Long Beach Man Convicted of Beating Daughter to Death

A jury deliberated less than an hour Friday before convicting a Long Beach man of beating his daughter to death in their apartment.

The Long Beach Superior Court jury found Charles Lee Armstrong guilty of the Jan. 20, 2003, slaying of Cathy Armstrong, 42, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

The woman, whose body was found in her bedroom, had been struck at least 12 times, according to the prosecutor.

“He basically caved in her skull,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Pat Connolly.

Cathy Armstrong had been left by her father when she was an infant and had hired a private investigator to track him down 37 years later in Tennessee, Connolly said.

Authorities believe the woman may have been kicking her father out of the apartment they shared when she was killed.

Armstrong, 64, initially told police he returned home to find his daughter dead, but later said that he woke up and was standing over her body, Connolly said.

When Armstrong is sentenced on Aug. 11, he faces a state prison term of 26 years to life.