Ex-officer charged with couple's death in Houston drug raid awaits jury's verdict

HOUSTON (AP) — A jury on Tuesday began deliberating the fate of a former Houston police officer accused of being responsible for the 2019 deaths of a couple during a raid that prompted a probe which revealed systemic corruption problems within the police department’s narcotics unit.

Gerald Goines is charged with two counts of murder in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle, 59, and his 58-year-old wife Rhogena Nicholas. Goines has pleaded not guilty.

The couple, along with their dog, were were fatally shot after officers burst into their home using a “no-knock” warrant that didn’t require them to announce themselves before entering.

Jurors could also convict Goines of a lesser charge of tampering with a governmental record over allegations he falsified the search warrant used to justify the raid of the couple's home.

The jury deliberated for about three hours Tuesday afternoon before breaking for the day. Deliberations were set to resume Wednesday.

During closing arguments in a trial that began Sept. 9, prosecutors told jurors Goines, 59, fabricated a confidential informant and manipulated people in order to get a search warrant for the couple’s home that falsely portrayed them as dangerous drug dealers.

Prosecutor Keaton Forcht told jurors everything that happened in the home, including the couple’s deaths and the injuries to officers, “flowed directly” from the falsified search warrant and Goines' lies. During the raid, four officers were shot and wounded, and a fifth was injured.

“The deaths of Rhogena Nicholas and Dennis Tuttle are a grave, grave injustice,” said Forcht, with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

Goines attorneys admitted the ex-officer lied to get the search warrant but tried to minimize the impact of his false statements. They said Nicholas and Tuttle were responsible for their own deaths.

Tuttle and Nicholas “did not die because there was a bad warrant and officers came into their house” but because they failed to listen to officers’ commands and fired at them, putting the officers’ lives in danger, said George Secrest, one of Goines’ attorneys.

“You can hate Gerald … but he’s not guilty of murder,” Secrest said.

Nicole DeBorde, another of Goines’ attorneys, suggested to jurors that Tuttle’s history of psychiatric problems might have played a role in the shooting. She also suggested evidence did show the couple were armed and dangerous drug dealers.

But prosecutor Tanisha Manning told jurors Tuttle was a military veteran who had a long history of medical problems and that he had every right to fire his gun and defend his home from individuals who had burst through his front door.

Manning said prosecutors weren’t placing blame on the other officers in the house who didn’t know about the falsified search warrant and were justified in defending themselves.

“The only person responsible for that volley of bullets was Gerald Goines,” Manning said.

Investigators said they only found small amounts of marijuana and cocaine in the house.

During the trial, Jeff Wolf, a Texas ranger who investigated the shooting, testified officers fired first when they entered the home and shot the couple’s dog. Wolf said the gunfire and Nicholas screaming at officers likely resulted in Tuttle coming from his bedroom and opening fire at the officers.

Goines’ attorneys have said that officers had identified themselves before entering the home but Wolf testified the couple might never have heard this before gunfire erupted.

Goines’ attorneys argued during the trial that it was Tuttle and not officers who was the first to fire at another person.

An officer who took part in the raid and the judge who had approved the search warrant testified the raid would never have happened had they known Goines had lied to get the warrant.

If convicted of murder, Goines faces up to life in prison.

The probe into the drug raid also uncovered allegations of systemic corruption.

A dozen officers tied to the narcotics squad that carried out the raid, including Goines, were later indicted on other charges following a corruption probe. A judge in June dismissed charges against some of them.

Since the raid, prosecutors have reviewed thousands of cases handled by the narcotics unit.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has overturned at least 22 convictions linked to Goines, who also faces federal charges.

One of the other cases tied to Goines that remains under scrutiny is his 2004 drug arrest in Houston of George Floyd, whose 2020 death at the hands of a Minnesota police officer sparked a nationwide reckoning on racism in policing. A Texas board in 2022 declined a request that Floyd be granted a posthumous pardon for his drug conviction stemming from his arrest by Goines.

Federal civil rights lawsuits the families of Tuttle and Nicholas have filed against Goines and 12 other officers involved in the raid and the city of Houston are set to be tried in November.

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Defense attorney Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube speaks during closing arguments in the murder trial of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Prosecutor Keaton Forcht speaks during closing arguments in the trial of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A standing room only crowd of people in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse watch the closing arguments in the case of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Judge Veronica M. Nelson is shown as defense attorney Mac Secrest speaks during closing arguments in the trial of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Elyse Lanier, the widow of former Houston Mayor Bob Lanier and a supporter of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines, right, is shown during closing arguments in his murder trial in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Defense attorney Mac Secrest speaks during closing arguments in the trial of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Former Houston police officer Gerald Goines sits during his felony trial in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Patricia Nicholas, sister-in-law of Rhogena Nicholas, wipes her tears during the closing arguments in the murder trial of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Prosecutor Keaton Forcht speaks during closing arguments in the trial of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Attorneys gather with Judge Veronica M. Nelson in the case of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Prosecutor Tanisha Manning speaks during closing arguments in the murder trial of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip

Former Houston police officer Gerald Goines is shown during his murder trial in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip

Defense attorney Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube speaks during closing arguments in the murder trial of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. She demonstrates the distance from where Dennis Tuttle took shots at a police officer. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Defense attorney Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube speaks during closing arguments in the murder trial of former Houston police officer Gerald Goines in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Former Houston police officer Gerald Goines sits during his felony trial in the 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Houston. Goines faces two felony murder charges in the January 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Two major weather systems are bringing heavy rain, high winds and more to Mexico's southern Pacific coast on one side and the Caribbean on the other.

Tropical Storm John struck Mexico late Monday with life-threatening flood potential after growing into a Category 3 hurricane in a matter of hours. It came ashore near the town of Punta Maldonado before weakening back to tropical storm status early Tuesday and was expected to weaken rapidly. Still, the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that the storm’s slow pace and heavy rains could cause potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Helene formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday after bringing heavy rains and big waves to the Cayman Islands. Forecasters warned the storm could strengthen into a major hurricane en route to the southeast U.S. Hurricane watches were in effect for Florida’s Tampa Bay and from Englewood to Indian Pass, as well as for eastern Mexico from Cabo Catoche to Tulum and for Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province.

Follow AP's coverage of tropical weather at https://apnews.com/hub/hurricanes.

Here's the latest:

The U.S. National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane warnings for northwestern Florida’s coastline and part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as Tropical Storm Helene approaches the area.

Helene is expected to strengthen into a hurricane Wednesday and could become a major hurricane Thursday.

Areas of western Cuba and Florida, including Tampa Bay, were under hurricane watches Tuesday evening. A tropical storm warning was issued for parts of Cuba and Florida’s southwestern coastline, including the Florida Keys.

A storm surge warning was in effect for Florida’s Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and from Indian Pass south to Flamingo. Florida and Georgia’s eastern coasts, from Palm Beach to the Savannah River, were under a tropical storm watch.

Tropical Storm Helene prompted NASA and SpaceX to bump Thursday’s planned astronaut launch to at least Saturday.

Although Helene was expected to hit clear across the state, high wind and heavy rain were expected at Cape Canaveral.

SpaceX will launch two astronauts to the International Space Station, along with two empty seats reserved for the Boeing Starliner test pilots who have been up there since June. Their problem-plagued Boeing capsule returned to Earth without them earlier this month, so SpaceX will bring them back to Earth next year.

The postponement follows President Joe Biden ordering federal assistance for Florida and approving its state of emergency declaration.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday afternoon approved Florida's state of emergency declaration. He also ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts due to emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Helene that began Monday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 61 of the state’s 67 counties ahead of the storm expected to become Hurricane Helene. The governor continues to urge residents across much of the state to prepare for potentially significant impacts, from the rural Panhandle region down the Gulf Coast to southwest Florida. The storm is expected to arrive as soon as late Thursday.

“We’re anticipating impacts, I mean, 100, 200 miles (161 to 322 kilometers) outside the eye of the storm, you could see with winds and you could see with surge,” DeSantis said. “We are going to see significant impacts no matter what happens.”

DeSantis said the storm is reminiscent of Hurricane Michael, a category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many residents off guard before plowing a path of destruction across the western Panhandle. Communities that are still rebuilding from previous storms could get battered again, DeSantis warned.

Hal Summers is taking no chances as experts warned that a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea could strengthen into a major hurricane.

The restaurant worker in Mexico Beach, Florida, was headed inland Tuesday to stay with a friend.

In 2018, he barely survived Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 hurricane, which rapidly intensified and caught residents off guard before plowing a destructive path across the western Florida Panhandle.

When it hit, water began to rise inside his parents’ home. Summers waded through it with his cat in his arms to get to safety. Their house and his home were destroyed.

This time, he plans to ride out the storm in the town of Marianna.

He said, “That was such a traumatic experience that that is not the place I needed to be for myself.”

▶ Read more here.

If Tropical Storm Helene follows the same paths as two previous hurricanes that hit Florida in the past year, the state will have a quicker recovery and won’t take as big an economic hit, Florida’s chief financial officer said Tuesday.

That’s because Hurricane Idalia, which hit Florida in August 2023, and Hurricane Debby, which came ashore last month, took down vulnerable structures and trees that would have caused debris, said Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis.

Both storms made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, where some models have Helen making landfall.

“When Idalia hit, debris was everywhere. When Debby hit, the debris wasn’t as great,” Patronis said during a news conference at a fire station in St. Johns County, Florida.

Patronis urged Floridians to take photos and videos of their homes to help ease the process if they need to make claims with their insurance companies because of storm damage.

“Your house may be a total loss, but now you have video evidence,” Patronis said. “You will have video evidence of what that claim needs in it so that you can be made whole.”

ATLANTA — gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency in Georgia ahead of Tropical Storm Helene's potential impact

Kemp said the state would open its emergency operations center and designate 500 members of the National Guard who could be called up for active service as needed. Kemp also suspended some rules about limits on commercial trucking operations and declared that rules against price gouging are in effect.

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on Tropical Storm Helene and his administration is in touch with officials from states in the storm, the White House said on Tuesday.

“Federal resources and personnel are prepositioned, including generators, food, and water, along with search and rescue and power restoration teams. At the direction of the President, FEMA has also deployed teams to Florida and Alabama to embed with local emergency response personnel to support their efforts, as needed,” White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said in a statement.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A&M University postponed its upcoming college football game against Alabama A&M because of Tropical Storm Helene.

The Rattlers rescheduled the game for Friday, Nov. 29, in anticipation of Helene strengthening into a major hurricane Wednesday while moving north toward the United States. Several models have Helene making landfall just south of Tallahassee.

Florida State, meanwhile, might need to adjust its travel schedule before playing at Southern Methodist University on Saturday.

“We’re continuing to track that. There’s still a lot of information (to come),” Seminoles coach Mike Norvell said Tuesday. “Today is a big day for gaining more information of what could be our reality. I feel good about the plans that we have. I feel good about any potential adjustments, if necessary. But it’s something that we’re absolutely tracking.”

Helene formed into a tropical storm Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. Hurricane watches were issued for parts of Cuba, Mexico and a stretch of the Florida coastline, including Tampa Bay, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of the Florida Keys.

MEXICO CITY — Authorities in Mexico are offering free ferry service to move tourists off the low-lying coastal island of Holbox. The offer was made Tuesday by Mara Lezama, the governor of the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo, home to resorts like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Holbox is known among tourists for its tranquil, shallow waters and flocks of flamingos. It is easily flooded.

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Helene formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea and could strengthen into a major hurricane while moving north toward the U.S., forecasters said.

Hurricane watches have been issued for parts of Cuba, Mexico and a stretch of the Florida coastline, including Tampa Bay, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of the Florida Keys.

The storm was located 170 miles (275 kilometers) southeast of the western tip of Cuba and had sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph). It could strengthen into Hurricane Helene as it approaches the Gulf Coast.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in dozens of counties before the storm's arrival.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 61 of the state’s 67 counties ahead of the storm expected to become Hurricane Helene. DeSantis is urging residents across a broad swath of the state to prepare for potentially significant impacts, from the rural Panhandle region down the Gulf Coast to southwest Florida.

“We’re anticipating impacts, I mean, 100, 200 miles (161 to 322 kilometers) outside the eye of the storm, you could see with winds and you could see with surge,” DeSantis said. “We are going to see significant impacts no matter what happens.”

In a Tuesday morning update from the state’s emergency operations center in Tallahassee, DeSantis said it’s telling that forecasters are already projecting the storm system may become a major hurricane — even before it’s technically formed into a tropical storm.

DeSantis said the storm is reminiscent of Hurricane Michael, a category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many residents off guard before plowing a path of destruction across the western Panhandle. Communities that are still rebuilding from previous storms could get battered again, DeSantis warned.

“The Big Bend and Panhandle should be especially prepared for direct impact,” DeSantis said.

PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico — Two people are dead after former hurricane John barreled into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, blowing tin roofs off houses, triggering mudslides and toppling scores of trees, officials said Tuesday.

John grew into a major hurricane in a matter of hours Monday and made landfall about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east of the resort of Acapulco before declining to a tropical storm after moving inland.

John came ashore near the town of Punta Maldonado late Monday as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (190 kph). It weakened back to tropical storm status early Tuesday with maximum sustained wind speeds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was expected to weaken rapidly.

Evelyn Salgado, the governor of the coastal state of Guerrero, said two people died when the storm sent a mudslide crashing into their house on the remote mountain of Tlacoachistlahuaca (TLAH-ko-chis-tla-waka), further from the coast.

▶ Read more here.

Heavy rains and big waves lashed the Cayman Islands on Tuesday as forecasters warned that a nearby cluster of thunderstorms could soon become a major hurricane en route to the southeast U.S.

Hurricane watches were in effect Tuesday for Florida’s Tampa Bay and from Englewood to Indian Pass, as well as for eastern Mexico from Cabo Catoche to Tulum and for Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province. Hurricane conditions could be possible in parts of Cuba and Mexico early Wednesday and in parts of Florida late Wednesday and early Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“Now is the time to start preparing. If you’re in an evacuation zone, you should evacuate,” said Lisa Bucci, a hurricane specialist at the center. “Don’t be fooled by the way the storm looks at the moment. We are expecting it to rapidly intensify.”

She said people in regions under watches and warnings should be prepared to lose power and should have enough food and water for at least three days.

The disturbance is expected to move “over extremely deep and warm waters” that would fuel its intensification.

The disturbance is expected to become Tropical Storm Helene on Tuesday and then strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane before approaching the northeast Gulf Coast.

▶ Read more here.

A person walks in the rain after the passing of Hurricane John in Marquelia, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)

Sandbags are filled at a public site while residents prepare their homes for potential flooding, Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as Tropical Storm Helene approaches. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Karl Bohlmann, left, and Tangi Bohlmann, of Tarpon Springs, collect sandbags at a public site while residents prepare their homes for potential flooding, Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as the Tropical Storm Helene approaches. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

This image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a cluster of storms located south of the Cayman Islands which are expected to strengthen in upcoming days, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image taken at 6:10pm ET shows Hurricane John near southern Mexico on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

Boats are stored on the beach for protection ahead of the anticipated arrival of Tropical Storm John in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)