A man charged with possession of controlled substance has been reversed due to findings of perjury and false evidence that was presented by former Houston Police Department Officer Gerald Goines, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said.
Goines, who is tied to a deadly botched home invasion that left a couple dead, was arrested and charged for his role in the incident in 2019. Goines faces two counts of murder in Rhogena Nicholas’ and Dennis Tuttle’s deaths. Several other HPD officers are accused of falsifying documents about drug payments to informants in the deadly Harding Street raid case.
(Recap of the raid)
Frederick Jeffery is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for possession of a controlled substance, according to the DA. Jeffery was convicted in 2018 based on almost exclusively on Goines’ testimony.
Prosecutors agreed Thursday that Jeffery is entitled to a bond while the Court of Criminal Appeals reviews the new evidence.
“Frederick Jeffery’s case is a due process disaster,” said Kim Ogg, Harris County district attorney. “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. Individuals like Frederick Jeffery were collateral damage.”
According to the DA, Goines’ case is pending. He also faces federal charges for violating the civil rights of Tuttle and Nicholas.
In Jeffery’s case, prosecutors said that new evidence supports the conclusion that Goines lied in his affidavit supporting the warrant to search a house in the 2800 block of Nettleton Street. A controlled buy used as the basis to obtain a search warrant was fictional. The State also now believes Goines lied at trial about a statement Jeffery purportedly made regarding ownership of a cell phone linking him to the narcotics found in the home.
Both of Goines’ false statements were made under oath, the DA said. Goines invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify in Jeffery’s post-conviction proceeding.
In the wake of the Harding Street murders, the DA’s Office notified hundreds of individuals convicted on Goines’ testimony that their convictions may have been compromised by similar misconduct. Jeffery was one of those notified.
Previously related stories:
2 former HPD officers involved in Harding Street raid indicted for engaging in organized crime
6 former HPD officers, including Gerald Goines and Steven Bryant, face 15 new felonies linked to botched Harding Street raid
Murder charge dropped against former HPD officer in deadly Harding St. Raid, DA says
Victim of former HPD officer Gerald Goines files lawsuit after spending 7 years in prison
FULL REPORT: Audit of HPD Narcotics found 404 errors in more than 200 cases involving Gerald Goines and Steven Bryant
Ex-HPD Officer Gerald Goines secretly released after being granted $150,000 bail
Woman accused of making fake 911 calls in botched Harding Street Raid in custody after violating bond, court records show
Legal experts applaud Harris County District Attorney for seeking to overturn cases tied to former HPD officer
Harris County DA requests posthumous pardon for George Floyd in 2004 drug conviction
Continue reading...
Goines, who is tied to a deadly botched home invasion that left a couple dead, was arrested and charged for his role in the incident in 2019. Goines faces two counts of murder in Rhogena Nicholas’ and Dennis Tuttle’s deaths. Several other HPD officers are accused of falsifying documents about drug payments to informants in the deadly Harding Street raid case.
(Recap of the raid)
Frederick Jeffery is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for possession of a controlled substance, according to the DA. Jeffery was convicted in 2018 based on almost exclusively on Goines’ testimony.
Prosecutors agreed Thursday that Jeffery is entitled to a bond while the Court of Criminal Appeals reviews the new evidence.
“Frederick Jeffery’s case is a due process disaster,” said Kim Ogg, Harris County district attorney. “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. Individuals like Frederick Jeffery were collateral damage.”
According to the DA, Goines’ case is pending. He also faces federal charges for violating the civil rights of Tuttle and Nicholas.
In Jeffery’s case, prosecutors said that new evidence supports the conclusion that Goines lied in his affidavit supporting the warrant to search a house in the 2800 block of Nettleton Street. A controlled buy used as the basis to obtain a search warrant was fictional. The State also now believes Goines lied at trial about a statement Jeffery purportedly made regarding ownership of a cell phone linking him to the narcotics found in the home.
Both of Goines’ false statements were made under oath, the DA said. Goines invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify in Jeffery’s post-conviction proceeding.
In the wake of the Harding Street murders, the DA’s Office notified hundreds of individuals convicted on Goines’ testimony that their convictions may have been compromised by similar misconduct. Jeffery was one of those notified.
Previously related stories:
2 former HPD officers involved in Harding Street raid indicted for engaging in organized crime
6 former HPD officers, including Gerald Goines and Steven Bryant, face 15 new felonies linked to botched Harding Street raid
Murder charge dropped against former HPD officer in deadly Harding St. Raid, DA says
Victim of former HPD officer Gerald Goines files lawsuit after spending 7 years in prison
FULL REPORT: Audit of HPD Narcotics found 404 errors in more than 200 cases involving Gerald Goines and Steven Bryant
Ex-HPD Officer Gerald Goines secretly released after being granted $150,000 bail
Woman accused of making fake 911 calls in botched Harding Street Raid in custody after violating bond, court records show
Legal experts applaud Harris County District Attorney for seeking to overturn cases tied to former HPD officer
Harris County DA requests posthumous pardon for George Floyd in 2004 drug conviction
Continue reading...