Austin, Texas — A Texas jury on Thursday convicted a woman of murder in the May 2022 shooting death of rising professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson in a case that prompted investigators to launch a 43-day international search for the killer.
Kaitlin Armstrong, 35, faces life in prison when she is sentenced later Thursday. Prosecutors said Armstrong shot 25-year-old Wilson in a jealous rage. Wilson, who was also known as ‘Mo’, had briefly dated Armstrong’s boyfriend several months earlier. Wilson had gone swimming and eating with him the day she was killed.
Jurors deliberated for about two hours after two weeks of testimony. Wilson’s family and friends — including the friend who found her body the night she was killed — hugged and cried in the courtroom after the verdict was read.
Kaitlin Armstrong’s sister sat next to their mother, crying. Armstrong’s father remained silent for several minutes after the verdict.
A Vermont native and former alpine skier at Dartmouth, Wilson was a rising star in professional gravel and mountain bike racing. She was visiting Austin ahead of a race in Texas, where she was among the favorites to win. Investigators said Armstrong followed Wilson to the apartment where she was staying and shot her three times.
Armstrong had a brief encounter with police before selling her car and using her sister’s name and passport to fly to Costa Rica. Investigators said she spent more than $6,000 on a nose job there and changed her hairstyle and hair color to evade authorities before being arrested as a beachside hostel.
Armstrong’s lawyers had urged the jury to find reasonable doubt in what they called an inadequate and sloppy investigation. They accused investigators of “tunnel vision” in quickly identifying Armstrong as a suspect.
Armstrong’s attorneys noted that there were no witnesses to the shooting or video surveillance. They wondered why police did not strongly consider Colin Strickland, Armstrong’s boyfriend who was with Wilson the day she died, or two other male acquaintances as suspects.
But investigators said they quickly eliminated Strickland and the others and that the evidence pointed solely to Armstrong. Investigators said Armstrong tracked Wilson’s location through a fitness app, and they found deleted digital maps of the garage apartment where she was killed.
Armstrong’s Jeep was seen near the apartment around the time Wilson was shot and shell casings found near Wilson’s body were consistent with a gun Armstrong owned. Two of Armstrong’s friends testified that she had previously said she wanted or could kill Wilson.
After selling her Jeep for $12,000, Armstrong fled to Costa Rice, where she tried to establish herself as a yoga instructor before federal authorities found her, investigators said.
Armstrong tried to escape from authorities again during an October 11 doctor’s appointment outside the prison. She faces a separate charge of escape.