Man sentenced to 20 years over a ‘Texas Killing Fields’ case, decades after dozens of bodies found

James Dolphs Elmore Jr., 61, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday in the "Texas Killing Fields" case, a rare trial related to the discovery of dozens of women's bodies near Houston. Elmore was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Laura Miller, whose remains were discovered in a rural field in 1986.

The "Texas Killing Fields" have been the site of more than 30 girls' and young women's bodies found along Interstate 45 southeast of Houston, with multiple suspects believed responsible. Although Hedrick, a longtime friend of Elmore, was accused of preparing the cocaine dose that killed Miller, he died by suicide before grand jury proceedings could begin.

The district attorney's office has decided to seek grand jury indictments against Hedrick for the murders of the four women, but his actions remain unsolved.