Murder trial moving forward for ex-HPD officer Gerald Goines who led botched drug raid in 2019

Wednesday, February 1, 2023
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The murder trial for disgraced Houston police officer Gerald Goines will be moving forward for now. A judge ruled against another motion filed by his defense attorneys to throw out the case.

Almost four years ago, Goines was the lead officer in a no-knock raid in Houston's East End.
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Homeowners Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas were shot and killed, five officers were injured, and Goines was charged with murder, accused of lying to get a warrant.

Last week, a Harris County judge upheld the two murder charges against Goines.

RELATED: Disgraced officer in court as man he arrested 32 years ago continues to fight for his innocence
Disgraced officer in court as man he arrested 32 years ago continues to fight for his innocence

On Wednesday, defense attorneys brought up multiple issues. They're claiming prosecutors have been withholding evidence.
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Prosecutors denied the claim and the judge ultimately agreed the allegations weren't strong enough to throw out the case.

Defense attorneys also claim extensive local media coverage and comments by the district attorney have made it impossible to seat a fair jury in Harris County. The judge did not make a decision on whether to change the trial venue, but did bring up multiple options to address the media issue.



The judge also brought up the possibility of individual jury selection, which could take several weeks and requires each potential juror to be interviewed individually. The process is usually reserved for death penalty cases, but is being used in the murder trial against A.J. Armstrong in another high profile local murder case.

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COMPLETE COVERAGE: The Harding Street raid and the fallout
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