AUSTIN, TEXAS: Opening statements in the trial of Kaitlin Armstrong, the yoga instructor suspected of killing elite cyclist Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson last year, began on Wednesday, November 1.
Prosecutors started off the case by revealing the accused's possible motive behind the murder.
They argued that Armstrong was motivated by jealousy when she shot and killed Wilson who had previously dated Armstrong's on-and-off again boyfriend Colin Strickland, a professional cyclist.
Prosecutors said that Kaitlin Armstrong had access to Colin Strickland's email and Instagram accounts
Prosecutors said that Armstrong had access to Strickland's email and Instagram accounts and was aware that he and Wilson had remained in contact and pointed out that Strickland changed Wilson's contact name to hide their relationship.
They also claimed she knew Wilson's exact location at the time she was shot.
Kaitlin Armstrong paid for plastic surgery after she fled to Costa Rica
Armstrong, who is accused of having fled to Costa Rica in the aftermath of the shooting, paid for plastic surgery while in the South American country, prosecutors claimed.
The prosecution also said it would play surveillance audio that captured Wilson screaming in her final moments.
"The last thing Mo Wilson did on this Earth is scream in terror," Prosecutor Rickey Jones said during the opening statements.
Kaitlin Armstrong's defense claimed prosecutors have no hard evidence against her
However, the defense claimed that prosecutors have no hard evidence against Armstrong, saying no camera footage showed her at the scene.
Her attorney said Armstrong is "trapped in a nightmare of circumstantial evidence."
Authorities accuse Armstrong of shooting and killing Wilson in Austin, Texas, in May 2022, before fleeing the country to Costa Rica where she reportedly spent over a month on the run, with a passport that authorities say belonged to her sister.
Police were able to track her down through her yoga activities there and she was flown back to Texas after being on the run for 43 days.
Moriah Wilson previously dated Colin Strickland in 2021
According to the Austin American-Statesman, Wilson previously dated Strickland in 2021 while he and Armstrong were separated.
Armstrong and Strickland reconciled, but he remained close to Wilson and the two went swimming together before the shooting.
Wilson, in town to compete in a race, was found “bleeding and unconscious from multiple gunshot wounds” inside a residence, authorities said at the time.
Armstrong was identified as a person of interest after her vehicle was seen on surveillance footage near the scene of the murder.
According to CNN, Armstrong was charged earlier this month with allegedly trying to escape custody while being escorted to a medical appointment.
Video obtained by NBC-affiliate KXAN shows Armstrong running in striped clothing on a walking track alongside what appears to be a parking lot as an officer runs after her. She was caught after a 10-minute chase, KXAN reported. The trial is currently ongoing.
