HOUSTON – A Houston man accused of killing his parents when he was 16 years old was back in court Wednesday, preparing for his retrial.
Attorneys for Antonio Armstrong Jr. were arguing a motion to suppress evidence gathered from their client’s cellphone, claiming the Harris County District Attorney’s Office has since lost the phone.
District Court Judge Kelli Thompson issued a gag order on the motion, barring attorneys on both sides from any further public comments on the matter.
Armstrong, now a 20-year-old, is accused of killing his father, Antonio Armstrong Sr., and his mother, Dawn Armstrong in 2016. Both were found shot to death in their bed.
A mistrial was declared during Armstrong’s first trial in April after the jury could not agree on a verdict.
That trial lasted four weeks, but the defense team expects this retrial to take longer.
“Now that we have a record from the last trial, a lot of everything that’s going to happen in the new trial is going to be heavily dependent on what is on record in the last trial, so it’s going to be a little more tedious,” said defense attorney Chris Collings.
There is a hearing set Jan. 3 to discuss the motion to suppress the cellphone evidence.
The retrial begins Jan. 6.