A.J. Armstrong: 19-year-old's retrial for parents' murders pushed back to 2020

Courtney Fischer Image
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
New trial date set for A.J. Armstrong

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A.J. Armstrong, the 19-year-old accused of killing his parents when he was 16, will go back on trial at the start of 2020 for the murders of his parents.

His new trial date was originally set for Friday, Oct. 4 but has been pushed back to Monday, Jan. 6 due to court work backlog.

A.J. returned to court in May for the first time since his mistrial.

He was arrested in 2016 after his parents, Antonio and Dawn Armstrong, were found shot to death in their bed.

In April, eight jurors believed A.J. was guilty, but four jurors voted not guilty. As a result, A.J. walked out of court, instead of into a jail cell alone. The day of the mistrial was an emotional one. A.J. cried in the courtroom as he was surrounded by family, including grandmother Kay Winston, cousins, and friends who held him and prayed over him.

A.J. has since been out on bond. He's wearing an ankle monitor and is allowed to leave the house only for church.

ABC13's Courtney Fischer has spoken to A.J.'s attorneys since the trial ended. The defense says it's gearing up for round two.

"We're not going to get into the details of our trial prep at this time. Obviously, there are some things we are going to do differently, but we're not going to give you those details at this time," said A.J.'s attorney Rick DeToto.

READ MORE: A.J. ARMSTRONG CASE: 19-year-old to face jury again this year for parents' murders

The prosecution team is not changing and at the end of the trial gave ABC13 this statement:

"Antonio Armstrong Junior murdered two citizens of our county, and we will continue to fight for justice and bring him to trial again."

A.J. has always maintained his innocence.

FAMILY SHATTERED: The murder trial of A.J. Armstrong

CATCH UP ON THE A.J. ARMSTRONG CASE

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