Posted on 10/05/2024 9:27:12 AM PDT by marktwain
On Wednesday, 25 September, 2024, Houston ex-police officer Gerald Goines was found guilty of two counts of felony murder. Reporters in the courtroom, when the verdict of guilty against former officer Goines was read, said they were shocked he was convicted. Goines has been unconfined for nearly five years after he retired in March of 2019.
The sentencing phase of the current trial will start on September 26, 2024. From click2houston.com:
The jury in the high-profile murder trial of former Houston Police Department narcotics officer Gerald Goines reached a verdict of guilty Wednesday afternoon.
Goines was found guilty of two counts of murder in the 2019 Harding Street raid that resulted in the deaths of Dennis Tuttle, Rhogena Nicholas, and their dog.
The ex-officer’s sentencing phase will begin Thursday at 10 a.m. He faces up to life in prison. The same jury will also decide his sentence after hearing from witnesses during the punishment phase.
After the shooting, Bryant testified that he heard former HPD Chief Art Acevedo tell several officers to turn off their bodycam video, to which they complied. When asked by attorney Manning if this was policy, Bryant testified “We are supposed to keep out bodycams on during a raid.”
Bryant was then asked by attorney Manning if any of the narcotics team had on bodycam video during the raid, Bryant said no but the narcotics team sergeant
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
Make all body cams so they must be armed at the beginning of a shift and cannot be disabled with out a mallet.
Six officer charge with crimes resulting from investigation of the no-knock raid on the Harding st address.
Goines and his partner Bryant are on the right side of the image.
From Houston, he went to Miami as Police Chief there. Within six months, he was fired.
This bodycam thing reminds me of the McDonalds’ ice cream machines that are rarely “working” as staff turn them off and tell customers they are (still) broken (again) because they have neither time, staff, or desire to do the unnecessarily complicated cleaning process they require on the proprietary machines.
> Police Chief Acevedo ordered body cameras turned off when he arrived at the scene. <
Some bad cops will charge innocent people with “obstruction of justice” when they can find no other charge. It seems to me that Chief Acevedo’s behavior here truly was obstruction of justice.
Giving that order, and complying with it, should both be felonies.
Any no-knock or 2:00AM style SWAT-ish enforcement operation MUST be on site attended by the judge signing such a warrant. That would end the bull$hit and legal messes.
Where’s gator?
I recall how he and others opined here when this happened
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harding_Street_raid
This Goines appears to be black. The couples’ neighbor SWATted them with repeated phone calls claiming the deceased were dealing drugs. Goines falsified information to obtain the warrant for the raid.
Goines had previously while off duty shot and killed a driver on the freeway and been wounded. He claimed the other driver fired first and was not charged or disciplined.
In a typical no knock raid, they broke in and shot the dog. The husband fired at the police. Four police were wounded, but some may have been by friendly fire. The couple were both killed. They found small amounts of marajuana and cocaine, but not quantities for dealing.
Other officers and the SWATer were also charged. Felony murder seems a little over the top for falsifying information, as the SWATer and others on the force were involved. Kind of what you expect with no knock raids.
Great verdict by a Texas jury. Studying about this case should be mandatory in every police academy in the USA.
I agree, completely.
All police, FBi, etc. must be held completely accountable for the illegal actions each do.
> In a typical no knock raid, they broke in and shot the dog. The husband fired at the police. <
The husband certainly thought it was a home invasion, as any normal person would.
A no knock raid should only happen in a hostage situation. It’s just not worth the risk for anything else. But then again, a certain percentage of police officers just love to play Rambo. So there’s that.
Killed them before they could flush any evidence down the toilet. That is what No Knock raids are all about, the toilet.
In my opinion honest mistakes by the police should be forgiven. Deliberate lies that lead to someone’s death are felony murder.
His partner (Bryant) tried to cover for him, but was convicted on a federal charge of falsifying documents.
In Goines patrol vehicle, officials found drugs and a stolen firearm. Very likely, these were available to be planted at the scene, if needed.
If Goines had not been wounded, the coverup would likely have been successful.
I believe the honest mistakes should not be forgiven by a judge, instead, by the remaining family.
Make the honest mistake subject go to jail under at least manslaughter.
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