Dramatic courtroom testimony has revealed that DNA evidence found on slain professional cyclist Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson likely ties her accused killer to the crime scene.
Kaitlin Armstrong, 35, is on trial for the May 2022 murder of Wilson, a competitive gravel and mountain bike racer who was found dead at her friend’s East Austin home with gunshot wounds to her head and chest.
In court in Texas on Tuesday, jurors heard testimony from Sgt Timothy Price who responded to the scene of the murder.
He said that Wilson’s bike was found lying in the middle of bamboo a few yards from the apartment.
It was swabbed by another crime scene investigator, he said.
DNA found on the bike was “highly likely” to have come from Armstrong, prosecutors told the court during opening statements.
Kaitlin Armstrong listens to opening arguments during the first day of her trial— (AP)
But, during witness testimony, defence attorney Rick Cofer questioned crime scene specialist Katie Ferrara about why the bike had been taken to the police department without a protective covering.
She said police did not have a big enough bag for the bike.
Ms Ferrara also testified that there were no track marks in the grass leading to where the bike was located, and that she did not know how the bike got there.
Austin police detective Rolando Ramirez, another witness for the prosecution, testified Thursday that he thought Wilson’s killing was “more of a personal thing or more of anger type of shooting”.
His theory was based on the fact that there was no sign of forced entry and no signs of struggle. Nothing appeared to have been stolen from her home, he added.
Moriah ‘Mo’ Wilson was one of the top gravel racing cyclists in the world— (Instagram/Mo Wilson)
Mr Ramirez also testified that he got video from a neighbor’s Ring camera that showed a black Jeep driving slowly in an alley by the garage apartment. He added that he could not tell from the video who was driving the Jeep or if anyone else was inside.
Prosecutors have said the SUV belonged to Ms Armstrong and that GPS data revealed that it was in the area shortly before Wilson was killed.
Prosecutors allege that Ms Armstrong tracked Wilson before killing her after the two were reportedly involved in a love triangle with Ms Armstrong’s then-partner Colin Strickland.
Meanwhile, Ms Armstrong’s defence attorney Geoffrey Puryear said in opening statements that no one had ever seen Ms Armstrong with Wilson at the time she was killed – and that no surveillance video had been found placing her at the scene of the shooting.
Wilson, a 25-year-old Vermont native, had previously dated Ms Armstrong’s boyfriend Colin Strickland, who also was a competitive gravel racer. Wilson and Mr Strickland had gone swimming together hours before the murder.
Investigators quickly cleared Mr Strickland and prosecutors said on Wednesday that video and cellphone calls, texting, and location data will confirm that he was nowhere near the scene at the time of the shooting.
Ms Armstrong fled the country just three days after the shooting. She was on the run for 43 days before being captured and charged with murder.
Ms Armstrong, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, is facing up to 99 years in prison on the charges.
