Texas Ranger Jeff Wolf finished three days of testimony on the stand. During his final hour, Wolf was asked to read out loud to the jury some of Dennis Tuttle's extensive medical history.
Tuttle, who was in the Navy as a young man, had a lengthy medical history with the local VA hospital. According to records read in court, he suffered constant pain following an industrial work accident.
The pain was often debilitating, to the point where Tuttle told VA nurses on the record that he wanted to end his life. But, Tuttle also told nurses he was not suicidal and did not want to take opioid pain killers for fear of addiction.
The records showed that Tuttle was often depressed about several issues.
According to records, he had good and bad moments getting along with his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, and he was frustrated that he never left the house except for doctor visits. Tuttle's records also showed that he couldn't afford to travel to his son's wedding and was worried that he could not buy his son a nice present.
Prosecutors wrapped up their case with a brief recorded interview with Nicolas' mother, Jo Anne Nicholas, who could not travel from Louisiana because of her age and medical issues. They also briefly put Tuttle's brother on the stand.
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After the state rested, defense attorneys asked for a directed verdict. The judge denied that request, and attorneys moved on to its first witness, Houston Police Department K9 Officer Kristin Yulin.
Local attorney Jed Silverman summed up the defense's strategy as:
"Officer Goines may have criminal liability, most likely does have criminal liability if proven to be misrepresenting things in the search warrant affidavit. That's a government document. It's a sworn document. Those are huge problems; they are felony problems. But is he responsible for murder?"
It is unknown how long the defense side will take to present its case. No attorneys are talking because the case is under a gag order. However, we could see closing arguments within a day or two.
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