James Dolphs Elmore Jr. will face a jury beginning Aug. 31 in the 1984 killing of 16-year-old Laura Miller, whose remains were found in a field off Calder Road in League City that became known as the League City Killing Field.

Elmore, 61, of Bacliff, appeared in a pink jail jumpsuit and handcuffs at a pretrial hearing Friday, Aug. 14, in the 122nd District Court in Galveston County, confirming his identity as the judge reviewed his pending cases, KHOU reported. Prosecutors told the judge they plan to try the manslaughter charge first. Elmore also faces two felony counts of tampering with a witness or evidence tied to the deaths of Miller and 30-year-old Audrey Lee Cook.

Court filings submitted Aug. 11 show the prosecution's prospective witness list includes investigators from the League City Police Department, along with officers from the Houston and Texas City police departments and the Galveston County Sheriff's Office, according to the Galveston County Daily News. Galveston County Medical Examiner Dr. Erin Barnhart is listed as a potential expert witness.

The same filings reveal prosecutors intend to introduce evidence of two attempted aggravated kidnappings from the mid-1980s in Galveston County, naming Carrie Dodson and Eric Garza as complainants and potential witnesses. Elmore's defense attorney, Bill Agnew, declined to comment on the filings.

Tim Miller, Laura's father and founder of the League City-area nonprofit Texas EquuSearch, sat in the courtroom Friday. He told reporters it was the first time he had seen Elmore in a courtroom.

"Took my breath away. I got choked up. I had to wipe tears out of my eyes," Miller said outside the courthouse.

Miller said he expects to be the lead witness at trial. He spent roughly four years meeting privately with Elmore, at least 30 times by his own count, after Elmore contacted him claiming to have information about Laura's death. According to investigators cited in the Galveston County Daily News, Elmore told authorities he was present the night Laura Miller died in September 1984 and had prepared a vial of cocaine containing a lethal dose that Clyde Hedrick administered to her. Investigators also claim Elmore helped dispose of victims' bodies in the Calder Road area and witnessed Hedrick bury Miller.

Miller approached Galveston County District Attorney Kenneth Cusick in December 2025 asking for fresh eyes on the case. Prosecutors Katelyn Willis and Adam Poole reviewed the evidence and secured a grand jury indictment in March.

The judge and attorneys discussed summoning roughly 200 prospective jurors because of the case's high-profile attention.

Another suspect long tied to the case, Clyde Hedrick, died by suicide March 21 while on supervised parole as his case was being presented to a grand jury. Hedrick had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2014 for the 1984 death of Ellen Beason in League City and was sentenced to 20 years but paroled in 2021, according to Houston Public Media.

Cusick said in April that the investigation is not finished and that there are other active leads beyond Elmore and Hedrick. Laura Miller was one of roughly 30 women whose bodies have been recovered along the I-45 corridor between southeast Houston and Galveston over the decades.

Elmore's bond is set at $3 million. Jury selection begins Aug. 31 in the 122nd District Court.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.