Beyond the 806
Man sentenced to 20 years over a 'Texas Killing Fields' case, decades after dozens of bodies found - AP News
James Dolphs Elmore Jr.
The jury handed down the maximum sentence a day after finding Elmore, 61, guilty. Prosecutors accused him of preparing the dose of cocaine that killed Miller, whose body was discovered in the notorious stretch of land tied to unsolved murders dating back to the 1970s. The case is among the rare few from that area to ever reach a courtroom.
For people who grew up hearing about the Texas Killing Fields, the verdict lands as something close to closure, even if it covers just one victim among dozens. Most of those cases have never been prosecuted. Miller's case sat cold for decades before Elmore's arrest earlier this year.
Common questions
Who was convicted in the Texas Killing Fields case and what was the sentence?
- James Dolphs Elmore Jr., 61, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Galveston County jury. Prosecutors said he prepared the cocaine dose that killed 16-year-old Laura Miller in 1986, whose body was found in the Texas Killing Fields area near Houston.
What are the Texas Killing Fields?
- The Texas Killing Fields is a stretch of land near Houston linked to dozens of unsolved murders dating back to the 1970s. Most cases have never reached a courtroom, making Elmore's conviction one of the rare few to result in a verdict decades after the crimes occurred.
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