Is This Ex-Deputy a Killer? His Side of the Story After 19 Years in Prison
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A fatal police shooting, two murder convictions and more than 19 years behind bars. Former Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Kent McGowen says the public never heard the complete story.
A deputy sheriff entered a Texas home to execute a warrant.
Seconds later, an armed woman was dead. Read more or listen to the free podcast interview.
The shooting was reportedly considered justified at first, but the case did not end there. Rumors of a secret relationship began to spread. News coverage intensified. A different explanation for the shooting emerged, and the deputy eventually found himself accused of murder.
Ex Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Kent McGowen was convicted twice and spent more than 19 years in a Texas prison.
Now he is telling his side of the story on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast.
McGowen maintains that he fired in self-defense after Susan White pointed a firearm at him and refused repeated commands to drop it. Prosecutors presented a dramatically different account, and jurors found him guilty.
More than three decades later, one troubling question remains:
Is this ex-deputy a killer, or did rumor, disputed testimony and intense public pressure help send an innocent man to prison?
The Texas Weapons Investigation That Started It All
In 1992, Kent McGowen was working as a deputy with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office near Houston, Texas.
According to McGowen, he was involved in an operation targeting a gang suspected of trafficking firearms. A confidential informant, commonly referred to as a CI, was reportedly given money to purchase a weapon as part of the investigation.
The operation took an unexpected turn when the informant and another person were arrested.
The mother of one of the people involved, reportedly arrived at the scene. McGowen claims she appeared to be under the influence of intoxicating substances, was slurring her words and became increasingly confrontational.
He also alleges that she threatened him.
Their encounter ended without bloodshed, but their paths would cross again.
The next time they met, she would be killed and McGowen’s life would change forever.
A Warrant, a 911 Call and a Fatal Confrontation
A warrant was later issued for her residence.
McGowen says he and a small group of deputies were assigned to execute it. According to his account, the officers knocked repeatedly while she called 911 from inside the house.
During that call, White allegedly told the dispatcher that police officers were outside her door and that she needed protection from them.
She also reportedly claimed to have a personal history with McGowen.
That allegation would later become one of the most damaging elements of the case.
McGowen says he received authorization from his superiors before the deputies forced entry into the home. Once inside, he reportedly saw her run toward a bedroom and followed her.
What happened next took only seconds.
McGowen says she reached for a gun and pointed it at him. He claims he repeatedly ordered her to drop the weapon, but she refused.
Believing that his life was in immediate danger, McGowen fired three shots.
She was killed.
McGowen has always maintained that the fatal shooting was an act of self-defense committed while he was carrying out his lawful duties as a Texas deputy sheriff.
Read more or listen to the free podcast interview.
Was the Police Shooting Initially Considered Justified?
According to McGowen, the shooting was initially determined to be justified.
From his perspective, the facts appeared clear: deputies entered a home to execute a warrant, encountered an armed person and used deadly force after she allegedly ignored repeated commands to put down her gun.
But the initial determination did not bring the case to a close.
It marked the beginning of a much larger controversy.
Rumors soon began circulating that McGowen and White had shared a secret personal relationship. That allegation changed how some people viewed the shooting.
What McGowen described as a split-second act of survival was recast as something far more sinister: the final act in an alleged story of obsession, rejection and revenge.
McGowen has consistently denied having the relationship described in that narrative.
He argues that gossip and speculation were treated like evidence—and that the more often the rumors were repeated, the more believable they appeared.
Convicted in the Court of Public Opinion?
The case generated intense news coverage throughout the Houston area and across Texas.
McGowen believes the public narrative shaped the criminal case before jurors ever had an opportunity to evaluate the evidence.
The description of the book Reasonable Doubts: How Rumor and Innuendo Convicted Deputy Kent McGowen of Murder summarizes his argument:
“A deputy sheriff. A fatal confrontation. And a trial by media that decided a man’s guilt before a single piece of evidence was ever presented in court.”
According to McGowen, the shooting inside White’s home gradually became a sensationalized story that bore little resemblance to what he says actually happened.
He believes that repeated allegations created their own version of reality.
Prosecutors advanced a murder theory. Witnesses offered testimony that supported the case against him. McGowen was arrested and charged in connection with White’s death.
The former deputy who said he fired to save his own life was now facing the possibility of spending the rest of it behind bars.
Kent McGowen Was Convicted of Murder Twice
McGowen was tried and convicted of murder.
His legal ordeal did not end with one trial. He was convicted a second time and ultimately spent more than 19 years in the Texas prison system.
Prison can be dangerous for anyone, but incarceration can present additional risks for a former law enforcement officer.
McGowen had once worn a badge. He had arrested suspects and worked within the same criminal justice system that now controlled every aspect of his life.
Everything was gone.
His freedom was gone.
His career in law enforcement was over.
His name had become publicly connected to murder.
McGowen says the allegations followed him into prison and remained attached to him long after his release. He believes the accusations against him received widespread attention while his explanation was largely ignored.
Now, he is asking the public to examine the case again.
His Allegations of Corruption and Misconduct
During his interview on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, McGowen discusses what he describes as corruption and misconduct that contributed to his convictions and kept him incarcerated.
These are McGowen’s allegations and his interpretation of the events. His appearance on the podcast gives him a platform to explain why he believes the prosecution’s theory was flawed and why he says important evidence and unanswered questions deserve closer examination.
His claims also raise broader concerns about criminal investigations and high-profile trials:
What happens when rumors become more persuasive than physical evidence?
Can extensive news coverage influence potential jurors before a trial begins?
How should jurors evaluate testimony that is disputed or inconsistent?
What happens when investigators form a theory early and interpret every new fact through it?
Can public pressure change how an initially justified police shooting is viewed?
How difficult is it for an accused person to overcome a story that has already been accepted as fact?
McGowen is not simply asking the public to believe him. He is asking people to hear his account, examine the competing claims and reach their own conclusions.
Reasonable Doubts: The Book About the Kent McGowen Case
After leaving prison, McGowen hired New York City author Jerry Langton to investigate and tell his story.
The result was the book *Reasonable Doubts: How Rumor and Innuendo Convicted Deputy Kent McGowen of Murder*.
The book examines the fatal shooting, the murder investigation, the witnesses, the news coverage and the trials that sent McGowen to prison for more than 19 years.
Its description presents the central argument:
“When Texas Deputy Kent McGowen shot and killed a woman, it looked like a clear-cut case of split-second self-defense against an armed suspect. But in the court of public opinion, the verdict had already been decided.”
The book argues that the shooting was transformed into a story of obsession and revenge despite what its description characterizes as a lack of physical evidence supporting that narrative.
It also explores how witnesses, attorneys, media coverage and public opinion may have influenced the case.
The book ultimately asks readers to consider the evidence for themselves:
“Was it self-defense, or was it a setup? Read the evidence the jury was never supposed to doubt, and decide for yourself.”
Read more or listen to the Free Podcast Interview.
Life After More Than 19 Years in a Texas Prison
Walking out of prison did not restore everything McGowen had lost.
Freedom can open the gate, but it cannot return decades of a person’s life.
McGowen was released into a different world and faced the challenge of rebuilding while still carrying the label of convicted murderer. His career as a deputy sheriff could not be restored. Decades-old allegations remained available online, continuing to shape how strangers viewed him.
That lasting damage is one reason he decided to speak publicly.
On the podcast, McGowen explains what he says happened inside White’s home, how the accusations against him developed and what it was like to watch his life become a public story that he maintains was untrue.
He also discusses the legal battles he endured, the people and institutions he believes failed him and what others can do to help him continue telling his story.
Is This Ex-Deputy a Killer, or Was There Reasonable Doubt?
Kent McGowen was convicted of murder in a court of law. Any responsible examination of this case must acknowledge that fact.
It must also acknowledge that McGowen continues to challenge the narrative used against him.
He maintains that he entered her home as a Texas deputy executing a lawful warrant. He says she pointed a gun at him, refused repeated orders to drop it and forced him to make a life-or-death decision.
Prosecutors told a different story.
Jurors convicted him.
More than 30 years later, the central questions have not disappeared:
Was this a justified police shooting that became a murder prosecution because of rumors and media pressure?
Did reliable evidence support both convictions?
Did McGowen receive a fair trial?
Or did the Texas criminal justice system reach the correct verdict?
The podcast interview and the book Reasonable Doubts allow audiences to hear McGowen’s side, consider the competing accounts and decide what they believe.
Listen to the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast
The complete Kent McGowen interview is available through the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast.
The show can be heard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio. Related videos and interviews are available on YouTube, with additional updates shared on Facebook and Instagram.
McGowen can also be found on Facebook at kent.mcgowen.2025.
This case is about far more than the fall of one former deputy. It is a disturbing story involving a fatal shooting, two murder convictions, more than 19 years in prison and the extraordinary power of a public narrative.
Listen to the complete interview, examine the questions surrounding the case and decide for yourself:
Is Kent McGowen a killer, or was reasonable doubt buried beneath rumor, innuendo and a rush to judgment?
Ex Texas Deputy Kent McGowen shares his side of the fatal shooting, two murder convictions and more than 19 years in prison.
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