Moriah Wilson murder: what we know so far about the crime and Kaitlin Armstrong (2023)

AUSTIN, Texas — On June 29, law enforcement officialscaptured kaitlin marie armstrong, a local cyclistaccused of murderin the death of professional cyclist Moriah Wilson, after searching for her for more than a month.

Police previously discovered information that Wilson was in a relationship with a man Armstrong was involved with. Evidence revealed that man was Austin professional cyclist Colin Strickland.

Information continues to be released in the ongoing investigation into Wilson's death at an East Austin home in May. KVUE answered several important questions based on what we know so far.

What happened?

Austin police began the investigation into Wilson's death around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11, when they received a call from Wilson's roommate. The roommate told police she found Wilson at her Maple Avenue home with a gunshot wound. EMS medics who arrived at the home attempted to save Wilson's life, but she was pronounced dead that night.

According to an affidavit in the case, Wilson and Strickland went swimming in the Deep Eddy Pool the day she was killed. They then went to eat, and Strickland dropped Wilson off at the house around 8:30 p.m.

Surveillance footage from a neighboring home shows an SUV pulling up near the home where Wilson was staying. Officials later concluded that the SUV belonged to Armstrong.

The affidavit said that Strickland had lied to Armstrong about his whereabouts that night to hide that he was with Wilson.

Strickland returned home, where he lived with Armstrong, around 8:45 p.m. m. that night. Armstrong arrived at the home in the van described in the affidavit sometime after 9:20 p.m.

Armstrong was later arrested on an outstanding Class B warrant and questioned in connection with Wilson's murder. She said she learned of Wilson's death from Strickland, but she was unable to explain why her vehicle was in the area when she was confronted with the video evidence. The affidavit states that she did not make any denials regarding the statements presented to her.

Armstrong soon requested to leave, so the interview ended. Police said she was released from her when she was first arrested because her birth date was incorrect on the warrant and in the department's system, causing a legal dispute. The order said that her birthday was in April instead of November, which is the correct date.

On May 13, a detective contacted Wilson's friend, who described Wilson and Strickland as having an "on and off" relationship that began in the fall of 2021. The friend said Armstrong discovered Wilson's number and contacted Wilson several times. That led Wilson to block Armstrong's phone.

The last time Armstrong called Wilson, Armstrong reportedly told her that she was with Strickland and that she needed to stay away from him.

The next day, an anonymous caller told police that they were with Armstrong in January 2022 when he had just found out that Strickland was having a romantic relationship with Wilson. The caller said Armstrong was "furious and shaking with anger," according to the affidavit. Armstrong told the person that she was so angry that he wanted to kill Wilson. Armstrong later told the anonymous caller that he had just bought a gun or was about to.

Detectives put together a video timeline of the night of the murder from various surveillance videos. A test of weapons found at the home of Strickland and Armstrong led officials to believe that the use of that same firearm was "significant."

A criminal complaint filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas showed that Armstrong was reportedly in possession of a handgun that was seized from his residence. Laboratory tests showed that he fired bullet casings that Austin police found at the crime scene.

The videos, evidence, and corroborating statements from interviewees led officials to believe that Armstrong killed Wilson. Detectives had not spoken to her since May 13.

Authorities continued to search for Armstrong. As of May 21, federal agents said they had not found his black Jeep Cherokee, license plate LDZ5608, and they believed he may still be driving it or may have abandoned it around Austin.

On May 25, investigators said they had learned thatArmstrong may have fled to New York. Investigators believed he was at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on May 14, at approximately 12:30 p.m. She boarded a flight from Austin to Houston's Hobby Airport and then boarded a connecting flight to New York's LaGuardia Airport.

Investigators later learned that Armstrong was dropped off at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 18, a day after the Austin Police Department obtained a warrant for her arrest.

On June 23, investigators revealed that they had located Armstrong's Jeep Grand Cherokee. They said he sold the car to a CarMax dealer in South Austin on May 13 for $12,200. He received a check from the dealership the day after police questioned her.

On June 30, US Marshals confirmed that Armstrong had been captured at a shelter on Santa Teresa beach in Puntarenas province, Costa Rica. The Sheriffs' Office of International Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service worked with Costa Rican authorities to locate and arrest Armstrong on June 29.

Prior to his capture, investigators discovered that Armstrong, using a fake passport, had boarded a flight from Newark International Airport at 5:09 p.m. EST on May 18 and arrived in San José, Costa Rica at 8:27 p.m. ITS T.

According to a report frominside edition, a passport from Armstrong and his sister were left in a locker at Don Jon's Surf and Yoga Lodge in Santa Teresa, along with a receipt for $6,350 for cosmetic surgery under another name.

At a July 7 press conference, authorities said there was an active investigation into the fraudulent use of the passport, but they did not say who it belonged to, saying it belonged to someone "closely associated with her."

Armstrong used three aliases while on the run: Beth Martin, Ari Martin, and Liz. She reportedly used the names at different lodging and yoga establishments.

Who was Moriah Wilson?

Wilson, 25, was a rising professional cyclist who has won several gravel and mountain bike races in the past two seasons and had a summer of racing planned. At the time of his death, he was visiting from San Francisco. An affidavit in the case states that she was in Austin before a bike race in Hico, Texas, where she would race the next weekend.

According to aWilson's obituary, was also an accomplished alpine skier. She rose to the level of a nationally ranked junior skier, placing third in the downhill event at the 2013 USA Junior National Championships, and was a member of the alpine ski team during her time at Dartmouth College. .

After graduating from Dartmouth, Wilson switched gears and became an elite cyclist. According to the obituary, a few weeks before his death, he had decided to quit his job to become a full-time professional cyclist.

The Wilson family has establisheda GoFundMe. They also provided the following statement to ABC News:

"We are absolutely devastated by the loss of our beautiful daughter and sister, Anna Moriah Wilson. There are no words that can express the pain and suffering we are experiencing due to this senseless and tragic loss. Moriah was a talented, kind and caring young woman. .woman.Her life was taken before she had the chance to achieve everything she dreamed of.She will be forever missed by our family, and all who loved her.

"While we will not elaborate further on the ongoing investigation, we feel it is important to clarify that at the time of her death, it was clear to those closest to her, directly from Moriah, that she was not romantically involved with anyone.

"Recently, Moriah had become incredibly passionate about building stronger communities. With her visibility and presence in the world of cycling, she wanted to empower young female athletes, encourage people from all walks of life to find joy and meaning in through sport and community, and inspire everyone to pursue their dreams.
Our family has created a Gofundme page to serve as a starting point for establishing a foundation in his memory. We have endless ideas about how we can share Moriah's life story and legacy to inspire and enrich the lives of others, and do what we can to build a better world. This will allow the spirit of Moriah to live in all of our lives."

Who are Kaitlin Armstrong and Colin Strickland?

Armstrong, the prime suspect in Wilson's murder, is a yoga instructor and independent real estate contractor.

Its real estate license has been sponsored by Kuper Sotheby's International Realty since early 2022. However, in a statement, the company said it had not yet begun its career selling real estate and is no longer affiliated with the brokerage.

"We are shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic death of Moriah Wilson. Our deepest condolences to her family, friends and fellow cyclists. We are heartbroken to learn of the senseless violence that claimed Moriah's life and we sincerely believe that justice shall prevail". the company said in part.

Kaitlin Armstrong's father, Michael Armstrong, told Good Morning America (GMA) that she is not capable of committing the crime she is accused of.

"I know her. I know how she thinks and I know what she believes, and I know she just wouldn't do something like this," Michael Armstrong said.

Michael Armstrong said there are "a lot of unanswered questions" surrounding the crime. Meanwhile, authorities believe Kaitlin Armstrong may still be in the Austin area.

"I was a real estate agent, I was a yoga teacher, so I had personal relationships here in the Austin area," Deputy US Marshal Brandon Filla told GMA. "We hope that eventually if she had some kind of plan, she would maybe reach out to those associates and we'd get a lead based on that."

Kaitlin Armstrong tooseems to have helped operatea Lockhart-based RV renovation company calledTimonera, co-founded by professional cyclist Colin Strickland, the man officials believe serves as the link between Armstrong and Moriah Wilson.

Strickland and Armstrong have been romantically involved and live together. On May 20, Strickland issued a statement regarding Wilson's murder, clarifying her relationship to Wilson and expressing "torture at my proximity to this horrible crime."

"As a point of clarification of the previously reported facts, Moriah Wilson and I had a brief romantic relationship from late October to early November 2021 that lasted approximately one week while Wilson was visiting Austin," Strickland said in a statement. "At that time, she and I had recently broken up. She moved back to her home in California, and about a month later, Katlin Armstrong and I reconciled and resumed our relationship."

He said that he and Wilson had been in a platonic relationship ever since, and "it was not my intention to go ahead with an ancillary romantic relationship that would fool anyone." He said that he is grieving the loss and has been cooperating with the police.

cycling magazineVeloNews reportedon May 24 that, in the wake of the Wilson murder investigation, Strickland has lost major sponsorship ties.

Specialized, Strickland's helmet, shoe, tire and mountain bike sponsor, told VeloNews that it had terminated Strickland's contract and that he "will no longer be a brand-sponsored athlete." Allied Cycle Works told VeloNews that "under the circumstances, Colin Strickland is not expected to represent Allied at future races."

Below is a photo of Strickland and Armstrong together, taken from Strickland's Instagram page. Authorities say Armstrong has removed his social media accounts.

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