AJ Armstrong is the son of the deceased former American football linebacker Antonio Armstrong. On August 16, 2023, the 23-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his parents, Antonio and Dawn Armstrong.
This horrific incident took place on July 29, 2016. At exactly 1:40 a.m., AJ Armstrong (16 at the time) called 911 and informed the dispatcher that he heard gunshots coming from his parent’s bedroom. When officials arrived at the scene, they discovered that the couple had been shot, and Dawn was already dead. However, her husband, Antonio, was heavily injured. He was rushed to hospital, but unfortunately, he didn’t survive.
After interviewing AJ Armstrong for several hours, officials charged him with capital murder. He is currently being held at the Robertson Unit, a maximum-security prison in Abilene, Texas. Furthermore, he will be eligible for parole 40 years from now.
KPRC 2 reporter Rilwan Balogun and Investigative Producer Jason Nguyen recently interviewed the convicted killer in prison. Armstrong said that he had nothing to do with the murder of his parents. He stated, “I didn’t kill my parents. I would say falsely convicted, because I don’t believe the conviction was the result that should have happened. It should have been either another hung jury or a not-guilty verdict. There’s no way ever I would have in a million years imagined being here.”
To learn intricate details about this horrifying case, tune into the ABC 20/20 on Friday, December 15, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET. The episode is titled All American Murder.
Per Rotten Tomatoes, the synopsis of this episode reads, “When a Texas couple is murdered in their bed, authorities investigate whether the culprit is a masked intruder or someone closer to home.”
Was there a masked man in the Armstrong residence during the murders?
According to KPRC 2, during his trial, AJ Armstrong claimed that he saw a masked man from the staircase on the day of the murder. However, the court said that this was a false piece of information. Officials created an entire makeshift stairwell and concluded that if a masked man was there, he too would have seen Armstrong.
In the interview, Armstrong claimed that the court’s investigation and research were inaccurate, stating, “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 two or three 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 down.”
The 23-year-old further stated that his story has not ended, as he is currently appealing the conviction. He said, “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.”
Armstrong spends most of his time in prison working in the kitchen. He prefers to keep his mind occupied all the time.
