HOUSTON – Wednesday is Day 3 of Antonio Armstrong Jr.’s third murder re-trial.
On Day 1 and Day 2, several things were discovered during opening statements from prosecutors, the defense team and the first set of witnesses.
The new DNA evidence that caused a delay at the start of the trial took the spotlight, but other important details were also discussed.
We heard a lot about AJ’s brother, Josh Armstrong’s mental health, along with the alarm system at the residence and the Houston Police Department’s response and investigation.
KPRC 2 will be live daily inside the courtroom and will document new details along with everything you should know.
Aug. 2 - 4:00 p.m.
Judge Johnson briefly speaks to the prosecution team and the defense team and decides to recess court until Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m.
Aug. 2 - 2:27 p.m.
The ninth witness, Jason DaCosta, who is the senior vice president at alarm.com, was called to the stand. He is in charge of the customer service team at alarm.com as well as the custodian of records. Alarm.com handles the software side of things and partners with service providers such as ADT and Brinks.
DaCosta testified that the Armstrongs had a very “sophisticated” alarm system, equipped with motion sensors and door and window alarms. The motion sensors were placed on the second floor of Armstrong’s three-story townhome, the floor where the murder took place. The second sensor was placed on the first floor of the residence near the living room and kitchen areas.
He said the alarm system did not go off and there were no notices of any doors being opened or closed the morning Antonio Sr. and Dawn were killed.
But, on July 29, 2016, DaCosta testified that the alarm system was set at 9:57 p.m. By 10:57 p.m., the motion sensors stopped picking up movement. Then, at 1:09 a.m., DaCosta testified that the motion sensor picked up activity on the second floor, which is where Antonio Sr. and Dawn were killed. At 1:25 a.m., the living room motion detector picked up activity on the first floor. During this time, DaCosta said the alarm was not triggered, turned off or on, nor were any doors or windows opened or closed during that time.
AJ placed the 911 call at 1:43 a.m., and at 1:56 a.m., DaCosta said the alarm system was disarmed for officers to enter the home.
Aug. 2 - 10:45 a.m.
AJ’s attorney got the chance to ask Dodson several questions regarding his testimony.
The defense team said HPD investigators made it a point to not do a full investigation due to them not looking through the entire Armstrong residence (Dodson testified that he did not have knowledge of anyone checking the garage or attic), nor did they talk to all witnesses who were on the scene the night of the murder or speak with neighbors.
Aug. 2 - 10:00 a.m.
The 911 call AJ made on the night of July 29, 2016, was played. Here are the key takeaways from the 911 call:
- During the call, AJ said he had just heard two gunshots in his parent’s room. He then said that the door to their room was cracked open and that it is never cracked open when they’re sleeping.
- AJ was asked what kind of gun he heard and AJ said he didn’t know much about guns but knew that his dad kept a gun in his bedroom drawer.
- AJ could be heard saying, “How did you get into our house?”
- AJ could be heard saying, “It’s all my fault.”
Aug. 2 - 9:00 a.m.
Former HPD Lt. Dodson took the stand for the second day, continuing from where he left off on Tuesday.
The prosecutors started Day 3 of the trial by playing the audio from AJ’s initial interview with homicide officers and his 911 call.
During the interview with homicide, AJ went through what happened the morning of July 29, 2016, when his parents were murdered. Detectives pointed out several inconsistencies in his story:
- AJ did not mention seeing a suspect on his 911 call or to responding officers.
- In the middle of the interview with homicide, he revealed he saw a masked man running out of his parent’s room. He explained the suspect as a Black man, about 6 foot tall, wearing a black mask.
- In the 911 call, he said he knew where his father kept his guns. But in the interview with detectives, he said he wasn’t sure where his father kept his gun.
- Talked about the hole found in his parent’s ceiling that came from his room. Initially said he was trying to show a friend how a gun sounded, but later changed his story and said his friend was not around when he fired the gun.
- Discussed the burn on the carpet. AJ told officers his father was mad at him because he was playing with matches and accidentally dropped a match on the floor, which caused a fire.
- Kept deflecting, saying, “This has nothing to do with me.”
- Never inquired about the investigation, and was not shocked to hear his mother passed away. Dodson said he showed no emotion.
- AJ said, “I had nothing to do with it” 19 times during interview.
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