Houston cop sentenced to 60 years in prison for felony murder conviction

HOUSTON (CN) — Former Houston police officer Gerald Goines has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for his role in the 2019 no-knock raid that left two homeowners dead and four officers wounded.

On Tuesday, the jury handed down their sentence after 10 hours of deliberation, bringing the five-year saga to a close. Goines received 60 years for each of the two murders, but his sentences will run concurrently. He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years, and must also pay $20,000 in fines.

Prosecutors and defense spent the two weeks of trial dissecting every aspect of the “Harding Street raid,” as it has come to be known in Houston.

The jury convicted Goines on two counts of felony murder after seven hours of deliberation in late September.

Prosecutors successfully argued that Goines lied to get the no-knock search warrant for the raid, falsely stating that he had used a confidential informant to purchase drugs from the Harding Street home. From this, they argued that because he was responsible for the raid happening in the first place, and because he was the lead agent on the raid, he was responsible for the deaths of the two homeowners, Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas.

Otis Mallet, a man previously arrested by Goines whose conviction was overturned in 2020, served as the prosecution’s key witness in the sentencing phase. Mallet is one of at least 21 people whose criminal convictions were overturned in the wake of the Harding Street raid and subsequent scrutiny on Goines’ investigations between 2008 and 2018. He spoke about the trauma from his arrest and subsequent stay in prison.

The defense focused on Goines’ work in the community. They called Elyse Lanier, the widow of former Houston Mayor Bob Lanier, to testify on the years that Goines worked for the mayor. They also called several other character witnesses to discuss Goines’ community service.

Defense attorney Nicole Deborde cautioned the jury against handing down a longer sentence. In her closing arguments on Thursday, she told the jury that Goines made the community safer, while also pointing to his history of poor health and the injuries he suffered on the raid as reasons for a lighter sentence.

Before the prosecution could give the jury their recommended sentence, Goines suffered an apparent medical emergency and was rushed to a nearby hospital, with led Judge Veronica Nelson to end proceedings for the day. Goines was able to return to court Monday, but the cause or nature of the apparent emergency has not been disclosed due to the gag order on the case.

When court resumed Monday morning, the prosecution asked the jury for a life sentence. Prosecutor Tanisha Manning told the jury that “If he can use his police badge to take life, then you can use your jury badge to give life.”

Though Goines’ criminal trial has concluded, the fallout from Harding Street has not. The Tuttle and Nicholas families’ ongoing federal civil lawsuit against the city of Houston will go to trial starting Nov. 12.