Netflix and I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not director Marina Zenovich examine the brutal 2022 murder of a professional cyclist in The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson.
Moriah Wilson appeared to have a bright future ahead of her in the world of gravel cycling before she was found dead at age 25 at a friend’s home in 2022 — the victim of a gruesome shooting.
“This was the big case everyone was working on, and it was shocking because nobody could figure out a reason why someone would want to kill this person,“ criminal intelligence analyst Pamela Mazak notes in The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson.
The police investigation initially centered on whether Wilson may have been murdered as part of a home invasion or robbery before a much more shocking theory arose.
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Investigators discovered that Wilson’s murder may have been tied to a love triangle involving pro bicycle racer Colin Strickland. The U.S. Marshals’ quest to bring a person of interest to justice ultimately led them all the way to a remote village in Costa Rica.
Keep scrolling for more about the case and how you can watch The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson.
Who Was Moriah Wilson?
Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson grew up in Kirby, Vermont, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 2019.
Wilson discovered an interest in cycling at an early age and was also a nationally ranked junior skier in her youth. As an adult, the athlete worked for Specialized Bicycle Components as she competed on the professional gravel racing circuit.
Karen Wilson, Moriah Wilson and Eric Wilson. Courtesy of Netflix
“I work really hard, and even though I haven’t been in the sport for long, my experience as a ski racer and background in the sport recreationally have converged,” she told Velo in 2021. “So that’s been cool because it’s actually like, OK, this has been many, many years and hours of being coached and doing something recreationally.”
Following Wilson’s 2022 death, her family created the Moriah Wilson Foundation to promote community building. The foundation holds an annual Ride for Mo gravel race in Vermont.
Who Killed Moriah Wilson?
Moriah Wilson was found dead from three gunshot wounds on May 11, 2022, at a friend’s home on the night before a race in Hico, Texas. (Wilson had been shot twice in the head and once in the chest.)
Wilson had reportedly gone swimming with professional cyclist Colin Strickland hours before her murder. The two previously had a brief relationship when Strickland temporarily split from his longtime girlfriend Kaitlin Marie Armstrong.
Police brought Strickland in for an interview since he was the last known person to have seen Wilson alive. The gravel racer downplayed the seriousness of his fling with Wilson.
“I mean, honestly, it was kind of like an interruption, [a] blip,” Strickland told police.
Armstrong’s black Jeep Grand Cherokee was spotted near the scene of the crime before Wilson’s murder, leading police to suspect her as a person of interest early on.
An anonymous tipster also told the Austin Police Department that Armstrong was “furious and was shaking with anger” when she heard Strickland had been with Wilson.
Moriah Wilson Courtesy of Netflix
Strickland and Armstrong were both released from custody pending investigation. Police attempted to deliver an arrest warrant for Armstrong at her Austin, Texas, residence four days later, only to discover that she’d fled the state.
The murder suspect escaped to Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, where she underwent cosmetic surgery to alter her facial appearance and dramatically changed her hairstyle.
“She behaved totally normal. Maybe like a shy patient,” her plastic surgeon, Dr. Jorge Badilla, told NBC’s Dateline in April 2024. “She had a hat, or hoodie, and she also had a mask over her face so we could only see her eyes.”
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U.S. Marshals eventually caught up with Armstrong while she was working in Costa Rica as a yoga instructor. Authorities were finally able to apprehend her on June 29, 2022, after placing fake ads for yoga.
However, Armstrong continued causing trouble for authorities once she was extradited to the U.S. to face trial for murder. She allegedly tried to escape her security detail during a medical appointment but was quickly apprehended once again, per Fox 7 Austin.
What Happened to Kaitlin Marie Armstrong?
Kaitlin Marie Armstrong was arraigned on July 21, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the murder of Moriah Wilson. She was held on $3.5 million bond at the Travis County Jail in Austin, Texas.
After a three-week trial, Armstrong was convicted of first-degree murder on November 16, 2023. She was sentenced to 90 years in prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. (She is eligible for parole after serving at least 30 years.)
As of publication, Armstrong is incarcerated at the Dr. Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville, Texas.
How Can You Watch ‘The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson’?
The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson is available to stream now via Netflix.
