Late one night in July 2016, while they were both dozing, Antonio and Dawn Armstrong were both fatally shot.
Their 16-year-old son AJ Armstrong was accused with their killings but was never found guilty because both of the murder trials ended in mistrials due to hung juries.
Who were Dawn Armstong and Antonio Armstrong?
According to the description, the couple was the patriarch of a “All-American Family.”
Antonio Armstrong was 42 years old when he passed away.
He was raised in Houston, Texas, the home of the family at the time of the parents’ homicide.
He received a full scholarship to Texas A&M University, where he played linebacker for the team.
Antonio was a former NFL player as well, but ankle issues cut short his time with the Miami Dolphins before he had a chance to see much action.
He then played for the Canadian Football League for six years.
He is remembered for his passion for mentoring his boys, AJ and Josh, as they developed their athletic skills.
Atchison County, Kansas, is where Dawn Armstrong, also 42, was born.
She and her husband co-owned a gym named First Class Training, and she was well known for being friendly and hospitable to everyone.
Father of Dawn stated to 20/20: “My daughter was a charmer and a one-of-a-kind person. You’d love her if you’d met her.”
Additionally, the two belonged to the local Spirit of Life Church, where Antonio served as an assistant pastor.
Vicky Franco, a children’s minister at Spirit of Life Church, recalled the family’s selfless deeds and commitment.
She said: “He and his wife and the children have just served over here continually,”
“They’re just the typical American family. They love their children, and they have taught their children the things of the Lord.”
Police picked up on a few minor discrepancies in AJ’s account, but the main one was that the family’s alarm system was still on when they arrived.
They observed that in order to let them inside the house, AJ had to enter the pin code.
In court, AJ’s sister Kayra testified that their garage door had been left open all weekend and that the entrance leading from the garage to the house was not equipped with an alarm.
She mentioned how well-known her parents were in the neighbourhood and how many people frequently dropped by, usually entering through the unlocked garage.
She also said of the alarm system: “Sometimes the alarm would set when a door is still open. Or sometimes, it would go off unexpectedly. It was really finicky.”
Police discovered a bullet hole in the floor of AJ’s bedroom, which he said was caused by him playing with the gun weeks earlier, despite the fact that no DNA was ever found on the gun connecting AJ to the crime and no gun residue was ever found on his hands or clothing.
I have been watching for a long time, read the terrifying note that was eventually discovered there.
Neither AJ’s fingerprints nor any gloves that would have indicated he penned the note have ever been discovered.
AJ Armstrong, who is now 23 years old, has remained innocent throughout both of his trials.
He has pleaded “not guilty” to his parents’ murders now twice, and the prosecution is still preparing to try him a third time.
Josh, Dawn’s former partner Antonio’s little boy who was adopted, lived less than a mile away from the family.
According to his half-sister Kayra, he had conflicting personalities that became more apparent when he was abusing drugs.
Josh had became angry and had been hearing “demonic voices,” according to Kayra.
Josh had the same access to the family’s home as AJ did, according to AJ’s defence attorney, and getting inside the house would have been simple for him.
Josh was reportedly detained by the police for questioning at the beginning of the investigation, but it’s unclear why they decided not to charge him.
There were attempts to get in touch with AJ and Josh’s reps, however
