HOUSTON, Texas – In less than two weeks, one of the most significant trials in Harris County is set to get underway.
Gerald Goines, the former Houston Police Department Narcotics Officer will be tried for the deadly Harding Street Raid that left Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas dead in Jan. 2019.
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There are several questions regarding how the trial will play out, and much of the spotlight will be on the attorneys for both sides and the judge.
Let’s focus on Goines’ defense team:
Who is Nicole Deborde?
Nicole Deborde is a criminal defense attorney and trial lawyer in the greater Houston area.
Before opening her law firm, Hochglaube & DeBorde P.C., DeBorde served as a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office from 1994 to 2002.
Recently she took on Joseph Nerie as a client, who is being investigated for his involvement in repair contracts the City of Houston awarded last November.
In another high profile case, DeBorde teamed up with the ACLU to defend Hervis Rogers. The State of Texas claimed Rogers wasn’t eligible to vote in 2020 because he was still on parole. Rogers was arrested, released on bail, and faced up to 40 years in prison. But, by October 2022, a judge dismissed the charges against him.
“This is kind of a battle of the heavyweights. Nicole is accomplished, she is very well respected by lawyers and judges, and jurors love her. She is smart, she is hard-working... she is as good a lawyer as there is, probably in the country. Keaton is a younger, extraordinarily talented likable smart guy who puts the work in. I’ve tried a murder case against him, that did not work out well for my client, and you’re going to see some first-class lawyering on both sides,” criminal defense attorney, Joe Vinas said.
Deborde graduated from the University of Houston.
Who is Molly Bagshaw?
Molly Bagshaw is a criminal defense attorney and Senior Associate at Hochglaube. Bagshaw works on appeals and writes on the state and federal level, along with writing motions for new trials including a reversal on two 30-year sentences for two allegations of an aggravated assault, and writs of habeas corpus that have been granted, according to her company’s website.
Bagshaw graduated from Princeton University with a major in Sociology and two minors in African American Studies and Spanish. She also attended the University of Houston Law Center.
Who is Corey Fawcett?
Corey Fawcett is a criminal defense attorney, who focuses heavily on helping his clients from the early stages through post-conviction and appellate matters in both state and federal court.
Before joining Hochglaube & DeBorde, Fawcett worked at both the Harris County Public Defender’s Office and the Davidson County Public Defender’s Office in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.
He attended law school at the University of Houston Law Center.
Who is George ‘Mac’ Secrest?
George Secrest has his private practice, The Law Offices of Bennett and Secrest PLLC, which practices in both trial and appellate courts and handles cases in state in federal courts.
Secrest has many notable cases, including defending Ken Lay, the founder of Enron, in 2001 when the energy company was accused of hiding debt and inflating profits. He also obtained a not guilty by means of insanity verdict from a jury in the capital murder trial of Evonne Rodriguez who was accused of strangling her 4-month-old son with rosary beads in 1997.
Mac received his B.A. degree from the University of Houston in 1974 and graduated from St. Mary’s University, School of Law in 1977.
Who is William Reagan Wynn?
William Reagan Wynn is an attorney out of the Fort Worth area, according to his Texas State Bar profile.