Gran Fondo Florida, March 17, 2024 - FIND OUT MORE!
United States | Southeast | Virginia >> Kaitlin Armstrong found guilty of Moriah Wilson’s murder

Kaitlin Armstrong found guilty of Moriah Wilson’s murder

The yoga teacher was accused of killing Moriah ‘Mo’ Wilson in May 2022 at an apartment in Austin, Texas

Kaitlin Armstrong found guilty of Moriah Wilson’s murder

Austin yoga teacher Kaitlin Armstrong has been found guilty of murdering professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson.

The verdict over the May 11 2022 murder of 25-year-old Wilson came after just two hours of deliberations on Thursday.

Wilson’s family members in the courtroom cried and embraced each other while Armstrong remained emotionless as the verdict was read.

The two women had become involved in a love triangle with Armstrong’s then on-and-off boyfriend and Wilson’s fellow cyclist Colin Strickland.

Following the murder, Armstrong had fled the country, remaining at large for 43 days before being apprehended by authorities.

After the guilty verdict was returned, the court moved to sentencing immediately. Victim impact statements were given by Wilson’s friends and family.

VIDEO: Kaitlin Armstrong found guilty of murdering cyclist Moriah Wilson in 2022

Caitlin Cash, with whom Wilson had been staying in Austin, said she “held a lot of guilt” for not protecting her friend, and recalled giving her over 100 chest compressions in an attempt to revive her.

Ms Cash said she had texted a picture of Wilson to the cyclist’s mother on 11 May 2022, writing “...your girl is in safe hands here in Austin.” The recollection prompted an audible sob from Wilson’s mother in the courtroom.

Wilson’s brother, Matthew Wilson, broke down when describing how he had learned of his sister’s death, telling the court he felt his pain had been different to that of his parents.

“My sister was my closest confidant. My only sibling. Only person in the world that I could talk to about certain experiences that only she could understand. She was a really, really good listener,” he said, “My sister had her life taken from her. For no reason at all. She’ll never ride a bike again. She’ll never take a 20-minute break from work to bake banana bread in her kitchen.

“She’ll never get married. She’ll never buy a home or have kids. She’ll never meet someone she loves. I will never be able to see that all happen and see her enjoy her life and build her life.”

Over the course of two and half weeks jurors heard testimony from Mr Strickland, friends of Armstrong, and law enforcement personnel. The defence called experts who sought to discredit the state’s DNA and ballistics evidence.

During closing arguments, prosecutors pointed out what they suggested was overwhelming evidence linking Armstrong to the crime, and asked jurors to ignore the “rabbit holes” the defence had asked them to go down.

Assistant District Attorney Rick Jones told the jury: “I’ve never seen so much evidence in my life against one person.”

“The last thing Mo Wilson did was scream in terror,” Mr Jones said. “She stood over her after she shot her in the head twice and put another bullet in her heart ... you heard the medical examiner. That third bullet was in her heart.”

Mr Jones said the evidence against Armstrong was among the most damning he had seen in his career, noting that two of Ms Armstrong’s friends testified she told them she wanted to, or could, kill Wilson.

Vehicle satellite records, phone-tracking data and surveillance video from a nearby home showed Armstrong’s Jeep driving around the apartment and parking in an alley shortly before Wilson was killed.

Defense Attorney Rick Cofer told the jury that Armstrong had been “caught in a nightmare of circumstantial evidence.”

The 35-year-old was questioned by police just three days after the killing but once freed, she fled to Costa Rica leading the authorities on an intensive manhunt.

During the trial the court heard that she had made efforts to disguise her identity with dyed hair and plastic surgery.

Armstrong was brought back to the United States and charged with first-degree murder. She pleaded not guilty in July 2022 and has been held at the Travis County Correctional Complex in Texas on a $3.5m bond.

On 11 October 2023, Armstrong attempted to escape for a second time during a scheduled to attend a medical appointment which required transport to a physician. As she left the facility with a corrections office she took off running.

In a video that captured the incident, and shown at court, she could be seen running across a yard toward a brown wooden fence. The corrections officer pursues, but slips and falls in the grass.

The court heard how Wilson, a competitive gravel and mountain bike racer from Vermont, had been found dead her friend’s Austin, Texas apartment.

On the day of her murder she had arranged to meet fellow pro-cyclist Mr Strickland, with whom she had an on-again, off-again relationship with when he and his then-girlfriend Armstrong were on a hiatus.

In evidence shown at court, three gunshots and a woman’s scream could be heard.

 
Tag: mowilson
 
Nov 17 2023 - NEWS: Kaitlin Armstrong sentenced to 90 years for murder of cyclist Mo Wilson
Nov 16 2023 - NEWS: Kaitlin Armstrong found guilty of Moriah Wilson’s murder
Nov 10 2023 - NEWS: Mo Wilson's final moments heard as Audio leaked from Court
Nov 02 2023 - NEWS: Armstrong tracked cyclist Mo Wilson on a fitness app before shooting her
Oct 12 2023 - NEWS: Kaitlin Armstrong attempts escape before murder trial of Moriah Wilson
Nov 11 2022 - NEWS: Kaitlin Armstrong's murder trial date set for June 22 in Texas
Jul 21 2022 - NEWS: Kaitlin Armstrong pleads not guilty to murder of Mo Wilson
Jul 03 2022 - NEWS: VIDEO: Kaitlin Armstrong back in Texas after arrest in Costa Rica
Jun 30 2022 - NEWS: Fugitive Kaitlin Armstrong arrested in Costa Rica
Jun 24 2022 - NEWS: Kaitlin Armstrong sold her Jeep Grand Cheroke 2 days after murder
Jun 13 2022 - NEWS: US Marshals intensify hunt for Kaitlin Armstrong with $5000 Reward
May 26 2022 - NEWS: Mo Wilson's killer goes on the run to New York after cops let her go
May 24 2022 - NEWS: Colin Strickland loses sponsors after Mo Wilson’s Murder
May 21 2022 - NEWS: U.S. Gravel Pro Colin Strickland's missing girlfriend charged with Mo Wilson’s murder
May 20 2022 - NEWS: Police obtain Search Warrant after Mo Wilson Fatally Shot
 
Tag: bikesafety
 
Feb 27 2024 - NEWS: US women’s cycling team suspended for dressing mechanic as rider
Dec 31 2023 - NEWS: Tragedy as Rohan Dennis kills his wife Melissa Hoskins in a Car Accident
Dec 23 2023 - NEWS: 2024 Gran Fondo Guide Awards and Yearly Review Drops January 1st 2024
Dec 14 2023 - NEWS: US cycling fans to get Max streaming service to replace GCN+
Dec 09 2023 - NEWS: Truck driver accused of killing Davide Rebellin to be charged with road homicide
Nov 17 2023 - NEWS: Kaitlin Armstrong sentenced to 90 years for murder of cyclist Mo Wilson
Nov 16 2023 - NEWS: Kaitlin Armstrong found guilty of Moriah Wilson’s murder
Nov 16 2023 - NEWS: Warner Brothers Discovery pulls the plug on GCN plus
Nov 16 2023 - NEWS: 180 Triathletes bikes seized from TriBike Transport after race in Spain
Nov 10 2023 - NEWS: Mo Wilson's final moments heard as Audio leaked from Court
Nov 04 2023 - NEWS: Thief who robbed Mark Cavendish and Family at knifepoint gets 15 years
Nov 02 2023 - NEWS: Armstrong tracked cyclist Mo Wilson on a fitness app before shooting her
Oct 12 2023 - NEWS: Kaitlin Armstrong attempts escape before murder trial of Moriah Wilson
Sep 29 2023 - NEWS: Miguel Ángel López robbed of over $800,000 pesos at gunpoint in Colombia
Jul 31 2023 - NEWS: Tragedy as US junior rider Magnus White killed in training accident
 
Tag: video
 
Nov 16 2023 - NEWS: Kaitlin Armstrong found guilty of Moriah Wilson’s murder
Nov 09 2023 - NEWS: Dutch headwind cycle race canceled because it was too windy!
Nov 08 2023 - NEWS: Oh Deer! Buck Leaps Over Cyclists at Gran Fondo Hincapie!
Oct 03 2023 - NEWS: VIDEO: The Ride by Matt Wilpers - Riding a Gran Fondo
Jan 19 2023 - NEWS: Cyclist Pushes 400+ Watts to keep up Evenepoel climbing in Calpe
Nov 09 2022 - NEWS: Wolf leaps out of the trees and chases cyclist in Heart stopping footage
Aug 03 2022 - NEWS: VIDEO: Insane Crash At Vuelta a Burgos
Jul 30 2022 - NEWS: VIDEO: Carnage Crashes at the Tour de France Femmes
Jun 20 2022 - NEWS: Go B.I.G at the Bluewater International Granfondo!
Jun 14 2022 - NEWS: VIDEO: Marmolada Madness: Tifosi go crazy on the final climb of the Giro
Apr 24 2022 - NEWS: VIDEO: Carbon Wheels Dramatically Collapse at Paris-Roubaix
Apr 14 2022 - NEWS: Bouhanni wiped out by pedestrian walking in the road at the Tour of Turkey
Mar 31 2022 - NEWS: VIDEO: Mattias Skjelmose flies over wall into ravine at Volta a Catalunya
Mar 31 2022 - NEWS: VIDEO: Alexey Lutsenko suffers highspeed crash on TT Bike
Jan 27 2022 - NEWS: Egan Bernal hit stationary Bus at full speed in Aero Tucked on Time Trial Bike