When Kaitlin Armstrong was sentenced to 90 years in prison for the murder of love rival Moriah Wilson, the victim’s father punched the man in the middle of the deadly love triangle.
Armstrong, 35, who lived with Colin Strickland, shot Moriah “Mo” Wilson after Strickland and Wilson went to dinner on May 11, 2022.
Strickland dated Wilson during a brief breakup with Armstrong, but admitted he kept in touch with Wilson, changed her name in his phone and lied to Armstrong about it.
“This sad story is the perfect example of why integrity and honesty are crucial in our personal relationships and how dishonesty can often lead to unintended consequences,” Wilson’s father Eric said at a news conference after Armstrong’s sentencing.
“Selfish manipulation, jealousy and hatred never lead to positive results.”
Kaitlin Armstrong, 35, showed no emotion after being sentenced to 90 years in prison by a Texas jury for the murder of her love rival Moriah Wilson
Authorities say Armstrong went into a jealous rage and fatally shot Wilson, 25, left, after she went swimming and dining with Armstrong’s boyfriend, professional cyclist Colin Strickland, right
Armstrong was sentenced by a Texas jury to 90 years in prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine on Friday.
“As a family, we believe justice has been served,” Wilson’s father, Eric, said.
‘There are actually no winners here. This is not a time for celebration, but a time for prayer. Time to pray for our family, our friends, and the Armstrong family and their friends.”
The Wilsons added that they would work to keep Wilson’s memory alive through the Moriah Wilson Foundationwhich focuses on expanding access to recreational, sports and educational programs.
On Thursday, it took the jury less than two hours to find Armstrong guilty. The former yoga teacher stalked Wilson and Strickland as they went for a swim and dinner in Austin on May 11, 2022.
After Strickland dropped Wilson off at a friend’s apartment and left, Armstrong entered the house and shot Wilson twice in the head, once in the heart and once in the hand — a wound that the medical examiner said meant Wilson probably had her hands up. to protect themselves from the gunfire.
Kaitlin Armstrong on the day she was found guilty of murdering Moriah, “Mo” Wilson, a rising star in the cycling world who dated Armstrong’s boyfriend
State’s Attorney Rickey Jones references Anna Moriah Wilson’s defense wounds as he addresses the jury during the sentencing portion of Kaitlin Armstrong’s murder trial in Austin, Texas
Prosecutors had urged the jury to give Armstrong at least 40 years, because she will be eligible for parole after serving half her sentence or 30 years, whichever comes first.
Wilson’s friend and mother addressed Armstrong in court after the sentencing, with the victim calling Armstrong’s actions “selfish and cowardly.”
“You never chose to confront her woman to woman in civil conversation,” Karen Wilson said, looking straight at her daughter’s killer.
‘She would have listened. She was a great listener. She would have cared about your feelings. You and Colin could have had a great life together.’
Karen added that Armstrong chose to ruin her own life and many others.
“When you shot Moriah in the heart, you shot me in the heart,” the grieving mother said.
As Karen walked back to her seat, she maintained eye contact with Armstrong as she walked past her.
Wilson’s mother, Karen, took the stage after Kaitlin Armstrong’s sentencing to deliver a victim impact statement, telling her daughter’s killer, “When you shot Moriah in the heart, you shot me in the heart.”
Kaitlin Armstrong moments before he learned that an Austin, Texas jury had convicted her Thursday of the murder of love rival Moriah “Mo” Wilson. Jurors reached a ‘guilty’ decision in less than two hours
A key piece of evidence in the case was surveillance video from a neighbor that captured Wilson’s blood-curdling final screams as Armstrong approached her with the gun. Then three shots are heard.
Jurors also saw multiple videos showing Armstrong’s black Jeep outside the apartment where Wilson was killed.
Additionally, Armstrong’s phone and vehicle GPS both placed her at the murder scene.
Armstrong’s DNA was also found on Wilson’s bicycle outside the apartment.
The killer turned down a chance for a lighter sentence in exchange for pleading guilty months before her trial began, DailyMail.com exclusively reported.
Moriah “Mo” Wilson’s photo appears on screen Friday during the sentencing portion of Kaitlin Armstrong’s murder trial at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center
Colin Strickland storms out of the Travis County Courthouse after testifying against his ex, Kaitlin Armstrong
The former yoga teacher rejected a plea deal from Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza.
“She could have been released from prison at 50 or 60… much sooner than if she were convicted by a jury,” a source who spoke on condition of anonymity told DailyMail.com.
“Against her attorney’s advice, she rejected the settlement. She insists on taking that case, but for her to have to run again… it’s just crazy.”
Armstrong tried to escape from police custody 19 days before her. The Oct. 30 trial began while she was out of jail for a doctor’s visit, but the guard caught her.
Authorities later revealed that she had made up a reason to go to the doctor and that she had trained by running for her failed escape.
The jailbreak marked the second time Armstrong attempted to evade law enforcement.
The yoga teacher is pictured before the attack (left) and after fleeing the country (right). Police said she had plastic surgery, a nose job, and dyed her hair brown while on the run
Days after Wilson’s murder, after police questioned Armstrong, she fled to Costa Rica with her sister’s passport.
After a warrant was issued for her arrest following Wilson’s death, US Marshals tracked her down in a remote coastal town in the Central American country and brought her back to the US.
While on the run, she spent nearly $7,000 on plastic surgery to change her appearance, including a nose job, a brow lift and filler and dying her hair dark, according to court testimony.
However, Armstrong’s days in court are not over. The convicted murder faces a separate charge stemming from her failed escape from prison guards in Austin, which has yet to go to trial.