HOUSTON, Texas – Nine days into the high-profile murder trial of former Houston Police Department narcotics officer Gerald Goines, the prosecution rested its case.
Goines, who pleaded not guilty, faces charges related to the 2019 Harding Street raid that led to the deaths of Dennis Tuttle, Rhogena Nicholas, and their dog.
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Key witnesses for the prosecution included Goines’ former partner, Steven Bryant, who delivered a bombshell during his testimony. Bryant said that a sergeant involved in the raid had worn a non-departmental body camera. However, Bryant admitted that while he hadn’t personally seen the footage, he believed in its existence based on a colleague’s information. The video was never found, and the presiding judge ruled there was no evidence the video ever existed, given Bryant had no direct knowledge of the body camera or the footage. Notably, the sergeant in question, listed as a state witness, was never called to testify.
Earlier in the trial, on day two, officers who responded to the initial 911 call leading up to the raid testified. A video of the chaotic raid was also shown, shedding light on procedural discrepancies, including the absence of a confidential informant, which Goines admitted to falsely claiming in the search warrant for the no-knock raid.
On day three, testimony and phone records undermined Goines’ claims of purchasing drugs from the Tuttle-Nicholas residence and using a confidential informant. Lt. Richard Bass testified that Goines had confessed there was no informant, and Judge Gordon Marcum confirmed that the no-knock warrant was based on Goines’ false information.
Another significant witness, Detective Robert Lujan, testified that there was no evidence Goines fired his weapon during the raid, nor was there any evidence of heroin or a drug operation at the Harding Street home.
Texas Ranger Jeff Wolf, who investigated the incident, and Dr. Pramod Gumpeni, who classified the deaths as homicides, also testified.
With the prosecution’s case now concluded, the defense has started presenting its case, starting with its first witness immediately after the state rested.