AUSTIN, Texas — The murder trial for Kaitlin Armstrong began on Wednesday, almost 18 months after the death of semi-professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson.
A jury was seated for the trial on Monday, and the court took a break on Tuesday. Opening statements began Wednesday morning.
Armstrong is accused of killing Wilson in East Austin on May 11, 2022. She faces a first-degree murder charge, as well as a felony charge related to an attempted escape earlier this month.
KVUE Senior Reporter Tony Plohetski was in the courtroom and was livetweeting throughout the course of the proceedings.
State's opening statements
In their opening statements, prosecutors said the last thing Wilson did "on this Earth" was scream. They said they will play surveillance audio of her final moments, followed by gunshots. Prosecutors claim that after firing, Armstrong stood over Wilson and shot again.
Prosecutors say Armstrong and acclaimed cyclist Colin Strickland started dating and lived together in 2021. Assistant District Attorney Rickey Jones said their relationship became on-again, off-again and when the relationships was off, they both dated other people but continued living together.
Strickland started dating Wilson in October 2021 during one of those off periods, according to prosecutors. Strickland confronted Armstrong about her calling Wilson and changed Wilson's name in his phone to conceal their relationship. Prosecutors say Armstrong was not happy about ongoing communication.
Armstrong would often send emails and messages of their joint business on behalf of Strickland, prosecutors say. They say in January 2022, Armstrong went to a firing range to practice shooting a gun and had pictures on her cellphone – four months before Wilson's murder.
In May 2022, Strickland began picking up communication with Wilson. Armstrong was monitoring the communications through a jointly used iPad, according to prosecutors. On May 2, she logged into Strickland's Gmail and Instagram accounts and also looked up pictures of Wilson on her phone.
On May 10, 2022, Armstrong looked Wilson up on an app often used by athletes to log their workouts. Prosecutors say this allowed Armstrong to pinpoint Wilson's location, including when she arrived in Austin to stay with a friend.
The day of Wilson's murder, May 11, Strickland went to the dentist and made final arrangements to pick up Wilson. Wilson went on a 3-mile bike ride from 1:23 p.m. to 4:23 p.m. and posted it on the app Strava, showing where the ride started and ended. She also texted Strickland her exact location.
Prosecutors say Armstrong was able to see the text messages from Wilson and Strickland, so she knew exactly where Wilson was. A digital footprint shows Armstrong then looked up the exact location on a map.
That night, investigators say Strickland had dropped Wilson off and was home at the time of the actual shooting, allowing police to rule him out as a suspect in Wilson's death.
One minute from the time Wilson opened the door to the home where she was staying, prosecutors say Armstrong's Jeep was seen in the area.
When Wilson's friend arrived at the home, she saw Wilson on the floor and initially thought she was stretching after a difficult workout. She then realized what had happened, called 911 and began doing chest compressions for 8 to 10 minutes – about 80 times, Assistant DA Jones said.
Jones told the jury Armstrong had "no explanation" about why her Jeep was in the area. He said investigators searched her home and found two 9 mm pistols, one of which was later identified as the one used to kill Wilson.
Two days after Wilson's murder, Armstrong was seen on video at a CarMax in South Austin selling her Jeep for $12,000. She then took an Uber to the airport and flew from Austin to Houston to New York City. On May 18, she bought a ticket to Costa Rica using her sister's name and passport.
While in Costa Rica, Jones said Armstrong paid $6,425 for plastic surgery on June 22. Prosecutors say they will produce medical records relating to the surgery.
Just seven days after the nose job, on June 29, federal authorities arrested Armstrong in Provincia de Puntarena, Costa Rica, and brought her back to the U.S.
As prosecutors unraveled digital footprints, they say two minutes before Wilson was killed, she messaged a podcaster Cellphone data also shows Armstrong turned off her cellphone that night. She turned it back on soon after audio captured Wilson's screams and Armstrong returned home, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors say investigators found DNA evidence on Wilson's bike, on the seat and handlebars, that they have linked to Armstrong. The bike was found in the bushes near the crime scene.
At 10:25 a.m. Wednesday, the state's opening statements rested.
Defense's opening statements
In their opening statements, Kaitlin Armstrong's attorneys are painting this as a circumstantial case unproven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Defense attorney Geoffrey Puryear said no witness saw Armstrong kill Wilson, adding, "You won't hear about any camera footage showing Kaitlin Armstrong at the scene of this shooting ... Not one captures Kaitlin Armstrong at that scene."
Puryear said the Austin Police Department told Armstrong she was "free to go" and that Armstrong is passionate about traveling and about yoga and traveled "at a moment's notice" to far-flung locations. When she left Austin, he said she had no knowledge of a warrant for her arrest.
Puryear said police "jumped to a conclusion" based on faulty scientific evidence and wrongly honed in on Armstrong. Prosecutor Rickey Jones objected multiple times to Puryear's opening statements, saying he is not providing a roadmap to the case, but instead, testimony.
Puryear told the jury Armstrong is "trapped in a nightmare of circumstantial evidence."
Just before 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, the defense's opening statements rested.
Additional background on this case
In July 2022, Armstrong pleaded not guilty to Wilson's murder. Her trial date was initially scheduled to begin on June 26, 2023. However, on May 4, 2023, the start date was pushed back four months.
On Oct. 11, 2023, Armstrong briefly escaped custody while leaving a doctor's appointment in South Austin. Authorities say she was recaptured about a block away from where she escaped.
Armstrong faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with Wilson's death and a felony charge of escape causing bodily injury because the two officers who pursued her during her escape attempt were injured in the chase.
KVUE Senior Reporter Tony Plohetski said prosecutors in this trial are expected to point to multiple things to make their case. Among those are that Armstrong's Jeep was seen in the area the night of Wilson's murder, at around the time of the murder; that shell casings found at the scene matched a gun that was later found at Armstrong's home, according to ballistics experts; and that police received a tip from someone who said they heard Armstrong say out loud in the months before Wilson's death that she was so angry at her that she could kill her.
Armstrong has maintained her innocence. Plohetski said legal experts believe her defense will likely rest on whether police and prosecutors can prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. It's unclear at this time if Armstrong intends to take the stand in her own defense.
The judge in Armstrong's trial is not allowing the bulk of the proceedings to be streamed. However, KVUE will be in the courtroom each day, and we will provide updates on air and online.
This trial is expected to last as long as mid-November.