Moriah “Mo” Wilson was a rising gravel racer from Vermont, admired for her talent, determination and warm personality. A week before turning 26 she went to Austin, Texas, for the Gravel Locos race and stayed with a friend. On May 10, 2022, after riding that evening with fellow pro Colin Strickland, Strickland gave her a lift on the back of his motorcycle. Less than an hour later she was found in her apartment, shot multiple times — a shock that reverberated through the cycling community.
At first investigators considered robbery because Mo’s valuable race bike had been abandoned in nearby bushes. There was, however, no sign of forced entry. A neighbor’s doorbell camera captured a black SUV with a bike rack pull up shortly after Mo was dropped off. The license plate traced to Kaitlin Armstrong, who was dating Strickland at the time. Strickland later told police he had briefly dated Mo before reuniting with Armstrong and described Armstrong as jealous. He admitted to deceiving Armstrong by texting that his phone had died the night of the killing and said he kept Mo’s number saved under an alias.
Investigators found suspicious gaps in Armstrong’s phone records around the time of the murder, and they learned that Strickland had bought handguns for himself and Armstrong. Officers briefly detained Armstrong on an old warrant tied to an unpaid cosmetic treatment, but she was released when officials discovered the warrant listed the wrong birth date. A friend told police Armstrong had expressed fury over Strickland’s contact with Mo and even said she wanted to kill her. Two days after Mo’s death, authorities issued an arrest warrant in the homicide; by then Armstrong had disappeared.
The U.S. Marshals Service and the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force mounted an international manhunt. Investigators tracked a one-way flight from Newark to Costa Rica booked under the name of Armstrong’s sister, a sign that Kaitlin may have used her sister’s passport. Armstrong crossed into Costa Rica by land and sea, moving among hostels and altering her appearance — changing her hair and presenting herself as someone training to be a yoga instructor.
Deputy U.S. Marshals worked closely with Costa Rican police, combing surveillance footage, travel records and local tips. Marshals even ran a local Facebook ad looking for a yoga instructor to draw out whoever might be posing in that role. After about a week of searching, a woman answering that ad arranged to meet deputies at a hostel. Deputy Emir Perez approached the woman posing as a tourist and, although the woman had changed her look, Perez saw telltale signs: a bandage on the nose and swollen lips consistent with recent cosmetic work, and eyes he recognized. Local officers arrested her. Agents later recovered a receipt for plastic surgery at a nearby clinic. Armstrong was extradited to Texas and charged with murder.
Armstrong briefly escaped custody during a medical appointment while in pretrial detention but was quickly recaptured. Her trial began November 1, 2023. Prosecutors told jurors Armstrong had used the Strava fitness app to track Mo’s rides, enabling her to follow or intercept the cyclist, and they presented DNA evidence tying Armstrong to the handlebars of Mo’s abandoned bike. The prosecution argued jealousy and fixation motivated the killing and painted a portrait of someone who observed and targeted Mo after learning of Strickland’s connection to her.
The defense pointed to Strickland as a more likely suspect, but prosecutors countered with alibis and electronic evidence they said cleared him. After two weeks of testimony and deliberation, the jury convicted Armstrong of murder. She was later sentenced to 90 years in prison.
The case drew intense attention because it intersected with cycling culture, intimate relationships and the use—and misuse—of tracking technology. Prosecutors warned that apps athletes rely on for training and safety can also be exploited to monitor or stalk. Law enforcement said the capture of Armstrong required a blend of traditional detective work and modern digital forensics: doorbell camera footage, phone and travel records, social-media sleuthing, local tips and international cooperation.
In Vermont, friends and fellow riders mourned Mo’s loss and celebrated her promise. Kingdom Trails honored her with a memorial route called Moriah’s Ascent. The investigation and arrest illustrated how quickly a fugitive can vanish and how persistent, collaborative police work combined with careful analysis of digital traces can bring a suspect to justice. For Mo’s family and the broader cycling community, the conviction provided a measure of closure while prompting hard questions about privacy and the risks that can accompany everyday technology.