Jury finds James Dolphs Elmore Jr. guilty of manslaughter in ‘Texas Killing Fields’ case陪审团裁定詹姆斯·多尔夫斯·埃尔莫尔二世在“德州杀戮场”案中犯有过失杀人罪。
A jury found James Dolphs Elmore Jr. guilty of manslaughter on Wednesday over a death linked to the “Texas Killing Fields,” an area near Houston where the bodies of dozens of women were found, beginning in the 1970s.
Courtesy Brett Dutton
A jury found James Dolphs Elmore Jr. guilty of manslaughter on Wednesday over a death linked to the “Texas Killing Fields,” an area near Houston where the bodies of dozens of women were found, beginning in the 1970s.
A stretch of land along Interstate 45 southeast of Houston was dubbed the “Texas Killing Fields” after the bodies of more than 30 women were found there.
Investigators believe multiple perpetrators may be responsible for the deaths of mainly girls and young women.
A Galveston grand jury indicted 61-year-old James Dolphs Elmore Jr. in April for his alleged role in the deaths of 16-year-old Laura Miller and 30-year-old Audrey Cook, whose bodies were found in the infamous area in 1986.
Galveston County Sheriff's Office via AP
Elmore was charged with manslaughter and felony tampering with evidence in the death of Miller and with tampering with evidence in Cook’s killing.
On Wednesday, he was found guilty over the death of Laura Miller who disappeared in September 1984 at age 16 in the League City area.
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images
Family members in the courtroom cried and embraced as the guilty verdict was read out.
Paul S. Howell/Liaison/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
His daughter’s body was found in the ‘Texas Killing Fields’ decades ago. Now he’ll face a man charged in her death
In April, Galveston County District Attorney Kenneth Cusick said prosecutors had also presented evidence to a grand jury seeking indictments against Clyde Hedrick, who authorities allege was the person responsible for the deaths of the women and two others and had been Elmore’s longtime friend.
But the 72-year-old Hedrick died by suicide in March before the grand jury came back with a decision in his case, Cusick said.
Hedrick was convicted of manslaughter in 2014 in the death of Ellen Beason, a young woman whose body was found in 1985 after going missing the previous years.
He was released in 2022 and was still on parole at the time of his death, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Most of the deaths associated with the “Texas Killing Fields” remain unsolved.
感谢 Brett Dutton 提供图片
周三，陪审团裁定詹姆斯·多尔夫斯·埃尔莫尔二世犯有过失杀人罪，该案与“德克萨斯杀戮场”有关。“德克萨斯杀戮场”位于休斯顿附近，从 20 世纪 70 年代开始，数十名女性的尸体在那里被发现。
在休斯顿东南方向 45 号州际公路沿线的一片土地上发现了 30 多名女性的尸体，之后这片土地被称为“德克萨斯杀戮场”。
调查人员认为，多名作案者可能应对主要由女孩和年轻女性组成的死亡事件负责。
今年 4 月，加尔维斯顿大陪审团起诉了 61 岁的詹姆斯·多尔夫斯·埃尔莫尔二世，指控他与 16 岁的劳拉·米勒和 30 岁的奥黛丽·库克的死亡有关。这两名女子的尸体于 1986 年在臭名昭著的加尔维斯顿地区被发现。
美联社加尔维斯顿县警长办公室
埃尔莫尔被控过失杀人罪和重罪篡改证据罪（与米勒的死亡有关）以及篡改证据罪（与库克的死亡有关）。
周三，他被判犯有谋杀劳拉·米勒罪。劳拉·米勒于 1984 年 9 月在联盟城地区失踪，当时年仅 16 岁。
休斯顿纪事报/赫斯特报业集团/盖蒂图片社
法庭上，当宣读有罪判决时，被告家属们哭泣着拥抱在一起。
Paul S. Howell/Liaison/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
几十年前，他女儿的尸体在“德州杀戮场”被发现。如今，他将面对一名被控杀害她女儿的男子。
今年 4 月，加尔维斯顿县地方检察官肯尼斯·库西克表示，检察官还向大陪审团提交了证据，寻求对克莱德·赫德里克提起诉讼。当局称，赫德里克应对这两名女性和其他两人的死亡负责，并且是埃尔莫的多年好友。
库西克说，72岁的赫德里克在3月份自杀身亡，当时大陪审团尚未就他的案件作出裁决。
2014 年，赫德里克因过失杀人罪被判有罪，受害者是年轻女子艾伦·比森，她的尸体在失踪多年后于 1985 年被发现。
据德克萨斯州刑事司法部称，他于 2022 年获释，去世时仍在假释期内。
与“德州杀戮场”相关的绝大多数死亡事件至今仍未侦破。