An Austin, TexasWednesday’s court hearing revealed that Kaitlin, the woman charged with killing Anna Moriah Wilson, pro cyclist, and running to a Costa Rican hideaway in her death, was allowed to leave when she did.
Armstrong, 34, is accused of gunning down Wilson, 25, on May 11 in an Austin apartment minutes after the perceived romantic rival returned home from dinner and a swim with Armstrong’s live-in boyfriend, fellow riding pro Colin Strickland, 35.
The pretrial hearing saw two witnesses on the stand – Austin homicide detectives Katy Conner, who conducted the interview of Armstrong, and Richard Spitler, the lead investigator on the case.
After her initial questioning, she was informed that she wasn’t under arrest. Unrelated theft warrantIt was invalid.
Kaitlin, left, is pictured during an interview with Detective Katy Conner from Austin Police Department in May.
(Austin Police)
Under questioning from Armstrong’s Rick Cofer, defense attorneyConner admitted that Conner allowed the 35-year old to leave the state and the country after her interview on May 12.
Armstrong flew from New York to Costa Rica on May 14, and then to New York the following day. Austin detectives obtained a murder warrant for her arrest May 17 – relying on a probable cause statement, which Cofer is also asking the court to throw out based on multiple alleged deficiencies that meant it was written with “reckless disregard for the truth.”
Wednesday’s probable cause statement defense was strong and the prosecutor dismissed some of his critiques in court. He claimed that the affidavit failed the crime location and that surveillance video time stamps were not verified.
FUGITIVE KAITLIN ARMSTRONG : TIMELINE FOR AUSTIN MURDER SUSPECT’S DISAPPEARANCE & CAPTURE
Left: Moriah Wilson (victim) after a race. Right: US Marshals release photo of Kaitlin, Armstrong suspect.
(The Wilson Family/US Marshalls)
Cofer is also asking the court to suppress Conner’s initial interview with Armstrong, Argumentation that Austin policeDespite her expressing her desire to leave, she was still questioned.
In court, for the first, a recording of a call from an unknown tipter was played. It was a recording that Armstrong claimed she received after hearing about a tryst with Wilson and Strickland.
Colin Strickland, seen outside his Austin home, Texas, on June 17, 2022
(MEGA)
Wilson’s friend found her slumped over In a poolThe Austin apartment bathroom was where she found herself days before she was to participate in a Hico gravel cycling race. She suffered “multiple gunshot wounds.”
Wilson had been swimming at the Deep Eddy Pool with Strickland earlier that evening. He then went to the Pool Burger across the street. Strickland drove Wilson back to her friend’s place on his motorcycle and had misled Armstrong about his whereabouts throughout the evening, according to the affidavit.
Court filings show Strickland, Armstrong’s boyfriend, repeatedly told detectives he did not believe she would have shot Wilson, and that he did not think she was the jealous or violent type.
“She’s an incredibly kind, caring, sweet person who has helped me take care of my aging mother,” Strickland told Spitler, according to the transcript of his own interview.
Spitler wrote in his affidavit to that Armstrong’s Jeep was filmed outside, and that ballistic evidence linked her to the crime scene.
Armstrong was detained by Costa Rican authorities on Santa Teresa Beach, six weeks after her shooting. Armstrong allegedly had her hair dyed and assumed a new identity.
After Kaitlin Armstrong’s extradition, booking photos were taken.
(US Marshals Travis County Sheriff’s Office).
Judge Brenda Kennedy approved an August gag order, which prohibited all parties from commenting on, assessing or characterizing any facts of the case or proceedings to the media.
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Before the order and in court filings, Cofer challenged the state’s established narrative that his client was a jealous woman going after a “romantic rival,” which he called “misogynistic and fictitious.”
Kennedy did not rule on Cofer’s motions to suppress Wednesday. Monday is the due date for both parties to return to court at 10 a.m.
Fox News’ Joy Addison contributed to this report.
