HOUSTON – Before choosing the 12 jurors and four alternates who will ultimately decide the fate of Antonio AJ Armstrong Jr., the man who faces his third trial in the murders of his mother and father in 2016, five jurors were dismissed before noon on Wednesday.
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Two of the excused jurors were men and three were women.
The first juror to be dismissed, emailed the court bailiff over the weekend with concerns about proceeding in the case. When questioned by Judge Kelli Johnson, she said being a part of the jury pool was adding stress to her life and affecting her health, preventing her from fulfilling her duty.
She also added that she did not believe she could be part of the sentencing phase due to her strongly disagreeing with sentencing someone to life in prison, which in this case, if AJ is found guilty of capital murder, he would automatically be sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 40 years. The juror said she did not agree with that law.
A local journalist said because of the nature of her job, she didn’t think she could perform the duties of a juror because of “outside chatter.” She explained that several of her coworkers constantly discuss the developments of the trial, making it difficult for her to participate in the trial.
Another juror said he had a very close relationship with his wife and family, and told the judge his wife recently discovered he was part of Armstrong Jr.’s jury pool. He said while watching TV, a news clip of AJ’s trial appeared on the screen and his wife figured it out, and he confirmed it to her.
He added that although he did not discuss the details of the case with his wife, his wife did share her opinions about the trial and said she had seen a documentary or show regarding the case.
He told the judge that he believed his close relationship with his wife and two teenage children would make it difficult for him not to discuss the trial with his family. Judge Johnson excused him without any disagreement from the prosecution or defense.
Two jurors were dismissed as mutual strikes or agreements by both counsels.
There were 43 jurors remaining before noon. By the end of the day, a total of 12 jurors and four alternates were chosen to decide Antonio Armstrong Jr.’s fate.
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