HOUSTON – Days after former Houston Police Department narcotics officer Gerald Goines was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the deadly Harding Street raid, KPRC 2 Investigates spoke exclusively to the Harris County District Attorney about what this means for the county.
KPRC 2 Investigates reporter Mario Diaz, who covered the five-week murder trial extensively throughout its entirety, had a one-on-one conversation with Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, whose prosecutors won the case.
Mario met with Ogg at the once beige, now gray, Harding Street home.
In the exclusive KPRC 2 Investigates interview, Ogg reflected on the significance of the trial and the impact on the surviving family members of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas.
“That was the single most important thing to the surviving family members, that they clear their loved ones names that they put out to the people of Harris County, that Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena, who they called her Reggie, respected police and weren’t anti-cop, weren’t drug dealers, weren’t folks who were hated by the community,” Ogg said.
Goines’ conviction marks the first time an HPD officer has been convicted of murder, a verdict that Ogg says has resonated with the community.
“It’s a historic verdict and it’s a verdict by the people, for the people, literally,” Ogg said.
The trial shed light on the actions of Goines, who led the botched Harding Street raid that left Tuttle and Nicholson dead.
According to Ogg, the jury’s decision to convict Goines shows a rejection of historical leniency toward officers in police shooting cases.
“We love Houston police. I think they’re fairly popular among our citizens. I really do. One bad cop goes a long way in destroying our public’s trust and faith in the system,” Ogg said. “We find juries have historically been forgiving of cops who shot people. And this idea that we’re going to try the victim, that the victims really are at fault. I think that’s been clearly rejected by the jury and in general in police shooting cases.”
When asked about the challenges her office faced in prosecuting Goines, Ogg acknowledged that she had faced criticism from HPD and others for pursuing the case.
“I feel like I did my job, Mario. Whether vindication is rightfully mine. I don’t accept criticism from people when it comes to decisions about whether to move forward on cases, whether it’s against police officers or politicians. I have proven that. I think we give the power to grand juries. We bring them all the evidence and we actually let Houstonians choose. I ran on that,” Ogg said.
Goines, a once-celebrated officer within HPD, was revealed in court to have engaged in a pattern of misconduct over the years. Ogg described him as a “master manipulator,” who had deceived his colleagues, framed innocent individuals, and planted evidence. His actions, according to Ogg, led directly to the deaths of Tuttle and Nicholas.
“I see Gerald Goines as a shell. I see him as somebody whose manipulation has come to an end and his luck has run out. The community has spoken. He received a 60-year verdict and a $10,000 fine in both cases. That’s an exclamation point by a jury. I think it’s time he faced his destiny,” Ogg said. “I see him as a perpetrator that now this community’s free of. All of Houston is free. I think our streets are safer with him behind bars.”
Reflecting on the broader implications of the case, Ogg stressed the need for systemic change in law enforcement. She pointed to the practice of “ducks” - a term used to describe the police tactic of racking up arrests for statistical purposes -- calling it “the wrong way to handle enforcement.”
While the exact motive for the raid remains unclear, Ogg said the investigation revealed that Goines deliberately sought a warrant for the Tuttle-Nicholas residence based on false information.
“We got the truth. Why it happened is what remains unclear. We know that Goins sought the warrant purposely against this house. We know that there was information falsely called in by one of the neighbors, and that perfect storm brought a jump-out crew,” Ogg said.