HOUSTON – The conviction of a man who was arrested by one of two former Houston police officers charged in the deadly Harding Street raid is being reexamined by prosecutors.
Former narcotics Officer Gerald Goines has been charged with murder and tampering in connection with the Jan. 28 raid that ended in the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas.
Since Goines' arrest, prosecutors in the Harris County District Attorney's Office have been reviewing hundreds of his cases to determine if the convictions were legitimate.
"It's unusual to be investigating a law enforcement officer who may be a criminal, and that is exactly what this investigation is," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
Ogg said her team recently looked into the case of another man, Frederick Jermain Jeffrey, whose conviction raised questions.
Jeffrey was sent to prison for 25 years in 2018. He contended that he was framed.
Now, Ogg said her office is requesting an attorney for Jeffrey as a result of the "presentation of false evidence and testimony."
Ogg said what raised flags in Jeffrey's case were commonalities, specifically: "Search warrants based on information that may or may not be true."
"We defend lawful actions and we prosecute them, but where we suspect even a cop may be a criminal, then commonalities in their past cases matter, and that is exactly why we ask for lawyers in these cases," Ogg said.
All of this is the result of Goines' past being scrutinized after KPRC 2 Investigates exposed an affidavit showing that Goines allegedly lied to secure the search warrant used during the Harding Street raid.
KPRC 2 Investigates has also learned there are two other incarcerated men for whom the DA's office is attempting to secure legal assistance.
Prosecutors have said they are in the process of reviewing about 14,000 cases as a result of the Harding Street raid.
