City of Austin Police Department / MEGA
Who Is Kaitlin Armstrong? Everything to Know About the Yoga Teacher Turned Killer
Moriah “Mo” Wilson was found face down on her bathroom floor, dead from multiple gunshot wounds to her head and chest on May 11, 2022. Authorities put together clues and eventually connected the murder to Kaitlin Armstrong. Armstrong was eventually apprehended and convicted of killing Wilson. However, the case has garnered plenty of attention and led people to wonder who Armstrong is and why did she commit murder?
Who Is Kaitlin Armstrong?
Armstrong worked as both a yoga teacher and real estate agent in Austin, Texas. She and on-again, off-again boyfriend Colin Strickland also owned a business together, and Armstrong lived with Strickland. For a short period in the fall of 2021, Armstrong and Strickland split, and Strickland began dating Wilson. Their brief relationship set the wheels for Wilson’s murder in motion.
Kaitlin Armstrong Fled the Country After the Murder
After Wilson’s body was discovered by a friend, authorities traced a Jeep that was allegedly seen at the place of the crime to Strickland and Armstrong’s home. After obtaining a search warrant, police discovered a 9mm handgun that belonged to Armstrong, along with shell casings that matched found at the scene.
On May 12, 2022, Armstrong was arrested for a misdemeanor after allegedly leaving a med spa without paying for Botox injections in 2018. She was questioned and later released the same day. The following day, Armstrong sold her car and on May 14, 2022, and caught a flight to New York and then Costa Rica.
Armstrong managed to evade authorities for a little over a month after U.S. Marshals classified her as “wanted.” The former yoga teacher was going by the name “Ari” in the beach town of Santa Teresa.
Kaitlin Armstrong Underwent Plastic Surgery to Evade Capture
Armstrong also traveled to San Jose and dropped $6,000 on plastic surgery under the name Allison Page that included rhinoplasty, lip filler and a brow lift. Armstrong also cut off her long red curls and dyed her hair a dark brown. However, U.S. Marshals eventually tracked her down on June 23, 2022. The authorities set up a fake ad for a yoga teaching job in the area, which Armstrong answered. U.S. Marshals set up a meeting with her at Don Jon’s.
“Initially it did not appear to be her, but as I got closer, I realized it was her,” Emir Perez, a U.S. Marshal, told the jury at Armstrong’s trial in November 2023. “It appeared she had a bandage on her nose and her lips were a bit swollen. Her hair was a little bit lighter.“
Kaitlin Armstrong Attempted to Escape
In October 2023, just a few weeks before her trial was set to begin, Armstrong attempted to escape police custody. The former real estate agent managed to get away from officers when they were escorting her to a doctor’s appointment close by the jail where she was being held. Armstrong led officers on a foot chase before she attempted to scale a six-foot fence before she was caught.
What Happened at Kaitlin Armstrong’s Trial?
Opening statements at Armstrong’s trial began on November 1, 2023, and two of the amateur cyclist’s friends testified that she had mentioned wanting to “kill” Wilson to them.
“I asked Kaitlin if Colin ever started dating anyone else seriously, what would she do? And she said, ‘I would kill her,’” Nicole Mertz told the jury.
A little over two weeks after the trial started, the jury deliberated for two hours before they found Armstrong guilty of murder on November 16, 2023. She was sentenced to 90 years in prison.
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