Baytown man sentenced to 55 years in prison fatally shooting his wife while their children slept

KTRK logo
Friday, May 10, 2024
Tap for ABC13 Houston 24/7 Live Stream
Watch Eyewitness News and ABC13 originals around the clock

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Baytown man was sentenced for shooting his wife to death at their home while their children slept, according to attorneys.

Eyewitness News reported the story back in March 2020, when one of the couple's three children led deputies to their mother's body.

Harris County Precinct 3 deputy constables found 36-year-old Charlene Grovell's body after Armster shot her in the back of the head with a handgun.

According to the Harris County District Attorney's Office, he left the Sheldon-area home to turn himself in for outstanding traffic tickets at the Baytown Police Department.

While talking to police, he made suspicious comments that his wife was dead, alerting officers.

Harris County Precinct 3 deputies found three children, ages 3, 5, and 11, while conducting a welfare check on their mother at the home on Ashley Meadow at Meadow Thistle.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the woman's husband, Jason Armster, turned himself into Baytown P.D. for warrants and, during the conversation, indicated that his wife was possibly deceased.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office later arrested Armster and charged him with murder.

Earlier this week, jurors heard evidence about Armster's past, including that he had assaulted two other women with whom he had children before marrying Grovell.

He was sentenced to 55 years in prison on Monday after a six-day trial and must serve at least half of the sentence before he will become eligible for parole.

If you need help getting out of a domestic violence situation, call the Houston Area Women's Center 24/7 hotline at 713-528-2121 or call AVDA at 713-224-9911. You can also click here to chat with an advocate online. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and need help, call 713-528-3625.