HOUSTON, Texas – On September 9, the family of a couple killed during a botched Houston Police Department raid may finally get justice, more than five years after the tragedy.
Former HPD narcotics officer Gerald Goines, who law enforcement says authored the warrant leading to the deadly raid, has been charged with the murders of homeowners Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. The couple was killed in January 2019 when narcotics officers, executing a no-knock warrant in plain clothing, entered their home.
The delay in Goines’ murder trial has raised significant questions. Goines, along with several officers in the narcotics unit, faces charges of engaging in criminal activity.
Since the 2019 raid, scrutiny has extended beyond this case to other cases tied to Goines and the narcotics department.
“Every time you see a big case like this, it’s certainly an opportunity for the DA to get front and center in everyone’s living room on the cameras, call press conferences like she is apt to do, so in that respect sure this is an opportunity for the DA herself to resolidify her name and get some free press that she doesn’t need to pay for in order to get in front of the voters.”
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg quickly handed down indictments on Goines and other officers more than a week after the raid. However, the criminal trial against Goines has seen several delays.
“I think everyone has a dog in the hunt. The district attorney’s office wants to look good to its constituents and go full force against this officer. I think HPD wants to separate themselves out from his actions, they’ve already changed the policy with regards to no-knock search warrants, and I think that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is watching what is happening in the state court to a make a determination in how to go forward as well.”
The delay in the trial has been partly attributed to the vast amount of evidence that needed review. Still, DA Ogg announced last year that her office was ready for trial.
Meanwhile, civil trials loom as the families of Tuttle and Nicholas accuse the city of Houston, former HPD Chief Art Acevedo, and over a dozen officers of violating their loved ones’ civil rights.
City attorneys have attempted to delay the civil trial, arguing they are not responsible for the officers’ actions during the raid.
“There is always a political side to prosecution unfortunately when it comes to big cases like this, I don’t agree with that,” said criminal defense attorney Casey Gonzalez. “I do think that definitely, especially the charging decisions initially when all of the officers were charged when other individuals were also charged with felony murder, I think there was a rush to charge because of politics.”
As Goines’ trial begins on Sept. 9, the civil trials remain unscheduled.