Happy New Year: The top Austin news stories of 2023

AUSTIN, Texas - On this last weekend of 2023, FOX 7 Austin is taking a look back at some of the biggest local stories of the year based on what you clicked on FOX7Austin.com.

Kaitlin Armstrong murder trial

In November, all eyes were on Austin for Kaitlin Armstrong’s murder trial. 

A jury found Armstrong guilty of shooting pro cyclist Moriah Wilson at an East Austin home in May of 2022. 

The day after the verdict was handed down, Armstrong was sentenced to 90 years in prison. 

The trial came after Armstrong fled to Costa Rica last year and changed her appearance in the wake of the murder, a crime which prosecutors say was fueled by jealousy over Armstrong’s boyfriend’s contact with Wilson. 

Young woman’s body found in Bell County

In April, we met the family of Tiera Strand, a missing 25-year-old woman who was later found dead on the side of a Bell County road. The family described days of worrying, turning into anger.

Strand had been last seen on Sixth Street in Austin, and five days later was found in a ditch just north of Temple. 

Strand was a mother to a 6-year-old and had dreams to join the Navy. The cause of Strand’s death was ruled undetermined.

Homeless man wreaks havoc in South Austin neighborhood

In January, FOX 7 told you about a man causing trouble and frightening residents in South Austin. 

Neighbors say it started out with Rami Zawaideh using a chainsaw and a machete to cut down trees in the middle of the night and create structures. But residents in the Westgate neighborhood say Zawaideh then found a new weapon of choice: a sledgehammer. 

Zawaideh admitted to FOX 7’s Meredith Aldis that he destroyed boulders with a sledgehammer to "take out Satanism." 

Because the boulders are city property, Zawaideh could have faced a third-degree felony, but the district attorney declined to pursue those charges.

Austin ISD teacher fired over TikTok video

In June, we met an Austin ISD elementary teacher who says she was terminated because of a TikTok video she posted that went viral.

Sophia DeLoretto-Chudy, who taught third grade at Becker Elementary, posted a video discussing a meeting with her administrator. The district says that violated its social media policy. 

DeLoretto Chudy spoke to FOX 7 after getting fired, saying, "They made it clear that it wasn't it didn't have anything to do with my instructional practices or what I was teaching or how I was teaching, and everything to do with the fact that I had embarrassed one of my administrators on TikTok."

Burglars throw rager inside northwest Austin home

In February, FOX 7 took you to northwest Austin, where a man was shocked to find a huge party happening at his house. The man said no one was invited to his home, but hundreds of kids showed up and made it their own for the night. 

While away at a friend’s house, the homeowner started getting messages from his neighbors that people were all over his property, and as he rushed home he saw people trying to flee the scene. He returned to find his front gate broken, the front door wide open, walls busted, TVs smashed, beer cans and trash everywhere, and his bedroom had been egged. 

He says it was a blatant break-in, calling it "horrifying" and a "total violation of one’s privacy". 

Woman attacked on Barton Creek Greenbelt

In April, we met Isabella Ricks, whose sense of safety was shattered after being attacked on the Barton Creek Greenbelt. 

Ricks says she was hiking on the Violet Crown trail, when the man came up behind her and grabbed her. She pushed him off and was eventually able to escape, but he followed her before finally running off after she threatened to call the cops. 

Ricks credits her instincts and adrenaline for helping her get away, saying, "I reacted in a way that I never thought I would react, which is to immediately be defiant. And I think that really throws predators off."

Kingsland family attacked by pig

In September, a Kingsland woman and her family found themselves banged up and bruised, after a very large pig attacked them. 

Wendy Goldstein says the pig tackled her daughter and then went into the house and attacked her disabled parents. Later on, she says the owner came by to try to find his pig, and threatened to shoot Goldstein’s parents if they shot the pig. 

The family says the pig returned twice in the following days, going after the woman’s boyfriend. That led sheriff’s deputies to step in. 

Georgetown teen earns perfect SAT score

In September, we introduced you to Nathan Aaker of Georgetown, who earned a perfect score on his SAT. He spent the summer doing SAT prep, taking about 10 practice tests to prepare. 

He scored a 1600 on his first try. Aaker says practice was the key: "Doing it over and over again, you’re more prepared for when you get to the actual event."