Accused murderer Kaitlin Armstrong faces new felony charge for brief escape
AUSTIN, Texas - The woman accused of murdering professional cyclist Moriah "Mo" Wilson briefly escaped but is now back in custody with the Travis County Sheriff's Office.
A TCSO spokesperson says Kaitlin Armstrong was attending a doctor's appointment with two deputies at around 8:17 a.m. on Oct. 11 when she ran off after leaving the doctor's office. The pursuit lasted about 10 minutes for a distance of about one block.
Armstrong was captured by deputies, restrained, and placed in an Austin Police Department vehicle.
The spokesperson says Armstrong was taken to a hospital to be checked out before heading back to jail.
On Oct. 12, Armstrong was charged with a new felony for her brief escape. She was charged with escape causing bodily injury.
FOX 7 Austin reached out to the Armstrong's defense attorneys, but they were unable to comment due to a gag order.
Armstrong's murder trial is set to begin October 30. The date was set after a judge in November 2022 refused to throw out statements made by police.
Who is Kaitlin Armstrong?
Armstrong is the prime suspect in the death of 25-year-old cycling star Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson who was found shot dead at a friend’s apartment in East Austin on Maple Avenue near East 7th Street on May 11.
Wilson, a rising cyclist star, had flown from Colorado to Texas earlier that week in preparation for the Gravel Locos race in Hico, where she was a favorite to win. A few weeks earlier, she won the Belgian Waffle Ride in California.
Law enforcement had not been able to locate Armstrong since police briefly detained and mistakenly released Armstrong on an unrelated charge. Armstrong had been arrested for a misdemeanor warrant out of Travis County from 2018.
"Armstrong was questioned about her vehicle being in the area as pictured on the Ring camera. However, she would not confirm or deny being in the area of the murder and quickly terminated the interview," APD Homicide Det. Richard Spitler said in a press conference on May 25.
Spitler went on to say that "(Armstrong) was then mistakenly released from custody on the misdemeanor warrant" because her date of birth in the department’s report management system did not match the date of birth on the warrant.
Investigators believe Wilson was shot and killed over a love triangle since Wilson and Strickland went out the day of the murder and Armstrong’s car was seen driving around where Wilson was killed. Strickland admitted to having "a brief romantic relationship" with Wilson while she was visiting in 2021.
"She returned to her home in California and about a month later, Kaitlin Armstrong and I reconciled and resumed our relationship," Strickland said. "Since then I often saw Mo at cycling events, and always in public settings," his statement further adds. "After our brief relationship in October 2021, we were not in a romantic relationship, only a platonic and professional one."
Cycling community mourns loss of 25-year-old Moriah Wilson
Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson was identified as the victim in the May 11 shooting at a home on Maple Avenue near East 17th Street. According to cycling magazine Velo, Wilson was in Texas ahead of Saturday's Gravel Locos race in Hico, where she was a favorite to win.
According to an affidavit, Strickland told investigators that he and Wilson had gone swimming at Deep Eddy Pool, then ate at Pool Burger before he dropped her off at her friend’s house around 8:30 p.m. the night of her death.
Strickland reportedly told police that he had lied to Armstrong about his whereabouts.
An anonymous tipster reportedly told investigators that when Armstrong found out the pair was together, she told the person she wanted to kill Wilson, and also said she had acquired a gun.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.