Yoga teacher spent $6k on plastic surgery after shooting cyclist ‘love rival’

11 February 2024 , 07:00

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Kaitlin Armstrong was jailed for 90 years (Image: AP)

Elite cyclist Moriah “Mo” Wilson was a rising star with a bright future. The 25-year-old grew up in a family of athletes and excelled as a junior skier before focusing on gravel cycling – a hybrid of road and mountain biking that requires skill and endurance across varied terrains. Moriah was among the top in her field.

In the spring of 2022, she had already won a succession of races and was preparing for a 150-mile event in Texas on 14 May. Riding high on her success, she had decided to leave her job with a bike company to become a full-time professional cyclist. Moriah was in the process of moving back to Vermont where she had grown up. She had plans to create a community area there where cyclists could get together and encourage each other in their love of the sport and staying active.

On 11 May she was in Austin, Texas, staying with a friend, Caitlin Cash, as she prepared to take part in the Gravel Locos bike race.
That afternoon, she went swimming with her pro-cyclist friend Colin Strickland. While it was a platonic get-together, Moriah and Colin had once dated for a short time.

That day, he lied to his girlfriend Kaitlin Armstrong about where he spent the afternoon, as she was jealous about his friendships with other women, especially Moriah. Armstrong was a yoga teacher and estate agent. She had been dating Colin since they met online in 2019 but, while they were separated for a time in the autumn of 2021, he had dated Moriah. Eventually, he and Armstrong were reconciled.

Cyclist Colin Strickland was in a relationship with Kaitlin and had previously dated Moriah (Facebook)

Colin and Moriah remained friends and supported each other in their careers. But Armstrong had made it clear she was unhappy about the relationship and Colin had Moriah’s name concealed under the pseudonym of Christine Wall on his phone. He also deleted their conversations in case Armstrong checked his mobile phone.

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After going swimming at Deep Eddy Municipal Pool, Colin and Moriah had dinner together, then he dropped her off at her friend’s house at about 8.30pm. Moriah last used her phone at 9.13pm. At 9.16pm, nearby security cameras picked up the sounds of a woman screaming, followed by gunshots.

Caitlin, who had also been out to dinner, arrived home just before 10pm. She saw Moriah’s feet sticking out of the bathroom and assumed she was simply lying on the floor – until she saw the blood and realised something was seriously wrong. Moriah had been shot in the head and chest. Caitlin dialled 911 and desperately started CPR. “I can’t tell what’s happened,” she told the operator. “She is not awake, and there is blood all over her face.”

Prime suspect

Moriah couldn’t be saved and was pronounced dead. Investigators found surveillance video showing a black Jeep Grand Cherokee – like the one owned by Armstrong – circling the area. She sold the vehicle soon afterwards. She was taken in for questioning and was seen to turn her head and angrily roll her eyes when asked about Colin and Moriah. She was released on a technicality over a difference in her date of birth on the arrest warrant and police database.

A search warrant was served and the police seized a handgun that matched the murder from the home of Colin and Armstrong. She
had visited a shooting range to learn how to use it. Colin was questioned by the police and cleared of suspicion, but Armstrong remained a prime suspect.

On 17 May, an arrest warrant was issued for Armstrong but, using a relative’s passport, she had already fled to Costa Rica. She changed her appearance by dyeing and cutting her hair, and had fillers, spending more than $6,000 on plastic surgery, including a nose job and brow lift.

While on the run, she googled her own name and researched the use of pineapple in burning fingerprints off hands. She was arrested after 43 days at a hostel in Santa Teresa and was held on a $3.5 million bond.

Just before her trial started in October 2023, she faked an injury to get a medical appointment outside the prison. While being escorted to it, she tried to escape, but she was quickly recaptured after a brief chase.

Elite rider Moriah Wilson was murdered (Instagram)

The prosecution lawyers told the court in Austin that Armstrong had murdered Moriah because of jealousy. Armstrong believed Moriah was her rival in a love triangle with Colin and the evidence was overwhelming. Witnesses said Armstrong had threatened to kill any other women Colin might date and told a friend he had cheated on her with Moriah.

In the days before the shooting, Armstrong had followed Moriah on GPS fitness app Strava. And on the night of the killing, video footage showed Armstrong’s Jeep near the house in which Moriah was staying and parked in a nearby alleyway. Armstrong’s DNA was found on Moriah’s bike outside the property. The defence disputed the DNA on Moriah’s bike and argued that Armstrong’s DNA had not been found at the scene. They said the police had focused too quickly on Armstrong.

Called to testify, Colin said he and Moriah didn’t officially date, but did have a brief fling in October 2021 after meeting at a gravel race and their friendship continued afterwards. He admitted to hiding their conversations from Armstrong to avoid any conflict.

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First-degree murder

In November 2023, the jury found Armstrong, 36, guilty of first-degree murder after two hours of deliberation. At the sentencing, Moriah’s mother Karen Wilson said her daughter had been born during a lightning storm and that’s how she had gone on to live her life. She told Armstrong she would never have killed her daughter if she’d taken the time to find out what an amazing woman she was. “I would have done anything to stand in the way of that bullet,” she said.

Moriah’s brother, Matthew Wilson said his sister was his closest confidante and only sibling. “My sister had her life taken from her
for no reason at all,” he said.

Caitlin still lives where her friend was murdered and sees the marks from the bullets that killed Moriah every day. She described living with PTSD and panic attacks. “I want you to know I fought for Mo with everything I had that night,” she told her friend’s killer.

The judge sentenced Armstrong to 90 years in prison with a chance of parole after 30 years. She was also fined $10,000. Her lawyer has asked for a new trial arguing that the attorneys didn’t present enough character witnesses about her traumatic childhood and that she was pregnant around the time she was arrested for the killing.

Moriah’s family has set up a foundation in her memory, to ensure her legacy continues by promoting healthy living and community building.

Gail Shortland