Ex-Houston officer rushed away in an ambulance during sentencing at double-murder trial
HOUSTON– The conviction of a former Houston police officer convicted of murder in the death of a couple during a 2019 drug bust was suspended Thursday after he suffered a medical emergency in court.
A prosecutor addressed jurors during closing arguments in the penalty phase of Gerald Goines’ trial when the ex-officer was heard breathing heavily as he sat at the defense table.
The jury was removed from the courtroom and Goines was assisted by one of his lawyers and a bailiff as he walked to a waiting area outside the courtroom. Goines was later seen on a stretcher being loaded onto an ambulance parked in front of the courthouse.
His condition was not immediately known. Due to a gag order in the case, neither prosecutors nor Goines’ attorneys would comment on what happened.
Among the other cases linked to Goines is his 2004 drug arrest in Houston George Floydwhose 2020 death at the hands of a Minnesota police officer led to a national reckoning over racism in policing. A sign from Texas in 2022 denied a request to posthumously pardon Floyd for his drug conviction resulting from his arrest by Goines.
One of Goines’ attorneys, Nicole DeBorde, had told jurors during closing arguments that the 60-year-old’s “health has been destroyed” after he was shot in the face during the deadly raid.
State District Judge Veronica Nelson later said jurors could resume closing arguments Friday or Monday.
Goines faces life in prison after being convicted last week of killing Dennis Tuttle, 59, and his 58-year-old wife Rhogena Nicholas in January 2019. The couple, along with their dog, were fatally shot after officers burst into their home with a ‘no knock’ warrant, where they didn’t have to sign up before entering.
During the trial, prosecutors presented testimony and evidence showing that Goines had lied to obtain a search warrant that falsely portrayed the couple as dangerous drug dealers. The raid resulted in a violent confrontation in which the couple was killed and four officers, including Goines, were shot and wounded and a fifth injured.
Goines’ attorneys had acknowledged that the ex-officer lied to get the search warrant but minimized the impact of his false statements. His lawyers had portrayed the couple as armed drug users and said they were responsible for their own deaths because they shot at officers.
After the raid, investigators said they found only small amounts of marijuana and cocaine in the home.
An investigation into the raid revealed systemic corruption problems within the police narcotics unit.
A dozen officers tied up the narcotics team who carried out the raid, including Goines, were later indicted other costs will follow a corruption investigation. A judge dismissed charges against some of them in June.
Since the raid, prosecutors have investigated thousands of cases handled by the narcotics unit.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has fallen over at least 22 convictions linked to Goines, who also faces charges federal charges.
Federal civil rights lawsuits The lawsuit filed by the families of Tuttle and Nicholas against Goines and 12 other officers involved in the raid will go to trial in November.
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