HOUSTON – A teen accused of killing his parents inside their southwest Houston home was denied release into a relative’s custody Tuesday morning.
Both the prosecution and defense are waiting for more evidence to help determine if the teen will be charged as an adult.
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Both victims were found in their bedroom with gunshot wounds to their heads and pillows over their heads. The teen denied having anything to do with the deaths, claiming he saw a masked man inside the home at the time of the shooting.
The teen’s attorney hoped the judge would notion of possibly releasing the teen into a family member’s custody on Tuesday hearing.
The relative had to came up with a parenting and schooling plan when they tried to pursue the judge's approval, the attorney said.
The teen's attorney spoke about the impact both the teen and his parents had on the community in his last court hearing.
"Our client, by every account, by every person that we've met, is a great young man. A great football player, and he's doing well at school. Obviously, he had exceptional parents. You can tell by the people that appear at every court setting that he had an effect on the community, that his parents had an effect on the community," defense attorney Rick DeToto said.
The teen's attorneys said investigators are looking into whether another person was inside the home when the Armstrongs were killed.
Attorneys said it will be between three and six months before a judge makes a decision on whether to try him as an adult.
If the teen is certified as an adult, the Harris County District Attorney's Office said a conviction would not allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty, only a life sentence with parole eligibility after 40 years.
According to NFL.com, Antonio Armstrong played one season for the Miami Dolphins in 1995. He was an All-American linebacker for Texas A&M.
Armstrong also owned First Class Training and was a pastor at a local church.