A retired Houston officer is sentenced to 60 years in prison for the deaths of a couple in a drug raid that exposed corruption

HOUSTON (AP) — A former Houston police officer was sentenced to 60 years in prison Tuesday for killing a married couple during a murder spree Drug raid It uncovered systemic corruption in the department's drug division.

Gerald Goines60, was sentenced in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle, 59, and Rhogena Nicholas, 58, who were shot along with their dog after officers broke into their home with a “no-knock” warrant in which they hid outside No need to report entry.

Goines looked down but showed no visible reaction as he heard the verdicts for the individual murder counts, which will run concurrently. Jurors deliberated for more than 10 hours over two days about Goines' sentence.

Prosecutors presented testimony and evidence showing he lied to obtain a search warrant that falsely portrayed the couple as dangerous drug dealers.

The drug raid investigation uncovered allegations of far broader corruption. Goines was among a dozen officials with whom he was in contact the narcotics department Who were accused against others Fees. A judge dismissed charges against some of them, but a review of thousands of cases involving the unit led prosecutors to a decision reject many casesand the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals fell over at least 22 convictions related to Goines.

Defense attorney Nicole DeBorde had called for a minimum sentence of five years, saying Goines had dedicated his life to fighting drugs on the streets. “Our community is safer with someone like Gerald, who serves and cares with his heart,” she said.

Prosecutors asked for a life sentence, telling jurors that Goines exploited people he was supposed to protect in a years-long pattern of corruption that severely damaged the relationship between law enforcement and the community.

“No community is cleansed of an officer who uses his badge as a tool of oppression rather than a shield,” said District Attorney Tanisha Manning.

Prosecutors said Goines falsely claimed that an informant had bought heroin from a man with a gun at the couple's home, inciting the violent confrontation that left the couple dead and four officers, including Goines, shot and wounded and a fifth injured had been.

Goines' lawyers acknowledged that he lied to obtain the search warrant, but tried to minimize the impact of his false statements. They argued that Tuttle, not police officers, was the first to shoot another person. But a Texas Ranger who investigated the raid testified that the officers fired first, killing the dog and likely provoking Tuttle's shooting.

An officer involved, as well as the judge who approved the arrest warrant, testified that the raid would never have happened if they had known Goines was lying.

Investigators later found only small amounts of marijuana and cocaine in the home, and while then-Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, initially praised Goines was described as a “tough guy” and later suspended when the lies came to light. Goines later withdrew while the investigation continued.

Goines also made a drug bust in Houston in 2004 George Floydwhose 2020 death at the hands of a Minnesota police officer sparked a nationwide denunciation of racism in policing. A Texas board in 2022 rejected a request to grant Floyd a posthumous pardon for his drug conviction.

Goines also faces Federal criminal charges in connection with the raid and Federal civil rights lawsuits The lawsuits filed by the families of Tuttle and Nicholas against Goines, 12 other officials and the city of Houston are scheduled to go to trial in November.

Nicholas' family expressed their gratitude in a statement following Goines' conviction, saying: “The jury saw this case for what it was: gruesome murders by corrupt police officers, an epic cover-up and a measure of justice, at least for Goines .”

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