Kaitlin Armstrong's attorneys file to have evidence in arrest affidavit thrown out

Kaitlin Armstrong's attorneys claim arrest affidavit was filled with 'lies and exaggerations'

Armstrong's attorneys filed what's called a "Frank's Motion," claiming the affidavit used to arrest Armstrong for murder was filled with false information.

AUSTIN, Texas - Attorneys for Kaitlin Armstrong, an Austin woman accused of murdering cycling star Anna Moriah Wilson earlier this year, have filed new documents to get certain evidence in her case thrown out.

Armstrong’s attorneys filed a Franks motion claiming the affidavit used to arrest her for murder was filled with lies and exaggerations. Her attorney hopes this filing will have all the evidence in the affidavit thrown out and unusable in future court proceedings.

"Most people have made tremendous assumptions about Kaitlin Armstrong, assumptions based on reports from law enforcement that simply are untrue," said attorney Rick Cofer.

Armstrong is accused of murdering Wilson and then fleeing to Costa Rica and getting plastic surgery to change her appearance. On Wednesday, Cofer filed new court documents in an effort to suppress evidence in his client’s case from being used in court, evidence mainly from the affidavit used to arrest Armstrong for murder.

"The affidavit is rife with false statements and omissions and exaggerations, gross mischaracterizations made with a reckless disregard for the truth," said Cofer.

In the 178-page court filing, new photos can be found of Armstrong being interrogated before she fled the country, an interrogation these documents claim was illegal from the start since Armstrong allegedly was not read her Miranda rights by detectives.

Kailtin Armstrong's attorney speaks following arraignment

The Austin woman accused of murdering cyclist Moriah "Mo" Wilson on May 11 has made her first court appearance. Her attorney spoke following her arraignment Wednesday.

RELATED COVERAGE

The documents also claim the affidavit used to arrest Armstrong for murder is filled with misleading or false statements including an incorrect description of her body language and responses during the interrogation, incorrect recollection of her boyfriend Colin Strickland's police interview, incorrect video time stamps, and the heavy reliance of an anonymous 911 call that was not credible.

Cofer hopes shedding light on these claims will result in this evidence becoming unusable in court.

"We want all legal evidence admitted at trial, and we want any misleading evidence, any evidence that is built on lies, any evidence that is built on a disregard for the truth to be excluded," he said.

Cofer did not go into any detail on why he believes his client is innocent, but says he looks forward to revealing it all in court come October.

"We have that hearing [and] my hope is that the entirety of the early investigation of this case is exposed, exposed to the Austin community, exposed to the entire world, because the entire world should see the wrong that has been committed by the Austin Police Department in this case," he said.

Kaitlin Armstrong, Texas love triangle murder suspect, pleads not guilty

The Austin woman accused of murdering cyclist Moriah "Mo" Wilson on May 11 has made her first court appearance. Kaitlin Armstrong was arrested in Costa Rica in June after more than 40 days on the run.

How was Kaitlin Armstrong found?

Officials say while 34-year-old Armstrong was on the run, she cut her hair shoulder-length and dyed it dark brown, as well as wore a bandage on her nose claiming she had a surfboarding accident.

Recently, members of the U.S. Marshals-led Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations discovered that Armstrong, fraudulently using another individual's passport, had boarded United Airlines Flight 1222 from Newark International Airport at 5:09 p.m. EST on May 18 and arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, at 8:27 p.m. EST.

Armstrong was last known to have been dropped off at the New Jersey airport after she left the Austin airport on May 14.

Investigators determined Armstrong was at the Austin International Bergstrom Airport on May 14 at approximately 12:30 p.m. She boarded Flight #WN2262 from ABIA to Houston Hobby Airport and then boarded a connecting Southwest Airlines Flight #WN30 to New York LaGuardia Airport.

The U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force had also located Armstrong’s black Jeep Grand Cherokee last week and learned that Armstrong sold the vehicle May 13 to a CarMax dealership in south Austin for $12,200. Armstrong was provided a check from the dealership a day after being questioned by Austin authorities.

Armstrong's black Jeep Grand Cherokee is believed to be the same one that was seen on a security camera driving by the East Austin home Wilson was staying in the night she was murdered.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Kaitlin Armstrong, Texas love triangle murder suspect, captured in Costa Rica

Officials located and arrested Kaitlin Marie Armstrong June 29 at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas.

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.

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.

Further investigation revealed Armstrong had dated star cyclist Colin Strickland for a few years. Last year, Strickland was romantically involved with Wilson while Strickland and Armstrong were on a brief break.

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."

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.