HOUSTON — A week after Judge Veronica Nelson quashed two murder indictments against former Houston police officer Gerald Goines, the Harris County District Attorney's Office announced that Goines had been reindicted on the charges.
The HCDAO said it was an attempt to delay the case and referenced that Nelson's predecessor shot down similar attempts.
Goines is accused of lying to secure a no-knock warrant that led to the shooting that left two homeowners and their dog dead.
The HCDAO said they "look forward to getting justice for the victims' families."
Why is Goines charged with murder?
There are still a lot of questions about what happened before, during and after the botched drug raid that left Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas dead in their home on Harding Street in 2019.
Legal experts said a felony was committed during the drug raid that led to the shooting that killed Tuttle and Nicholas.
Police were acting on a tip that turned out to be invalid, which means the no-knock warrant they were serving was fraudulent, experts said. That's why they said Goines is responsible for their deaths even though he didn't pull the trigger.
Goines and four other officers were also shot but they survived.
A massive investigation discovered that dozens of defendants were sent to prison on drug charges based on what prosecutors called "lies" by "dirty cops."
Goines and five other officers were charged with 15 felonies. He also faces federal organized crime charges.
Attempts to get the case dismissed
Goines' defense team has tried to get the charges thrown out multiple times.
In 2023, a judge rejected motions by defense attorneys to toss two of his indictments.
The defense attorneys claimed the charges were "defective" because they didn't clearly spell out why Goines was charged.
Goines' lawyers are also trying to move the trial out of Harris County but the judge hasn't ruled on that issue.
Harding Street fallout
The district attorney's office had to reopen hundreds of cases tied to Goines, and many charges were dropped.
RELATED: Man declared innocent years after serving in case investigated by Harding Street raid officer
The most recent case involved Frederick Jeffery who was sentenced to 25 years after his 2018 conviction on drug charges. Jeffery was freed on bond in July 2021.
"It feels good because I knew from the get-go I was innocent," Jeffery said after he walked out of jail. "I just had to prove it. God did everything for me. I ain't did nothing but stay down. I thank God for keeping my mama by my side the whole time. I just want to say I thank God and I'm ready."
A judge declared him "actually innocent" and apologized for the five-plus years Jeffery spent behind bars.