A former Houston police officer was found guilty of murder in the deaths of a couple during a 2019 drug raid that exposed systemic corruption issues within the police department's narcotics unit. The jury convicted the ex-officer of two counts of murder in the fatal shooting of Dennis Tuttle, 59, and Rhogena Nicholas, 58, who were killed along with their dog after officers executed a 'no-knock' warrant at their home.
The trial revealed that the officer, Gerald Goines, had obtained the search warrant under false pretenses, falsely portraying the couple as dangerous drug dealers. Prosecutors argued that Goines' lies led to the violent confrontation that resulted in the couple's deaths and injuries to several officers.
While Goines' defense acknowledged his deception in obtaining the warrant, they contended that his actions did not warrant a murder conviction. They claimed that the couple, whom they portrayed as armed drug users, were responsible for their own deaths by firing at the officers during the raid.
Investigators found only small amounts of marijuana and cocaine in the couple's home, contradicting Goines' claims of drug activity. Testimony during the trial indicated that officers fired first upon entering the residence, leading to a shootout in which the couple and officers were injured.
The probe into the drug raid also uncovered allegations of systemic corruption within the narcotics unit, resulting in indictments of a dozen officers, including Goines, on various charges. The fallout from the raid has led to the dismissal of charges against some officers and the review of thousands of cases handled by the unit.
Goines, who also faces federal charges, has had at least 22 convictions linked to him overturned by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Additionally, a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by the families of Tuttle and Nicholas against Goines and other officers involved in the raid is set to be tried in November.
The case has drawn parallels to Goines' 2004 drug arrest of George Floyd in Houston, whose death in 2020 sparked national conversations on racism in policing. Despite a request for a posthumous pardon for Floyd's drug conviction, a Texas board declined the petition in 2022.
