Back in 2022, the cycling world was rocked by the murder of Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson. The trial over her murder began this week, as jurors were selected on Monday, and opening statements are scheduled for today. The defendant is Kaitlin Armstrong, who was involved in a love triangle between Mo and pro cyclist Colin Strickland.
Mo grew up in Vermont and New Hampshire, graduating from Burke Mountain Academy in 2014 and Dartmouth in 2019. During her years at Burke, she was a ski racer and gravel cyclist. After graduating from Dartmouth, Mo was a pro cyclist on the rise. She competed in gravel races, which are bicycling events with on-road and off-road/mountain sections. According to ESPN, she won her first pro gravel race in 2019 and placed second in the challenging Leadville 100 mountain biking event in 2020. Back in 2022, Velo referred to Mo as the “winningest woman in the American off-road scene.”
Colin Strickland is a pro cyclist who has won races like Unbound Gravel 200 and Gravel Worlds. At the time of Moriah’s death, he was in a long-term relationship with Kaitlin Armstrong, who was a yoga instructor and real estate agent. Armstrong and Strickland broke up for a brief period in 2021, which is when Mo and Colin began seeing each other for around a week. That relationship didn’t last, but they remained good friends. Armstrong and Strickland reconciled and began dating again.
On May 11, 2022, Moriah was in town for a cycling race. She ended up meeting up with Colin, went for a swim at the Deep Eddy Pool, and grabbed dinner. Colin dropped Moriah off at the friend’s house she was staying at, and Colin denied going inside afterward, leading authorities to rule him out as a suspect.
A few hours later, Moriah was found dead in the home, with gunshot wounds to the head and chest. Moments before her death, it was discovered via video cameras that Armstrong’s Jeep had arrived near the residence. She has been charged with first-degree murder, among other charges. The alleged motive was romantic jealousy.
Armstrong was apprehended after spending 43 days in Costa Rica. Back on October 12th, Armstrong attempted to escape custody. While going to a medical appointment, she tried to flee the officers who were taking her there. Authorities later apprehended her. Prosecutors will be able to incorporate this situation into their argument. This situation has resulted in another charge for Armstrong.
Armstrong has pled not guilty to these charges, which includes first-degree murder, and as always with the presumption of innocence, the defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a criminal trial.
For more details about the trial, check out KXAN’s video below.
Image/Video Credits: Moriah Wilson, U.S. Department of Justice/Austin Police Department, NewsNation via Theresa Rangel, KXAN
