In Houston's high-profile case, AJ Armstrong, convicted in 2023 for the 2016 murder of his parents, was granted a new hearing by the 14th Court of Appeals to consider his motion for a new trial. Armstrong's appellate attorney said, "Had my trial counsel known that he would have made a different decision," referring to undisclosed information about a prosecution expert involved in a separate controversy, as reported by ABC13.
Armstrong, who was 16 at the time of the double homicide, had two prior trials end in hung juries, raising questions about the fairness of his third trial, according to KHOU. Although allegations of evidence tampering have been dismissed, the defense argues the lack of disclosure may have influenced the outcome, prompting the court to revisit the case.
A court has ordered a hearing before January 6, 2026, to review Armstrong's appeal, which claims important information was not shared during his third trial. Armstrong's attorney Rick DeToto said, "We are very thankful that the court has granted us this opportunity. We look forward to presenting our evidence to the trial court to show that this information should have been disclosed by the state," as mentioned by ABC13. Harris County prosecutors said they will continue to defend Armstrong's conviction for the deaths of Antonio Sr. and Dawn Armstrong. Armstrong is currently serving his sentence in Abilene.
