Opening statements are set to be delivered Monday in the murder trial for A.J. Armstrong, the now 23-year-old accused of killing his parents in their southwest Houston home back in 2016.If you've followed this case for the past seven years, you've seen many delays, hearings reset, and so many twists and turns. ABC13's Courtney Fischer has spoken with many attorneys over the years about the Armstrong case, many of them saying this case is unreal.
Because Judge Kelli Johnson ruled for Armstrong's third capital murder trial, video of what happens in the courtroom will not be allowed until closing arguments and the verdict. This is much different from the first two trials when you saw witnesses testify daily. When opening statements were supposed to happen last Monday, there was a long discussion between prosecutors and defense attorneys in the judge's chambers. We weren't privy to it as it was super secretive, and the only thing the judge said publicly in the courtroom was, "an issue has developed outside the court's control."Picking the jury took three weeks. ABC13 listened to more than 150 hours of in-depth, one-on-one questioning.
If there are more delays, something to consider is how that will affect the jury, but we won't know the answer to that until trial starts.See more of ABC13's seven-year coverage on