Gerald Goines case already shifted Houston police and helped set the wrongfully accused free

Wednesday, September 25, 2024
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Jurors found former Houston Police Department officer Gerald Goines guilty of murdering a couple under the guise of a narcotics takedown based on a lie. Even before the verdict, the case already impacted hundreds of other lives.

More than five years ago, prosecutors said Goines made up lies to obtain a no-knock warrant to raid a Harding Street home. Prosecutors charged him with murder.

After three weeks of testimony, jurors received the case on Tuesday and returned guilty verdicts the next day. The case stems from a botched raid in January 2019, which HPD investigated after.

Goines left the department in disgrace, and following his departure, the Harris County district attorney sent 1,400 notices to individuals he investigated dating back to 2008.

Twenty-seven pending cases tied to Goines were thrown out months after the raid. At least seven people, including Frederick Jeffrey, had their convictions overturned.



The state released Jeffrey two years ago, serving six years, after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled Goines lied to put him behind bars. Legal experts said other cases could still be impacted by Goines.

"Anything I'm filing on their behalf, I'm quoting Gerald Goines' lawyers in that motion saying, 'His own legal (team) admitted he lied,'" attorney Joe Vinas explained.

SEE MORE: Inmate serving 25 years to be freed after prosecutors found HPD officer lied about conviction

This raid impacted not just cases but also policy. In the last session, the Texas House passed a bill to limit no-knock warrants. It stalled in the Senate, but lawmakers could try again in months when the legislature reconvenes.

While the state debate has changed, it has already happened within HPD. After the incident, former HPD Chief Art Acevedo vowed to end no-knock warrants. That didn't happen, but the policy changed.



"Now, it's not nearly as easy to get a no-knock warrant," Vinas explained. "It has to be signed off by the chief. It has to go to a specific type of judge and a specific office to execute that search warrant."

ABC13 knows about policy changes and overturned convictions, but jurors didn't since none of it was allowed as evidence in the Goines murder trial.

While it wasn't used, the trial information could have an impact on cases outside of this one for years to come.

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