Neighbors who live next to the apartment in Texas where cyclist Moria “Mo” Wilson is staying say they did not hear shots the night of her murder – and believe her killer may have used a silencer to carry out the attack.
Wilson, 25, was found dead in an apartment in Austin on May 11 shortly after swimming with fellow cyclist Colin Strickland.
Strickland’s friend, yoga teacher Caitlin Armstrong, is currently on the run after being accused of killing Wilson.
According to police, the 35-year-old Armstrong may have been driven by jealousy and the belief that Strickland was cheating on her.
A neighbor, 47-year-old David Harris, said he had not heard the shooting the night of the murder.
“I think I would have heard gunshots next door if she had used 9mm, so the shooter must have used a suppressor,” he told the US Sun.
“You have to be careful with these redheads, man.”
During the shooting, Harris said he was in his garage, partially lifting the door.
Anna Moria “Mo” Wilson, 25, was found shot dead in an apartment in Austin on May 11, 2022.
Police have identified the suspected killer as yoga instructor Caitlin Marie Armstrong, 34.
Harris also said he heard someone leave their apartment building during the bicycle murder.
He said, “I heard someone leave, but I didn’t see anyone with my own eyes.”
He continued: “I had the feeling that a motorcycle was starting. It was not a motorcycle. Maybe Armstrong was riding his bike, and she wanted to look like a theft.
The only thing missing from Wilson’s room after her murder was her motorcycle, which investigators said was found in a bamboo thicket more than 60 feet from the house.
Wilson was killed shortly after swimming with a fellow cyclist named Colin Strickland – and police say she may have been targeted by his jealous girlfriend
The only thing missing from Wilson’s room was her bicycle, which investigators said was found in a bamboo thicket more than 60 feet from the house.
Wilson was in town to prepare for a race, but Harris said he didn’t know she was staying in the apartment and had never met her.
He said the woman who owned the apartment was “quite shaken”. “She probably won’t live there anymore,” he added.
Harris said the 9mm mufflers are retailing for between $ 500 and $ 900 in Texas, one of 42 states where it is legal to have a muffler.
The popular 9mm silencers retail for between $ 500 and over $ 900
In 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that he repealed, making it easier for gun owners to buy silencers in the state.
Earlier, as in most states, ATF regulations meant it could take up to eight months for gun owners to acquire silencers after purchasing them.
A 9mm pistol typically produces 160 decibels of sound. On average, with a muffler, this is reduced to about 125 decibels.
Another neighbor said she did not notice the shots and that her dogs did not get excited until emergency services arrived.
A neighbor said her surveillance camera caught a car leaving the scene after the murder.
She said: “I’m lucky my camera caught her car because it’s not on all the time. Triggered when cars pass, but not always. It was just her bad luck. If she had planned everything, she had to find out there [are] cameras around.
An unnamed police adviser had previously told investigators that Armstrong was furious when he discovered the Strickland cyclist’s affair with fellow cyclist Wilson in January 2022.
An unnamed police adviser had previously told investigators that Armstrong was outraged when he discovered the Strickland cyclist’s affair with fellow cyclist Wilson in January 2022.
Strickland told police he bought two 9mm pistols for him and Armstrong at the time.
Authorities believe Strickland and Wilson have continued their relationship, something Wilson’s family denies.
This adviser contacted the cops on May 14, three days after Wilson was killed. Armstrong was subsequently questioned by cops and released due to a technical problem.
The informant told police: “Armstrong was furious and trembling with anger. Armstrong told the caller that Armstrong was so angry that Armstrong wanted to kill Wilson.
It is alleged that on the night of her death, Wilson had a secret meeting in the pool with Strickland after lying to his girlfriend that he had left flowers for a friend.
The informant told police: “Armstrong was furious and trembling with anger. Armstrong told the caller that Armstrong was so angry that Armstrong wanted to kill Wilson.
Armstrong is said to have learned of the encounter and is accused of shooting Wilson shortly afterwards. The alleged killer’s black jeep was photographed near the house where Wilson was killed, about the same time she was killed.
Strickland left Wilson at 8.30pm at the home of a friend in East Austin.
Armstrong did not return to the house she shared with Strickland until 9:20 p.m., he told police.
Armstrong, meanwhile, is said to have blocked Wilson from contacting his boyfriend on his phone. It is alleged that this led him to keep her under another name so that he could contact her secretly.
Wilson was seen as a rising star in the sport. She had just become a professional, leaving her job at California-based bicycle company Specialized, and weeks earlier had taken the first leadership for elite women in the Life Time Grand Prix off-road series.
About the time the couple saw Wilson, 25, at an event in January 2022, and the other woman reportedly sent an SMS to Strickland asking, “Hey! Hey!” I would very much like to talk to you at some point. I originally sent you an SMS on Friday, but it appears my texts do not experience again. This weekend was weird for me and I just want to know what’s going on. If you just want to be friends (it seems to be), then that’s great, but I’d like to talk about it because honestly my mind is spinning and I don’t know what to think.
Colin Strickland, 35, said: “Hey, Mo- I feel so bad that I’m putting you in a position where you’re not comfortable. Caitlin came to the meeting for the sprint / spartan hotel project. Looking back, it wasn’t a good idea.
Wilson reportedly believed she and Strickland were still in a relationship at the time.
After Armstrong discovered their delusion, she contacted Wilson several times and even called to tell her that “she’s the one dating Strickland.”
Strickland later issued a statement insisting that his relationship with Wilson was “platonic and professional.”
Her boyfriend later changed Wilson’s name on his phone so that his girlfriend didn’t know who she was chatting with “so they could continue their relationship” and that Armstrong blocked her lover’s number on her phone. He also reported “deleted” messages on his phone so that she would not find them.
The unidentified friend said that Strickland and Wilson had a “reunion” relationship and had met several times, and that Armstrong had recently started following the cyclist on Instagram.
On the day of Wilson’s murder, the cyclist reportedly told his girlfriend Caitlin Cash, who called 911, that he would “meet a friend named Colin to go swimming” in the famous Austin Deep Eddy pool. Cash left the residence at about 5:30 p.m., and when she returned, she noticed that the door was unlocked and saw Wilson “lying on the bathroom floor covered in blood and no one else inside.”
Cash said her door required a “unique code” to open, and said she had received notice that the code had been used around 5:55 p.m., indicating that the door was locked – indicating that Wilson had gone to swims, says the oath declaration. She said she received another notice around 8:30 p.m., indicating that Wilson had returned.
She said the password had recently been changed and she and Wilson were the only ones who knew her.
Strickland told police he left Wilson around 8:45 p.m. and stopped in an alley to send a message to Armstrong: “Hey! Are you out? I went to plant flowers for Alison at her sons’ house in the north, and my phone died. I have another suggestion for food.
“Strickland lied to Armstrong about his whereabouts to hide that he was with Wilson all night,” the swearing-in statement said.
In an interview with police, Armstrong did not deny that her car was in the area at the time, but “there is no explanation why it is there.”
When the yoga teacher was questioned about her boyfriend’s affair, she reportedly “rolled her eyes in an angry way.” When authorities asked if she was “upset” and “only in the area,” Armstrong nodded and admitted she “didn’t look well,” the affidavit said.
Recently released videos show a car of a fugitive yoga teacher passing by the house of a love rival at the same time as the woman was shot inside.
On May 17, a firearm at Strickland’s residence was “test-fired” and police found that there was “significant potential” that the gun could have been used for the crime.
Investigators are also investigating whether the Strava exercise app led Armstrong to Wilson’s location. It was used by runners and cyclists to share exercise routes, and Wilson’s profile – which has now been deleted – was publicly visible.
She took a cycling route starting and ending at the property in Austin, where she stayed on May 11, the date of her death, revealing her location.
Armstrong’s profile has recently changed from public to private, although it is unclear whether she made the change herself.
Strickland later issued a statement insisting that his relationship with Wilson was “platonic and professional.”
He wrote: “There is no way I can adequately express the regret and torture I feel for my closeness to this horrible crime.”
He said he was cooperating fully with police.
“I admired her very much …
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