Those who closely followed accused killer Kaitlin Armstrong’s escapade while on the run last year will have to wait until October for the much-anticipated trial, CBS reports.
Armstrong appeared in court for the pretrial hearing on April 20, 2023, and the New York Post states she showed little emotion. She stood with her hands behind her back, facing the judge, wearing a red prison uniform top and black and white striped pants, her hair braided. It’s a vastly different look from the one she donned to drastically change the long strawberry blond curls she had.
It was 34-year-old Armstrong’s first appearance on camera since the May 11 murder of professional cyclist Mo Wilson, who was visiting Austin to participate in a race, the Post states.
The trial was originally schedule to start on October 26, 2022, but was pushed to June 26, 2023, according to bicycling.com. At the April 20 hearing, Armstrong’s defense attorney, Rick Cofer, requested yet another delay. He told District Judge Brandy Mueller that he and his team needed more time to secure witnesses and additional evidence.
Armstrong’s trial is now scheduled begin on October 30, 2023, bicycling.com adds. In the meantime, Armstrong will remain in the Travis County Jail in Austin on a $3.5 million bond.
Police claim that Armstrong’s boyfriend, 35-year-old Colin Strickland, another professional cyclist, was having an affair with Wilson, leading Armstrong to allegedly murder her in a jealous rage, according to the criminal affidavit released in May 2022.
The affidavit adds that Armstrong’s black Jeep was allegedly seen in the same area where Wilson was murdered, and police claim the bullets retrieved from the scene match Armstrong’s 9 mm handgun. Witness statements also revealed that Armstrong knew of the affair in January 2022, and told a friend she was so angry she wanted to kill Wilson.
After an interview with detectives, Armstrong fled from Austin, where U.S. Marshals tracked her to New York City, New Jersey, then Costa Rica, where they arrested her on July 29, according to various updates from the Marshals during the nation-wide hunt which lasted 43 days.
During her flight from law enforcement, Armstrong allegedly used multiple aliases, Canadian Cycling Magazine notes. When U.S. Marshals arrested Armstrong at the end of June, they apparently also found receipts for cosmetic surgery costing about $6350.
Armstrong has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Cofer states that the court shouldn’t permit the prosecution to use evidence compiled in the original interview, as those investigators violated Armstrong’s right to leave at any time and to an attorney, Fox10 previously reported. Cofer argues that his client was never read her Miranda rights and asked to leave several times.
After realizing a clerical error had put an incorrect birth date for Armstrong on an unrelated arrest warrant for an unpaid Botox bill, rendering that warrant void, detectives carried on the interview, Fox10 says.
“The affidavit completely mischaracterized and falsely stated Mr. Strickland’s words to fabricate a theory of jealousy as a presumed motive for the murder,” he said last August, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Last July, Cofer said there is much more to the story than the police and media narrative have let on, CBS reported at the time.
“Miss Armstrong wants her day in court. She wants a trial,” Cofer stated.
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