HOUSTON – A re-trial is underway after jurors declared a mistrial regarding a suspect who was accused of slaying his own parents back in 2016.
Antonio ‘A.J.’ Armstrong Jr. is now back in court after he was accused of shooting and killing his parents, Dawn and Antonio Armstrong Sr., while they slept in their home back in 2016. He was 16 years old at the time.
The mistrial was declared by the jury after they could not reach a verdict after three days of deliberation.
During the trial in 2019, eight jurors believed A.J. was guilty, but four jurors voted not guilty.
According to court officials regarding this capital murder case, all jurors have to agree in order for a verdict to be reached.
Follow along with what took place during week one of the trial below, with notes given by KPRC 2′s Taisha Walker from inside the courthouse.
Day 1: First witness, an HPD lieutenant, takes the stand
AJ became emotional and began crying when prosecutors described the details of his parent’s murder.
During his first trial in April 2019, a mistrial was declared after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision.
Since then, the lead attorney, along with other attorneys have filed several motions in the case, including asking a judge to allow them to introduce new evidence about their alternative suspect, Joshua Armstrong, AJ’s older brother.
“In 2,264 days, law enforcement has done almost nothing to investigate Josh,” said AJ’s defense attorneys during opening statements. “We believe that the evidence will show you that that’s confirmation bias.”
Prosecutors told jurors that throughout the weeks-long trial they will hear evidence that supports the home being locked with alarms and motion sensors activated. They said the only other people inside the home were AJ and his sister, and that their brother Joshua was not at the home.
“One of the things I anticipate that the defense will show you is medical records where Joshua Armstrong reported that he had witnessed the death of his parents. And I will anticipate they will ask you to make the leap that that means he was in the room when he killed his parents,” the state said. “And I want you to know now that Joshua did witness the death of his parents. He was at the scene when they were carted out and loaded up on stretchers and loaded up in the back of ambulances.”
AJ’s defense attorney said police missed an opportunity to focus on Joshua and his whereabouts the night of the murder. The defense also told the jury that they will hear some of Joshua’s medical records, which is information the jurors in the initial trial did not have.
The defense says, in contrast, AJ had a great relationship with his parents and showed pictures to jurors to try and display that.
In addition to opening statements, the first witness, a lieutenant with Houston police took to the stand. The officer testified he was among the first to arrive and did not notice signs of forced entry. He said his officers cleared the three-story house and only found AJ and his younger sister in the home, and noticed a pistol on the kitchen counter beside a note. The lieutenant said though he didn’t have physical evidence, he didn’t have reason to believe the shooter wasn’t inside the home.
Day 2: More witnesses take the stand
Jurors heard the testimonies of four witnesses during the second day of Antonio “AJ” Armstrong Jr.’s re-trial.
All of the witnesses are first responders, three law enforcement officers, and an EMT, who recounted what they saw when they arrived at The Armstrong’s home the night AJ’s parents, Dawn and Antonio Sr. were murdered in 2016.
Tuesday started with the continuation of the prior day’s testimony involving a Houston police lieutenant. The law enforcement officer was one of the first to arrive at the townhome in southwest Houston. He testified he had officers separate AJ and his sister, Kayra because he believed the murderer was inside the house and not an intruder.
The lieutenant said the doors and windows to the home didn’t appear breached and that a pistol and a note were on the kitchen counter.
The second witness works as an EMT for the Houston Fire Department and described a bloody scene in the couple’s bedroom. The EMT testified he was the one who pronounced Dawn deceased and called for additional help for Antonio Sr., who he said was bleeding from the face but had a pulse.
A Houston police sergeant was the third to take the stand. He testified that he was the one that opened a back door to allow other officers entry into the kitchen. The sergeant testified that a female officer had picked up a pistol that was left on the kitchen counter with her bare hands. He said he informed her to put the gun back and to document that as supplemental data for the police report but, she never did.
The veteran sergeant said he also informed the homicide detective.
A former homicide detective with HPD was the fourth witness to take the stand. He testified about his role in the investigation, which included interviewing AJ after he was charged with the double murders.
Day 3: Investigators describe suspect as ‘calm’ after parents were found dead
On Thursday, during day three of the trial, jurors heard from three additional witnesses.
The first witness was a Houston police officer who was one of the first people on the scene of the Armstrong’s home in 2016. The officer says he drove A.J., who was 16 years old, downtown to see a magistrate judge and then to the Houston Police Department for questioning. The officer testified that A.J. seemed calm, introverted, and eerie following the murders of his parents.
Jurors then heard from a retired Harris County hearing officer who testified that she read A.J. his right and had him read the rights himself, give his interpretation, and then initial each line.
Jurors got to hear that audio in court Thursday.
Lastly, the seventh witness in this trial took the stand. That crime scene officer with the Houston Police Department testified his job was to document the scene, and collect and preserve the evidence. The state then brought out several pieces of evidence, including the gun and note found on the kitchen counter that witnesses verified.
That witness also read the note, believed to have been written by the true killer, out loud to the court. It read, in part, “I have been watching for some time.”
Day four of the re-trial resumes Friday morning.
SEE MORE:
Documents: Antonio Armstrong Jr.’s brother says he witnessed slaying of parents
Antonio ‘AJ’ Armstrong set to appear before a judge for a pre-trial hearing on Friday morning
AJ Armstrong trial: What we know about teen accused of killing parents