Kaitlin Armstrong, left, and Anna Moriah Wilson.Photo:U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Department of Justice
Former yoga instructor Kaitlin Armstrong has been found guilty of murdering professional cyclistAnna Moriah “Mo” Wilson, who had previously been in a relationship with Armstrong’s on again, off again, boyfriend.
The highly anticipated trial began on Nov. 1 in Austin, Texas — the same city where Wilson was fatally shot at her friend’s home on May 11, 2022. After fewer than two hours of deliberation, the jury found Armstrong, 35, guilty of first-degree murder.
Hours before Wilson’s death, she went on a long bike ride, then met up with fellow professional cyclist Colin Strickland, who she had previously dated. They went swimming and had dinner and drinks before Strickland dropped Wilson, 25, off at her friends home. An hour later, Wilson’s friend found her fatally shot inside the residence.
Mo Wilson.Mo Wilson/Instagram
During the trial, prosecutors claimed that Armstrong — who was in an on again, off again relationship with Strickland —used a fitness appto track Wilson’s location to where she was staying in Austin. She also began to monitor her whereabouts on social media in the days before the killing, prosecutors said.
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Wilson and Strickland dated in 2021 while he and Armstrong were separated, but Armstrong and Strickland eventually reconciled, theAustin American-Statesmanreports. However, Strickland remained friends with Wilson, which allegedly infuriated Armstrong.
Armstrong was questioned one day after Wilson’s murder,KXANreports, but was mistakenly released from custody. On May 14, she flew from Austin to New York City and disappeared, according to the outlet.
After more than a month on the run,Armstrongwas arrested in Costa Rica on June 29. The U.S. Marshals Servicesannounced her captureand revealed that she used a fraudulent passport on May 18 to flee to the country. After she was returned to the U.S., she wascharged with murderand pleaded not guilty.
Kaitlin Armstrong.City of Austin Police Department
City of Austin Police Department
Armstrong’s friend Nicole Mertz testified earlier in the trial that when Wilson traveled to Austin in late October 2021 to visit Strickland, she was visibly angry when Wilson arrived at a local restaurant where Armstrong’s and Strickland’s friends had gathered. “I asked Kaitlin if Colin ever started dating anyone else seriously, what would she do? And she said, ‘I would kill her,'” Mertz said.
Colin Strickland.
Armstrong will be sentenced at a later dates and faces life in prison.
source: people.com
