HOUSTON, Texas – After hours-long deliberations, the jury in the high-profile murder trial of ex-Houston Police Department narcotics officer Gerald Goines has found him guilty of felony murder.
Goines was found guilty of two counts of murder in the 2019 Harding Street raid that resulted in the deaths of Dennis Tuttle, Rhogena Nicholas, and their dog.
“The Nicholas family is grateful for the jury verdict. The jury saw this case for what it was: Vicious murders by corrupt police, an epic coverup attempt, and a measure of justice at least with Goines. Our quest for justice — and the untangling of the character assassination of Rhogena and Dennis — will continue in the civil courts. There’s still so much more to learn from this historic HPD scandal,” said Nicholas’ family attorney Mike Doyle.
The ex-officer’s sentencing phase will begin Thursday at 10 a.m. He faces up to life in prison. The same jury will also decide his sentence after hearing from witnesses during the punishment phase.
Before being taken to the back by officers, Goines’s attorney, George Secrest, got into a heated exchange with a bailiff attempting to handcuff Goines after the verdict was read.
The jury faced a complex decision, weighing the prosecution and defense arguments.
During the trial, which started on Sept. 9, prosecutors Tanisha Manning and Keaton Forcht argued that Goines’s falsification of information to secure a no-knock warrant led directly to the fatal raid. They presented evidence including phone records and testimonies to demonstrate that neither Goines nor a confidential informant purchased drugs from the Harding Street home prior to the raid.
In Manning’s closing statement on Tuesday, she emphasized Goines’s responsibility for the deaths, insisting that Tuttle had a right to defend his home after seeing guns pointed at his wife and their dog shot dead. She refuted claims that Goines was under the influence of fentanyl after having surgeries when he lied on the warrant and highlighted the lack of a confidential informant involved in the case.
Missed a day or two? Get caught up with our daily coverage of the trial:
Day 10: Prosecution and defense rest in Harding Street murder trial
Day 9: Defense begins presenting case in Gerald Goines murder trial
Day 8: Autopsy photos shown in Goines trial for deadly Harding St. raid
Day 7: Jurors hear from Texas Ranger who investigated deadly Harding St. raid
Day 6: HPD detective says no evidence Gerald Goines fired firearm during deadly Harding St. raid
Day 5: Defense questions thoroughness of Harding St. home search after deadly raid
Day 4: Gerald Goines’ former HPD partner, Steven Bryant, drops bombshell during emotional testimony
Day 2 of Gerald Goines murder trial: State drilling down on initial 911 call that got things going
Day 1: Ex-HPD narcotics officer’s lies led to deadly Harding Street raid, prosecutors argue
The defense, led by attorneys Nicole Deborde and George Secrest, argued that Tuttle and Nicholas were drug users and that Nicholas attempted to grab an officer’s weapon during the raid. They presented testimony indicating that Tuttle fired at officers first.
Deborde questioned the appropriateness of the murder charge, suggesting that the prosecution wanted to hide a romantic relationship between a narcotics sergeant and another officer, and emphasized Tuttle’s mental health issues.
Secrest accused the prosecution of overcharging the case due to media pressure and argued that the deaths were caused by Tuttle and Nicholas’s actions inside the house, not the false warrant.
State attorney Keaton Forcht closed his arguments on Tuesday by asserting that having a badge does not place one above the law and that Goines manipulated various individuals, including a judge, to secure the no-knock warrant. He argued that Goines’s lies led to the deadly raid and concluded by reminding the jury of the case’s gravity.
The trial saw intense arguments, emotional testimonies, and a thorough examination of the events leading up to and during the raid. Both sides presented contrasting narratives, with the prosecution focusing on Goines’s alleged deceit and the defense emphasizing the actions of Tuttle and Nicholas during the raid.
The investigation into the deadly raid also uncovered allegations of widespread corruption within HPD’s narcotics unit. A dozen officers, including Gerald Goines, were indicted on various charges following a larger corruption investigation. In June, a judge dismissed charges against some of them.
Since the raid, prosecutors have reviewed thousands of cases tied to the narcotics unit. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has overturned at least 22 convictions linked to Goines, who also faces federal charges.
One notable case still under scrutiny is Goines’ 2004 drug arrest of George Floyd in Houston. Floyd’s 2020 death at the hands of a Minnesota police officer ignited a nationwide reckoning on racism in policing. In 2022, a Texas board declined to grant Floyd a posthumous pardon for his conviction stemming from that arrest.
Federal civil rights lawsuits filed by the families of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas against Goines, 12 other officers involved in the raid, and the City of Houston are scheduled to go to trial in November.