AJ Armstrong was known as a troubled kid in school. He was performing poorly academically, and on top of that, he was caught with drugs. As a result, he was kicked out of the school. However, he didn’t come from a troubled background.
In fact, he came from a prestigious family. His father was an ex-NFL linebacker father, Antonio Armstrong Sr., and his mother, Dawn Armstrong. They lived a good life, and there certainly wasn’t a dearth of things. Even then, he killed his parents. But what made him do so?
AJ Armstrong was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after a long 40 years for killing his parents, ex-NFL player Antonio Armstrong Sr. and mother, Dawn Armstrong, on August 16, 2023. He killed them because he hated that they were disciplining him over smoking marijuana, failing grades, and getting kicked out of a private school. Also, they took away his cell phone and car.
What Verdict Did AJ Armstrong Get?
23-year-old Texas man AJ Armstrong has been found guilty of murdering his parents, NFL father Antonio Armstrong Sr. and mother Dawn Armstrong, at the family’s southwest Houston home. He was convicted on Wednesday, August 16, by a Texas grand jury.
Armstrong was sentenced to life in prison. His possibility of getting parole was after 40 years. He was only 16 when he shot his parents on July 29, 2016. Both of them were sleeping in their beds. He had put a pillow over their heads before shooting them.
Prosecutors said that he had then called 911 to report hearing gunshots. Dawn was found with two shots in her head and was pronounced dead at the scene. Antonio Sr. was taken to the hospital but didn’t survive. Both of them were killed at 42.
Armstrong had used a .22-caliber pistol, which originally belonged to Antonio Sr., to kill his parents. In the third trial since the death of Dawn and Antonio Sr., jurors deliberated for about ten and a half hours before finding AJ Armstrong guilty of the murders.
The two previous trials had ended in a hung jury. The verdict was reached after a whopping 40 hours of testimony over 11 days. Armstrong was arrested in 2016 after the investigation began but was out in 2017 with an ankle monitor due to bonding out.
He is now married to Kate Armstrong and has a son with her. His spouse broke down after the verdict was read, but he was emotionless. She testified in the trial in his defense.
Why Did AJ Armstrong Kill His Parents?
AJ Armstrong was sentenced to life in prison seven years after he killed his parents on August 16, 2016. During the trial, the prosecutors said that he murdered his family because he hated the fact that they were disciplining him. The then-teen boy was kicked out of a prestigious private school.
His parents scolded him for his failing grades and also for smoking marijuana in his room. They took away AJ’s car and cell phone shortly before getting killed. That’s not all. Prosecutors said that in the days leading up to the murder, AJ had used a pillow to muffle his dad’s gun while firing it.
During the initial stages of the investigation in 2016, he had told the investigating authorities that the killer was a 6-foot-tall man in a mask. He had left a note saying, “I have been watching you for a long time. Come get me.” AJ has maintained over the years that the masked intruder murdered his parents.
However, his story didn’t add up because the home security system didn’t show anyone entering the premises. Also, his fingerprints were found on the .22-caliber pistol, the murder weapon. That’s not all. His defense team tried to pin the murder on his older brother Josh because he suffered from mental health issues like schizophrenia and paranoia.
But prosecutors weren’t convinced at all because his mental health issues began after the murder of his parents. Also, Josh’s then-girlfriend testified that she was with him at his apartment when the murder happened. But the case isn’t over. The defense attorney plans to appeal the verdict.
Not everyone is convinced that the judge and jury made the right decision because many feel that the burden of proof wasn’t met. Also, they feel that the prosecutors were out to get AJ because of the eyebrow-raising three trials done. But others think that the proof presented was enough and made sense.
What are your thoughts on the shocking reason behind the murder?
Which side are you on? Was the proof presented enough? Was the murder done in a burst of teen rage that didn’t diminish for a few days? Or is AJ a vengeful person?
Let us know in the comments below.
