Who is Kaitlin Armstrong and what did she do?

With an alleged love triangle and the world of professional cycling involved, Kaitlin Armstrong‘s murder captured headlines in late 2023. Here’s what you need to know about who Armstrong is, what she allegedly did, and other important details from the case.

According to CBS News, 25-year-old pro cyclist Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson was shot and killed in 2022. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Reportedly, Wilson was romantically involved with Colin Strickland, Armstrong’s boyfriend, business partner, and also a noted cyclist. Strickland and Wilson were allegedly together earlier in the evening on the night that Wilson died. Linking Armstrong to the crime was her vehicle, which was spotted in the area, as well as shell casings matching a gun in Armstrong’s possession.

Strickland was cleared of any involvement in Wilson’s death, but after Armstrong was interviewed by the police, she left the country. She was later arrested in Costa Rica, where she’d taken steps to change her appearance. Once returned to Texas, where Wilson’s murder happened, Armstrong pleaded not guilty, and was held on a $3.5 million bond, per ESPN. If convicted, she could face up to 99 years in prison.

Who is Kaitlin Armstrong?

According to ESPN, Kaitlin Armstrong, on trial for the murder of competitive cyclist Mo Wilson, is a yoga instructor and real estate agent, who was in her mid-30s when Wilson was shot and killed. As CBS News also notes, Armstrong and her boyfriend Colin Strickland were more than just lovers, they were also business partners in a company called Wheelhouse Mobile, per The U.S. Sun.

Describing the nature of Armstrong and Strickland’s relationship, Travis County prosecutor Rickey Jones said (via CBS News), “You’ll hear from [Strickland] that the relationship [with Armstrong] was on again, off again, and you will hear that when the relationship was off, they both dated other people.” Like Strickland and Wilson, Armstrong had a background in competitive cycling, and prosecutors believe Wilson’s murder may have been a crime of jealousy.

What did Kaitlin Armstrong do?

On the day that Mo Wilson died, Kaitlin Armstrong allegedly tracked her location through a fitness app. Armstrong is accused of confronting Wilson outside the home of Wilson’s friend, and then shooting Wilson twice in the head and once through the heart. According to the prosecution, Armstrong may have grown jealous over communication between Strickland and Wilson, discovered in Strickland’s email and text messages, per ABC News.

Experts at Armstrong’s are expected to testify that, among other evidence, DNA puts Armstrong at the crime scene. According to Armstrong’s defense, however, there’s no definitive proof she was there, and the prosecution’s ballistic evidence is flimsy. Armstrong’s defense attorney, Geoffrey Puryear, said the prosecution targeted Armstrong with “tunnel vision” and “jumped to conclusions” (via ABC News).

In the aftermath of Wilson’s death, Armstrong left the country with thousands of dollars, having assumed her sister’s identity. She attributed visual evidence of surgical procedures to a surfing accident, and that she left not because of the Wilson case, but because she desired to travel. While awaiting trial, Armstrong also briefly escaped custody en route to a medical appointment. As well as Wilson’s murder, she also faces escape charges, to which she pleaded not guilty.