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Fugitive yoga teacher accused of killing pro cyclist who dated her boyfriend pleads not guilty to murder charges

Kaitlin Armstrong pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Moriah Wilson
Kaitlin Armstrong pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Moriah Wilson (Pictures: Harris County Sheriff’s Office)

The Texas yoga teacher accused of killing elite cyclist Moriah ‘Mo’ Wilson in an act of jealous rage has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

Kaitlin Armstrong, 34, entered a not guilty plea during her first court appearance Wednesday after spending 43 days hiding from authorities in Costa Rica.

In addition to her not guilty plea, her attorneys filed a motion for a speedy trial.

Armstrong allegedly shot Wilson, who was 25, numerous times on May 11 after learning the professional cyclist had spent the day with her then-boyfriend.

Wilson and the boyfriend, Colin Strickland, who is also a professional cyclist, had gone swimming at Deep Eddy pool before eating at a restaurant across the street. Strickland had dropped Wilson off for the night at a friend’s home in Austin, where she was staying ahead of a bike race.

Wilson was found ‘lying on the bathroom floor covered in blood’ according to the police affidavit. She was soon after pronounced dead.

Investigators believe Armstrong had been following the pair that evening, and surveillance footage outside the friend’s home shows Armstrong’s car driving past moments after Strickland dropped Wilson off.

After searching the home Armstrong shared with Strickland, investigators found the murder weapon.

Armstrong also pleaded not guilty on an ‘unrelated theft of service’ charge, which stems from a Botox procedure she did not pay for in 2018.

Because there was a warrant out for the misdemeanor, police were able to detain Armstrong after Wilson’s murder and question her on the topic. However, she was later mistakenly released from custody because her date of birth in the department’s system did not match the date of birth on the warrant.

When she was confronted with video evidence of her car being in the area Armstrong had no explanation. She was then able to run off and evade law enforcement for 43 days before being caught by US Marshals in Costa Rica.

Investigators say Strickland and Wilson dated for ‘one or two weeks’ in October of last year, at a time when he and Armstrong were on a break from their relationship. Strickland later told police his relationship with Wilson became platonic when he resumed a relationship with Armstrong.

Strickland was never considered a suspect because security footage and other evidence showed he was elsewhere at the time of Wilson’s death.

Wilson’s family said in a statement that at the time of her death she was not romantically involved with anyone.

Armstrong is being held in Travis County Jail on $3.5million bond on the murder and theft charges.

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