Monday was a pivotal day in the Gerald Goines felony murder trial, even though the jury was not present in the courtroom.
After both sides rested their cases on Friday, closing arguments are set for Tuesday.
On Monday, lawyers focused on finalizing the jury instructions, meticulously reviewing each line to ensure the jury would have a clear understanding of the legal guidelines when they begin deliberations.
At the heart of the case are two felony murder charges against Goines, a former Houston Police Department narcotics officer accused of lying to secure a no-knock search warrant in 2019. The raid tragically resulted in the deaths of homeowners Rhogena Nicholas and Dennis Tuttle, and injuries to four officers.
Houston attorney Murray Newman anticipates a lengthy deliberation process, given the case’s complexity.
“I think it’s going to be a very interesting deliberation process,” Newman said. “Both the prosecution and defense likely agree on most of the facts, but it will ultimately come down to how the jury interprets them.”
The complexity arises from the felony charge of tampering with a government document, which allegedly led to the deaths. While the defense has admitted Goines lied, they argue that his actions amounted to fraud, a misdemeanor, rather than a felony.
Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, with media cameras allowed inside for coverage.
