HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — As the murder case against disgraced Houston Police Department officer Gerald Goines inches toward trial, prosecutors were dealt a setback on the charges against several other officers on Monday.
More than five years ago, a botched no-knock raid on Harding Street in southeast Houston killed Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, who were not drug dealers.
In the months that followed, several officers were charged, including the lead case agent, Gerald Goines, who is facing murder charges. But the path toward finding justice for the Tuttle and Nicholas families hasn’t been easy.
RELATED: Murder charges dropped against disgraced HPD officer Gerald Goines at center of Harding Street raid
Today, the judge overseeing many charges against several other officers quashed multiple charges. Specifically, the officers who were charged in an alleged overtime scheme related to the raid had their charges thrown out.
The judge ruled that the indictments were too broad. She made a similar ruling on the Goines murder charge a few months back, but the Harris County District Attorney’s Office presented the case once again in front of a grand jury, and Goines was indicted again for murder.
RELATED: Murder charges for couple killed in botched 2019 no-knock raid reinstated against HPD officer
The DA’s Office told ABC13 that they would refile the charges in the alleged overtime scheme too.
The president of the Police Officers’ Union says he doesn’t think these officers will be re-indicted like Goines. In fact, Doug Griffith says he plans to testify in the Grand Jury if these charges are re-presented.
Meanwhile, it’s important to note that the murder charges against Goines remain on schedule to go to trial. Jury selection on the Goines case starts Friday, and the trial is expected to begin in September.
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