GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas – James Elmore Jr. was sentenced to a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison for his role in the 1984 death of 16-year-old Laura Miller, but that 20-year sentence may not mean 20 years behind bars.
Andy Kahan, Crime Victims Director and Crime Stoppers of Houston, says an old Texas law could allow Elmore to be released significantly earlier.
“We had a very strange, quirky law that was enacted in 1977, it was called the automatic mandatory release law,” Kahan said.
Kahan says because Elmore committed his crime in 1984, Texas law at the time allowed certain inmates to be released early based on time served and good-conduct credit. While the law has since changed, the old rules can still apply to inmates who committed crimes between 1977 and 1987.
“20 doesn’t mean 20. 20 actually means eight under Texas law,” Kahan said.
This is not the first time a Texas Killing Fields case has been affected by the mandatory release law, according to Kahan. Clyde Hedrick, a longtime suspect in several Killing Fields cases, including Laura Miller’s, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Ellen Beason in 2014. He served only eight years before being released under the same law. Hedrick died by suicide in March before he could be charged in connection with the other Killing Fields cases. Prosecutors allege Elmore prepared a vial of cocaine for Clyde Hedrick to administer to Laura. Elmore confessed to Laura’s father, Tim Miller, about the case and showed him where he helped dispose of Laura’s remains in a field in League City. The area, where 3 other women’s bodies were found, became known as the Texas Killing Fields.
Kahan says the only thing that could prevent Elmore from benefiting from an early release is a new conviction.
“If we don’t get him convicted of that offense, he will be automatically released from a Texas prison, more than likely in the year 2034,” Kahan said.
Elmore still faces two tampering with evidence charges and two unrelated child pornography charges. Prosecutors say the maximum punishment for those charges could include stacked life sentences.
Prosecutors said they plan to try Elmore on those cases.
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