Only on ABC13: Hear the 911 call made by AJ Armstrong on night of parents' 2016 murders

Courtney Fischer Image
Saturday, August 19, 2023
Armstrong prosecutors say they used murder convict's words against him
Only ABC13 spoke with the prosecutors who successfully tried AJ Armstrong in his third capital murder trial.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A.J. Armstrong's own words sealed the deal for the jury.

That's what the two prosecutors who tried Armstrong's third capital murder case tell ABC13 in their first sit-down interview since the guilty verdict.

RELATED: AJ Armstrong found guilty of capital murder of his parents

Harris County assistant district attorneys John Jordan and Ryan Trask said the 12 jurors who convicted Armstrong told them his 911 call and police interrogation interview made them confident the then-16-year-old killed his parents.

Armstrong shot his mother, Dawn, twice in the head, then his father, Antonio Sr., while they were asleep on July 29, 2016. AJ called 911 at 1:40 a.m., telling the dispatcher he heard "gunshots downstairs in (his) parents' room."

On the call, Armstrong says he's hiding in his bedroom closet on the third floor. His parents' bedroom was on the second floor.

"Their door is cracked open, and it's never cracked open," Armstrong tells the dispatcher.

When asked if it sounded like a handgun, rifle, or shotgun, Armstrong answers the dispatcher by volunteering information about Antonio Sr.'s .22 caliber gun, saying where his father stored it.

LISTEN: 911 CALL MADE BY AJ ARMSTRONG THE NIGHT OF JULY 29, 2016

In late July 2016, AJ called police to report hearing gunshots from his parents' bedroom. Listen to the full call as obtained by ABC13's Courtney Fischer.

That, prosecutors have argued, was an immediate sign Armstrong had knowledge of the murder weapon.

"I know my dad has a gun underneath the..." Armstrong trails off, speaking to the dispatcher. "God, where does he keep the gun?"

"I think he keeps it in this drawer right next to his bed," he says a few seconds later.

"You just can't escape how powerful the 911 (call) and his statement are," Jordan tells ABC13. "There's no logical argument other than the defendant's guilt. In fact, when folks in the community try talking about whether he did it or not, they never talk about his own words. He's tied to (them), and he can't escape it."

Armstrong has always maintained he did not kill his parents. He has filed an appeal. His family, who has supported him from day one, says they'll keep fighting for him."

Click here for the full coverage of the AJ Armstrong capital murder trial.

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