AJ Armstrong verdict: Texas man found guilty of murdering parents after 2 mistrials
Texas man accused of killing parents as 16-year-old boy back in 2016
HOUSTON, Texas -- After two previous mistrials, the jury has found a verdict of guilty in the third trial for a Texas man accused of killing his parents as a 16-year-old back in 2016.
A.J. Armstrong, of Houston, and his attorneys are in the courtroom, and the jurors were ushered in at about 3:30 p.m. Extra bailiffs are present as well as the judge polled each juror to make sure they were all in agreement.
The jurors deliberated for about 10 hours after hearing more than 40 hours of testimony from 31 witnesses over 11 days in the third capital murder trial for A.J. Armstrong
With the guilty verdict, A.J. was immediately sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. Due to his age at the time of the murders, he did not face the possibility of the death penalty.
RELATED: Text messages highlight turmoil before parents' killings; A.J. Armstrong on trial for murder
It's been more than seven years since Armstrong was charged with killing his parents.
In July 2016, Dawn and Antonio Sr. were each shot in the head, pillows placed over their faces, while asleep in their southwest Houston home. Armstrong was arrested hours later. He was 16 years old, entering his junior year of high school at the time.
Now, Armstrong is a 23-year-old man who has worn a GPS ankle monitor all of his adult life, since bonding out of jail in 2017.
Since his last trial, Armstrong has married the mother of his son, his high school girlfriend, Kate Ober, who testified on his behalf during his first trial. These are big milestones for anyone, but Armstrong has yet to move on with his life, as investigators maintain he is the only person who could have killed his parents, which prosecutors are attempting to prove to a third jury.
Defense attorneys tried to cast doubt on that, even pointing a finger at Armstrong's older brother, Josh, as a possible suspect.
The state had text messages between Antonio Sr., Dawn, and their son, Josh, introduced into evidence. Prosecutors worked to show that those messages made it appear Josh was a normal and loving son.
SEE ALSO: 'I'M INNOCENT': Texas teen accused of killing parents speaks for 1st time as he awaits trial
However, the defense claims Josh had mental health issues and was suffering from paranoia and schizophrenia. The state says Josh was diagnosed with mental health issues, but that happened months after the murders.
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