A former Houston police officer, who was at the center of a deadly drug raid in 2019 that exposed corruption within the police department's narcotics unit, has recently had two murder charges against him dismissed by a judge.
The officer, Gerald Goines, had been set to stand trial on two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, during the raid. Prosecutors alleged that Goines had obtained a search warrant under false pretenses, leading to a fatal encounter where the couple and their dog were shot. However, only small amounts of marijuana and cocaine were found in the house.
During a court hearing, the judge dismissed the murder indictments against Goines after his lawyers argued that the charges were faulty. They claimed that prosecutors had failed to properly identify the specific violations within the tampering charge that led to the murder indictments.
The Harris County Attorney's Office expressed shock and disappointment at the ruling and is considering its options, including amending the indictment to pursue justice for the victims.
The families of Tuttle and Nicholas expressed disappointment at the ruling, stating that justice for the killings remains elusive. They continue to seek the truth about what happened to their loved ones.
Following the deadly raid, Houston police discontinued the use of 'no-knock' warrants, which allow officers to enter a home without announcing themselves. Additionally, a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by the families against Goines and other officers involved in the raid is set to be tried in September.
Several officers tied to the narcotics squad that conducted the raid were later indicted on corruption charges related to an alleged overtime scheme and falsifying documentation. Nine of the officers are scheduled for trial in September.
Since the raid, prosecutors have been reviewing thousands of cases handled by the narcotics unit. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has overturned 22 convictions linked to Goines, with the most recent dismissal occurring in a case from 2014.
One of the cases under scrutiny is Goines' 2004 drug arrest of George Floyd, whose death in 2020 sparked a national conversation on racism in policing. A request for a posthumous pardon for Floyd's drug conviction was declined by a Texas board in 2022.
