Share and Follow
CHILLING new details about a cyclist’s death have emerged at trial after she was killed in a jealous fit of rage, prosecutors allege.
Former yoga teacher Kaitlin Armstrong, 35, has pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of pro cyclist Moriah “Mo” Wilson.
Wilson, 25, a professional cyclist, was shot while staying at a friend’s home in Austin, Texas, on May 11, 2022, in what police called a targeted homicide.
She had hung out with Armstrong’s long-time boyfriend Colin Strickland on the morning before she died.
Strickland and Armstrong had been together since 2019 but he and Wilson had a brief romance while the couple was on a break and remained friends after.
Prosecutors allege that Armstrong shot Wilson out of jealousy.
A bombshell in the ongoing trial came this week when two witnesses said that Armstrong told them she would kill Wilson if the cyclist dated her boyfriend.
BEST FRIEND’S TESTIMONY
Armstrong’s best friend Nicole Mertz took the stand and described a conversation that the pair had at a restaurant in Austin.
Mertz said that Strickland and Armstrong’s relationship was very on-off, with a number of breakups and reunions.
Mertz testified that she asked Armstrong what she would do if Strickland started dating someone, and Armstrong allegedly responded: “I would kill her.”
Days later, Mertz learned of Wilson’s death from a news article and her mind immediately went to Armstrong, she told the court.
She thought her friend might have something to do with Wilson’s murder so she contacted police, believing it to be the right thing to do.
Another notable moment came when Armstrong’s boyfriend Strickland took the stand.
He described their time together as tumultuous and said that he was apprehensive about having a long-term relationship with her despite them loving each other.
‘STRANGE AND UNNERVING’
Armstrong was apparently furious to find out Strickland and Wilson had a brief fling following a break in their relationship.
Strickland testified that Armstrong had contacted Wilson during her week-long relationship with Strickland, confronting her about it.
Strickland said he found this “strange and unnerving” because he had not told Armstrong about his new relationship.
Another of Armstrong’s friends Jacqueline Chasteen was also called as a witness.
She said that Armstrong told her that after Strickland and Armstrong rekindled their romance, Wilson would not “leave him alone.”
Armstrong said “in so many words that she wanted to kill Wilson, or had thought about killing her,” Chasteen said on the stand.
One of Wilson’s friends also informed authorities that Armstrong had repeatedly contacted Wilson for months to tell her to stay away from Strickland.
Mertz said Armstrong was “visibly angry” after she saw Wilson walk into a restaurant the friends were dining at together in Austin, Texas.
“I had never seen her like that before, which is why I remember,” said Mertz.
Both of Armstrong’s friends contacted police to share what they knew of Armstrong’s intentions after hearing of Wilson’s murder.
WILSON’S FINAL HOURS
The night before the murder, Strickland and Wilson were hanging out as friends while Wilson was visiting town for a biking competition.
Authorities said Strickland had lied to Armstrong, telling her he would be out delivering flowers, but instead went swimming with Wilson, which they believe is what led Armstrong to snap.
Security footage from the neighborhood showed Armstrong’s SUV near the scene at the time of the murder, which Armstrong had no explanation for, according to the police.
Authorities believe Armstrong was able to track their location via the fitness app Strava, which logs cyclists’ bike rides.
Wilson was shot with a 9mm gun, which Strickland said he had purchased for Armstrong to use for protection.
Police said in court that ballistics from Armstrong’s gun matched the weapon used to murder Wilson.
Wilson’s final moments, including several screams followed by gunshots, were captured on a neighbor’s Ring camera.
Prosecutors shared Armstrong’s search history in the days after the murder.
She allegedly searched her own name and Wilson’s, as well as phrases like “plastic surgery in Costa Rica” and “Can pineapples burn fingerprints?” CourtTV reported.
MANHUNT FOR ARMSTRONG
Following Wilson’s murder, Armstrong cut and dyed her hair then fled the country using her sister’s passport as an alias.
She evaded cops for 43 days before they arrested her at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Costa Rica on June 29, 2022.
Prosecutors say Armstrong started teaching yoga and even began dating under the pseudonyms Air, Beth, and Liz, all while on the lam.
She had a bandage across her nose at the time of her capture and it’s believed that she had plastic surgery to change her appearance.
If convicted of murder, Armstrong faces up to 99 years in prison.
Armstrong could have an additional 20 years added to her sentence for trying to escape custody three weeks before the trial began.
