Kaitlin Armstrong, who is facing first degree murder charges in connection with the shooting death of cyclist Moriah Wilson, pleaded not guilty in a court appearance in Austin on Wednesday with her attorney requesting a speedy trial, according to local media reports.
Wednesday’s pre-trial hearing in the Austin courtroom marked Armstrong’s first court appearance on the charge, with the judge setting the docket call for the case for Oct. 19, with a jury trial the week after, said a report in local NBC affiliate KXAN.
“There is a big picture here. This is the beginning of a process that will play out in court and it should play out in court,” Rick Cofer, Armstrong’s attorney said in a statement after the hearing, according to the KXAN report.
Cofer, who did not answer questions after making his statement, said Armstrong’s legal team also had questions including why Austin Police officers “seemingly ignored a tip about the former boyfriend of Ms. Wilson” and “who vandalized the home of Kaitlin Armstrong and Colin Strickland the night of Wilson’s death and why?”
KXAN said the response from the Austin Police Department was that they would not comment on pending litigation.
Wilson was killed in a shooting at a home in East Austin on May 11.
An arrest warrant for Armstrong in connection to the homicide investigation was issued on May 17. Authorities later discovered, through the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, that Armstrong had sold her black Jeep for $12,200 on May 13 and left from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on May 14. After connecting through Houston Hobby Airport to LaGuardia Airport in New York, authorities said on May 18 Armstrong fraudulently used another person's passport to flee the US from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to San Jose, Costa Rica.
After a 43-day fugitive hunt, Armstrong was located and apprehended on June 29 at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas, Costa Rica then deported back to the US on July 2.
Authorities said she was formally charged with first-degree murder felony charges in the Travis County Jail in Austin where she was moved on July 5.
Cyclingnews has pieced together a timeline of how authorities believe this crime allegedly unfolded, based on legal documents.
Cyclingnews will provide additional updates as more information from authorities becomes available.
