Kaitlin Armstrong, a former yoga instructor, and realtor from Austin, Texas, was arrested and charged with the murder of Anna Moriah Wilson in East Austin, Texas earlier this year in May. Police believe Armstrong killed Wilson because she had relations with Armstrong’s boyfriend, Colin Strickland.
Armstrong is accused of killing professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson, 25, after police found her shot dead at a friend’s house on May 11.
Armstrong’s defense team called in the last witness in her pre-trial hearing as they tried to get a key police interview thrown out from the trial.
According to Armstrong’s lawyer, she was brought in by the police for questioning on an arrest warrant for failure to pay for a $650 botox appointment on May 12, a day after Wilson was murdered. Instead of questioning her about the unpaid botox injection, police asked her about Wilson’s murder.
Rick Cofer, her lawyer, argued before Judge Brenda Kennedy that the interview conducted by the Austin Police Department on May 12 was illegal. He wants the interview to be tossed out from the case before the trial.
He said that the police detective that went to arrest her did not fully read Armstrong her Miranda rights, as she was interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Other police officers then informed the police detective that the arrest warrant was invalid because Armstrong’s date of birth and the one listed on the warrant was different.
Attorney Cofer said that during her interview, Armstrong repeatedly told the detectives that she wanted to leave and asked for a lawyer, but they continued questioning her about Wilson’s murder.
A respected and retired police lieutenant testifying for the defense was brought in during the pre-trial hearing. According to him, the way the detectives had interviewed Armstrong was a great example of how not to interview a murder suspect.
He told the court that her arrest affidavit was “borderline character assassination,” saying that the detectives had tried to paint a picture of Armstrong, and the quality of the affidavit’s writing was below average and not what was expected from the Austin Police Department.
The retired lieutenant said that the detectives should have stopped questioning Armstrong immediately after she asked for an attorney.
After she was released from the police station, Armstrong sold her car and fled to Costa Rica, where the police finally arrested her in June at a yoga retreat. Armstrong had changed her appearance, with shorter dyed hair, and went by a different name.
The murder victim, Anna Moriah Wilson, had traveled from Colorado to Texas to prepare for the Gravel Locos race, where she was expected to win.
Detective Richard Spitler from the Austin Police Department said in an earlier interview that they had questioned Armstrong about her vehicle being in the area of the crime scene, according to surveillance footage, but she did not deny or confirm being in the area.
Detectives believe that Armstrong killed Wilson over a love triangle. On the day of the murder, Wilson and Strickland had gone out on a date, and later, Armstrong’s car was spotted driving near where Wilson was murdered.
Armstrong’s boyfriend, Collin Strickland, admitted to dating Anna Moriah Wilson for a short period in 2021.
