AUSTIN, Texas (NewsNation) — Opening statements in the murder trial for Kaitlin Armstrong were presented Monday in an Austin courtroom where the suspect pleaded not guilty to charges against her.
Armstrong, 35, accused of shooting and killing professional cyclist Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson in May 2022, faces first-degree murder charges. She was allegedly involved in a love triangle between herself, her boyfriend and the victim.
Armstrong was also hit with a second-degree felony charge for escape causing bodily injury after she ran from corrections officers while leaving a medical building two weeks ago. She led officers on a 10-minute chase before she was restrained and returned to custody.
She entered the courtroom in a blue blouse and black pantsuit, not restrained or cuffed in any way.
The victim’s family was present in court, sitting in the front row behind the prosecutors.
During the opening statements, the prosecutor painted a picture of the victim’s killing. He said Wilson’s screams could be heard on surveillance video followed by two gunshots.
“The last thing Mo Wilson did on this Earth is scream in terror,” Attorney Rickey Jones said.
Wilson was shot once in the middle of her head and another time in the side of her head. A third shot was fired into Wilson’s heart.
Jones provided a timeline of Armstrong’s relationship with professional cyclist Colin Strickland, the man who she was dating at the time. When the relationship was off, they dated others but continued to live together.
The prosecutor said Strickland began seeing Wilson in October 2021. At that time, Armstrong reportedly began calling Wilson and confronting her about the relationship. Strickland had changed Wilson’s name in his phone. In January 2022, Armstrong allegedly bought a 50-round box of ammo and had been seen practicing with her 9mm Sig Sauger in the months leading up the Wilson’s death, Jones said.
According to cellphone records from May 2, 2022, Armstrong had access to messages between Strickland and Wilson. Search history revealed that nine days before Wilson’s death, Armstrong looked up pictures of Wilson from her phone.
On the days before Wilson was killed, Armstrong was monitoring Wilson’s whereabouts on Strava, an app that tracks people’s location in a general area. On May 9, Armstrong looked Wilson up once. On May 10, Armstrong looked Wilson up four times.
On the day of Wilson’s death, the prosecution said Strickland and Wilson arranged to go swimming together at Deep Eddy pool. Strickland had told Armstrong he was running errands across town. It was then that Wilson gave Colin the apartment address where she was staying. And since Armstrong allegedly had access to all of Colin’s text messages, she obtained the address also.
A neighbor’s surveillance camera caught Armstrong’s Jeep at the scene on the night of the shooting, around the same time Wilson had arrived back at the home she was staying at while visiting Austin.
Armstrong was named a person of interest the day after Wilson’s death after Strickland was able to identify her Jeep. She was brought into the station for questioning, but could not explain why her vehicle was there. Police released Armstrong after questioning.
A search warrant was executed and two 9mm pistols were located, including Armstrong’s Sig Sauer.
Two days after the crime, Armstrong is seen selling her Jeep for $12,000 and then taking an Uber to the airport. The following day, she flies to Houston and then New York City, using her sister’s name and passport.
She was on the run for 43 days until she was captured in Costa Rica where she had dyed her hair and paid $6,425 for plastic surgery under a different name.
Jones laid out the evidence in the form of video surveillance, ballistics and DNA.
Video Surveillance:
- Strickland left the area before the killing.
- Four surveillance cameras caught Armstrong’s Jeep circling the area.
- Armstrong’s Jeep was spotted at the base of the apartment stairs one minute after Wilson unlocked the front door.
Ballistic Evidence:
- Three shell casings and three projectiles were recovered.
- All were analyzed and compared to Kaitlin’s gun.
- Both guns were test-fired and Strickland’s gun was excluded.
- Results showed a match between spent casings at the crime scene and Armstrong’s gun.
DNA Evidence:
- Wilson’s bike was swabbed after it was found in the bushes 60 feet from the crime scene.
- DNA experts expected to testify of a strong likelihood that the DNA matches that of Armstrong.
The defense’s opening statement became heated as the prosecution often objected to the points the defense was trying to make, claiming the statements were beginning to make arguments and not laying out a roadmap of the evidence as the State did.
The defense stated that there were no witnesses to the actual alleged killing of Wilson, and no video footage of Armstrong at the scene of the victim’s death. Plus, the defense said that the Austin Police Department told Armstrong she was “free to go” after questioning.
“Armstrong is passionate about traveling and passionate about yoga. She was known to travel at the drop of a hat, at a moment’s notice,” defense attorney Geoffrey Puryear said.
Puryear continued to poke holes into the evidence and witnesses that this trial would call on, even going as far as to say ballistic science isn’t even a science and that law enforcement had tunnel vision from the beginning of the investigation.
Jones reacted to Puryear’s opening statements often, claiming the defense was trying to push arguments, not a roadmap of what to expect during the trial.
At the end of the defense’s opening statements, a 15-minute break was called to dismiss the cameras from he courtroom for witness testimonies.
Judge Brenda Kennedy, who is presiding over the trial, agreed to allow media to film opening statements, closing arguments and the verdict, but not witness testimony. Jury selection occurred on Monday, which is never allowed to be filmed in order to protect the identity of jurors.
Reporters are still allowed inside the courtroom during court all proceedings, however, and can take notes and report any information that is presented when there are no cameras around.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
NewsNation affiliate KXAN contributed to this report.