Former Houston police officer convicted of killing couple during drug raid

HOUSTON (AP) — A former Houston police officer was charged Wednesday with murdering a couple during a Drug raid 2019 which revealed systematic corruption problems within the police drug enforcement unit.

A jury found Gerald Goines guilty of the double murder of Dennis Tuttle, 59, and his 58-year-old wife, Rhogena Nicholas, in January 2019. The couple were shot and killed along with their dog after officers entered their home with a no-knock search warrant without requiring them to announce themselves before entering.

Goines faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The same jury that convicted him after less than a full day of deliberations will also decide his sentence after hearing additional testimony and evidence during the penalty phase, which is scheduled to begin Thursday.

Goines looked down and showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read. He had been released on bail and was immediately taken into custody.

Nicholas' family expressed gratitude for the jury's verdict.

“The jury saw this case for what it was: gruesome murders by corrupt police officers, an epic cover-up attempt, and at least some measure of justice for Goines. Our pursuit of justice – and the exposure of the smear campaign against Rhogena and Dennis – will continue in the civil courts,” the family said in a statement.

Prosecutors and Goines' lawyers were not expected to immediately comment on the ruling because the judge had previously imposed a news gag order on the case.

A civic organization said Wednesday that Goines' actions and other similar problems within the police department “pose a threat to the public safety of officers and the citizens of Houston.”

“We are thrilled! After nearly six long, painful years, the families of Rhogena and Dennis have finally received justice for their loved ones who were shot and killed in their own home by rampant, out-of-control HPD officers following a botched 'no knock' drug raid,” We the People Organize said in a statement.

After the trial began on September 9, prosecutors presented testimony and evidence that they said showed Goines lied to obtain a search warrant that falsely portrayed the couple as dangerous drug dealers.

Prosecutor Keaton Forcht said Goines' actions mistakenly led officers to the couple's home, resulting in a violent confrontation in which the couple were killed and four officers were shot and wounded and a fifth injured.

While Goines' lawyers acknowledged that the former cop lied to get the search warrant, they downplayed the impact of his false statements. They said his actions did not warrant a murder conviction. Nicole DeBorde, one of Goines' lawyers, portrayed the couple as armed drug users and said they were responsible for their own deaths by shooting at the officers.

Prosecutors said Goines falsely claimed an informant bought heroin from an armed man at the couple's home. Goines later changed his statement and claimed he bought the drugs himself, but authorities said that was also a lie. After the raid, investigators said they found only small amounts of marijuana and cocaine in the house.

Jeff Wolf, a Texas Ranger who investigated the shooting, testified that the officers fired first when they entered the home and shot the couple's dog. Wolf said the gunshots and Nicholas' screams likely led the officers to Tuttle coming out of his bedroom and opening fire on the officers. Goines' attorneys said the officers identified themselves before entering the home, but Wolf testified that the couple may never have heard this before gunfire erupted.

Goines' attorneys argued that Tuttle, not police officers, was the first to shoot another person. Prosecutors blamed Goines' actions for the shooting.

An officer involved in the raid and the judge who approved the search warrant testified that the raid would never have taken place if they had known that Goines had lied to get the warrant.

The investigation into the drug raid also revealed allegations of systematic corruption.

A dozen officials in connection with the drug investigation who carried out the raid, including Goines, were later charged to other charges an investigation into corruptionA judge dismissed charges against some of them in June.

Since the raid, prosecutors have reviewed thousands of cases handled by the drug agency.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has tipped over at least 22 convictions in connection with Goines, who also Federal charges.

One of the other cases linked to Goines is his 2004 drug arrest in Houston. George Floydwhose death in 2020 at the hands of a police officer in Minnesota sparked a nationwide debate about racism in the police force. A Texas board in 2022 rejected a request for a posthumous pardon for Floyd's drug conviction following his arrest by Goines.

Nationwide civil rights lawsuits The lawsuits filed by the families of Tuttle and Nicholas against Goines and 12 other officers involved in the raid, as well as against the city of Houston, are scheduled to go to trial in November.

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