Houston Teen Charged In Parents' Murders To Face Judge As Adult

HOUSTON, Tx — A mother and father are found dead in their bed, both shot. Charged for the murders was their son, a teenager.

Antonio and Dawn Armstrong were killed in their Bellaire-area home on July 29, 2016, the victims of gunshot wounds. Their son, Antonio Armstrong, who was charged in the incident, is to appear in a Harris County court today as an adult. He's now 17 and faces capital murder charges.

According to Houston police officials, Dawn Armstrong was shot in the head and died at the family's home; her husband, a former NFL player, was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition and died later of a bullet wound to the head.

Court records indicate that Antonio Armstrong Jr., who is also known as AJ, shot his parents while they slept, as reported by Click2Houston and other media outlets. The teen then started a fire outside his parents' bedroom and said it was an accident.

The documents indicated that the teen left a note on a counter in the home's kitchen in an attempt to fake a break-in and perhaps blame his parents' murder as the act of the intruder. The note read, "I have been watching for a long time, get me."

At a juvenile court hearing that took place on March 8, a judge ruled the teen would be tried as an adult.

“This is a good, all-American family. This a good kid. It just doesn’t make any sense,” defense lawyer Rick Detoto said after the March court hearing.

Police officials detected no signs of a break-in; they also found a crack pipe in the teen's room. A motive for the shooting has not been released.

Antonio Armstrong was a motivational speaker, and court records show that he and his wife owned First Class Training - Bellaire, a fitness facility.

— Main Image: Antonio and Dawn Armstrong (courtesy love.work.repeat.com)