Kaitlin Armstrong Convicted of Murder in Star Cyclist's Death

Former yoga instructor could receive 99-year term in slaying of Anna Moriah Wilson
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 1, 2023 3:00 PM CDT
Updated Nov 16, 2023 4:05 PM CST
Kaitlin Armstrong Goes on Trial in Cyclist's Murder
Kaitlin Armstrong makes a pre-trial appearance at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, April 20, 2023.   (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)
UPDATE Nov 16, 2023 4:05 PM CST

A Texas jury has returned a guilty verdict in the murder trial of Kaitlin Armstrong, who was charged with the fatal shooting last year of pro cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson. State District Judge Brenda Kennedy said the jury deliberated for about two hours before convicting the former yoga instructor, the New York Times reports. She'll face up to 99 years in prison at sentencing, per CNN.

Nov 1, 2023 3:00 PM CDT

More than a year after US Marshals tracked her down in Costa Rica, Kaitlin Armstrong is on trial for the murder of elite cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson. Prosecutors allege that Armstrong, 35, killed the 25-year-old out of jealousy because she had previously been romantically involved with Armstrong's then-boyfriend, pro cyclist Colin Strickland; Wilson had gone swimming with him on the day she was killed, CNN reports. In opening statements Wednesday, prosecutors said Armstrong had monitored Strickland's communications with Wilson in the weeks before the murder and had used a fitness app to keep track of Wilson's movements, reports the AP.

Wilson was shot to death at an apartment in Austin, Texas, on May 11 last year. Prosecutors said Wednesday that surveillance cameras captured her screams. "The last thing Mo did on this earth was scream in terror," Travis County prosecutor Rickey Jones said Wednesday, per the AP. "Those screams are followed by 'Pop! Pop!'" he said. "You won't hear any more screams after that." Jones said that seconds after the first two shots were fired, "Kaitlin Armstrong stood over Mo Wilson and put a third shot right into Mo Wilson's heart."

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Armstrong also faces a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Prosecutors say she used her sister's passport to fly to Costa Rica the day after an arrest warrant was issued. Another felony charge was added after an escape attempt last month. Defense attorney Geoffrey Puryear said Wednesday that there is no evidence from witnesses or surveillance cameras showing his client was at the murder scene. He described Armstrong as a "woman trapped in a nightmare of circumstantial evidence," per CNN. (Authorities found Armstrong in Costa Rica after they visited a yoga studio.)

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