Tearful testimony from ex-girlfriend of AJ Armstrong's older brother on day 8 of capital murder trial
Hannah Pilon testified that the murders of Antonio Sr. and Dawn Armstrong completely changed Josh. “It took over his whole life. It got worse every day."
On day seven of Antonio "AJ" Armstrong Jr.'s capital murder trial, his brother's ex-girlfriend took the stand. Hannah Pilon's emotional testimony could be key because the defense has painted Josh Armstrong as a more likely suspect in their parents' deaths.
AJ is accused of killing Antonio Sr. and Dawn Armstrong in their Bellaire-area home in southwest Houston in 2016 when he was 16 years old.
AJ and his then-12-year-old sister were in the house at the time, but defense attorneys have pointed out that Josh lived in an apartment around the corner, had access to the house alarm codes and has a history of mental illness.
Hannah testified that she lived in the same complex as Josh and they were together all the time.
“He was the most loving, caring person that I knew,” she said. “I wanted to spend my whole life with him. He was everything to me.”
She said Josh was with her the night his parents were killed. Josh's cousin Trenton was also there and they were playing video games when she went to bed.
Hannah described Josh’s demeanor as “frantic” “scared” and “worried” when he woke her up.
“He shook me awake. I woke up. I was really confused at first," Hannah said. “He says, ‘Babe, wake up! Somebody’s in the house!’”
Hannah testified that Josh grabbed his shotgun from the closet and ran to his parents’ house with Trenton. She then called 911.
She said Josh was “devastated" when he returned.
“He looked so sad. His face was puffy. You could tell that he had been crying," Hannah told the court. "He just wanted to go to sleep. I tried to comfort him the best I could.”
Hannah said Josh "completely changed" after that.
Prosecutor John Jordan then asked her if Josh showed any signs of mental illness prior to the murders. At that point, the couple had dated for about a year.
“No, and I want to be very, very clear about this. Josh was never like this before. This completely ruined his life," she replied.
Hannah said she noticed changes in him three weeks to one month after the murders and he became paranoid.
“We had to leave Texas. I wasn’t allowed to talk to anybody and tell them where I was," she explained.
She said Josh developed a list of people who could have killed his parents and "everybody" was on it, including her.
“I said, ‘Josh, I was there with you. There’s no way I could have done it.’”
She testified that the note that was left on the kitchen counter inside the Armstrong home the night of the murders “played a big part in him being scared.”
“It took over his whole life," she said.
They went to Colorado for around 3 weeks but had to return so Hannah could start a job.
She broke up with him about a year after his parents were killed.
She started crying when prosecutors showed her a photo of Josh with his mom, then one of Josh smiling in a suit.
Hannah stayed in a relationship with Josh for another year before breaking up with him. She said he wouldn't get help, didn't want to do anything, and stopped hanging out with his friends. He was obsessed with finding out who killed his parents.
“It got worse every day. The paranoia got so bad. I couldn’t do it anymore," she said through tears.
When asked if Josh was ever violent toward her she said no, not even after the murders.
“Never once did he put a hand on me. Never once did he threaten me.”
In September 2016, Josh went to Ben Taub Hospital for the first time. Prosecutor John Jordan read from the medical report:
- Depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicidal due to his parents’ murder
- No prior psychiatric history
- Came to the hospital voluntarily at the urging of his grandparents
- “Patient does not believe his younger brother committed the crime and is unsure who did.”
- Josh’s best friend (roommate from College Station) recently died
- Josh went to Austin for a while, self-medicated with alcohol and drugs
- Read something called “The Pearl” and became convinced his cousin Trenton (who was with him the night of the murders) killed his parents. Trenton later died.
- Becomes tearful at the memory of his mom telling him at 13 that Antonio Senior was not his biological dad
- Parents' death: “the most distressing, traumatic event”
During cross-examination, defense lawyer Rick Detoto told Pilon she can’t be sure Josh never left his apartment because she was asleep before and after the murders happened.
Pilon responded that if Josh left the house, his dog would have barked and woken her up.
“I think having alternate suspects out there in a case where you’re going to hang your hat on reasonable doubt is something that you see in a lot of courtrooms across Harris County," KHOU 11 legal analyst Carmen Roe said. "I think it’s a tactic that’s been successful in the past, and so I think they’re using it again.”
If convicted this time around, Armstrong, now 23, would face a sentence of life in prison and would be eligible for parole after 40 years.
Below is the background of the case and reports from the first two mistrials.
2016 killings Antonio Armstrong, Sr. and Dawn Armstrong found dead
On July 29, 2016, investigators said they believe Antonio Armstrong Jr. shot his parents at close range while they slept inside the Bellaire-area home.
Armstrong Jr. called 911 at 1:40 a.m. and told dispatchers he heard gunshots coming from his parent's room. He said his 12-year-old sister was sleeping downstairs.
Armstrong Jr. blamed a masked intruder, but investigators said they found no evidence of forced entry into the house.
According to authorities, Dawn Armstrong was shot twice in her head and Armstrong Sr. was shot once. They said both had pillows over their heads. Dawn Armstrong was pronounced dead at the scene while Armstrong Sr. was taken to a hospital where he later died. Both were 42.
Houston Police Sgt. J.P. Horelica said after discovering there was no forced entry and a bullet hole in the ceiling of the Armstrongs' bedroom, the focus shifted to Armstrong Jr. as a suspect.
Prosecutors said a .22-caliber pistol was found on the kitchen counter along with a note. Also, Brewer said an upstairs motion detector caught movement at 1:09 a.m. Brewer said police found three shell casings in the master bedroom.
“The alarm tells us more than just the killer came from inside the house. The alarm tells us that the killer came from upstairs,” Brewer said when KHOU 11 News covered the story in 2019.
Armstrong Sr. was a motivational speaker. He and his wife owned 1st Class Training in Bellaire. Armstrong Sr. played football for Texas A&M and the Miami Dolphins and coached both of his sons when they were younger. Antonio Sr. was also an associate pastor, according to police. Dawn Armstrong's Facebook page said they "serve in ministry together."
The defense Questions about older brother
Armstrong Jr.'s lawyers said there was no blood, DNA, fingerprints or gunshot residue linking their client to the shootings.
“Where are the wet towels, the wet sinks, the wet showers, anything that would show that somebody cleaned themselves off or tried to hide evidence? It’s not there,” defense attorney Chris Collings said.
They also accused police of failing to consider other possible suspects.
“Within 11 minutes of going into that house, before any evidence was processed, before they knew anything about the crime scene as far as forensics, before anything, they made up their mind he did it," defense attorney Rick Detoto said.
Armstrong Jr.'s defense also cast suspicion on his older brother, who lived nearby, had access codes to the home and suffered from mental illness.
Second trial Deadlocked jury leads to another mistrial
A judge declared a mistrial in the second capital murder trial of Antonio "AJ" Armstrong Jr. in October 2022 after jurors deliberated for nearly 18 hours but couldn't agree on a unanimous verdict.
Defense attorneys said then that eight jurors believed Armstrong Jr. was innocent and four thought he was guilty. In his first trial, it was the other way around with eight jurors believing he was guilty.
"It's been six years, it's been two trials, it's been 40 to 50 witnesses, it's been probably millions of dollars in expenses by the district attorney's office. It's time to let this young man go," Collings said at the time.
"We followed the evidence and stood up for Antonio Armstrong Sr. and Dawn Armstrong, who were murdered in their bed,” Harris County DA Kim Ogg said. “We appreciate the time, effort and diligence of jurors as they were presented all the evidence in this brutal attack.”
KHOU 11 spoke with a juror in the second trial who didn't want to be identified. They said doubt created by the defense led to a hung jury.
“It just got to the point where I couldn’t even talk anymore," the juror said. "Everyone kind of had their mind made up, but it was very frustrating to hear everyone say, and I mean everyone, say, 'We know he’s not innocent but we still have doubt.'”
First trial Deadlocked jury leads to mistrial
Armstrong Jr.'s first murder trial began on April 2, 2019. He was tried as an adult and faced life in prison if found guilty. Due to Armstrong Jr.'s age at the time of the crime, a conviction would mean automatic life in prison with a minimum of 40 years to be eligible for parole.
During the first trial, Armstrong Jr. entered a not-guilty plea before opening statements. The initial trial ended in a mistrial on April 26, 2019, when jurors weren't able to reach a unanimous decision in the case.
Armstrong Jr.'s second trial was supposed to begin in October 2019 but was postponed to January 2020. Days before it was set to begin, it was postponed yet again after more than 30 motions were filed in the case.