Third murder trial of AJ Armstrong delayed again

The Bench - Inside AJ Armstrong's third murder trial

HOUSTON – The third murder trial against Antonio “AJ” Armstrong Jr. was reset again Monday, with Judge Kelli Johnson continuing to cite reasons “outside the court’s control.” Opening statements are now set to begin on July 31.

The first day of statements was reset from June 5 to June 12. Twelve jurors and four alternates were in place after nearly a month of jury selection.

Armstrong was only 16 years old when he was accused of shooting and killing his parents, Dawn and Antonio Armstrong Sr., in their southwest Houston home in 2016. Despite maintaining his innocence through two murder trials and two hung juries, prosecutors are taking him back to court.

Get caught up on the case here

KPRC 2 is taking an innovative, multi-platform approach to covering Armstrong’s third trial to help layperson trial watchers track the intricacies of the investigation, and why this is a critical legal case in our community.

Watch ‘The Bench’ Monday at 6:00 p.m. in the KPRC 2+ livestream player below:

KPRC 2 presents ‘The Bench’

Hosted by KPRC 2 Investigates Reporter Joel Eisenbaum, ‘The Bench’ decodes the legalese, breaks down the trial strategy, and takes you inside the case in a way traditional news coverage can’t. ‘The Bench’ launched May 1 on the first day of jury selection in the Armstrong case. Our panel of experts and reporters, including Rilwan Balogun, analyzed the potential scenarios as both sides met to pick jurors for the trial.

Episode 3 of ‘The Bench’ streamed live on June 1, exclusively on KPRC 2+ Now at 8:00 a.m. Our team got the audience up to speed on the ins and outs of a month of jury selection. We learned more about the individual jurors, the process that went into picking them, and what the jury make-up may tell us about how opening statements will shape up.

In episode 4 on June 5 on KPRC 2+ Now, we analyzed new motions presented to the court that impact how the evidence is laid out AJ Armstrong’s third murder trial. Opening statements were also scheduled to start that day but were rescheduled for Monday, June 12.

Watch ‘The Bench: AJ Armstrong, Episode 4′ below:

When and how you can watch ‘The Bench’


Do you have any questions about the AJ Armstrong case or trials in general? We want to hear from you! Send us your questions in comments using the form below:


About the Authors:

Award-winning TV producer and content creator. My goal as a journalist is to help people. Faith and family motivate me. Running keeps me sane.

As an Emmy award-winning journalist, Jason strives to serve the community by telling in-depth stories and taking on challenges many pass over. When he’s not working, he’s spending time with his girlfriend Rosie, and dog named Dug.