Murder suspect flew out of Austin to New York days after cyclist’s death

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Kaitlin Armstrong, the woman accused of murdering pro-cyclist Moriah Wilson in Austin earlier this month, fled to New York just three days after the crime, U.S. Marshals said Wednesday.

Wilson, whose full name is Anna Moriah Wilson, was shot and killed the evening of May 11 at a home off Maple Avenue in east Austin. She was in Texas preparing to compete in a race in Hico, according to VeloNews. Wilson is originally from Vermont.

U.S. Marshals said Armstrong, 34, was at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on May 14 around 12:30 p.m.

She boarded a flight (#WN2262) to Houston Hobby Airport, then got on a connecting Southwest Airlines flight (#WN30) to LaGuardia Airport in New York.

This was before an arrest warrant was issued for Armstrong on May 17.

The Austin Police Department questioned Armstrong on May 12, Detective Richard Spitler said a news conference Tuesday. He said investigators questioned her about her Jeep being in the area around the time of Wilson’s death and Armstrong “wouldn’t confirm or deny being in the area,” and ended the interview.

“Armstrong was mistakenly released from custody on the misdemeanor warrant because her date-of-birth in our report management system did not match the date-of-birth on the warrant,” Spitler said. We asked if she was arrested on that warrant – unrelated to the murder case – if she would have been prohibited from flying on May 14. Spitler told KXAN that scenario is unlikely because it was a misdemeanor, not a felony. He also said the date-of-birth discrepancies did not impact the timing of issuing the murder warrant on May 17.

The department did not have the details of that prior misdemeanor warrant at the time of the press conference.

U.S. Marshals described Armstrong as white, 5’8″ tall and weighing around 125 pounds. She has long, curly, light brown hair and hazel eyes.

She was last seen wearing a blue denim jacket, black shirt with a pink design on the chest, white jeans, black-and-white tennis shoes and a black COVID-19 mask with a possible yoga mat holder on her shoulders.

On May 20, U.S. Marshals asked for the public’s help in finding Armstrong. Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force are working on the investigation and pursuing leads.

Earlier this week, U.S. Marshals said agents believed she was still in the Austin area because of her ties to the community.

Catch up on the investigation

Anyone with details on where Armstrong could be is asked to call the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at (800) 336-0102 or submit a tip using the USMS Tips app.