Judge Denies A.J. Armstrong a Fourth Trial; District Attorney Sean Teare Vows to Defend the Verdict 'for as Long as It Takes'
Judge Kelli Johnson denied a motion for a new trial in the Armstrong case, and Harris County's district attorney answered in a formal statement praising his prosecutors and forensic expert and promising to defend the conviction at every stage of appeal.
HOUSTON - A.J. Armstrong will not get a fourth trial. Judge Kelli Johnson has denied a motion for a new trial in his case, and Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare marked the ruling with a formal statement defending the prosecution that produced the conviction. 'Today's ruling confirms that the defendant, A.J. Armstrong, is not entitled to a new trial,' Teare said.
The statement credited the team behind the case by name. Teare said his prosecutors and forensic expert Celestina Rossi 'have acted with integrity, perseverance, and expertise in investigating and prosecuting this case,' and that Investigator Rossi 'has carried out her work with unwavering professionalism.' The case has been tried before a jury three times. 'Three times, our team stood before a jury and fought for Dawn and Antonio Armstrong Sr.,' Teare said. 'Each time, they presented clear, compelling evidence that A.J. Armstrong brutally murdered his parents at their home in Bellaire.'
Teare left no room for doubt about what comes next. 'His conviction is righteous,' he said, 'and we will continue to defend the jury's verdict at every stage of the appellate process for as long as it takes.' The denial of a new-trial motion does not end the appellate road - the defense can still pursue the conviction's review in the higher courts - but it closes the door on a fourth trial in the trial court, and it keeps one of Harris County's most closely watched cases where three juries' work left it: with a conviction the district attorney's office says it will defend for as long as the appeals run.
