HOUSTON (AP) — A former Houston police officer was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Tuesday for the murder of a married couple during a drug raid that revealed systemic corruption in the department’s narcotics unit and prompted criticism of the law enforcement agency and its tactics. Gerald Goines was convicted in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle, 59, and Rhogena Nicholas, 58. The couple were shot along with their dog after officers burst into their home using a “no-knock” warrant that didn’t require them to announce themselves before entering.
Prosecutors said Goines lied to get the search warrant approved and that his actions were part of a pattern of wrongful drug arrests and convictions of innocent individuals during his 34-year law enforcement career. “Gerald Goines has been a stain on the reputation of every honest cop in our community, a community that he terrorized through corruption worthy of the movie ‘Training Day,’” said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. Goines, 60, looked down but had no visible reaction as he heard the sentences for each count of murder, which will run concurrently.
The jury, which had deliberated for more than 10 hours over two days on his sentence, also fined him $20,000. Legal experts have said it is rare for a police officer to be charged and convicted for an on-duty killing. Goines didn’t make eye contact when Ryan Tuttle sat on the witness stand after the sentencing, with a framed photograph of his fath.
