Moriah Wilson murder/Caitlin Armstrong

[Howl]

This happened in my city and I'm also a cyclist, so a lot of coverage in the media and on cycling social media. 

This involves three people: Moriah (Mo) Wilson, Colin Strickland and Caitlin Armstrong. 

Colin Strickland and Caitlin Armstrong were a couple.  Strickland is a bike racer, Armstrong sells real estate and  teaches yoga.  Mo Wilson was a professional bike racer. 

Armstrong and Colin broke up for a bit, Colin Strickland had a brief (2 weeks?) romantic relationship with Mo Wilson. Strickland soon resumed his relationship with Armstrong, but he and Mo Wilson "remained friends." 

Fast forward to May 11, 2022 and Mo Wilson is in town staying with a female friend at her apartment prior to a bike race that Mo Wilson is favored to win.  That afternoon, Mo Wilson and Strickland go for a swim Barton Springs,  eat burgers. Later in the afternoon Colin Strickland drops her off at the apartment where she is staying. 

The friend comes home around 10 pm and finds Mo Wilson dying from a multiple gunshot wounds. Wilson is pronounced dead after paramedics arrive. 

Police reviewing security camera footage from a neighbor spot Caitlin Armstrong's black Jeep close to the apartment during the window of time that Wilson was shot. 

(Strickland had bought both Armstrong and himself guns a month or so before, and IIRC, the murder weapon is linked to Armstrong's gun.)

From CNN: "Within 24 hours of Wilson’s death, officers from the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force apprehended Armstrong in connection with an unrelated arrest warrant and spoke to her.  However, Austin Police said they then learned Armstrong’s arrest warrant was not valid and told her she was free to leave."

Armstrong sells her Jeep to CarMax for $12,000.  Security footage captures her at Newark airport and then she's in the wind. 

This past week she was located in Costa Rica using someone else's passport.  She'd cut and dyed her hair dark brown and reportedly had plastic surgery.  Costa Rican authorities detained her, deported her and she arrived in Houston yesterday.  For some reason I will never understand, a judge granted her a  3.5 million bail. 

Her father has given a statement that his daughter never could have committed this crime.  I'm sure they are looking at any way possible to raise money for her bail. 

KVUE, an Austin TV station, posted these photos sent to them by Mo Wilson's family, in celebration of her life. 

[Howl]

Reports are that Caitlin Armstrong was on the lam using her sister's passport. No word on how she acquired the sister's passport or if the sister was an accomplice. 

When Caitlin Armstrong was originally stopped by police there was a warrant out in her name. They let her go because the birth date on the warrant was incorrect.  The warrant was for walking out after a spa treatment without paying -- sleazy. 

I think Caitlin Armstrong is mid 30s.  From all reports, shooting someone in cold blood and leaving them clinging to life and bleeding out was (understatement) out of character. 

When she was in the wind, there was a lot of higher order strategizing, though.   Sell car to generate cash, fly to north to Newark, use her sister's passport to fly south to Costa Rica to a low key community of yogi and beach types where she'd blend right in.  Plastic surgery to look more like her sister's passport.  Based on the expiration date of the sister's passport, she potentially had some years of freedom...but nah.  

It will be interesting if someone in the community she landed at in Costa Rica saw something on social media and sorted out who she was, or if she was tracked through her passport, or a combination. 

Colin Strickland is left standing in the wreckage of what's currently left of his life.  He's a professional bike racer who immediately lost all of his sponsors when the story broke.  He's said he's in therapy trying to sort everything out.  My understanding is that he and Armstrong had a business together restoring old camping trailers (Airstreams?), so there is the possibility of a remaining income stream. 

 

[Howl]

Armstrong is now back in Austin, TX  (scene of the crime) and her arraignment hearing is in late July.  Her charges may be upgraded to capital murder.

If that happens, her bail conditions could changed to jailed while awaiting trial or the amount increased.  It's currently 3.5 million - so she's need $350,000 to be out of jail. 

Capital murder in Texas can include the death penalty.  

She seems to have competent lawyers. 

I'm sure it's a little weird for Colin Strickland now that she's returned to Austin. 

If she makes bail, likely her conditions will include a "no contact" order. 

 

[Howl]

Kaitlin Armstrong used her sister's passport to board various flights and to get into Costa Rica.  Lots of discussion on Websleuths about the sister and her potential involvement. 

She potentially spent four days with her sister.  One timeline shows her flying into LaGuardia  on May 14 and  flying out of Newark to San Jose, Costa Rica on May 18. 

Did Kaitlin steal the passport? Did the sister lend it to her? Did Kaitlin lie about why she needed to use it?

Kaitlin Armstrong altered her appearance to more closely match her sister's passport photo- cut and dyed hair, then underwent plastic surgery procedure in Costa Rica. 

A hearing is scheduled in Travis County Criminal Court for July 20.

 

[Howl]

Armstrong's hearing is tomorrow (Wed, July 20) in Travis County (Texas) Court. There's been a request filed to raise Armstrong's bail from 3.5 million to 10 million. 

Any of you legal eagles, why not just put her in the gray-bar hotel until trial because she's a flight risk? 

[Bluebirdbluebell]

I don't much about this case, but it sounds like Kaitlin Armstrong's family has too much money.

[Howl]

10 hours ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

I don't much about this case, but it sounds like Kaitlin Armstrong's family has too much money.

Well, nobody has posted bail...so maybe not.  

[Howl]

It's made the national news that the Austin police may have an epic screw up on their hands. 

Kaitlin Armstrong was brought in for questioning, using the pretext that she had walked out after a botox treatment without paying, so had some type of outstanding warrant; the real purpose was to discuss the Wilson murder, of course. 

They neglected to Mirandize Armstrong and also ignored her comments about needing an attorney. 

Because of this, it's likely that the entire police interview will not be allowed at trial. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Howl

[Giraffe]

I hadn’t heard of this until a few minutes ago seeing this thread but now I’m hooked! What a bizarre tragedy. 

[Howl]

On 8/19/2022 at 5:05 PM, Giraffe said:

I hadn’t heard of this until a few minutes ago seeing this thread but now I’m hooked! What a bizarre tragedy. 

Yes, it is a tragedy. The young woman who was murdered seems to have been quite a lovely human being and a very talented bike racer. 

I don't think mis-steps by Austin police will keep Kaitlin Armstrong from life in prison without parole, though.  There's a lot of other evidence. 

I was passingly familiar with the boyfriend's name (he's a pro cyclist living in my large city), but didn't know anything about him personally. 

Sadly, all of his sponsors dropped him STAT when it was revealed that his girlfriend was the likely murderer, even though he had nothing to do with the crime. 

Edited August 21, 2022 by Howl