HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Former Houston police narcotics officer Gerald Goines will learn his sentencing soon for the 2019 murders of Rhogena Nicholas and Dennis Tuttle.
The two were killed five years ago in a botched police raid that happened because of Goines’ lies.
ABC13 is at the courthouse Thursday as the punishment phase begins for the former officer and now-convicted murderer.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Former HPD officer Gerald Goines, now a convicted murderer, enters penalty phase next
The most severe punishment Goines could face is life in prison with the possibility of parole. Legal analysts told ABC13 that’s likely what the state will ask for, but it’s up to the jury.
A new jail booking photo of Goines was taken overnight after the guilty verdict on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the state is introducing other “bad acts” they say Goines is responsible for, which they want the jury to know about before deciding his fate. Jurors weren’t allowed to hear this during the murder trial.
Who do we expect to hear from at this sentencing?
The court is set to hear from people who had convictions overturned in their criminal cases linked to Goines’ lies.
Frederick Jeffery spent six years in prison for drug possession. All his life, he’s struggled with drug addiction and says that made him an easy target when he was convicted back in 2018, solely based on testimony from Goines.
That conviction was overturned two years ago, and Jeffrey was released from prison.
READ MORE: Gerald Goines’ sentence could rest on testimony from those wrongly convicted before botched raid
Goines was the primary investigator for 441 criminal cases from 2008 to 2019.
Since the botched Harding Street raid in 2019, where Goines murdered Tuttle and Nicholas, more than 30 convictions have been overturned, per the district attorney’s office.
A gag order is in place until the punishment phase ends, so neither the state nor Goines’ attorneys have spoken since the verdict.
If the hearing doesn’t wrap by the end of Thursday, there will be a break until next Wednesday.
