Antonio Armstrong, Jr. listens to opening arguments by prosecutors inside 178 Criminal Courthouse Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in Houston. Armstrong Jr. faces capital murder charges for allegedly murdering his parents in their Bellaire home in 2016. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)
The Associated Press
HOUSTON (AP) - Prosecutors say house alarms and motion detectors indicate a Houston teenager whose father was a standout linebacker for Texas A&M before a brief NFL career fatally shot his parents.
Jurors were told during opening statements Tuesday that no one forced their way into the home and that Antonio Armstrong Jr. was the only person detected inside just moments before the shooting in July 2016.
The 19-year-old is charged with capital murder.
Defense attorney Rick DeToto countered that investigators decided early on that the teen killed Antonio and Dawn Armstrong then contorted the case to fit their opinion.
The elder Armstrong was a first-team All-American who was taken in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL draft. He had brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins.
Antonio Armstrong, Jr. exits the 178th Criminal Court during a break after opening arguments Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in Houston. Armstrong Jr. faces capital murder charges for allegedly murdering his parents as they slept in their Bellaire home in 2016. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)
The Associated Press
Antonio Armstrong, Jr., center, listens to opening arguments by prosecutors inside 178 Criminal Courthouse Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in Houston. Armstrong Jr. faces capital murder charges for allegedly murdering his parents in their Bellaire home in 2016. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)
The Associated Press
Antonio Armstrong, Jr., center, listens to opening arguments by prosecutors inside 178 Criminal Courthouse Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in Houston. Armstrong Jr. faces capital murder charges for allegedly murdering his parents in their Bellaire home in 2016. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)
The Associated Press
Antonio Armstrong, Jr. waits for court session to resume after opening arguments were delivered in the 178th Criminal Court Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in Houston. Armstrong Jr. faces capital murder charges for allegedly murdering his parents as they slept in their Bellaire home in 2016. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)
The Associated Press