Kaitlin Armstrong sentenced to 90 years for murder of cyclist Mo Wilson - Updates
Jurors returned guilty verdict against Kaitlin Armstrong on Thursday for shooting death of star cyclist Moriah ‘Mo’ Wilson
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Kaitlin Armstrong has been sentenced to 90 years in prison for the murder of her alleged love rival Moriah “Mo” Wilson.
A jury returned the sentencing verdict after around three and a half hours of deliberation on Thursday in Austin, Texas. Armstrong will also be required to pay a fine of $10,000.
The two women were reportedly involved in a love triangle with Ms Armstrong’s then on-and-off boyfriend and Wilson’s fellow cyclist Colin Strickland.
In the aftermath of the May 2022 shooting, Ms Armstrong fled to Costa Rica and was only captured five weeks later.
The state rested its case on Wednesday morning after introducing testimony from Mr Strickland, friends of Ms Armstrong, and law enforcement personnel. The defence called experts who sought to discredit the state’s DNA and ballistics evidence.
During closing arguments, prosecutors pointed out what they suggested was overwhelming evidence linking Ms Armstrong to the crime, and asked jurors to ignore the “rabbit holes” the defence had asked them to go down.
Meanwhile, Ms Armstrong’s attorneys accused police of a sloppy investigation that too quickly focused on her as the sole suspect.
Closing arguments to begin
Closing arguments in the murder trial of yoga teacher Kaitlin Armstrong are due to begin today.
Ms Armstrong is accused of the 11 May 2022 murder of Wilson, who prosecutors have described as her “love rival.”
The two women were reportedly involved in a love triangle with Ms Armstrong’s then on-and-off boyfriend and Wilson’s fellow cyclist Colin Strickland.
Jurors have heard testimony from Mr Strickland, friends of Ms Armstrong, and law enforcement personnel, including a US Marshal agent who aided in Ms Armstrong’s arrest overseas.
Jurors will hear closing statements from both sides, before being sent to deliberate.
Kaitlin Armstrong found guilty of love rival Moriah Wilson’s murder
Austin yoga teacher Kaitlin Armstrong has been found guilty of murdering professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson.
The verdict over the May 11 2022 murder of 25-year-old Wilson came after just two hours of deliberations on Thursday.
Wilson’s family members in the courtroom cried and embraced each other while Armstrong remained emotionless as the verdict was read.
Read more:
Kaitlin Armstrong found guilty of love rival Moriah Wilson’s murder
The yoga teacher was accused of killing Moriah ‘Mo’ Wilson on May 11 2022 at an apartment in Austin, Texas
Kaitlin Armstrong’s FAMILY arrive at court
Cameras will be in the courtroom for closing arguments, which are expected early this morning.
The judge said before court was adjourned yesterday that deliberations are also expected to begin today.
Defence likely to use Wilson’s bike as prop during closing arguments
Wilson’s bike is placed in the well of the courtroom, according to NewsNation Correspondent Alex Caprariello.
Closing arguments begin
Assistant District Attorney Rick Jones has begun presenting closing arguments for the state.
“The last thing Mo Wilson did was scream in terror,” Mr Jones says. “She stood over her after she shot her in the head twice and put another bullet in her heart.... you heard the medical examiner. That third bullet was in her heart.”
‘She’s running from you'
Mr Jones honed in on Ms Armstrong’s failed escape 19 days before the trial began.
“She was not just running from the sheriff’s office, she was running from you and you, and you,” Mr Jones said as he pointed to the jurors. “She is running from all of you in the back road. Everybody deserves their day in court, and she got it. As you see in this video, she didn’t want to face you. “
Mr Jones tells jurors they have to deliver a unanimous verdict, but their theories behind the verdict they reach do not have to be the same.
“I’ve never seen so much evidence in my life against one person,” Mr Jones said.
Prosecutor quips over defence expert whose testimony went on for hours
“That’s four hours of my life that I will never get back,” Mr Jones said about testimony from a defence expert who criticised the state’s ballistics evidence.
Mr Tobin, a firearm expert who took the stand on Thursday, said that the standards of the AFTE testing ran on Ms Armstrong’s guns were not “scientific.”
Mr Tobin later admitted that he did not review the evidence introduced by the prosecution and that he was only there to contest the validity of AFTE examination.
He later said he was not there to contest the findings of the investigation.
Mr Jones reminds juror about testimony from Ms Armstrongs former friends
According to key testimony from Nicole Mertz, a close friend of Ms Armstrong, the defendant had voiced death threats against Wilson. Ms Mertz recounted that Ms Armstrong once said that if Mr Strickland dated another woman, she “would kill [her.]”
“That’s the evidence you got to work with ... her best friend called the police,” Mr Jones said on Thursday.
‘The more I talk the more ridiculous [the defence’s case] gets’
Mr Jones went on to tell jurors that the defence had failed to explain what the black Jeep was doing near the crime scene.
First, he said, they said the surveillance video didn’t prove that was her Jeep.
Then, they refused evidence that the infotainment system of the Jeep placed her near the scene, saying that perhaps someone else was driving.
“Do you see the rabbit holes they’re trying to send you down?” Mr Jones said.
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