Two people died because a policeman lied

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Summary: Former Houston officer Gerald Goines admitted lying to obtain the warrant that preceded a deadly 2019 raid that killed Dennis Tuttle, 59, and Rhogena Nicholas, 58, adding federal convictions to his 60-year state sentence.

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HOUSTON, Texas — Two white people died because a black policeman lied.

The crime reminds us of the Breonna Taylor incident. She was a 26-year-old black emergency-room technician killed in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment on March 13, 2020. Louisville Metro Police officers forced entry while serving a search warrant connected to a drug investigation. No drugs were found in her home.

The difference is that the Louisville incident received widespread media coverage while the Houston affair received almost none.

A black police officer’s false account of a drug purchase helped set in motion a raid that ended with two white Houston residents dead. More than seven years later, former Houston police officer Gerald Goines has admitted in federal court that he lied to obtain the warrant that sent officers into their home.

Goines pleaded guilty Aug. 28, 2026, to two federal civil-rights charges stemming from the Jan. 28, 2019, raid that killed Dennis Tuttle, 59, and Rhogena Nicholas, 58. He is already serving a 60-year state prison sentence after being convicted of murder in connection with their deaths.

The Lie Behind the Warrant

Before the raid, Goines told a judge that a confidential informant had purchased heroin inside Tuttle and Nicholas’ home. Federal prosecutors now say Goines knew that information was false.

The warrant authorized a no-knock search. When officers arrived, they entered the house within seconds. A gunfight followed, leaving Tuttle and Nicholas dead along with their dog, Star. Four Houston officers also were injured.

Goines initially gave investigators another account. While recovering from injuries, he wrote the name “Reece” when asked about the confidential informant and added a warning that she should be afraid. He later changed his story, claiming he had personally purchased the heroin.

That version also collapsed. Prosecutors presented evidence showing Goines was about 20 miles away when the alleged purchase supposedly occurred.

A Pattern That Went Beyond One Raid

The problems surrounding Goines did not begin in 2019.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office reviewed roughly 1,400 cases connected to his work. More than 30 convictions were overturned, according to prosecutors.

One of those cases involved Frederick Jeffery, who received a 25-year sentence for a drug conviction. He spent nearly six years in prison before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted relief in 2022.

The court found that Goines had conducted fictional drug buys, supplied false information in a search-warrant affidavit and given false testimony at trial.

A longtime confidential informant also testified that Goines eventually paid her to sign paperwork documenting drug purchases she had not actually made. She said she sometimes received $25 to $75 for those supposed transactions.

Federal Case Adds Another Conviction

Goines now faces up to 10 years in federal prison on the new charges, with sentencing scheduled for Nov. 9. His federal sentence is expected to run concurrently with his existing state sentence.

The case is a stark example of how a false statement in a court document can have consequences far beyond the paperwork itself.

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Suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Sources/related links:

Houston Chronicle: Goines federal plea
Click2Houston: federal charges
Texas Scorecard: plea and sentencing date
AP: 2024 murder conviction
National Registry of Exonerations: Frederick Jeffery

U.S. Department of Justice — Goines federal guilty plea

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — Frederick Jeffery case

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