What Happened to Dawn Armstrong?
Dawn Armstrong met and married former San Francisco 49ers NFL player Antonio Armstrong Sr. after meeting at church. They adopted Dawn’s son Josh and had two more children, Antonio Jr. and Kayra, forming a close-knit family deeply rooted in faith, family values, and sports.
They established 1st Class Gym in the Bellaire area and became local pillars of the community. Antonio Sr.’s motivational speaking and role as an associate pastor, coupled with their thriving business, painted a picture of a family that had it all.
Behind this facade, the family was unraveling. Antonio Jr. was expelled from Kinkaid School due to poor behavior, and Josh faced his own struggles after dropping out of college. The family’s distress escalated with Dawn expressing her disappointments and fears through text messages to her sons.
The Tragic Events
On July 29, 2016, the facade came crashing down. Antonio Jr. called 911, claiming he heard gunshots and was hiding in his closet. The police discovered the lifeless bodies of Antonio Sr. and Dawn, both shot, with a chilling note left by the killer. The lack of forced entry and the bizarre circumstances led to the immediate suspicion of Antonio Jr.
The investigation quickly focused on Antonio Jr., who exhibited suspicious behavior leading up to the murders, including setting a fire and firing a gun in the house. Despite attempts by the defense to shift the blame to Josh, who suffered a mental breakdown following the murders, the evidence overwhelmingly pointed to Antonio Jr. He was convicted of capital murder after three trials and seven years of legal battles. Ultimately, AJ was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 40 years.
