The case captivated the community - a son found guilty of shooting and killing his parents in their own bedroom when he was just 16.
Now, KPRC 2 Investigates takes you inside the trial of Antonio ‘A.J.’ Armstrong Jr. with a special episode of our award-winning true crime docuseries ‘The Evidence Room,’ featuring our exclusive interview with the Armstrong family.
“If there was just one inkling that A.J. did this - killed my oldest son that I carried for nine months and gave birth to and destroyed our family like this,” said A.J.’s grandmother, Kay Winston, “there’s no way we would be supporting him, backing him and fighting for him. Who would do that?”
Armstrong Jr., 23, was sentenced in August to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years for the murders of his mom and dad, Dawn and Antonio Sr., at the family’s southwest Houston home in 2016.
KPRC 2 brought you exclusive coverage of the trial in a whole new way through our multi-platform experience called ‘The Bench.’
First look at Armstrong trial evidence
Now that the trial is over, the evidence is being processed. Boxes filled with everything used in all three trials against Armstrong Jr. are being cataloged.
KPRC 2 Investigates got the first up-close look inside the evidence boxes - from the Houston police department visitor sticker with the newly found DNA, to the 911 tape and Armstrong Jr.’s interview with homicide detectives, to text messages pulled off the family’s cellphones.
This episode of ‘The Evidence Room’ will also take you through other evidence in the case that stayed in the boxes during the third trial.
Like the 911 call, Armstrong made from inside his closet.
“A big piece of evidence and it happened twice is in the 911 call,” said John Jordan, a Harris County Asst. District Attorney who led the prosecution in the trial.
Dispatcher: “Did it sound like a handgun, rifle or shotgun?”
AJ Armstrong: “I’m not good with guns, but I...I guess like a...I don’t know, um...15 or something like that? I know. I know my dad has a gun underneath the...God, where does he keep his gun? Um...I think he keeps it in his drawer right next to his bed.”
While in ‘The Evidence Room’ we saw the burnt carpet from outside the parent’s bedroom. Prosecutors say A.J. used the rubbing alcohol bottle featured below and filled it with gasoline to start the fire. Winston told the jury his father Antonio Sr. put the fire out before going to a Bible study, and that AJ wasn’t punished for it.
“But there’s this whole thing about my, my daughter-in-law, how her bark was bigger than her bite,” said Winston.
Armstrong has appealed the conviction and his family says they’ll stay with him through the fight.
“Because we still have things going on at this time, I would just like to say, I know right now, without a shadow of a doubt that AJ is not guilty,” said Winston.
The family includes Armstrong’s team of defense lawyers who say they watched him grow up.
“That verdict broke my heart still breaks my heart as I sit here and think about it. It knocked us down, but we’re getting back up and I’m going to continue fighting,” said defense attorney Rick DeToto.
“I think AJ is an outstanding young man. I mean, he has manners and he is a godly man and he helps out and he’s a proud father,” said JL Carpenter, one of Armstrong’s attorneys. “And when I’m on the phone with him, I could hear his little boy, Hendrix, in the background. He’s a great husband. It’s devastating.”
There are THREE ways you can watch ‘The Evidence Room, Bonus Episode: Sinner or Saint?’
- Search for KPRC 2+ on your smart TV or streaming device - including Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, or Google TV.
- Catch the show at Click2Houston.com/watchlive or in the livestream player below.
- Watch on the Click2Houston app – which is free to download in your Apple or Android app store.