Families of victims killed in botched Harding Street raid hire forensic investigator

HOUSTON – The Harris County District Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Houston Police Department are not alone when it comes to investigating what happened at 7815 Harding Street on Jan. 28.

The families of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas also are in search of the truth. 

“We are trying to figure out exactly what happened here,” said Chuck Borque, an attorney representing the Nicholas family. 

On Friday, the families took a significant step in their attempt to get concrete answers by bringing in a forensic investigator. At approximately, 9 a.m., Michael Maloney, a former senior instructor at the federal law enforcement training center for death investigations and sex crimes, was at the home with his team to investigate the home with detailed scrutiny.

Bourque said there are plenty of missing pieces to this mysterious puzzle that remains inside the tiny home. 

“From what our experts are telling us, there are still some bullet fragments, there are still some bullets, there is a lot of evidence remaining,” Bourque said.

Maloney and his forensic team plans to comb the entire home through the weekend. This is his second visit to the property in less than a month.

Channel 2 Investigates chronicled the first one on April 16 as we were the only Houston area television station allowed inside the home. What was surveyed then as well as Friday, according to Bourque, contradicts the Houston Police Department's version of what happened in the deadly botched raid. 

“The initial information we have found seems to contradict the official version of what supposedly happened on the day that Rhogena and Dennis Tuttle were killed," Bourque said.


About the Author:

Journalistic bulldog focused on accountability and how government is spending your dollars. Husband to Wonder Woman, father to a pitcher and two Cavapoos. Prefers queso over salsa.