Murder of Moriah Wilson

Murder of Moriah Wilson
An undated photo of Wilson
Location	Austin, Texas, U.S.
Date	May 11, 2022 (2022-05-11)
Attack type	Murder by shooting
Weapons	SIG Sauer P365
Victim	Moriah Wilson
Perpetrator	Kaitlin Armstrong
Motive	Romantic jealousy
Criminal status	Convicted
Conviction(s)	First-degree murder
Criminal charge	First-degree murder Misuse of passport
Penalty	90 years in prison (eligible for parole after 30 years)
Imprisoned at	Dr. Lane Murray Unit

On the night of May 11, 2022, professional cyclist Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson was fatally shot by Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, at a friend's home in Austin, Texas. Armstrong, a yoga instructor and licensed realtor, committed the crime out of jealousy triggered by Wilson's romantic encounter with her on-and-off boyfriend pro cyclist Colin Strickland. Prior to her conviction, Armstrong has had flight attempts both as a wanted person and a detainee: she had spent 43 days at large until her capture in Costa Rica, where authorities said she used different names and changed her appearance to set up a new life, and would attempt to flee from custody on the eve of her trial over a year later.

Background

Victim

Anna Moriah Wilson was born on May 18, 1996, in Littleton, New Hampshire, the daughter of Eric and Karen (née Cronin) Wilson and the sister of Matthew Wilson. She grew up in Kirby, Vermont. Wilson graduated from Burke Mountain Academy in 2014, and from Dartmouth College in 2019 with a Bachelor of Engineering (BE).

Raised in a family of athletes, Wilson developed a passion for cycling as a young girl. She was a nationally ranked junior skier, but had become a gravel cyclist. Before her full-time career as a professional cyclist, she had worked as a demand planner for Specialized.

Perpetrator

Kaitlin Armstrong (born November 21, 1987) grew up in Livonia, Michigan. She graduated from Stevenson High School in 2005, then attended Schoolcraft College and Eastern Michigan University. She has been described as a yoga teacher and licensed realtor.

Armstrong was in a relationship with professional cyclist Colin Strickland. They briefly separated in the fall of 2021, by which point Strickland had met Wilson and began a brief romantic relationship with her. Armstrong and Strickland would later reconcile and resume their relationship.

Death and investigation

On May 11, 2022, Wilson was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds "shortly before 10 p.m." at a friend's residence in Austin, Texas, where Wilson had been staying to compete in a race in Hico. Hours before her death, she had gone out with Strickland for a swim at Deep Eddy Pool and afterward ate dinner. Strickland denied ever going inside Wilson's friend's house after dropping Wilson off and was ruled out as a suspect following a police investigation.

An autopsy ruled Wilson's death a homicide, with three gunshot wounds—two in the head and one in the chest—that occurred "after she was already laying supine on the floor," according to a search warrant. Police named Armstrong a person of interest after video surveillance showed her black Jeep Grand Cherokee arriving at the Austin residence moments before the killing. She was taken into custody over an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for theft. Armstrong made no statement to the police when confronted about the video evidence of her vehicle; however, investigators observed she "turned her head and rolled her eyes in an angry manner" when questioned about how Wilson was with Strickland. She was released on a technicality stemming from discrepancies between her date of birth in the police department's database and the one in the warrant.

Police examined Wilson's phone and concluded that she was romantically tied to Strickland while he was still dating Armstrong. Strickland originally denied knowing the victim when first interviewed, but eventually admitted to the relationship and to keeping communication with Wilson hidden from Armstrong, going so far as to delete text messages from Wilson on his phone while saving her phone number under a pseudonym. Armstrong reportedly became aware of the relationship and expressed a strong desire to kill Wilson, telling an anonymous tipster that she "had either recently purchased a firearm or was going to." Strickland revealed he had bought two handguns for Armstrong and himself. Through a search warrant, police recovered two firearms from the house Strickland shared with Armstrong. A spent shell casing from one weapon, a SIG Sauer P365 handgun belonging to Armstrong, yielded a "significant" match with one found in the crime scene. The search warrant also revealed that Armstrong had visited a shooting range with her sister, Christine Armstrong, "to learn how to use a firearm". On May 17, an arrest warrant for first-degree murder was issued for Kaitlin Armstrong.

Arrest, trial and conviction

Armstrong used her sister's passport to fly to Costa Rica. She assumed fake identities and changed her appearance through plastic surgery. U.S. Marshals located her by placing an ad on Facebook looking for a yoga instructor. After spending 43 days at large, Armstrong was apprehended in a hostel in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, on June 29, 2022. In a press conference about Armstrong's capture, the U.S. Marshals said that she had fled to Costa Rica and sought opportunities to teach yoga under a variety of aliases. They observed that her appearance had changed drastically; her hair had been dyed and cut short, her nose had been bandaged, and there was some discoloration around her eyes, which she reportedly said were caused by a surfboarding accident.

Armstrong was arraigned on July 21, 2022, pleading not guilty to the murder charge. She was held on a $3.5 million bond in Travis County Jail. After suffering delays, the case went to trial on October 30, 2023. Armstrong had lost her bid to suppress evidence of her custodial interrogation with the Austin Police Department, which she argued was illegally obtained because she was not apprised of her Miranda warning. A federal charge of Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution against her was provisionally dismissed as well; legal experts said such a motion was "routine" since she had a constitutional right to a speedy trial.

On October 12, 2023, Armstrong escaped from officers who had escorted her to a medical appointment outside of the jail. She was re-apprehended after a brief chase. She was charged with escape causing bodily injury and the charges were later dropped.

On November 16, 2023, Armstrong was found guilty of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to 90 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after 30 years. Armstrong filed an appeal, which was denied. She is imprisoned at the Dr. Lane Murray Unit.

Civil lawsuit

On May 6, 2024, Wilson's parents filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit against Armstrong, seeking $1 million in damages, but they will "ultimately ask that a jury determine the full value and extent of damages." The compensation will cover burial and funeral expenses as well as emotional damages they suffered as a result of Wilson's death. The lawsuit will also prevent Armstrong from profiting financially from her crime. On June 17, 2024, the judge ordered Armstrong to pay $15 million to the Wilson family.

Adaptation

On June 15, 2024, Lifetime did a television movie called Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story as part of its "Ripped from the Headlines" feature films. The film stars Caity Lotz as Kaitlin Armstrong, Kyle Schmid as Colin Strickland, and Larissa Dias as Moriah Wilson.

External links

• Ian Parker: A Murder Roils the Cycling World The New Yorker November 7, 2022