HOUSTON, Texas – For the first time since being convicted of murdering his mother and father at their family’s southwest Houston home in 2016, Antonio Armstong Jr. is telling his “truth.”
No question was off the table -- Armstrong talked in a seemingly-candid fashion about the night of the murder, his third trial and conviction, his family, and what’s next in his appeal.
Watch an encore presentation of ‘The AJ Armstrong Interview” Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the KPRC 2+ livestream player below:
Find the full transcript of the interview below:
Rilwan Balogun: How are you?
A.J. Armstrong: I’m doing good.
Rilwan Balogun: How have things been in the last few weeks?
A.J. Armstrong: It’s been, definitely an adjustment, you know, coming to a new facility, moving again, and all that, getting, you know, comfortable as possible here, meeting new people, and finally moving to population and not being isolated like I have been pretty much this whole time. So, it’s just been another adjustment. But it’s going well so far.
Rilwan Balogun: How was that, just kind of, being by yourself until you moved into general population?
A.J. Armstrong: Uh, honestly. Even from my juvenile days till now, I’ve always been in a cell for practically 23 hours a day. Really... 24 hours a day. So being by myself is something I’ve kind of become used to. It doesn’t really bother me, but, you know, getting a cellmate for the first time, and that whole experience, it was a little nerve-wracking at-[first because you have no idea what to expect. But for me, I got a good situation. Good guy. So things are going well.
Rilwan Balogun: Why did you want to talk to us today?
A.J. Armstrong: I just feel like it’s important for me to finally be able to really speak, you know. For the last seven years, with us being on trial, and stuff like that, and fighting the case, my attorneys thought it was best for me not to really speak out, so I went with their lead. And now, where we’re at, you know, I felt it was time for me to be able to just be able to speak my truth.
Rilwan Balogun: So, let’s talk about that. Your truth. It’s been three trials. The first two were hung juries and in the most recent third one, you were convicted for killing both of your parents.
A.J. Armstrong: Yes sir.
Rilwan Balogun: The question everyone wants to know is, why did you kill your parents? [2.4s]
A.J. Armstrong: I didn’t kill my parents. I would say falsely convicted because I don’t believe the conviction that took place was the result that should have happened. It should have been either another hung jury or not guilty verdict. There’s no way ever I would have in a million years imagined being here. But here I am. And, you know, it’s just about taking it one day at a time. The appeal process can be a slow process, but at the end of the day, I know I’m going to walk out of here. This isn’t how my story ends. This isn’t how things go for me, you know, it’s just continuing to keep my trust in God regardless of what comes my way.
Rilwan Balogun: Then, if it’s not you, then who?
A.J. Armstrong: I can’t give you that answer. If I knew that answer, I wouldn’t be in here. If my family knew that answer, we would have given that over to the authorities as quick as possible. But, it’s just due to their lack of investigation and them not pursuing anything outside of me from that night. Like they’ve said on the stand, it’s put us in a situation to where we don’t have anything and we’re probably going to have to live the rest of our lives not knowing what happened to my parents. And that’s unfortunate. But it’s the situation the Houston Police Department and the DA’s office put us in.
Rilwan Balogun: Talk to me about how hard it was for you during these last three trials. Just sitting and listening to everything.
A.J. Armstrong:] I don’t, I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. It’s horrible to have to sit there and hear the things that I had to listen to, to be able to have, really, me and my parents’ relationship dissected and broken down in a way that the D.A. felt it was, when in reality, it wasn’t like that. Sure, my parents got on me... everyone read the text messages, everyone saw what was being said. But at the end of the day, my parents loved me and I love them more than anything. That was the relationship they had. They were strict on me. They wanted they knew the potential that I had. They knew where I could go in my life, and that’s how they were. But it was never anything more than that. So having to sit there, and especially listen to the D.A., you know, try and say they’re speaking for my parents or they’re doing what my parents would have wanted and just things like that. It’s just I just felt it was really out of place and just disrespectful to my grandparents, in general, because those are their kids and they’re sitting in court. And we all know if either one of my parents would have made it or if both of my parents would have made it, this would have never been a situation we would have been in, and they would have made it very clear that they didn’t believe in what the D.A. was trying to do, and what they were trying to say about our relationship just wasn’t true.
Rilwan Balogun: You mentioned the part where the prosecutor said that they were speaking through your mom, specifically. How did that make you feel?
A.J. Armstrong: Very frustrated. Because it’s just, like I said, I just it was really disrespectful. I mean, my grandparents are sitting right there. And to say that you’re speaking for their daughter and their daughter-in-law when you don’t know. You never knew their daughter or daughter-in-law, you’re just reading text messages and assuming, ‘Hey, this fits our narrative.’ So let’s say Dawn felt this way when in actuality Dawn didn’t feel that way. My mom was hard on me. She was hard on my sister. She was on my brother. She was hard on everyone. That’s just how my mom was. But she loved even bigger... and that never changed just because I was doing things I shouldn’t have. So just to have that narrative pushed that my mom felt that way about me or anything like that, it was, it was hard.
Rilwan Balogun: Talk to us about your relationship with your parents.
A.J. Armstrong: I mean, I thought I had a great relationship with my parents despite, you know, I was a 16-year-old kid. I snuck out to be with my girlfriend, who’s now my wife. I was smoking weed. I was getting bad grades. I wasn’t doing well in school my sophomore year, but at the end of the day, it was still a normal relationship. I was with my dad all the time, going to the gym, working out five days a week. We still laughed. We still joked. We did things. We had family events like everything was normal. I just made some goofy kid mistakes at that age and it was taken and blown into something that it really wasn’t. And, you know, it’s hard to look back because after going through those three trials and hearing all the things that they’ve said, it’s kind of just cause my mind to almost kind of forget some of the good things because it’s been pushed on me. Nothing but negative. And I, you know, it’s just it sucks. It really does. But at the end of the day, I know how my parents felt about me and I know how I felt about them. And that’s what I just choose to hold on to regardless.
Rilwan Balogun: Does looking back at your relationship with your parents change things for you now because you’re a father yourself with your own son?
A.J. Armstrong: Definitely. I tell my family all the time, like with having Hendrix for just two years. Now he’s three. It’s like, I see so much of understanding what parenting is like from my parents’ affect. I see how the things my dad tried to instill in me at a very young age, why it was so important. And I see a lot of myself in my son, so it’s like I can see why my parents were the way they were with me, and things like that. But being a parent, it’s a blessing. I absolutely love it, you know, And I’m grateful that I had the time with my parents and they were the great parents that they were. And they instilled so much in me in those 16 years that I feel like I’m prepared to be a father even at a young age. But, you know, it’s just. I definitely see why my parents were the way they were, but I’m grateful for it, you know?
Rilwan Balogun: When’s the last time you saw Kate, like, face to face?
A.J. Armstrong: The last time we were face to face would have been probably about early September, something like that. So it’s been. It’s been a while.
Rilwan Balogun: While you were still in Harris County?
A.J. Armstrong: Yes. She came every Wednesday and Saturday to come see me while I was there. So, since I moved, I haven’t seen anyone except when I got to see Brandon. But outside of that, I haven’t seen her or my grandparents. I’ve told them, it’s a far drive out here, and then flights and things like that, that can be expensive. So I was like, you guys just hold off or figure this out and hopefully we can get me moved back closer. So, we’ll see how that plays out.
Rilwan Balogun: Let’s go back to the day you were convicted. What was going through your mind once you heard that the jurors rang that bell, that they either had a question or they were ready for verdict? What were you and the team of attorneys talking about in your family?
A.J. Armstrong: I knew they had a verdict. Uh, so once that bell was ringing, I knew the verdict came in because I believe they said they rang it twice and that meant they had a verdict. So I went in there and I was with JL, and she kind of let me know that was that. It was a verdict. He heard the two bells. So for me, it was just a matter of I was excited, honestly. I was like, we finally are at a place. We’ve got a jury that has heard all the evidence and they see the truth. And I was believing that that was my chance to finally be done with all of this, to not have to ever be in a courtroom again and have to ever sit through another trial. I have to worry about with another hung jury, with the jury, with the D.A., come back five years later or ten years later and try and charge me again. I just felt that I was finally at that point of being able to move on with my life. But it was also nerve-wracking because there’s also the flipside to it, which is what we ended up getting. And you know, it was a whole bunch of emotions, but there was a little bit of excitement there, hoping that it was that time to be able to finally move on with life.
Rilwan Balogun: Do you recall hearing Kate or any of your family members after the verdict came down?
A.J. Armstrong Hearing them? Yeah. I turned around immediately when I was walking out to look at her because I just wanted her to know it’s going to be okay. Like I love you and I wanted them to see me be strong right in that moment because I knew what was coming, it was going to be, it was going to be tough. But I wanted them to know that I’m going to be okay, that we’re going to get through this. We’ll figure it out. I’m going to be okay. And that’s what I tried to do. But I could see everyone as they walked out. And it was obviously emotional and it was emotional back there for me and my attorneys. You know, we we really are family. You know, I’ve been with Rick and Chris for seven years. I’ve known Chris for as long as I can remember. And Joe came in right before the first trial, and she’s been amazing. So it’s like this wasn’t just attorney-client. This was a family that had been built over the last seven years. They saw me grow from a 16-year-old kid to a 23-year-old father and a husband now. So things have completely changed, and they’ve been supportive every step of the way. And I couldn’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done for me. I love the three of them with everything I have in me, and I would pick them to be my attorneys for anything life would ever throw my way. They’re that great to me.
Rilwan Balogun: I want to ask some questions about the trial itself. What was going through your head leading up to the trial? When you hear that there’s been new evidence with the blood underneath the nametag?
A.J. Armstrong: Well, you saw the lawsuit that we filed. That was my immediate reaction.
Rilwan Balogun: Say it again.
A.J. Armstrong: I said the lawsuit that was filed was my immediate reaction. It was very clear to me, my family, my attorneys, that evidence was planted because I don’t understand how after seven years in a case of this magnitude, the day before trial, you come out and say there’s been new evidence that we’ve now discovered. I don’t even know how that’s possible, but that’s what the DA’s office did. And it’s unfortunate. And I feel that being the newest piece of evidence to the case, the only thing that really changed from the first trial to the second trial to the third trial, I felt that that evidence was probably the reason that got me in here, unfortunately. And it sucks because it’s planted. It’s not no other way around it in my eyes.
Rilwan Balogun: Well. Jurors that prosecutors spoke to afterward said that it was the 911 call and the interrogation of that night. They said after they heard that, they already said you did it. Does that make sense to you?
A.J. Armstrong Mm-hmm.
Rilwan Balogun: So you understood why they would think you did it after the 911 call in the interrogation?
A.J. Armstrong: I would understand. But also for me, that night you’re dealing with. At that time, I was 16 years old. I was sitting in the back of a cop car for six, seven hours, no sleep, no idea of what was going on with my parents. I’m asking these officers what’s going on with my parents. I’m not getting any information. I’m taken downtown now. I’m in this now. I’m being questioned by these detectives. And for me, yes, there were things that were said that might have looked like I was trying to lie or cover something up. But at the end of the day, I was a 16-year-old kid at the time. I do not have any experience with being investigated by police officers or know what to say, what’s wrong or what’s right, in the moment. And if I went back and could do it all over again, I would have immediately just asked for my lawyer because that probably would have put us in a different situation. But I don’t understand how the statement or the 911 call led to a guilty verdict. But that’s what the jurors decided. And I can’t, I don’t hold any ill will towards them. That’s what they felt after reading the case. That’s how these things work.
Rilwan Balogun: So, you said if you could redo it again after or while being interrogated, you would have immediately just stopped talking and asked for your attorney. Why didn’t you do that?
A.J. Armstrong: I was trying to help, in my eyes. At that time, I thought I was helping, giving the information that I felt would be able to best help. I mean, just answering the questions that they had for me, honestly. And part of me didn’t really understand that I was being accused until they started to really press me and things like that over, like gunshot residue and all those different kinds of things. So for me, it was like, okay, you guys don’t believe me? And I’m now being accused of this. So that at that point, I always think back like, Dang, okay. At that point, I probably should have been like, look, I don’t even know if I have a lawyer, but I would like to have a lawyer now because I felt the pressure of, okay, this is flipped from, ‘Hey, let’s get to know you and help me figure out what happened to we’re saying you did this.’
Rilwan Balogun: There was something during the interrogation call that comes out, which was that days leading up to the murders, that you shot a gun through the floor. Just talk to us through that. What happened there? And you told investigators that you were doing it for a friend to show off to a friend.
A.J. Armstrong: The whole gun incident, with that being shot through the floor, I believe they said it was days before, but it was a week or two before. That wasn’t something that was done like the day before the incident. I believe, I don’t know if my sister testified to that or one of the two, but my parents were aware of it. And they also continue to say that there was like fresh sheetrock on the ground, but there was never any fresh sheetrock on the ground that was in any of the pictures that they showed. There was the bullet, obviously, but that was kind of blended into the carpet. But again, it was just with the way things went with my parents passing, it was able to be blown into something big that, oh, my gosh, he was test firing and that’s what he was doing. And that was his whole plan when, in reality, it was just a 16-year-old kid playing around with the gun. I guess we hear those stories a lot nowadays, and a lot of them have unfortunate outcomes. But for me, it was just me being a kid. I didn’t really think anything into it -- playing with a gun.
Rilwan Balogun: So, who was the friend that you were there with?
A.J. Armstrong: I’m not going to tell you that, Rilwan.
Rilwan Balogun: Do you think that friend could help you?
A.J. Armstrong: Um. I don’t think it would have helped, only because, like, they had their mind made up about what they thought about me, you know? So I don’t know if disclosing that information would have been beneficial to me or not. It could have been. Could not. But I don’t. I don’t really know, honestly.
Rilwan Balogun: Do you want that person to come forward and say, ‘Hey, I was with him that day?’
A.J. Armstrong: No, not really. Just because I don’t feel it’s necessary to bring someone else into this or bring that person into this when it’s already at this magnitude, this late in the case, and things like that. So, you know, that’s really why I never spoke on who the friend was at that time, because it just wasn’t I didn’t think it would be beneficial or to want to bring them into it either, because obviously with how things are and how big these cases become, it was necessary to bring someone else into it that was really just an innocent bystander at the time.
Rilwan Balogun: But you’re still saying someone there. Someone else was there with you?
A.J. Armstrong: Oh, yeah. There was. I wish the things that were lies were very clear throughout the statement that they felt was a lie. But that was never a lie.
Rilwan Balogun: What were those things that you think were clearly lies?
A.J. Armstrong: About how I hadn’t touched the gun? You know, that was clearly, at one point, I said that I did touch, I mean, I hadn’t touched a gun in forever. And that goes back to my whole point of, at first I felt the interview was going one way, and then at that point, when I realized, ‘Oh, snap, they are really trying to accuse me of this,’ the nerves hit and I just made up. I mean, I lied for no reason and I hate that I did that because it put me in a situation of, look, we have this pattern of him continuing to lie, but I don’t feel that. Yeah, I just. Yeah, that’s the thing that I hate that I just wasn’t forthcoming about because it wasn’t that big of a deal. But I went about it the wrong way.
Rilwan Balogun: There was another incident that prosecutors kind of leaned on. This was the fire set in front of the door.
Antonio AJ Armstrong: Mm hmm.
Rilwan Balogun: ]What happened there?
Antonio AJ Armstrong: I don’t understand the gasoline story. I don’t really understand how that, with gasoline on the carpet, that has always been something that was really confusing and a little suspect to our family, me, my family and my lawyers; just about how gasoline was there because there’s no gasoline in the house. So what are they trying to say? That I took an alcohol bottle to a gas station and filled it up or something? I don’t understand how that even came to be. But again, playing with matches, like I said, and on the pictures, I believe, if you zoom in, there’s actually a match on the ground that’s there. So that one was, again, just like the story that I told them. It’s not something that I made up. It’s not something that I lied about. It’s the truth. I was playing with matches, being a goofy kid, and started a fire, and it was put out. My parents dealt with me, obviously, and we moved on from it.
Rilwan Balogun: So you’re saying, suggesting that that was blown out of proportion?
A.J. Armstrong: I believe that the gunshot and the fire were both blown out of proportion solely because of what happened. And it fits their narrative to be able to say, ‘Hey, look, he test fired. Hey, look, he tried to burn the house down, and then he ended up killing his parents.’ It just fits their narrative. So, that’s why it was so important to them to be able to push that out, and it sucks because there are things that didn’t fit their narrative that they never really disclosed or shared or put out there. So it’s like, it’s not really a fair shake that’s given, you know. So I don’t know why that’s the way it is. But I’ve come to find out in this judicial system, that’s kind of how things work.
Rilwan Balogun: What would you say were some of those things that didn’t fit the prosecutor’s narrative?
A.J. Armstrong: I would say, the first thing that we always brought up was -- why did they never check the surveillance footage from the business right across, literally a house over? You know there’s businesses when you come out, and you make that left. There’s businesses all down that street, there’s businesses on the back street. If they were so confident and knew for certain that it was me, they could have easily just checked that security footage, and then boom, it would have either proved our case, which we know it would have proved our case, or it would prove their case. But they never cared to look because they felt it wasn’t pertinent to the investigation. As they said many times throughout the trial. I think another thing is they, which I believe it came out in the first trial, was the copycat note that was left. How is a note that’s not even disclosed to the public that is left at the crime scene? How does a copycat note be left on a vehicle of someone who’s close to the family at the time? How does that happen? How does the person who left that note leave a copycat note that’s almost identical to the note that was left at the scene? Like, how does that happen? And I’m in jail at the time, so obviously it’s me. So how does that note let you know? That didn’t really make any sense. And I do not understand why that wasn’t allowed in. And obviously, the prosecutors fought to keep that out. Again, they continue to say that I never mentioned the masked man. That was completely made up. I believe they said I didn’t mention it until the statement when I told Officer Reid as soon as I came out, he heard me say that there was a masked man in the house. But then after meeting with prosecutors, all of a sudden he doesn’t remember or he thinks someone else told him that. You hear it, you report that, you hear it, and then when it’s time to testify to it. Oh, I don’t really remember saying that anymore. It’s like it’s how that it’s not really giving me a fair shake and telling the truth because that was something they really hit at during the trial that, hey, he didn’t mention this Marsden to this statement. So that’s another thing that was kind of frustrating. And then, yeah, there’s there’s a few things that I have. The death threat that was never brought in, any trial. Any trial. Why was it not allowed to be heard that my father was receiving death threats? Why is that something that had to be kept out? The D.A. felt it was irrelevant. But it was very relevant. My father was receiving death threat. I was known information that was given to the police and the DA’s office. And when they got that information, instead of investigating it, they were sending messages back and forth to each other about, Hey, should we put it under a different case number? Should we put it somewhere else? Should we? I believe one prosecutor said that it’s burning a hole in my pocket. Since I’ve been since I’ve received this information. Why are you trying to put it under a different case number? Why are you trying to do something different than investigating? Why? Why wasn’t it investigated? Because it didn’t fit the narrative that they felt 11 minutes in. Like the officer testified to. They made that decision and nothing was going to change their mind no matter what they had. So the fact that my father was receiving death threats made no difference to them. They just brushed it to the side like, Oh, okay.
Rilwan Balogun: So at the time, were you aware your dad was getting threats?
A.J. Armstrong: I wasn’t aware at the time, but when that information was disclosed and, you know, we dug into it, it became aware that while this was happening and they are not going to do anything about it. So again, it sucks because it’s not fair to us. Like how does to jury not hear that? I mean, how do three juries not hear that my father was receiving death threats? That’s something that should be disclosed. That’s something that should have been investigated, because if that investigation happens, who knows what information comes out that would have been beneficial to our case that we could have presented before the jury. But there was never any investigation into it, and they didn’t tell us about it until quite a while later, I would say months, but it was quite a while later.
Rilwan Balogun: Were you aware of any of the other things that came out during trial about your parents, their finances or some of the relationships they had with some folks?
A.J. Armstrong: When you say relationship they have with some folks, what you mean by that?
Rilwan Balogun: There’s the allegation that your dad was involved in something.
A.J. Armstrong: I heard those things for the first time in trial. That was nothing that obviously, I’m a 16-year-old kid, I was not aware of anything like that. So, I can’t speak on whether it’s true. I really can’t speak on that. All I can say is that I know my father. I love that. I love that man to this day. Never met a man like him. And. I couldn’t imagine it. But at the end of the day, if they would have investigated it and something like that came out, it would have been a really, really hard pill to swallow and see that. But it wouldn’t change how I viewed my father because I just know the man he was.
Rilwan Balogun: Is there something I believe if I recall, said during the interrogation that maybe it was you just spitballing here, but you said, I don’t know if my dad or if someone had a hit out against my mom. Do you remember that or something of that variation?
A.J. Armstrong: I said during?
Rilwan Balogun: The interrogation call, I believe.
A.J. Armstrong: Um, again, like I said during that interview, there were things that I spoke on that just looking back on, I can barely even remember that interview for for the statement itself, that whole night was a blur. And um, you know, just again, it’s probably one of those things that I said in the moment, just trying to make sense of all of it because I don’t want to. I still to this day, don’t understand how my parents are murdered. It doesn’t make sense to me how we are where we are. You know, my father was loved by everyone. I felt my mother was loved. They were great people in the community. So for me, it just never really made sense. And I guess at that point, it was 16-year-old me trying to make sense of it. But, you know, it was, obviously, that’s another thing that they took and they blew it out of proportion again and made it to seem like, hey, he’s lying or he’s doing this when I don’t think any 16-year-old kid who loses their parents is going to be interrogated by police officers seven hours later and is going to make sense of what they’re saying. They’re probably going to be all over the place. I feel like that was really lost in all of it. No one knows how a 16-year-old is going to react. But everyone’s telling me how a 16-year-old should react. I should have been more emotional. I should have been doing this or doing that. When you don’t really know what you’re going to do in that moment because, no, not many people, I don’t know many people who have been in that situation before, but it’s, um. Yeah, just yeah, that was that was always tough. Them, you know, kind of really judging the way my, my character was and how I should have acted or shouldn’t have acted.
Rilwan Balogun: How did you feel when your attorneys were suggesting that your brother might have committed these crimes?
A.J. Armstrong: Um. I love my brother more than anything. Best big brother you could ever ask for. But from the time he came back from college till about two years ago, there was genuine fear of him because of how bad he had gotten with his issues. And I had never. I didn’t even allow my son to be around my brother because there was that level of not knowing what he would do, how he would act or what was going on. So for me, I had no idea. As much as I never wanted to, I didn’t believe it could be that. I was also like, that’s not Josh. The Josh from when he came back from college till about 2 years ago. He was not the guy that I grew up with, not the guy that I knew, that I know today. That wasn’t Josh. So for me, it wasn’t looking at him, the person. It was looking at that disease, what he was doing, things that he said, the things that he did at that time. It was scary. So to take the leap to say, okay, maybe when he was really going through it and the things that were going on with my parents, it could have been. It could have been Josh. But, you know, I know my brother and I separate the two. I really do separate what he is now. And before college versus that, I guess that like five-year period, those are two completely different people. I know my brother. I know how great of a person he is. We talked throughout this entire process. He’s been supportive throughout the entire process. We talk to this day, he checks up on me. You know. It’s not what the prosecutors and some of their witnesses tried to make it out to be with my brother. As a matter of fact, Josh is doing great today. He’s, for the last, I’d say, two going on three years. He’s been amazing. He has been doing well, taking his medicine and everything that he needs to do. He’s Josh again. So for me, that’s what I care about most, is having my big brother back and not being in that situation of not knowing because it’s not so great having to keep my son away from them. Like that’s his uncle. You know, they should have a relationship. They should know each other. But I just wanted to, being a father, I have to protect mine. I have to protect my wife, my son, and they obviously come first. So, I had to separate my emotions of my love from my brother with knowing that, okay, he’s not really himself right now.
Rilwan Balogun: What do you want to say to your family?
A.J. Armstrong: Oh, I love them. I have the best family in the world. There’s nobody like my family. They’ve supported me, without question. Without doubt. Through it all. And to me, that’s all that matters. I don’t need to be told that I didn’t kill my parents because I know I didn’t. My family knows I didn’t. And they support me. And that’s all that matters to me. I have the best wife in the world, the best in-laws. The fact that, you know, at 15, 16 years old, I’m hit with the case that I’m hit with and they didn’t even blink. They’ve supported me every day. They’ve been in every hearing, been in every trial. I have people that love me, and I know how genuine their love is. And a lot of people don’t have that. And I’ve learned that being through this process, there’s a lot of people that don’t have that family support, that don’t have the people that look after them and care for them the way my family does. And I’m forever grateful for it. You know, and we’re not going to stop fighting. You know, like I said earlier, this isn’t how this story ends. And whatever, however long it takes, whatever the process that we have to go through to get me back home, we’re going to do that and we’re going to make it happen. And it’s as simple as that.
Rilwan Balogun: Because you all are still appealing, like, 100%?The fact you’re still moving forward with everything 100%?
A.J. Armstrong: Yes, sir.
Rilwan Balogun: People will say, if you didn’t kill your parents, then who did? Do you have an idea who might have?
A.J. Armstrong: I thought that answer probably lived within those death threats that my father was receiving and whatever was going on, the answer was probably behind that door. But I shut it. I just to this day, I don’t understand how they did that. Like I was saying earlier, how are you, when we found out and we went before the judge and she said they had to come over, come up with their messages and things like that. How are you guys messaging back and forth about hiding this, that you didn’t want this to come out? You didn’t tell us too much later. So it’s like, you knew something was there, but you chose to ignore it. Essentially. You chose to not tell the public. You chose to not bring this before a jury. And they fought before every single trial. How something that came up about how they did not want that to come in because they felt it wasn’t relevant. I don’t understand to this day how it’s not relevant that my father was receiving death threats. Why can’t a jury hear that? Why was no jury allowed to sit there and listen to those facts? And why was it never investigated? I just feel that shows even more. They made up their mind and they refused to change their mind no matter what came before them, no matter what was presented. The things I mentioned earlier I didn’t even mean. The burglary at the gym. Someone matching the exact description that I gave to the police. Mask over the face. Everything matched the exact same description. Breaks into my father’s gym. Never had a break-in before. Never had issues. Now there’s a break-ins afterward... walking around, searching for things? It’s not like they broke in, like, hey, let’s go grab the cash register and run out of here. Now, they’re walking throughout the gym. They’re looking for things. So, again, why is that not relevant? Why is that not shown to a jury? There’s multiple things that we feel was just kept from juries because they felt, hey, it’s not relevant for why there’s there’s no answer for why it’s not relevant.
Rilwan Balogun: How did you feel during the third trial when prosecutors brought in the mannequins, the props to create the bed, the props to create the stairs, Because that was all so different from the first two trials.
A.J. Armstrong: I’ll start with the stairs. Anyone that’s been to my house. Their description of the stairs and how you have to come down certain ways to be able to see. It’s just not accurate. You don’t have to walk all the way down from my third story. You probably could have walked down 2 or 3 steps and peeked your head and been able to see the door. It’s not hard at all. But again, they have to make the narrative of, hey, no, you have to do this, this, and you got to walk all the way down. He had to come all the way down because they wanted to make it seem like, hey, he had to walk all the way down and see this person and that person saw him. So therefore, he has to be lying. When that’s not the case. I only had to walk a few steps down. So I didn’t agree with the way they presented the stairs.
Rilwan Balogun: So you’re saying in that case, if you are coming down the stairs of the home, there’s a way for you to see the person you said who did this without them seeing you back?
A.J. Armstrong: Yeah, that there’s a wall. Like they show that wall that they were trying to present throughout trial. If I’m walking, I don’t want to be too specific with the number of steps and, you know, but I’ll just say like 3 or 4 steps. I believe they said I can’t I had to come down more than that because I come down just quite a few steps and I put my head over. You can see out the creek of that. You can see right past that wall right toward the doorways. So there’s a way to see and not be seen. So I thought the fact that they presented that as if there was no way I could have seen them and they didn’t see me was just false. And with the mannequins in the bed. I just felt that was their way of trying to explain the planted evidence, because it doesn’t make sense that Ms.. Rossi would say that when I was in the room, which is false, I never went in the room. Secondly, to say that I put pillows over their heads, and in putting the pillows over their head, I believe it’s called exploration, she was saying was taking place. And somehow, some way during that, two tiny parts of blood hit in those exact spots where the sticker was. But somehow the blood also dried in the process of that happening. And from that moment till seven hours later, those two tiny spots that were dried in the exact same spot where the sticker would be put, it never fell off, never flaked off. And despite the fact that I was touched by officers, they even said that they grabbed me and pulled me out of the door. And if I’m coming out of the door, they would grab and pull exactly where that sticker was at or where the sticker was placed. So how would that even I just don’t, to this day, I don’t understand their argument for the blood. It just never made sense to me. I feel that planted evidence is the only way around it. You know that. You can’t. You can’t make that make sense. And then I believe Rick even brought up a great point during trial, with how big this case is and how that was a big thing for them, how do you only pull the sticker back and see blood there and then pull the sticker back and see blood there and stop. Why don’t you continue peeling? Because now there could be a bunch of blood right there. But they just stop. And like Rick said, it’s like he knew it was already there, so she just stopped. She said, oh, we got it. We found it. There it is. Does it make any sense to me? And I refuse to ever accept that that evidence wasn’t planted because I know for a fact it was. You know, it sucks because like I said, there’s no other way around it rather than it was planted evidence.
Rilwan Balogun: You strongly believe that this was planted somehow. Who do you think would have planted it?
A.J. Armstrong: I can’t give you an exact person, but it will come out one day.
Rilwan Balogun: Is there someone you know you believe did it?
A.J. Armstrong: We have our strong suspicions. But, you know, with the civil case, obviously right now, it’s being put on hold while this is worked out. But when that time comes, it will come out with what we believe took place that day.
Rilwan Balogun: Why not share it now? Get you out of here. You say you know who might have either planted it or committed the crimes. Why not share it now?
A.J. Armstrong: Well, I can’t say I know who committed the crimes, because if I knew who committed the crimes, I would have gave that information a very long time ago. But with the planted evidence, you know, the civil process is a lot different than the criminal. And the last thing I would want to do is interfere with what’s going on. You know, so I’m going to take the advisement of my lawyers and not really go into that. But I can share that. I strongly believe and know that that’s planted evidence.
Rilwan Balogun: I’m thinking of the 911 call. I’m trying to think of things that people have brought up or asked. The 911 call when you’re trying to get your sister and the prosecutor said you went straight to your sister’s room. You didn’t check in your parents’ room, why didn’t you open the door to a classroom?
A.J. Armstrong: I did not want to see my parents in the state that I feared they might be in. I don’t know. That’s also a lot throughout trial. Whenever things are shown, I always look down. I don’t, I never want to see my parents in that state. I don’t. Yeah. It’s not... I want to remember my parents. I remember my parents and hearing how my mom was found, and where my dad was, and things like that. That’s not something I have any interest in ever seeing, you know? So I just. And again, for that to be used against me sucks because who runs in that room? I don’t believe anybody in my situation would have. Because, again, I didn’t want to see my parents. I was worried, you know, how they were. And my biggest focus was, I need to get my little sister out of this house. I need to make sure she’s okay and we will find out what’s left of. But my sister was my biggest worry. She’s. That’s mine. It’s my little sister.
Rilwan Balogun: Have you spoken to your sister since?
A.J. Armstrong: I have. I always tell anybody who has. She’s had it harder than anybody. Even with me sitting in here right now. Never compare what she’s had to go through to what I’ve gone through. She was 12 years old at the time. She’s very strong. Very, very strong. You know, she not only lost her parents that night, but I was in jail. My brother wasn’t doing well. She’s just, you know, she’s put with my grandparents and nobody deserves that. What she had to go through. But I don’t know how,, but I know it’s nobody but God. That girl was so strong. She graduated high school, went to, she’s going to a great university. Made the dean’s list. She’s just she’s a rock star. That is a very, very special, young lady. And I’m just grateful for her continuous support. She’s always supported me. She’s always been there for me. To this day, she stepped up, my son calls her and she’s always calling and checking on them. She’s always in town. Every time she’s in town, she’s going to see them. She’s there for him. So it’s it’s a blessing to have to have her. She’s very grateful for everything she’s done. And, you know, she’s strong because she’s armed, you know.
Rilwan Balogun: How has your faith helped you since you’ve been here? Through all of this?
A.J. Armstrong: My faith is the only reason why I have my head on straight. There’s no other way around it. After everything I’ve been through, the things that I’ve had to sit through and listen to. There’s nobody but God that I haven’t lost my mind or just, quite frankly, been suicidal or anything like that. It’s truly, truly my faith. God has kept me through it all, you know, And that’s why I can sit here and be okay, despite the fact that I’m in this prison physically. But I won’t allow myself mentally to go to that place. I won’t allow them to process all of this to take anything from me. You know, I’m strong in my word. I’m strong in my prayer. And I believe every word, every word that the Bible says. And I know that as long as I continue to keep my trust in him, keep my faith in him, that this is going to work itself out. It doesn’t matter to me what anyone else says about the process. I know that God answers prayers and there’s people that are praying all across. We’ve had people call from everywhere, not just in the United States, from other countries that have reached out to the family to let us know they’re praying with us. And there’s power in agreement. There’s power in the agreement of prayer. So I’m just grateful for all the people that have been supportive, that have just lifted me up because that’s been a blessing here. You know, you can be in here and at times, you know, get a feeling like, man, like how am I even here? But I’ll run into somebody and I’ll be like, man, I can’t believe you’re in here, man. I’ve run into so many guys throughout this process that I’ve just been like, man, I’ve been supporting you, my family on the outside. I’ve been rooting for you. It’s just, it’s been a blessing. God’s be with me. I’m not the type of guy that’s a fighter and a yeller. And I go off like that. I’m just quiet, to myself. There’s the worries of being in here, you know. But like I say, God, is with me everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve been given favor with, you know, inmates that have just looked out for me who somehow knew me or heard about me. Somehow I’ve had people reach out to me on the tablet just messaging me from all over the place that have just heard about my case and just wanted to reach out and say they support me in their praying for me. So being hit with all that support, I know it’s it’s nobody but God that just put this many people around me to be able to show me that love throughout all of this time.
Rilwan Balogun: What’s the day-to-day like here, would you say?
A.J. Armstrong: I work in the kitchen, so I’m just busy. I only work Thursday to Sunday. You have to work four days and you’re off three. But you know, I just keep myself busy. I do like to. I feel like I spend a lot of time, you know, keeping up to date on my sports because that’s my, that’s my love right there. But, you know, outside of that, just keeping my mind occupied, you know, because it’s a process. You know, it’s something you have to take a day at a time.
Rilwan Balogun: You mentioned that this is not the end of your story.
A.J. Armstrong: No, not at all.
Rilwan Balogun: Tell us your story. What happens next?
A.J. Armstrong: I can’t tell you the time. I can tell you the date. But I want to walk out of here, and I believe I’ll be acquitted. I believe that this thing is going to work itself out. I have no choice but to keep my faith in God. I know that he answered my prayers when I first prayed in 2016. I know he answered all of my family’s prayers over these years and the people that we met and run into, and I give back out. This is why I’ve met so many people. This is what I want to do with my life. I want to help people who are in situations like mine who are falsely accused, people who are, you know, just need that family support, who need someone to be able to help get them a lawyer. You know, not many people are able to hire a lawyer like you. The judicial system is it’s not something that you can just fight. You know, you have to be able to have a lot of support to be able to get through. And I’ve realized throughout my time, that that’s something I really, really care about, is helping make a difference because there’s a lot of people who could use that support, from lawyers, to family, to financially; just in any kind of way I could help. You know, I tell my family that we’re going to start a foundation when this is over with. That sole purpose is helping people before they go to jail, juveniles, the whole thing. Like, I just I want to help. And I feel like that might have been why I’ve gone through all this to be able to see how this whole process works from the juvenile stages all the way up to now being in TDC, I’ve learned how this process works and now I want to use what I’ve learned to help people.
Rilwan Balogun: Well, Antonio, thank you for your time. We wrapping up here. Final moments. Anything you want to say to your family, to your wife or anyone who might watch this later?
A.J. Armstrong: To my wife, first. Of course, I love her very, very much. And she is so strong to be able to, you know, take care of our son and continue to work and do everything she’s doing with working with the lawyers, she’s doing a million things. But you couldn’t tell by how strong she’s handling it. And, you know, I just I’m so grateful to have someone like her to stand by my side. I couldn’t have picked a better woman to be my wife. And I’m just grateful for that. And to my family, you all know I love you. I thank you all for continuing to support me in going on this journey with me because it’s been, there’s been ups and downs, highs and lows. But God is good and I’m at peace. I’m going to continue to smile every single day, not let anything take away my joy. And for everyone out there that supports, I thank you. You know, I’ve heard a lot of the people who have reached out. I know, like on my birthday, I got so many messages that my family sent me from just people all over just reaching out to tell me happy birthday. Just things like that mean the world to me. It uplifts you to see the support that’s out there and know that there’s people that despite me being here, they know the truth. They see the truth and the truth will come out. And the things that were done wrong, the injustice that took place, it will come out one day. And I’m just going to continue to trust God and keep on living my life as best I know how until that time comes.
Jason Nguyen: Do you think that Maxine Waters was right in saying that your dad was part of a prostitute prostitution ring?
A.J. Armstrong: I can’t say whether I think she was right or not because I honestly don’t know. Like, I hold my dad in such high regard that I would need some, okay, this has been investigated, A.J., this is what we found. This is what we know. Your dad did X, Y, Z. For me to be like, okay, he was a part of something like that, but it was never investigated. They just do it under the rug like it doesn’t matter.
Antonio AJ Armstrong: The alarm system was a major pivotal focus point for Ryan Trask. The second trial to the third trial. Your thoughts on the alarm system and what do you think about it today, after all?
A.J. Armstrong: Yeah, the alarm system was huge, obviously throughout the trials. I mean, for me personally, I thought Chris did an amazing job breaking down the alarm. You have, what, 79 errors, I believe, in just July alone that weren’t picked up with somebody coming in. Now, Mr. De Costa said that this is normal, not a big deal. But for me, he’s the president or vice president of that company. He can’t come out and say that, hey, these 79 errors are concerning because then he’s going to be having his phone ringing all day long with people who have those exact same issues, potentially saying, okay, well, if it’s a concern for that house, then should I be concerned? Is my alarm system not working? So he said what he had to say. But at the end of the day, you can’t get around the fact that someone could come into that house and not even be an alarm, not even pick it up for the fact that the alarm system wasn’t even installed properly. You’re not supposed to have two doors on one sensor. That’s what we had. And we showed that that door could open and close and open and close and it not even be picked up. And we show that you could come in that house and go straight up those stairs and not be picked up by that first rule of a motion detector. These are things that we pointed out. And like I said, Chris did an amazing job of breaking all of that down. And I don’t believe in the alarm system that we had. I don’t even believe that alarm system is still used. It was that two-gig system. I don’t even think it’s something that companies use anymore because of the issues it was having. So for me, it’s I don’t the argument that we made for the alarm system was factual. You can’t have 100-something years over the three months before the murders and say that that’s not a problem. It is a problem.
Rilwan Balogun: And that’s all the time we have. Thanks, Antonio.
Antonio AJ Armstrong [00:57:48] No problem. Thank you.