John Milton Elliott (May 16, 1820 – March 26, 1879) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge from Prestonsburg, Kentucky.

In 1861 he went back to the Kentucky legislature, but was expelled by Judge Bland Ballard on December 21, 1861, for giving aid to the Confederate States of America.

Buford's late sister had lost her land to pay back a debt of $20,000; Elliott had ruled against her in a court proceeding in which she had attempted to save the property.

Hines inspected the body as Buford turned himself in to a deputy sheriff who had come to see where the shotgun blast came from.

The New York Times opined that the murder "could scarcely have taken place in any region calling itself civilized except Kentucky, or some other Southern state".