HOUSTON – Frederick Jeffrey will be released Friday on a personal recognizance bond (PR bond) after serving five years in prison.
“I’m gonna hug him and take him to eat a big, big lunch, dinner, whatever he wants. That’s what he’s gonna get today. He’ll get the royal treatment. That’s what he’s gonna get,” Tina Baldwin, Jeffrey’s mother, said.
Baldwin said she knew her son was innocent since day one. She says she’s happy her son will get to come home. Jeffrey could be heard saying, “hi mom” when he saw her Friday morning in court.
A judge told Jeffery his case was sad and, “We’re going to get you out as fast as we can.”
Jeffery was arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison for possession of a controlled substance in October 2018. He was convicted solely on the affidavit from former Houston Police Department officer Gerald Goines.
Goines is facing murder charges for engaging in a narcotics scheme and a fake drug buy that led to the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas during the 2019 Harding Street raid.
As a result of Goines’ false testimony, prosecutors said Jeffrey’s case may get overturned.
“He will be released. I think there might be some minimal conditions and we have to wait for the court of criminal appeals to affirm the judge’s recommendation that his conviction be overturned,” Prosecutor Josh Reiss said. “During that time, he’s still technically in custody but he’s not incarcerated. And the Court of Appeals agrees that his conviction never should have happened. His conviction will be overturned and the state of Texas will officially dismiss his case.”
Prosecutors said Goines was involved in 1,400 cases throughout his career but from 2008 to now, there are 160 cases where Goines was the sole witness.
The defendants in those cases should have received letters. Prosecutors are urging those people to come forward and file an appeal in the hopes their charges can get overturned.
SEE MORE: