon. The jury deliberated for 48 minutes.
Miller was overcome with emotion when the verdict was read.
"It was a long fight. A 42-year fight. I'm not going to say it was a victory. I didn't know I could fight that long," he told Eyewitness News as he exited the courtroom.
Earlier Wednesday, jurors watched nearly two hours of video recorded in 2022 showing Elmore and Miller driving through League City and visiting locations connected to the death of Laura Miller and the notorious "Killing Fields."
Miller testified that he wanted a permanent record of the information Elmore had been giving him about his daughter's death, so the two got into a car with a camera recording.
"I thought this was all trash we were dumping out here," Elmore can be heard saying as they visited the Calder Road site where Laura's remains and the remains of other women were discovered.
Elmore also showed Miller where prosecutors say Laura's body was dumped.
They drove by the former home of Clyde Hedrick, the now-deceased longtime prime suspect in four Killing Fields cases. On the recording, Elmore told Miller that Laura died there.
The two also visited a cemetery where Laura used to spend time, a detail Miller testified no one else knew and one, he said, that convinced him that Elmore was credible.
Miller testified that he and Elmore would eventually meet 40 to 50 times over the next several years as Elmore continued providing information about Laura's disappearance and death.
Elmore, 61, is now convicted of manslaughter in Laura Miller's death.
Prosecutors allege Elmore prepared a vial of cocaine for his friend Hedrick to give to Laura in September 1984 and later helped move her body.
Hedrick had long been considered the main suspect in the deaths of Miller and Cook and was suspected in connection with the deaths of two other women, Heidi Fye and Donna Prudhomme.
Hedrick died by suicide while in TDCJ custody in March, as prosecutors were preparing to take the cases to a grand jury.
That leaves Elmore as the only person suspected in Laura's death who is still alive, according to prosecutors.
During cross-examination Wednesday, defense attorney William Agnew pointed out that without Elmore, Miller might still have no answers about what happened to his daughter more than four decades ago.
Miller acknowledged Elmore had helped him but said that did not change what he believes was Elmore's role in Laura's death.
"Yes, I appreciate everything your client has done to try to help, but your client was responsible for my daughter's death, and I'm sorry," Miller testified. "I liked your client. I liked him as a person, but there's consequences."
Miller testified that he gave Elmore approximately $33,000 over the years, describing the payments as reward money for information about his daughter.
The defense focused on that money as it began presenting its case Wednesday.
Elmore's sister, Debra Warren, the defense's first witness, testified that her brother was a con artist who would do anything for money. Another sister, Pamela Croft, testified that Elmore would lie for money.
"I'm just telling you what I know to be true. He's lying to y'all. Period," Croft said as she leaned into the microphone on the witness stand.
Wednesday's testimony followed an emotional first day of trial during which Miller recalled the last words he said to Laura before she disappeared.
"I kissed her, and I said, 'Sis, I'll see you later tonight,'" Miller testified Tuesday.
Within hours, he said, his nightmare began.
"The worst time in my life. The worst time," Miller told the jury through tears. "I begged. I pleaded for someone to do something. I knew something had happened. I just didn't know what it was."
Laura never came home.
Her remains were found nearly two years later, on February 2, 1986, in an overgrown field off Calder Road in League City. Cook's remains were found nearby the same day.
During testimony Tuesday, Miller looked directly at Elmore and lashed out.
"I wanted Clyde Hedrick for capital murder on all the girls, and I wanted James Elmore for manslaughter for mixing up the dope and giving the needle to Clyde," Miller testified. "He told me, 'I handed it to Clyde.' That's exactly Mr. Elmore. You handed it to Clyde Hedrick. You handed it. Damn you."
Elmore first surfaced in the renewed investigation in 2022 under unusual circumstances.
His own daughter was missing, and prosecutors say he contacted Miller, who founded Texas EquuSearch in Laura's memory, asking for help finding her. Elmore also told Miller he needed to discuss an old case and "get something off his chest."
During the conversations that followed, prosecutors say Elmore began revealing details about Laura's disappearance and death that had never been released publicly, including information about a shirt found with her remains and the vehicle allegedly used to move her body.
"Tim will tell you that this was his 'Oh my gosh' moment,'" prosecutor Katelyn Willis told jurors during opening statements. "Not a fraud. James Elmore knew things that were never made public."
Jurors also watched body-worn camera video Tuesday from a Hitchcock police detective who interviewed Elmore last year.
In that recording, Elmore said he mixed drugs that prosecutors allege were ultimately given to Laura by Hedrick.
Elmore then described what he said happened afterward.
"Yeah, yeah, he put the needle, and he turned around, and she started floppin' back and forth," Elmore said.
When the investigator asked who he was talking about, Elmore responded, "Laura Miller. He shot her up full of dope."
Elmore said he did not actually see the needle go into Laura's arm but believed Hedrick had given her the drugs because of what happened immediately afterward.
The remains of Laura Miller, Cook, Fye and Prudhomme were discovered in the Calder Road field between 1984 and 1991. The area became one of the most notorious sites associated with what became known as the "Texas Killing Fields."
Cook was 30 when she died. Although her remains were discovered near Laura's in 1986, investigators did not know her identity for more than three decades. Advances in DNA technology eventually allowed League City police to identify her as Cook in 2019. Cook's relatives have traveled from Tennessee for the trial.
Elmore is the first person to stand trial in connection with the deaths of Miller or Cook.
Elmore faces up to 20 years in prison, and sentencing is scheduled to take place on Thursday.
