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AJ Armstrong trial: Security alarm evidence
The prosecution’s alarm evidence this time seems to be far more effective in this trial for AJ Armstrong than previously. FOX 26’s Damali Keith joins us from the Harris County criminal courthouse where the third trial is underway for Armstrong who is charged with murdering his parents.
HOUSTON - The prosecution’s alarm evidence this time seems to be far more effective in this trial for AJ Armstrong than previously. The third trial is underway for Armstrong who’s charged with murdering his parents.
The alarm testimony is huge because investigators say not only was there no forced entry into the Armstrong home the morning Antonio Sr. and Dawn Armstrong were shot to death, but alarm records show every door and all windows were closed, and the alarm was armed.
Two prosecution witnesses are testifying, one from ADT, and the other the Senior Vice President from alarm.com.
PREVIOUSLY: AJ Armstrong trial: Texts between Armstrong, his parents shown in court
AJ Armstrong is charged with shooting and killing his parents as they slept in July 2016 when he was 16-years-old. The home security representatives told jurors both companies receive data every time an alarm is turned on, off, is set off and anytime a window or door is opened.
Both testified records from the Armstrong alarm the night the parents were murdered show the alarm was set at 9:52 p.m., a motion sensor was set off on the second floor where the parents' bedroom is at 1:09 a.m., a sensor tripped on the first floor where the murder weapon was found at 1:25 a.m., and after Antonio Armstrong Jr called 911 to report his parents had been shot, the alarm was disarmed at 1:56 a.m. as AJ and his sister met police officers outside their Bellaire home.
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Defense attorneys argue AJ’s older brother who suffers from mental illness, also had access to the house.
Prosecutor Ryan Trask asked the ADT alarm expert "Whether it be a burglar or a brother and the door is opened what would happen?" and the alarm representative answers "…the siren would go off, and the alarm would be sent to ADT."
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Trask follows up with "Did anyone break in or come into the house that night?" and the ADT rep answers "No sir."
Prosecutors again point to a text message from AJ’s mom from April 2016 when they say AJ snuck out and his mom sent him a text saying "AJ the alarm doesn’t lie. You lie. I can show you." The prosecutor presented alarm records showing the alarm that night was disarmed at 12:44 a.m., the door was opened at 12:45 a.m. and the door opened again at 2:20 a.m. when AJ returned home and the alarm was disarmed.
Defense attorneys call the alarm system finicky and full of errors.
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They’re calling out the ADT prosecution witness who, in the last trial testified he had concerns about the records defense attorneys showed him that appeared to show mistakes. This time his testimony is he simply misunderstood because the data was from documents from alarm.com, which is recorded differently from ADT records.
This time the ADT rep seems confident and unwavering in his testimony.
Although AJ says he saw a masked man that night, prosecutors are trying to convince jurors there was no intruder who shot and killed the Armstrongs with their own gun and left the murder weapon on the kitchen counter without ever leaving a record of opening or closing a door or window.
The first two trials for AJ ended in hung juries. This trial is expected to last another two weeks.