Kaitlin Armstrong trial: Witness testimony
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Kaitlin Armstrong, the yoga teacher who allegedly gunned down rising pro cyclist Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson and then fled the country, is now on trial in Texas charged with her murder.
In court on Friday, Ms Armstrong’s ex-boyfriend Colin Strickland testified about their tumultuous relationship. Prosecutors have alleged that Ms Armstrong targeted Wilson because they were involved in a love triangle with Mr Strickland.
Ms Armstrong’s jealousy became more eent in early 2022, and at one point she even told Mr Strickland to “send [her] love to Mo” after he posted an Instagram with Wilson in the background, jurors heard. Mr Strickland told the court that he “felt it was extremely passive-aggressive”.
On Monday, Mr Strickland will return to the stand to resume testimony in the case.
Wilson, a competitive gravel and mountain bike racer, was shot dead at her friend’s home back in May 2022. Her bike was found in the middle of bamboo a few yards from the apartment, with DNA “highly likely” to have come from Armstrong, prosecutors said.
Ms Armstrong fled the country and was on the run for 43 days before being captured and charged with murder.
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1699268580WATCH: Opening statements in Kaitlin Armstrong trial
Kaitlin Armstrong trial: Opening statements
Mike Bedigan6 November 2023 11:03
1699254000A star cyclist was gunned down in Texas. Now her yoga instructor love rival is on trial for murder
Nearly a year and a half after Kaitlin Armstrong made international headlines for allegedly killing her romantic rival and then going on the run for 43 days, her murder trial is underway.
The Texas woman found herself at the centre of a love triangle with her boyfriend Colin Strickland and professional cyclist Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson, who was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds at a friend’s house on 11 May 2022.
Ms Armstrong 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 that ultimately ended in her capture despite her effort to disguise her identity with dyed hair and plastic surgery.
Here’s everything we know about the case:
Mike Bedigan6 November 2023 07:00
1699239600In pictures: week one of Kaitlin Armstrong murder trial
(Austin American-Statesman)
(AP)
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Mike Bedigan6 November 2023 03:00
1699225200WATCH: Witness testimony from Kaitlin Armstrong trial
Kaitlin Armstrong trial: Witness testimony
Andrea Blanco5 November 2023 23:00
1699210800Kaitlin Armstrong was on the run for 43 days following Moriah Willson’s murder
The day after her 14 May 2022 police interview, Ms Armstrong sold her Jeep Grand Cherokee to a dealership for $12,200 before flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Houston Hobby and then taking a connecting Southwest flight to LaGuardia in New York.
An arrest warrant was issued for her on 17 May, and the next day she turned up at Newark Airport in New Jersey. Authorities did not see her boarding an outbound flight.
Brandon Filla, Deputy US Marshal Western District of Texas, told The Independent agents later tracked Ms Armstrong to Costa Rica after learning she had obtained a valid US passport in another person’s name and checking flight records.
They tipped off authorities in the Central American country, who began combing likely tourist hangouts for any sign of the fugitive.
They eventually caught up with her at Don Jon’s, a $17-a-night hostel and yoga retreat in the popular surf resort of Santa Teresa, 170 miles (275km) west of the capital San Jose on the Nicoya Peninsula.
Ms Armstrong reportedly gave police an alias, which did not show up when traced the name through the country’s immigration service. She then proed her real surname, which officers matched to her international arrest warrant.
She had cut and dyed her hair in an effort to change her appearance, and had a bandage on her nose.
A staff member at Don Jon’s confirmed to The Independent that Ms Armstrong had been staying there at the time of her arrest.
“She looked much different than her older photos,” a person who claimed to be with Ms Armstrong when she was arrested commented on an online forum.
“She did have a bandage on the nose she told me was a surf accident. I was about to ask how exactly it happened because if a surfboard did that to her nose she should be dead in the water. I think she had surgery done.”
Sources also told Velonews Ms Armstrong had undergone plastic surgery.
Ms Armstrong had been “trying to set up another type of lifestyle” in the town, Mr Filla told The Independent.
She was then deported to the US, where she was charged with first-degree murder and could be liable for the death penalty.
In a statement after her arrest, Ms Wilson’s family said at the time: “We’re relieved to know this phase of uncertainty is now behind us, and we trust that justice will prevail.”
Andrea Blanco5 November 2023 19:00
1699182000Armstrong’s Black Jeep captured near crime scene on neighbour’s CCTV, prosecutors say
On Thursday, the court heard testimony from Martha Palao, who lives around 100m from where Wilson was found dead.
Jurors were shown two pieces of CCTV footage, in which a black jeep with a bike rack could be seen passing in front of her house and later in her back alley.
Ms Palao said that although she was awake at the time of the alleged murder, she did not hear any gunshots. Police arrived in the neighbourhood around 10pm, she said.
Andrea Blanco5 November 2023 11:00
1699167600Kaitlin Armstrong confronted Moriah Wilson on the phone, ex-boyfriend Colin Strickland says
Mr Strickland said that at one point, Armstrong called Wilson to confront her on the phone, which Wilson found “ strange and unnerving.”
He looked very sad and defeated as he testified, according to reporters in the courtroom.
Wilson then left for a different cycling event but maintained communication with Mr Strickland, although the two were not very serious about moving on with a formal relationship, Mr Strickland said. The pair saw each other at different events
During that period, Ms Armstrong is said to have dated two other men, while still living at Mr Strickland’s home.
Mr Strickland and Ms Armstrong eventually reconciled and travelled together to a championship in Arkansas in January 2022.
Mike Bedigan5 November 2023 07:00
1699149600Mo Wilson’s family left courtroom as graphic crime scene photos are shown to jurors
Witness testimony continued on Thursday with a homicide detective and a crime scene analyst each taking the stand.
The courtroom was shown graphic photos of the crime scene which triggered crying from several of Mo Wilson’s loved ones. Some of her family left the room.
Wilson’s competitive bicycle was brought out for the jury to see shortly before court took a recess for lunch.
Moriah Wilson is a professional cyclist
(Mo_Wilson / Instagram )
Andrea Blanco5 November 2023 02:00
1699135200‘The last thing Mo did on this earth was scream in terror’
In a bold opening statement on Wednesday, Travis County prosecutor Rickey Jones told jurors that they would hear the moment in which Moriah “Mo” Wilson was fatally shot, which was captured on nearby surveillance equipment.
“The last thing Mo did on this earth was scream in terror,” Mr Jones said.
“Those screams are followed by ‘Pop! Pop!’” he added, smacking his hands together for emphasis. “You won’t hear any more screams after that.”
Seconds after those shots, Mr Jones said, “Kaitlin Armstrong stood over Mo Wilson and put a third shot right into Mo Wilson’s heart.”
In a short opening statement, defense attorney Geoffrey Puryear said Ms Armstrong was caught in a “web of circumstantial eence.”
Andrea Blanco4 November 2023 22:00
1699120800IN PICTURES: First week of Kaitlin Armstrong’s murder trial
Kaitlin Armstrong listens to opening arguments during the first day of her trial
(AP)
Caitlin Cash, who found Wilson’s dead body, is embraced during the first day of trial during the first day of Kaitlin Armstrong’s trial.
(AP)
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Kaitlin Armstrong enters the courtroom during the first day of her trial at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center
(AP)
Andrea Blanco4 November 2023 18:00
