Killer yoga teacher gunned down cyclist 'love rival

Attempting to escape justice, Kaitlin Armstrong, the murderer of pro-rider Moriah Wilson, spent 6,000 on plastic surgery

- GAIL SHORTLAND

Elite cyclist Moriah “Mo” Wilson was a rising star with a bright future. The 25-year-old grew up in a family of athletes and excelled as a junior skier before focusing on gravel cycling – a hybrid of road and mountain biking that requires skill and endurance across varied terrains. Moriah was among the top in her field.

In the spring of 2022, she had already won a succession of races and was preparing for a 150-mile event in Texas on 14 May. Riding high on her success, she had decided to leave her job with a bike company to become a full-time professional cyclist.

Moriah was in the process of moving back to Vermont where she had grown up. She had plans to create a community area there where cyclists could get together and encourage each other in their love of the sport and staying active.

On 11 May she was in Austin, Texas, staying with a friend, Caitlin Cash, as she prepared to take part in the Gravel Locos bike race. That afternoon, she went swimming with her pro-cyclist friend Colin Strickland. While it was a platonic get-together, Moriah and Colin had once dated for a short time.

That day, he lied to his girlfriend Kaitlin Armstrong about where he spent the afternoon, as she was jealous about his friendships with other women, especially Moriah. Armstrong was a yoga teacher and estate agent. She had been dating Colin since they met online in 2019 but, while they were separated for a time in the autumn of 2021, he had dated Moriah. Eventually, he and Armstrong were reconciled.

Colin and Moriah remained friends and supported each other in their careers. But Armstrong had made it clear she was unhappy about the relationship and Colin had Moriah’s name concealed under the pseudonym of Christine Wall on his phone. He also deleted their conversations in case Armstrong checked his mobile phone.