TX - Former NFL Antonio Armstrong & wife Dawn, both 42, fatally shot, Houston, *son charged* 29 Jul 2016 *Mistrials, 3rd trial in 2023 Guilty*

[arielilane]

Thurs., is Day 4 of Antonio (AJ) Armstrong Jr.’s third murder re-trial.

Judge is not allowing any cameras in the courtroom, no one inside the courtroom will be able to use cellphones or laptops. There is no live streaming of the trial. moo

 

[arielilane]

Video is under 5 minutes. @Kemug, beginning @timestamp 3:15 there's talk about the number of trials this case has had thus far, and whether there would be a 4th, if mistrial.

The Bench: Former Harris Co. Prosecutor weighs in on A.J. Armstrong Trial​

 

[arielilane]

Aug. 3 - 8:30 a.m.

Judge Johnson enters the courtroom and the court is called into order.

Aug. 3 - 8:30 a.m.

The jury enters the courtroom.

Aug. 3 - 8:30 a.m.

The defense team questioned Jason DaCosta, the senior vice president at alarm.com. DaCosta explained his role in this case, saying he was in charge of pulling records for the Armstrong trial in 2019-2020, as well as the current one, and examining the records.

Although DaCosta testified to the accuracy of the reports, saying there was only a 1% chance of inconsistencies, AJ’s attorneys called out several inaccuracies from the month of July 2016, but none on the actual day of the murder, July 29, 2016. [...] Testimony continues at link below:

‘The alarm doesn’t lie, you lie’: Alarm system’s accuracy takes center on Day 4 of Antonio Armstrong Jr. murder trial

Antonio “AJ” Armstrong Jr. is headed to trial for the third time, accused of murdering his mother, Dawn, and father Antonio Armstrong nearly seven years ago.

www.click2houston.com

Updated: August 3, 2023 at 12:03 PM

 

[arielilane]

Aug. 3 - 11:40 a.m.

The tenth witness is called to the stand, an ADT engineer, Tim Rader.

Rader testified that there were approximately three protected doors inside the Armstrongs residence: the front door, the garage door and the backdoor. He also said there were two alarm panels inside the home, one located downstairs and the second inside Antonio Sr.’s room.

During Rader’s testimony, he spoke a lot about motion sensors, and how they operate. He said they usually pick up on heat and movement combined, not one without the other. He also testified the type of motion detectors that were located in the living room and second floor of the Armstrong residence had a 35 feet reach, and were placed at least seven feet above the floor. Testimony continues at link below:

‘The alarm doesn’t lie, you lie’: Alarm system’s accuracy takes center on Day 4 of Antonio Armstrong Jr. murder trial

Antonio “AJ” Armstrong Jr. is headed to trial for the third time, accused of murdering his mother, Dawn, and father Antonio Armstrong nearly seven years ago.

www.click2houston.com

Updated: August 3, 2023 at 5:46 PM

 

[arielilane]

Aug. 3 - 2:00 p.m.

The prosecutors recalled Jason DaCosta to the stand.

Aug. 3 - 3:11 p.m.

The eleventh witness is called to the stand, Houston Police Department Sgt. Jimmy Jones. Jones, who has been with HPD for 12 years. He was assigned to the crime scene unit on the night of July 29, 2016.

Jones said he arrived at the Armstrong residence two hours after patrol officers arrived. He said his role as a crime scene officer was to collect and photograph all evidence from the scene. Testimony continues at link below:

‘The alarm doesn’t lie, you lie’: Alarm system’s accuracy takes center on Day 4 of Antonio Armstrong Jr. murder trial

Antonio “AJ” Armstrong Jr. is headed to trial for the third time, accused of murdering his mother, Dawn, and father Antonio Armstrong nearly seven years ago.

www.click2houston.com

Updated: August 3, 2023 at 5:46 PM


Aug. 3 - 4:00 p.m.

Judge Kelli Johnson breaks early. Court will begin Friday at 8:30 a.m.

 

[Niner]

Friday, August 4th:
*Trial continues (Day 5) (@ 8:30am CT) – TX – Antonio & Dawn Armstrong (both 42) (July 29, 2016, Houston) – *Antonio “A.J.” Armstrong, Jr. (16 @ time of crime/17/now 23) arrested (7/29/16), charged (8/1/16) & arraigned (7/26/17) with capital murder. Plead not guilty. $200K bond. Out on bond 4/12/17.
First trial: after ~20 hours of deliberations verdict was 8 Guilty & 4 Not guilty. Judge declares mistrial.
2nd Re-trial After ~18 hours of deliberations verdict was 4 for Guilty & 8 not guilty. Judge Kelli Johnson declared (another) mistrial.
3rd Re-trial began on 5/2/23 with jury selection & ended 5/19/23 with total of 48 potential jurors back on 5/31/23 for final jury selection.
12 jurors & 4 alternates were selected. (6 women (4 white & 2 Hispanic women) & 10 men (4 Hispanic, 2 Black, 2 white & 2 Asian men). Four of these jurors are alternates, but those 4 are not being told that until it’s time to deliberate.
There are two Marines, engineers in the oil & gas industry, a retired teacher, a Space Center Houston worker & therapists who work or have worked with mental health patients. The jurors range in age from a 26-year-old man to a 65-year-old grandmother. 6/27/23 Update: One of the original twelve jurors was excused for personal reasons. That means one of the four alternates is moving into the jury of 12 to hear the case, leaving the court with three alternate jurors.
12 jurors & 3 alternates as of 6/27/23. (6 women & 9 men).
Trial began on 7/31/23. Judge Kelli Johnson presiding. Prosecutors John Jordan, Ryan Trask & Sarah Seely. Defense attorneys Rick Detoto, Jennifer Carpenter & Chris Collings.
Court info from 12/11/19 thru 10/26/22 (2nd trial) thru Jury Selection 5/31/23 thru 6/14/23 & thru 6/27/23 & Trial Day 1-3 (7/31-8/2/23) reference post #517 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...l-2016-mistrial-retrial-1-6-20.313665/page-26
8/3/23 Thursday, Trial Day 4: State witnesses: Jason DaCosta, the senior vice president at alarm.com back on stand for cross exam. ADT engineer, Tim Rader. Jason DaCosta, recalled on stand. Houston Police Dept. Sgt. Jimmy Jones. Jones.
For more info see posts #523 to 525 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...16-mistrials-3rd-trial-in-2023.313665/page-27
Trial continues on Friday, 8/4/23.

 

[arielilane]

Friday, August 4, 2023 is Day 4 of Antonio (AJ) Armstrong Jr.’s third murder re-trial.

Judge is not allowing any cameras in the courtroom, no one inside the courtroom will be able to use cellphones or laptops. There is no live streaming of the trial. moo

 

[arielilane]

More information/testimony (Wed into Thurs) regarding the family's home security system:

Attorneys use alarm records to suggest killer came from inside the house in AJ Armstrong trial

For all three trials, the Armstrongs' security system logs have been the talker. On Thursday, jurors were walked through the system's activity, focusing on the night into the morning of the murders.

abc13.com

Thursday, August 3, 2023 9:43PM


HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Understanding the Armstrong family's ADT home security system is an essential part of A.J. Armstrong's capital murder trial. But, the records are tedious, monotonous, and complex-a lot for the six men and six women on this jury to process. [...]

Investigators say Antonio Sr. and Dawn Armstrong were murdered between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on July 29, 2016. Police say Armstrong killed his mother first, shooting her twice in the head, then shot his father. [...]



[...] According to evidence introduced by prosecutors, the alarm records from the night/ morning the Armstrong were murdered are as follows:

JULY 28, 2016

9:52 p.m. - Armstrong panel was armed "stay"

9:57 p.m. - Living room sensor went "idle"


10:39 p.m. - Upstairs sensor went "idle"

JULY 29, 2016

1:09 a.m. - Upstairs motion sensor activated

1:25 a.m. - Living room motion sensor activated

1:56 a.m. - Alarm disabled by key fob


1:57 a.m. - Front/garage door open/(and) close

Jason DaCosta, a vice president for Alarm.com, testified that on the night and morning of the murders, the above records are accurate. [...]



[...] On Wednesday, the state introduced a text thread between Armstrong and then-girlfriend, Kate, in which Kate asked Armstrong to come pick her up from a party after midnight. Armstrong agreed to come, but the next morning, he texted his mother that he didn't leave the house after Dawn expressed anger about him leaving.

Trask put those texts back on the courtroom TV for the jury, in the context of trying to explain the accuracy of the Armstrongs' alarm system. He then showed the alarm records from that same evening, which show someone exited the Armstrong home around the same time A.J. texted Kate saying he was coming.

"I will show you where you went wrong," Dawn texted her son the following morning. "The alarm doesn't lie. You lie."

 

[arielilane]

HOUSTON – The much-talked-about pink blanket carried by Antonio Armstrong, Jr.’s grandmother made a fresh appearance Friday on Day 5 of his capital murder trial.

Admittedly, it gets cold in the 178th Criminal Courtroom. But Defense attorney Rick DeToto has also made the pink blanket a symbol of what he says is Armstrong Jr.’s innocence.

Pink blanket surfaces again at AJ Armstrong’s murder trial

Defense attorney Rick DeToto has made the pink blanket a symbol of what he says is Armstrong Jr.’s innocence.

www.click2houston.com

August 4, 2023 at 12:37 PM

 

[arielilane]

During the fifth day of trial, the accused, AJ Armstrong was visibly upset, burying his head in his arms as the prosecutor showed autopsy photos of his parents who were shot to death seven years ago.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1687619502551244800

Accused killer AJ Armstrong breaks down during testimony that his mom died quickly

During the fifth day of trial, the accused, AJ Armstrong was visibly upset, burying his head in his arms as the prosecutor showed autopsy photos of his parents who were shot to death seven years ago.

abc13.com

Friday, August 4, 2023 7:43PM

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Dawn Armstrong died quickly, while her husband, Antonio Sr., died fighting for his life. That's what Anna Lopez with the Harris County Medical Examiner's office told jurors as she walked them through the final moments of the couple's life.

It was the first time during his third capital murder trial that A.J. Armstrong got emotional, burying his head in his arms as attorney Chris Collings rubbed his back. It happened as prosecutor John Jordan showed only jurors the autopsy photos.

Lopez says Dawn was shot twice behind her right ear. Two "successive" bullets then went through her brain. Antonio Sr., she says, was shot once through the top of his head. Lopez testified the killer was standing at least two and a half to three feet away from them.

 

[arielilane]

Accused killer AJ Armstrong breaks down during testimony that his mom died quickly

During the fifth day of trial, the accused, AJ Armstrong was visibly upset, burying his head in his arms as the prosecutor showed autopsy photos of his parents who were shot to death seven years ago.

abc13.com

Friday, August 4, 2023 7:43PM


When it was defense attorney Rick DeToto's turn to question James about his job, he ripped into the officer. And everyone could feel the tension.

DeToto attacked James' decision not to swab the doorknobs or collect a sample from the blood stain found on the hall wall next to the door into the Armstrongs' garage.


"You chose not to test that blood in a double-murder homicide investigation!" DeToto said, raising his voice.

"We were told it was transfer blood," James replied.

"So this jury will never, ever know, whose blood it is," DeToto responded.

Two fingerprint experts with Houston Forensic Science Center testified next, saying they tried to lift prints off 30 items from the crime scene, including the gun, comparing them to A.J., Josh, Armstrong's older half-brother, Dawn, and Antonio Sr.'s fingerprints.

Latent print expert Rebecca Green told the jury results were inconclusive, but, she noted that doesn't mean these people have never touched the items.

 

[arielilane]

Arson analysis expert Debora Lind, also with HFSC, was put on the stand to explain how the burned carpet, found outside the parents' bedroom, was tested.

"I am 100% confident gasoline was found on the burn mark," Lind told the jury.

Prosecutors have argued Armstrong tried to set the house on fire days before the murder and previously used the defendant's text messages to show how his mother caught him and put the fire out.

But Lind also testified she had "grave concerns" about how the carpet evidence was packaged and stored because there could be "cross-contamination."

Accused killer AJ Armstrong breaks down during testimony that his mom died quickly

During the fifth day of trial, the accused, AJ Armstrong was visibly upset, burying his head in his arms as the prosecutor showed autopsy photos of his parents who were shot to death seven years ago.

abc13.com

Friday, August 4, 2023 7:43PM

 

[arielilane]

But a long-term talking point from the defense, over the past seven years of this case, has been: no gunshot residue was found on A.J. Armstrong.

Which was true, the state said on Friday. They had Chandler Bassett, a firearms examiner with HFSC, explain why "the absence of it doesn't mean someone didn't shoot a gun."

"The misconception is: GSR is all over the place," Bassett said. He told the jury that to have a positive GSR test, three scientific elements must show up in a test. "Most .22 calibers, in my experience, don't contain one of the three components."

In his more than 20 years of experience testing dozens of .22 calibers, Bassett said he has never come across any that yield positive GSR results-but, he said he has read about it happening.

"You aren't willing to test the actual gun and compare it for GSR?" DeToto asked Bassett. "All you had to do was test the ammunition!"

Bassett told the jury that there are "scientific standards" set by the GSR expert community, which keep them from testing the murder weapon.

Accused killer AJ Armstrong breaks down during testimony that his mom died quickly

During the fifth day of trial, the accused, AJ Armstrong was visibly upset, burying his head in his arms as the prosecutor showed autopsy photos of his parents who were shot to death seven years ago.

abc13.com

Friday, August 4, 2023 7:43PM

 

[arielilane]

Accused killer AJ Armstrong breaks down during testimony that his mom died quickly

During the fifth day of trial, the accused, AJ Armstrong was visibly upset, burying his head in his arms as the prosecutor showed autopsy photos of his parents who were shot to death seven years ago.

abc13.com

Friday, August 4, 2023 7:43PM

By the end of week one, 17 witnesses have taken the stand, with nearly 40 hours of testimony.

 

[Kemug]

More information/testimony (Wed into Thurs) regarding the family's home security system:

Attorneys use alarm records to suggest killer came from inside the house in AJ Armstrong trial

For all three trials, the Armstrongs' security system logs have been the talker. On Thursday, jurors were walked through the system's activity, focusing on the night into the morning of the murders.

abc13.com

Thursday, August 3, 2023 9:43PM


HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Understanding the Armstrong family's ADT home security system is an essential part of A.J. Armstrong's capital murder trial. But, the records are tedious, monotonous, and complex-a lot for the six men and six women on this jury to process. [...]

Investigators say Antonio Sr. and Dawn Armstrong were murdered between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on July 29, 2016. Police say Armstrong killed his mother first, shooting her twice in the head, then shot his father. [...]



[...] According to evidence introduced by prosecutors, the alarm records from the night/ morning the Armstrong were murdered are as follows:

JULY 28, 2016

9:52 p.m. - Armstrong panel was armed "stay"

9:57 p.m. - Living room sensor went "idle"


10:39 p.m. - Upstairs sensor went "idle"

JULY 29, 2016

1:09 a.m. -



[...] On Wednesday, the state introduced a text thread between Armstrong and then-girlfriend, Kate, in which Kate asked Armstrong to come pick her up from a party after midnight. Armstrong agreed to come, but the next morning, he texted his mother that he didn't leave the house after Dawn expressed anger about him leaving.

Trask put those texts back on the courtroom TV for the jury, in the context of trying to explain the accuracy of the Armstrongs' alarm system. He then showed the alarm records from that same evening, which show someone exited the Armstrong home around the same time A.J. texted Kate saying he was coming.

"I will show you where you went wrong," Dawn texted her son the following morning. "The alarm doesn't lie. You lie."

Things had got pretty bad between them, and might well have led to violence.

 

[Niner]

Monday, August 7th:
*Trial continues (Day 6) (@ 8:30am CT) – TX – Antonio & Dawn Armstrong (both 42) (July 29, 2016, Houston) – *Antonio “A.J.” Armstrong, Jr. (16 @ time of crime/17/now 23) arrested (7/29/16), charged (8/1/16) & arraigned (7/26/17) with capital murder. Plead not guilty. $200K bond. Out on bond 4/12/17.
First trial: after ~20 hours of deliberations verdict was 8 Guilty & 4 Not guilty. Judge declares mistrial.
2nd Re-trial After ~18 hours of deliberations verdict was 4 for Guilty & 8 not guilty. Judge Kelli Johnson declared (another) mistrial.
3rd Re-trial began on 5/2/23 with jury selection & ended 5/19/23 with total of 48 potential jurors back on 5/31/23 for final jury selection.
12 jurors & 4 alternates were selected. (6 women (4 white & 2 Hispanic women) & 10 men (4 Hispanic, 2 Black, 2 white & 2 Asian men). Four of these jurors are alternates, but those 4 are not being told that until it’s time to deliberate.
There are two Marines, engineers in the oil & gas industry, a retired teacher, a Space Center Houston worker & therapists who work or have worked with mental health patients. The jurors range in age from a 26-year-old man to a 65-year-old grandmother. 6/27/23 Update: One of the original twelve jurors was excused for personal reasons. That means one of the four alternates is moving into the jury of 12 to hear the case, leaving the court with three alternate jurors.
12 jurors & 3 alternates as of 6/27/23. (6 women & 9 men).
Trial began on 7/31/23. Judge Kelli Johnson presiding. Prosecutors John Jordan, Ryan Trask & Sarah Seely. Defense attorneys Rick Detoto, Jennifer Carpenter & Chris Collings.
Court info from 12/11/19 thru 10/26/22 (2nd trial) thru Jury Selection 5/31/23 thru 6/14/23 & thru 6/27/23 & Trial Day 1-4 (7/31-8/3/23) reference post #526 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...l-2016-mistrial-retrial-1-6-20.313665/page-27
8/4/23 Friday, Trial Day 5: State witnesses: Anna Lopez with the Harris County Medical Examiner's office. HPD Sgt. Jimmy James, formerly a crime scene unit investigator. Latent print expert Rebecca Green from Houston Forensic Science Center. Arson analysis expert Debora Lind, also with HFSC. Chandler Bassett, a firearms examiner with HFSC.
For more info see posts 531 to 534 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...16-mistrials-3rd-trial-in-2023.313665/page-27
Trial continues on Monday, 8/7/23.

 

[arielilane]

Week 2
Monday, August 7, 2023 is Day 6 of Antonio (AJ) Armstrong Jr.’s third murder re-trial.

Judge is not allowing any cameras in the courtroom, no one inside the courtroom will be able to use cellphones or laptops. There is no live streaming of the trial. moo

 

[arielilane]

Friday, August 4, 2023 is Day 4 of Antonio (AJ) Armstrong Jr.’s third murder re-trial.

Judge is not allowing any cameras in the courtroom, no one inside the courtroom will be able to use cellphones or laptops. There is no live streaming of the trial. moo

Correction: Friday, August 4, 2023 was Day 5 of Antonio (AJ) Armstrong Jr.’s third murder re-trial.

 

[arielilane]

Antonio Armstrong Jr.’s capital murder re-trial heads into Week 2

We’re headed into the second week of Antonio Armstrong Jr.’s third capital murder trial.

www.click2houston.com

Updated: August 6, 2023 at 10:27 PM

Trask was able to match that to the times AJ left the home to pick up his girlfriend, and when he came back. To him, this was proof of AJ’s lies.

Things are expected to pick back up with more expert witnesses this week, including the person who found the new DNA KPRC 2 Investigates first reported on.

 

[arielilane]

Friday is day 5 of Antonio Armstrong Jr.’s third murder re-trial. We’re picking up where we left off, speaking with former HPD crime scene unit investigator, now sergeant, Jimmy James, after Judge Kelli Johnson decided to suddenly break early on Day 4.