OAN’s Taylor Tinsley
5:39 PM – Thursday, November 16, 2023
A Texas jury has found Kaitlin Armstrong guilty of fatally shooting professional cyclist Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson.
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Armstrong was found guilty after more than two hours of deliberation on Thursday.
The 35-year-old fatally shot Wilson, 25, on May 11th, 2022, twice in the head and once in the heart.
That night, prosecutors said Wilson had gone on a date with Armstrong’s on-and-off again boyfriend, Colin Strickland. Strickland dropped Wilson off at a friend’s apartment and she was found dead an hour later.
Wilsons screams can be heard in video footage from outside the apartment.
Armstrong, a former real estate agent and yoga instructor, was questioned and released by police the day after the murder. Two days after the killing, police learned that Armstrong sold her vehicle at a dealership and took off from the Austin airport.
She was able to hop onto a flight to San Jose, Costa Rica with a fraudulent passport and was on the run for more than 40 days. To stay under the radar, Armstrong also got a nose job and dyed her hair.
Prosecutors argued that Armstrong killed Wilson in a jealous rage. The story initially garnered national attention after being dubbed a love-triangle murder.
The defense, on the other hand, said Armstrong had been caught “in a nightmare of circumstantial evidence.”
“The truth of the matter is that Kaitlin’s emotions and her actions were normal and routine and human,” said defense attorney Rick Cofer. “But she had to be portrayed as a jealous psycho to create the motive.”
The prosecution said Armstrong tracked Wilson’s location using a fitness app and also monitored her whereabouts on social media days before the killing. She also had access to read Strickland’s texts and emails through Apple and Google accounts.
Friends of Armstrong testified saying she had appeared jealous of Wilson and talked about killing her.
Nicole Mertz said Armstrong was visibly angry when Wilson had gone to visit Strickland back in 2021. “I asked Kaitlin if Colin ever started dating anyone else seriously, what would she do? And she said, ‘I would kill her,’” Mertz said.
Armstrong also attempted to escape custody for a second time in October 2023. She was going to a medical appointment that required transport and took off running as she left the facility. This led to a 10 minute foot chase by guards from Travis County jail until she was captured a mile away.
Armstrong’s sentencing trial has been scheduled for a later date. She faces life in prison.
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