Trial opening for former Houston officer charged with murder after deadly raid

Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Opening statements are expected in the trial of a former Houston police officer accused of murder for his role in a 2019 drug raid that led to the death of a couple and revealed systemic corruption within a police narcotics unit. Gerald Goines is scheduled to be in court Monday. He has pleaded not guilty to two felony murder counts in connection with the January 2019 deaths of a married couple, Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. Prosecutors allege Goines lied to obtain a search warrant by making up a confidential informant and wrongly portraying the couple as dangerous heroin dealers. Five officers, including Goines, were injured in the raid.