In Texas, a former NFL player and his wife were killed by their 16-year-old son early Friday morning in their Houston home, according to reports. Antonio Armstrong died at a Houston hospital on Friday, while his wife Dawn Armstrong, was reportedly killed in her bedroom earlier that night.
Now police have revealed that the son initially told them that a “masked intruder” was in the house, according to People.com. Police then said conflicting stories led them to arrest the Armstrong’s 16-year-old son, Anthony Armstrong, Jr.
“[The suspect was] not able to give a convincing story of any kind,” Assistant District Attorney John Brewer said at Monday’s hearing.
There were no signs of forced entry and Armstrong, Jr. disabled the home security alarm to let police in the house, People.com reports.
He reportedly called 911 himself to report the shooting, and he’s been charged with murder, which will likely be upgraded to a capital murder charge. Armstrong, Jr. will likely be charged as an adult, though that process can take months.
Antonio Armstrong, 42, was an All-American at Texas A&M and later played for the Miami Dolphins as a linebacker. The Armstrongs owned three fitness centers in the Houston area, 1st Class Training, and appeared to be a loving family with no history of domestic violence.
Police and the community had nothing but kind words to say about them.
“This was an outstanding family,” Det. Jimmy Dotson told KTRK. “The [father] was an absolute hard-working breadwinner. He’s an associate pastor at the church in the area. The mother was apparently a great mother.”
The couple also has a teen daughter and 20-year-old son who were home at the time of the shooting but were reportedly unharmed.
“There was no neglect or anything. There was nothing that even could possibly have justified this situation,” Dawn Armstrong’s cousin, Vaun Lee, told reporters. “This doesn’t even make sense. It makes no sense.”
A Facebook page for Dawn Armstrong shows many family photos including recent ones where she talked in glowing terms about her husband and business partner. Photos of her with all of her children expressing love were a part of the page as well with several family members and friends commenting on them.
“They were pillars of the community, they were wonderful family members, wonderful friends to anyone who knew them or ever crossed their paths,” one Armstrong relative told the Houston Chronicle, as reported by People. “They were the type of people that made things happen. They were kind, loving to their family, their friends, and the best parents that you would ever meet in your life.
“They are the family that when everyone saw them, they’re the family that everyone wanted to be like,” the relative added.
Police have declined to publicly speculate on a motive, nor have they confirmed any 911 calls that may or may not have been made to the home in the past.
Even though the Armstrongs were business owners as we said above, a GoFundMe campaign for the family has raised over $36,000 in 16 hours.
(Photo: Facebook)
