The teen charged with murdering his parents at their Bellaire-area home appeared in court Monday.
The 16-year-old son of former Texas A&M All-American linebacker Antonio Armstrong and his wife Dawn was charged with murder Friday after the couple was found shot in their home. His name is not being released because his is a juvenile.
According to prosecutors, the suspect called 911 around 1:40 a.m. while hiding in a closet. The suspect claimed he saw a masked man inside the home. Prosecutors say police were skeptical because there were no signs of forced entry and the alarm was still set.
Related story: 16-year-old charged with murder
According to police, the Armstrongs were shot in the head while they were in bed with a handgun that belonged to Antonio. A pillow had been placed over each victim's face.
Dawn died at the scene. Antonio was rushed to the hospital where he later died.
{"author_name":"Antonio","author_url":"https://www.facebook.com/antonio.armstrong.75","provider_url":"https://www.facebook.com","provider_name":"Facebook","success":true,"height":null,"html":"&#lt;div id=\"fb-root\"&#gt;&#lt;/div&#gt;\n&#lt;script&#gt;(function(d, s, id) {\n var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n if (d.getElementById(id)) return;\n js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n js.src = \"//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3\";\n fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));&#lt;/script&#gt;&#lt;div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203234933326808\" data-width=\"552\"&#gt;&#lt;blockquote cite=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203234933326808&set=a.1429684054777.2059671.1013118906&type=3\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\"&#gt;Posted by &#lt;a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/antonio.armstrong.75\"&#gt;Antonio Armstrong&#lt;/a&#gt; on &#lt;a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203234933326808&set=a.1429684054777.2059671.1013118906&type=3\"&#gt;Monday, September 15, 2014&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/blockquote&#gt;&#lt;/div&#gt;","type":"rich","version":"1.0","url":"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203234933326808","width":552}
The gun was found by police on the kitchen counter with a scribbled note. The suspect admitted to playing with the gun in weeks prior to the shooting but denies his involvement in the crime.
The teen's 12-year-old sister was also home at the time and slept through the entire ordeal.
“It was kinda the all-American family," said HPD homicide detective Jimmy Dodson. "That’s why we’re trying to get down to figure out what’s going on in this household.”
Antonio starred for the Aggies in the early 90's before playing several years in the NFL and Canadian Football League.
Antonio was also a motivational speaker. He and his wife own 1st Class Training in Bellaire. Family, friends and clients created a makeshift memorial outside the gym over the weekend.
Antonio is also an associate pastor, according to police. Dawn Armstrong's Facebook page said they "serve in ministry together."
Relatives say they have another son that is college-aged. They have no idea what the motive could be.
{"author_name":"Dawn","author_url":"https://www.facebook.com/dawnwa","provider_url":"https://www.facebook.com","provider_name":"Facebook","success":true,"height":null,"html":"&#lt;div id=\"fb-root\"&#gt;&#lt;/div&#gt;\n&#lt;script&#gt;(function(d, s, id) {\n var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n if (d.getElementById(id)) return;\n js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n js.src = \"//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3\";\n fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));&#lt;/script&#gt;&#lt;div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205379960417025\" data-width=\"552\"&#gt;&#lt;blockquote cite=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205379960417025&set=a.1277645559790.35905.1789533403&type=3\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\"&#gt;&#lt;p&#gt;Day 6.....I think LOL! Either way I love this man! We hit the ground running with $936 in our bank account in TOTAL! He...&#lt;/p&#gt;Posted by &#lt;a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/dawnwa\"&#gt;Dawn Whitely Armstrong&#lt;/a&#gt; on &#lt;a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205379960417025&set=a.1277645559790.35905.1789533403&type=3\"&#gt;Friday, July 22, 2016&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/blockquote&#gt;&#lt;/div&#gt;","type":"rich","version":"1.0","url":"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205379960417025","width":552}
"There was nothing that even could have possibly justified this situation. There's nothing - this doesn’t even make sense, it makes no sense," Vaun Armstrong said.
Prosecutors say the charges could eventually be upgraded to capital murder.
A large group was in court to show their support for the teen.
The suspect is being held in detention until the next court hearing. A date has not yet been set.