Kaitlin Armstrong Murder Trial: Yoga Instructor Stood Over Love Rival and Executed Her with Shot to the Heart, Prosecutor Says

AUSTIN, Texas — Professional cyclist  Moriah “Mo” Wilson's last breath was a scream, prosecution said Wednesday as it began to make the case that Kaitlin Armstrong killed the 25-year-old in an act of jealous rage.

Armstrong, 35, walked into Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin, Texas, dressed in a blue button-down shirt and black blazer as the trial began for the May 11, 2022, killing.

The prosecution claims Armstrong shot and killed Wilson over a love triangle involving the suspect’s live-in boyfriend, Colin Strickland. Armstrong pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a Travis County jury is set to decide her fate as both sides make their case.

"The last thing Mo did on this earth was scream in terror," State Prosecutor Rickey Jones said in his opening statement.

"When you hear those screams, they’re followed by POW! POW! — two gunshots,” he told the jury. "You won't hear any more screams after that, you’ll hear silence.”

Jones said Armstrong then stood over Wilson and shot her again, this time in the heart.

Armstrong fled following the shooting and was apprehended weeks later in Costa Rica, allegedly with a fake passport, the prosecution claimed.

Officials said Armstrong, a yoga teacher and realtor, had tried to blend in with the local yoga community there and had changed her appearance.

Earlier this month, Travis County Sheriff's deputies alleged Armstrong — who'd been behind bars at the Travis County Jail since 2022 — fled from custody while she was escorted to a doctor's appointment for an apparent injury. 

The trial is expected to last three weeks.