HOUSTON — A Houston man who spent six years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit had his conviction overturned Thursday.
A judge granted the DA’s request to dismiss the methamphetamine possession case against Frederick Jeffery.
“I’m glad we were able to fix a wrong," Judge Danilo Locayo told Jeffrey in court. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
Frederick Jeffery's 2018 conviction was based solely on the testimony of former HPD officer Gerald Goines who was later charged with murder and tampering with a government record in a separate case.
Jeffery was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was freed on bond in July after the district attorney's office reviewed dozens of cases linked to Goines.
“I thank God and my mama for being in my corner. It just feel good to be finally free," Jeffrey told KHOU 11.
He said his faith and family got him through the nearly six years he spent in prison. Now, he's looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with family, including his 21-year-old daughter, for the first time in years. After that?
“Just live life. Live life. Everybody else is living life. What else you gonna do? Just live life. That’s it.”
Jeffery’s lawyer said they’ll discuss whether to apply for compensation from the state or sue HPD.
Dozens of other defendants linked to Goines have had their cases dismissed but only Jeffery and two others were declared "actually innocent."
Harding Street raid
Goines also faces organized crime charges in connection with a long-running overtime theft scheme by multiple HPD officers brought to light after the deadly Harding Street raid.
Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas were shot and killed during the botched raid in 2019.
Four HPD undercover officers, including Goines, were shot and wounded.
Investigators later determined Tuttle and Nicholas were innocent and Goines lied to get the warrant used for the raid.
The investigation uncovered a long history of police corruption, according to DA Kim Ogg.
“In the wake of Harding Street, it is clear that Gerald Goines and other members of the Houston Police Department Narcotics Division engaged in a years-long scheme involving fictional drug buys, perjured warrants and phony overtime," Ogg said in July. "Individuals like Frederick Jeffery were collateral damage.”
Goines’ state and federal cases are pending and he remains free on bond.