Photos of Kaitlin Armstrong before and after arrest indicate she may have changed her facial features Credit: Provided by U.S. Marshalls and Travis County Sheriff's Office

Kaitlin Armstrong was found guilty of the murder of Anna Moriah Wilson on Thursday after only two hours of deliberations by Travis County jurors. The 35-year-old Armstrong faces up to 99 years in prison.

Wilson, a rising star in the world of competitive cycling who had been staying at a friend’s house in East Austin in preparation for a race in Dallas, was found dead on May 11 with two gunshot wounds to the head and another to the chest. Suspicion immediately fell on Armstrong, who, police suspected, had tracked Wilson to the house and shot her out of jealousy after Wilson had met Armstrong’s boyfriend, Colin Strickland, for a swim.

One week after the murder, Armstrong fled to Costa Rica, using a passport from a person who resembled her and using fake names, according to U.S. marshals. She was apprehended 43 days later with cropped and dyed hair and bruising under her eyes that she said was the result of surfing mishap.

Prosecutors at the trial that began Oct. 30 showed video from neighbors’ surveillance cameras which demonstrated that a black SUV similar to the one owned by Armstrong had driven in front of the house where Wilson was killed on the day she was shot. GPS data confirmed that Armstrong’s SUV was parked near the scene within a half-hour of the murder. Police said they had found Armstrong’s DNA on the seat and handlebars of Wilson’s bike.

Armstrong’s defense team argued that all of this was circumstantial evidence. They said their client had never fled the country because police had not detained her for questioning about Wilson’s murder.

This article appears in November 10 • 2023.

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Brant Bingamon arrived in Austin in 1981 to attend UT and immediately became fascinated by the city's music scene. He's spent his adult life playing in bands and began writing for the Chronicle in 2019, covering criminal justice, the death penalty, and public school issues. He has two children, Noah and Eryl, and lives with his partner Adrienne on the Eastside.