James Elmore pleaded not guilty on Aug. 21 to manslaughter charges in the 1984 death of Laura Miller, setting the stage for what will be the first trial connected to the decades-old Texas Killing Fields case in League City.

District Court Judge Jeth Jones confirmed that jury selection will begin at 1 p.m. Aug. 31 in Galveston County, with a pool of about 250 potential jurors, Houston Public Media reported. Jones said the case was prioritized and moved to the front of the docket.

Elmore, 61, of Bacliff, is charged with secondary felony manslaughter. Prosecutors allege he prepared a vial of cocaine for his friend and prime suspect Clyde Hedrick to give to the 16-year-old Miller in September 1984. A Galveston County grand jury also indicted Elmore on felony tampering with evidence charges in Miller's death and in the death of Audrey Cook, another victim found at the same site.

Hedrick, the alleged prime suspect, died by suicide in March 2026 before a scheduled grand jury presentation.

The Killing Fields site sits near the intersection of Calder Road and Ervin Street in League City. Between 1984 and 1991, four women's bodies were found there: Heidi Fye-Villareal, Cook, Miller and Donna Prudhomme. The indictments are part of a renewed effort to hold accountable those responsible for the deaths of roughly 30 women whose bodies were found in the area known as the Texas Killing Fields.

Tim Miller, Laura Miller's father and founder of Texas EquuSearch, attended an earlier pretrial hearing on Aug. 14 and said 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 told KHOU after that hearing. He has said he expects to be the lead witness at trial.

In June, Texas EquuSearch volunteers, League City Police and other agencies searched roughly 25 acres of thick woods and an adjacent 11-acre tract near Magnolia Creek Baptist Church on Calder Drive, prompted by information Elmore had shared with Tim Miller over a four-year period before Elmore's arrest.

Elmore also faces separate, unrelated charges of possession of child pornography and possession of visual material depicting sexual assault. Those charges were filed after a search warrant was served at his Bacliff home in April. A Texas City police officer alleged multiple images of child pornography were found on Elmore's phone.

Elmore's attorney, William Agnew, had not responded to a request for comment as of Aug. 24, Houston Public Media reported. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Aug. 31.

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