The girl accused within the Might 2022 taking pictures loss of life of rising skilled bike owner Anna Moriah Wilson — often known as “Mo” Wilson — has been discovered responsible of her homicide. Jurors reached the decision for Katilin Armstrong Thursday in courtroom on the Blackwell-Thurman Legal Justice Heart in Austin, Texas, concluding a criminal trial that lasted simply over two weeks.
Armstrong, 35, had pleaded not responsible to a cost of first-degree homicide in Wilson’s loss of life. She was additionally charged with escape inflicting bodily damage, which is a felony, for allegedly trying to escape custody three weeks earlier than the trial started. Authorities mentioned Armstrong fled from officers as they escorted her to a health care provider’s appointment on Oct. 11, however solely ran for about half a block earlier than they caught up along with her.
She may doubtlessly withstand 99 years in jail for the homicide conviction, and as much as 20 years in jail for the second cost if convicted. There was additionally an impressive warrant for Armstrong’s arrest on a misdemeanor cost for theft of companies when she was questioned by police after Wilson’s loss of life.
When the decision was learn, Wilson’s household and pals had been overcome with feelings, embracing one another and crying, CBS affiliate KEYE-TV reported.
Armstrong seemed ahead when the decision was learn and didn’t show outward emotion, KEYE-TV reported. Armstrong’s sister, Christie Armstrong, started to cry after the decision was learn within the courtroom, earlier than protection legal professional Mark Pryor walked her out.
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Wilson was discovered fatally shot on the ground of a good friend’s lavatory on Might 11, 2022, simply days earlier than she was slated to compete in a biking race that she was additionally favored to win. The up-and-coming athlete was 25 on the time of her loss of life.
Police have mentioned that Wilson beforehand dated Armstrong’s boyfriend, Colin Strickland, a fellow aggressive bike owner, with whom Wilson remained pals after their relationship ended. Wilson and Strickland had gone swimming at an area pool hours earlier than she was killed, based on police. Strickland informed them after the homicide that he had picked up Wilson earlier within the day on Might 11 for the swim, and dropped her off on the good friend’s home, the place Wilson was staying forward of the race in Austin, that evening at round 8:30 p.m.
Armstrong labored as a yoga teacher and actual property agent in Austin, and likewise owned a enterprise with Strickland. They lived collectively. Throughout a interval of separation of their on-off relationship, Strickland briefly dated Wilson.
Prosecutors alleged that Armstrong had been utilizing the health app Strava to track Wilson’s location, since Wilson used the app to handle her exercises. They informed the jury throughout Armstrong’s trial that her automotive, a Jeep, had been seen close to the condo the place Wilson was staying along with her good friend, Caitlin Money.
Money testified throughout the first week of the trial, describing how she arrived again at her dwelling to seek out Wilson lined in blood, after the bike owner had been shot within the head and chest. Along with enjoying a recording of the 911 name from the evening of the homicide, when Money tried to revive Wilson after discovering her, prosecutors mentioned the jury can be proven surveillance footage the place Wilson might be heard screaming simply earlier than her loss of life.
“The very last thing Mo did on this earth was scream in terror. These screams are adopted by ‘pow! pow!'” mentioned Travis County Prosecutor Rick Jones in his opening assertion on the trial. He mentioned Armstrong shot Wilson once more, for the third time, seconds after that.
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Armstrong’s protection mentioned there have been no witnesses to the killing, neither is there video proof putting Armstrong on the scene of Wilson’s loss of life. She was questioned by police and let go after the homicide, however a warrant was finally issued for Armstrong’s arrest on Might 19. Earlier than the warrant, authorities mentioned that Armstrong offered her Jeep for money and traveled from Austin to New York Metropolis, then from Newark, New Jersey, to Costa Rica, allegedly utilizing her sister’s passport as her personal for the journey.
Authorities mentioned that Armstrong taught yoga whereas in Costa Rica and underwent cosmetic surgery to vary her look, with prosecutors moreover telling the jury that Armstrong had minimize her hair and adjusted her hair shade as nicely. Her legal professional, Geoffrey Puryear, addressed hypothesis about her time in Costa Rica throughout the trial, saying, ” “She would haven’t any cause to find out about any (arrest) warrant. You’ll hear Kaitlin is obsessed with touring and obsessed with yoga,” CBS Texas reported.
After almost six weeks in Costa Rica, Armstrong was arrested by officers with the U.S. Marshals Service at a hostel on Santa Teresa Seashore in Provincia de Puntarenas, and returned again to the U.S.
Strickland additionally testified at Armstrong’s trial, telling the jury about how their relationship started over a relationship app in 2019, and continued thus far on and off for greater than two years. He mentioned Armstrong had entry to his communications, the Austin American-Statesman reported, and that he had modified the identify of Wilson’s contact in his cellphone to keep away from battle with Armstrong. He known as Wilson “an immense expertise” whereas addressing the jury.
In different testimonies, two of Amrstrong’s former pals took the stand. One in all them, Nicole Mertz, knew Armstrong by way of the biking neighborhood and mentioned she thought of her to be considered one of her closest pals, KEYE-TV reported. Mertz recalled as soon as being at an Austin restaurant known as The Meteor with Armstrong, the place Armstrong had mentioned she was upset as a result of Wilson had come to city and was visiting Strickland, based on the station.
Mertz additionally mentioned Armstrong grew to become “visibly offended” seeing Wilson enter the restaurant, and, when Mertz requested what Armstrong would do if Strickland began relationship another person, Mertz testified that her former good friend responded, “I might kill her,” reported KEYE-TV.
– Allison Gualtieri contributed reporting.
