HOUSTON – A preliminary hearing over oral statements in the murder case against 19-year-old Antonio Armstrong Jr. was held Monday morning.
Armstrong is accused of killing his parents in July 2016. His father previously played football in the National Football League.
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Armstrong's murder case is set to go to trial Tuesday morning.
The hearing over evidence pertained to the defense wanting to suppress oral statements. Before the hearing broke for a recess, a Harris County hearing officer and two Houston police officers who responded to the scene took the stand.
The first officer to be sworn in was Houston Police Sgt. John Horelica. He said did not see any signs of forced entry into the home, and he suspected Armstrong was the killer after being at the scene for approximately 10 minutes.
However, the defense argued the officer's memory is hazy because the incident happened three years ago and that a few details were left out of his report.
Logan Weber was the second officer to take the stand. He took Armstrong into custody and said Armstrong maintained a calm demeanor the entire they were together.
Weber took Armstrong from the scene, then to the magistrate and finally to see homicide detectives.
The Harris County hearing officer went over video and audio transcripts where Miranda warnings were given to Armstrong. It appeared the defense wanted to establish when a Miranda warning was first given to Armstrong.