AJ Armstrong now housed at east Texas prison after initial transfer to TDCJ's Garza Unit

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Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Reporter's Notebook: AJ Armstrong Case
ABC13's Courtney Fischer takes you inside the AJ Armstrong case seven years after the murders of Dawn and Antonio Armstrong.

TENNESEE COLONY, Texas (KTRK) -- Days after AJ Armstrong was transferred from the Harris County jail to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility, the 23 year-old convicted killer has been moved to a second unit.

On Saturday, Armstrong was taken to the George Beto Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas, which is located about 178 miles north of Houston, just outside of Palestine.

The video above is a recap of the A.J. Armstrong trial saga by ABC13 reporter Courtney Fischer.

He had been taken to the Garza West Unit in Beeville early last week, a month after a Houston jury convicted him of killing Dawn and Antonio Armstrong Sr. back in 2016.

As indicated in ABC13's report from last Friday, the Garza Unit, which officials said serves as an inmate intake facility, wasn't confirmed to be where he would serve out a sentence upwards of life in prison.

PREVIOUS STORY: AJ Armstrong now in Texas prison population month after guilty verdict

The maximum-security Beto Unit can house 3,150 inmates, according to the TDCJ website.

Eyewitness News has also learned when his case will be reviewed for parole - Aug. 3, 2063, when Armstrong, who committed the acts at 16 years old, will be 63.

Before his transfer to Garza, Armstrong had been housed at the Harris County jail since his conviction on Aug. 16 at the end of the third trial against him.

Earlier this month, Armstrong's attorney, Patrick McCann, filed a motion for a fourth trial, citing a slew of mishaps occurring before the final verdict, which warrants another trial.

The motion presented said there was an issue with a key witness named Officer Celestina Rossi, who is a blood spatter expert. Rossi was the woman who found the blood sample on Armstrong's T-shirt inside the crime lab, court documents read.

Armstrong's attorneys also state that Rossi has been previously accused of planting evidence.

Additionally, the motion states there was an alternative theory regarding who could have murdered the parents that was conferred outside of the presence of a jury that should've been permitted into evidence.

SEE HERE: Timeline of deaths of AJ Armstrong's parents through his capital murder trials

Records note that the motion claims that Armstrong's sentence was "unconstitutional" because he was only a juvenile at the time of the crime.

The appeal is being considered along with a federal civil lawsuit against the city of Houston, claiming the same evidence mishandling.

'I'M INNOCENT': Houston teen AJ Armstrong gives his side as he awaits trial in murder of his parents

AJ ARMSTRONG SPEAKS: Teen suspected of killing his parents in their SW Houston home gives his side

From crime scene to courtroom: Courtney Fischer takes you inside the AJ Armstrong case

ABC13's Courtney Fischer opens up about her exclusive interview with Armstrong, who is accused of killing his parents.
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