After two prior efforts that resulted in the juries being unable to reach a unanimous verdict, a trial of the son of former NFL player Antonio Armstrong resulted in a conviction of his son.
Armstrong and his wife, Dawn, were shot and killed in their home in 2016. Their son, A.J., immediately was charged with the killings.
Via KHOU.com, the conviction happened on Wednesday, after more than 10 hours of deliberation. The jurors heard testimony from 31 witnesses over 11 days.
A.J.'s sister, Kayra, and his paternal grandmother, Kay Winston, testified for the defense, which tried to blame another son as the killer, due to a history of mental illness. Prosecutors said those issues didn’t begin until after the murders.
“There’s somebody else we were in the courtroom defending and that was Josh Armstrong, and we passionately believe that it was inexcusable to drag his name through this courtroom in order to get this guilty defendant off,” prosecutor John Jordan said.
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A.J. Armstrong was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in 40 years.
Prior trials occurred in 2019 and 2022. An appeal will be pursued.
Antonio Armstrong was an All-American linebacker at Texas A&M. The 49ers selected him in the sixth round of the 1995 drafted. He played briefly for the Dolphins and Rams. He spent four seasons in the Canadian Football League.
