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During Kaitlin Armstrong’s highly publicized murder trial, her former boyfriend caused a stir when he attempted to disassociate himself from the accused murderer, eliciting gasps of shock.
Ms. Armstrong is currently on trial at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin for the murder of Moriah Wilson, a rising professional cyclist. Prosecutors claim that Ms. Armstrong, a yoga instructor, specifically targeted Wilson due to their involvement in a love triangle with Colin Strickland, who was Ms. Armstrong’s former on-and-off boyfriend.
On 11 May 2022, Wilson was killed by a gunshot shortly after being with Mr Strickland at a bar near the pool. Mr Strickland drove her to her friend Caitlin Cash’s house where later that night, Cash discovered Wilson’s body in a pool of blood.
Mr. Strickland, who shared a bond with Wilson through their mutual passion for professional cycling, testified on Thursday about his turbulent relationship with Ms. Armstrong. He confessed that he had a brief romantic involvement with Wilson during his separation from Ms. Armstrong and later maintained a friendly connection with the promising cyclist when he reconciled with Ms. Armstrong.
According to earlier statements made by Mr. Strickland in court, he and the yoga instructor shared a deep love and she had been instrumental in managing his business and financial matters. However, during his second day of testimony on Monday, his comments appeared to suggest a deliberate effort to disassociate himself from Ms. Armstrong.
On the initial day of her trial at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center, Kaitlin Armstrong attentively hears the opening statements.
“Do you have a strong familiarity with Kaitlin Armstrong?” Ms. Armstrong’s legal team inquired while cross-examining.
According to NewsNation reporter Alex Caprariello, who was present in the court, Mr. Strickland’s response of “No, I do not” caused a noticeable gasp.
On May 12, 2022, when detectives from the Austin Police Department arrived at Mr. Strickland’s residence, he was with his former girlfriend. The court was presented with body camera footage last week that showed the couple’s response upon learning of Wilson’s murder.
Afterwards, Mr Strickland accompanied investigators to the police station where he was questioned for approximately six hours. The investigators inquired about his black Jeep, which matched the vehicle captured on surveillance footage near the location where Wilson was discovered.
The vehicle had also been seen near the poolside bar where Mr. Strickland and Wilson were present just hours before the victim’s death. Ms. Strickland mentioned during her statement that the authorities were aware that it was owned by Ms. Armstrong.
The next day, law enforcement officials executed a legal order to search the suspect’s residence and confiscated firearms. During her testimony on Friday, crime scene specialist Mirezha Guevara stated that while she was photographing the weapons and Ms. Armstrong’s black Jeep, she also observed Ms. Armstrong’s passport and foreign currency in the residence.
Mo Wilson, also known as Moriah, was a rising star in the close-knit community of gravel racing cyclists.
On May 12, 2022, a lawyer who represented both Mr. Strickland and Ms. Armstrong was present during the warrant being served. However, investigators did not request to interview Ms. Armstrong. The next day, Mr. Strickland sought advice from another lawyer and on the same day, he made the decision to fully separate from Ms. Armstrong.
Afterwards, he visited his company’s main office in Lockhart and did not encounter Ms Armstrong once more.
Ms Armstrong boarded a flight from Austin to Houston on 14 May and eventually traveled to Costa Rica. She was located and taken into custody over a month later.
In other parts of his statement, Mr Strickland mentioned having numerous disputes with Ms Armstrogn about her bouts of jealousy. On one occasion, she went so far as to ask him to convey her affection to Mo after he uploaded an Instagram clip featuring Wilson in the background.
According to Mr. Strickland, he believed the behavior was very passive-aggressive. He also mentioned that Ms. Armstrong had directly approached Wilson over the phone, which apparently deeply affected and troubled the deceased cyclist.
Prosecutors have the belief that one of the firearms found at the residence shared by Mr Strickland and Ms Arsmtrong was the specific one utilized in the murder of Wilson. During his testimony last week, Mr Strickland stated that he had bought the gun in 2021 with his former girlfriend, as she had expressed concerns about riding her bike alone.
During the opening statements, the state disclosed that DNA discovered on Wilson’s bicycle was most likely from Ms. Armstrong.
Wilson’s bicycle was found abandoned in the bamboo, just a short distance from the apartment where she was discovered deceased.
During the cross-examination of Mr. Strickland, Ms. Armstrong’s lawyers attempted to argue that the DNA found on Wilson could have been transferred from his jacket or helmet while they were riding to the bar where they spent their last evening together.
Source: independent.co.uk
