'I Have Been Watching...': Remembering the Armstrongs, couple killed in home

Nearly seven years after Antonio and Dawn Armstrong were shot in their home, friends and family talk about their lives and legacy.

They were a respected and popular couple known for their hard work and friendly personas.

And when Antonio and Dawn Armstrong were found shot inside their house in 2016, it sent shockwaves to their neighbors, friends and family.

Those who knew the couple told "20/20" they were always humble about their upbringings.

"We were proud of him. And just to watch the things that he'd accomplished," Olivia Specks, Antonio Armstrong's sister, told "20/20."

PHOTO: Dawn and Antonio Armstrong were well known and respected in the Houston area.
Dawn and Antonio Armstrong were well known and respected in the Houston area.
Armstrong family

Antonio Armstrong grew up in the Houston area and eventually got a full scholarship to Texas A&M University as a linebacker on the football team.

MORE: Last seen in Lakeland: Is a husband responsible for his wife’s murder or is he imprisoned for the crime of another man?

He was drafted by the NFL in 1995 and went on to play with the Miami Dolphins for a year. After being cut by the St. Louis Rams the following year, Armstrong went on to play in the Canadian Football League for six years before retiring from the sport.

It was during his time in the league that he met his wife Dawn.

Both of their families told "20/20" they hit it off immediately.

"My daughter, she was a charmer, she was one of a kind. If you met her, you love her," Dawn Armstrong's father Keith Whitley, told "20/20."

Antonio would adopt Dawn's son, Josh, and the couple would raise two other children, AJ and Kayara.

PHOTO: Dawn and Antonio Armstrong and their children Josh, AJ and Kayara pose in an undated family photo.
Dawn and Antonio Armstrong and their children Josh, AJ and Kayara pose in an undated family photo.
Armstrong family

After Antonio's athletic career ended, he and Dawn began opening and running three gyms in the Houston area, "First Class" training.

The couple was planning on expanding their chain to more areas in the city, according to family.

"Antonio, he worked day and night to provide and do for his family," Whitley said.

MORE: Video AJ Armstrong, his sister recall impact after parents’ 2016 deaths

Antonio and Dawn's younger son AJ was arrested and accused of killing them, however, AJ's attorneys have contended at AJ's trials for capital murder, both of which ended in mistrials, that Josh, was involved, not their client.

Police looked at Josh and ultimately ruled him out as a suspect.

Authorities have stated that Josh is not a suspect in the case and he has never been charged in connection with the shootings.

PHOTO: Antonio Armstrong poses with his children AJ and Kayara in an undated family photo.
Antonio Armstrong poses with his children AJ and Kayara in an undated family photo.
Armstrong family

AJ Armstrong was tried twice for his parents' murders, but both trials ended in a mistrial. Prosecutors said they plan on trying him a third time.

Friends and family said they've tried to keep their memories strong even though the family has been ripped apart by the ongoing investigation into their deaths.

"I will still always remember them as my mom being my best friend, and my dad just being the strong role model that he's always been," Kayara Armstrong told "20/20." "So no matter what happens, I will always keep that image in my head of them."

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