Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Glam Yoga Teacher Charged in Love Murder Insists: 'I'VE GOT AN ALIBI'

Episode Date: November 2, 2022

Attorneys for Kaitlin Armstrong file motions trying to keep the Austin woman's interview with police thrown out.  Armstrong's attorneys are in essence accusing the Austin Police of violating the accused killer's Constitutional Rights. Attorney Rick Cofer says Armstrong was detained under false pretenses, was not read her Miranda rights, and police repeatedly ignored Armstrong's requests for an attorney.    Cofer also says the case against Armstrong is based on a misogynistic view, with police characterizing Armstrong as a possessive, jealous woman. Cofer says as far as Armstrong's black SUV being at the crime scene, "you can't be in two places at one." However, Cofer refuses to say where Armstrong was.  Joining Nancy Grace Today: Matthew Mangino - Attorney, Former District Attorney (Lawrence County); Former Parole Board Member; Author: "The Executioner's Toll: The Crimes, Arrests, Trials, Appeals, Last Meals, Final Words and Executions of 46 Persons in the United States"  Dr. Shari Schwartz - Forensic Psychologist (specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy); Twitter: @TrialDoc; Author: "Criminal Behavior" and "Where Law and Psychology Intersect: Issues in Legal Psychology" Irv Brandt - Senior Inspector, US Marshals Service International Investigations Branch; Chief Inspector, DOJ Office of International Affairs; Country Attache, US Embassy Kingston, Jamaica; Author: "FLYING SOLO: Top of the World" available on Amazon; Twitter: @JackSoloAuthor Dr. Tim Gallagher - Medical Examiner, State of Florida; Lecturer: University of Florida Medical School Forensic Medicine; Founder/Host: International Forensic Medicine Death Investigation Conference Dave Mack - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Caitlin Armstrong. Remember that name? I sure do. Do you remember the name Mariah Wilson? A 25-year-old world-class biker? Well, she was murdered. And now, scorned lover Caitlin Armstrong's defense team is fighting back against murder claims, guns a-blazing, using every single trick in the book, including demanding that crucial states' evidence be thrown out, like the defendant's statement,

and also branding the entire murder investigation as misogynistic and basically labeling all the police, all the Texas Rangers, the investigators as women haters. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us here at Fox Nation and Sirius XM 111. First of all, take a listen to the so-called scorned lover, Caitlin Armstrong is a crazy, jealous person who, in a fit of rage, murdered Miss Wilson. The whole case against Kate Armstrong is predicated on a deeply misogynistic view of her. Hmm.

I wonder if the murder weapon being in her control at her domicile after the murder and a car looking just like hers going around and around and around the victim's apartment just before her murder and likely GPS and cell phone data showing that she was following Mariah around the whole evening before she was murdered. I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Or maybe it was her statement to a friend beforehand, I hate her so much, I want to kill her. I wonder if that had anything at all to do with it. Wow. But besides branding all the detectives, investigators, and Texas Rangers as women haters, and the whole reason their client is behind bars is because of a misogynistic woman-hating investigation, he's got more. Take a listen to the defense lawyer, pretty good lawyer too, Rick Cofer speaking to our friends at NBC.

So this dark colored SUV, that's where the detective really wants to start to hang this horrible crime on Kalen Armstrong. There's no evidence presented ever of a license plate on this vehicle, of any description of an occupant of the vehicle. Kofor said that can't be Caitlin in the Jeep for one simple reason. You can't be in two places at once. That's just kind of some simple math. Hmm, simple math. Well, I don't know that they taught math in law school,

but is he going to get away with this? Is this lawyer, again, pretty good lawyer, Rick Cofer, actually able, is he able to convince a jury that it looks like a duck, it walks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, but it's not a duck? Take a listen to more. You're saying that she wasn't in the vicinity of the murder when the murder occurred and you can prove it. I don't have to prove that. That's not how the system works. You just said simple math was an error so that maybe they. Let me put it this way.

It implies that you have proof. I expect this. The government's own evidence will acquit Caitlin Armstrong. They just haven't looked at it. Caitlin Armstrong is not guilty. And if this case goes to trial, if the district attorney doesn't dismiss it before trial, she will be found not guilty. I've got an all-star panel to make sense of what we know right now, including Dave Mack with Crime Online with the very latest in the investigation. But first to

Irv Brandt, former U.S. Marshal International Investigations Branch he really comes in handy because for some reason even though she obviously according to her lawyer didn't do it she took off and hid under an assumed name and got a nose job and hung out in Costa Rica. Irv Brandt steered us through finding her there. Wow was that her sister's passport she was using? Okay that's a whole nother can of. But Irv Brandt joining us. Irv, also author of Flying Solo, Top of the World on Amazon. You can find him at irvbrandt.com. Irv, don't you love it when a defense attorney or a suspect is pressed for hard evidence such as, well, she can't be at two places at one time.

The timeline doesn't fit. She has an airtight alibi. And you go, great, what? And they go, well, I don't have to prove that. Or, mm-hmm. What? You said she has an airtight alibi. You're going to prove she was somewhere else

why not tell us well it's true nancy um as you know being a prosecutor uh dealing with defense attorneys uh they're going to attack the government's case they're not going to almost never present their own case present their own evidence they're just going to attack what the government has and basically call it a bunch of lies uh that it was some kind of conspiracy and that she was maybe perhaps on vacation like an ordinary citizen uh down in costa rica even though that she traveled on false passports well you know some women like to hide the fact they're getting plastic surgery. How about that? I mean, she really hid it.

She was living in a hostel on a bunk bed with a bunch of other people that didn't want to pay for a full-on hotel. She was eating beans out of a can. That's going a long way to hide your nose job. It is, and it's not going to work out well. I mean, hold on. Let me go to brother under the skin of the defense attorney, Matthew Mangino, former district attorney, former parole board. I don't like that. Author of The Executioner's Toll, highly respected lawyer.

Matthew Mangino, you see where this is going but don't you love it when the defense or the defendant goes I have an alibi I wasn't there so you go well where are you where were you I don't have to tell you that what just it doesn't even have you ever talked to a crazy person and they look sane and they just blah blah blah it's all like gibberish coming out of their mouth this lawyer's a pretty good lawyer this cofer but when he gets put on the hot seat with just one question i thought he lost credibility well yeah i think nancy when you try the case in the court of public opinion which is what he's doing right now. He's trying to put out, you know, what he thinks are defects in the prosecution's case. He's doing a pretty good job of it, too. But you open yourself up to exactly what you're saying. Well, well, what's your alibi or what's

your defense? And then you want to back off and say, well, I don't have to prove anything. The prosecution has certainly the prosecution has to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. But if you're going to open up this can of worms in the public, then you better be prepared to provide some basis for the allegations that you're making. Now, I think they've filed some very interesting motions, you know, a motion to suppress. Hey, hey, hey, hold on. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I'm going to get into the motions right now. You brought it up, Matthew Mangino, so buckle up. Take a listen to our friends at KXAN. Attorneys for an Austin woman accused of

killing cyclist Mariah Wilson were back in court today for the second day of a pretrial hearing that began last week. Attorneys for Caitlin Armstrong filed what's called a Frank's motion this is a legal proceeding when a court is asked to determine whether a police officer or a detective lied or used reckless disregard for the truth and pursuing an arrest warrant the judge is expected to issue a ruling on November 9th Armstrong's attorneys are basically accusing the Austin police of violating her constitutional rights, first by detaining her under false pretenses, then not reading her Miranda rights, then repeatedly ignoring her requests for an attorney,

and they want a jury to see none of that interrogation. You're also hearing our friend at ABC, that was Matt Gutman. Okay, so you've got this Frank's motion happening Matthew Mangino which essentially claims that a detective lied or used reckless disregard for the truth in the investigation and you have a claim that she was arrested under false pretenses. Now remember, she was arrested for an outstanding warrant. That outstanding warrant was based on the fact that, if you want to believe some, video in a nail shop. Wasn't that what it was? She went and had her nails done, Jackie. A whole bunch of beauty treatments. Botox. Oh, excuse me. Botox. Yes, Botox. And so there's a several hundred dollar bill, maybe six, seven hundred dollars.

She takes out one credit card and says, let me go get my other credit card out of the car. I want to use it instead. So the staff says, sure, go. She left, got in her car and left. So there was an outstanding warrant for her. That's why she was initially brought in. Of course, the cops also believe that she was the killer, that she killed 25-year-old Mariah Wilson, but bringing her in on that open warrant was absolutely, Irv Brand, jump in, you're with the Marshal Service, absolutely above board. You can arrest somebody on an open warrant. You absolutely can't. Whether the warrant turns out to be valid or not.

Well, they had her wrong DOB on there. That's not going to defeat the warrant because they had her DOB wrong. No, no. They had, they were, it was perfectly proper for them to bring her in on that warrant. And the statements that she made during that time can be used absolutely if she i know the defense is going to want to suppress it

but yeah if she had been given her miranda rights and she understood them speaking of problems, potential legal problems, with Kaitlyn Armstrong's statement. Take a listen to our friends at Fox 7 and KVUE. Armstrong's attorneys are asking a judge to throw out some evidence in this case. They say that police lied and violated Armstrong's rights. A pretrial hearing in the Kaitlyn Armstrong case coming to a close Monday. Armstrong's rights. A pretrial hearing in the Caitlin Armstrong case coming to a close Monday. Armstrong's attorneys are asking Travis County Judge Brenda Kennedy to toss evidence in the case. Arguing that an interview Austin Police Detective Katie Connor had with Armstrong on May 12th was an illegal interrogation. Armstrong was never read her Miranda rights and repeatedly asked for an attorney and to leave the room. The state points

out that Connor told Armstrong several times that she was free to leave. This was a pre-trial motion where the defense has filed two motions to suppress evidence before the trial begins and an Austin detective took the stand to answer questions about an interview police had with Armstrong days before she left the U.S. The lead homicide detective in the Mo Wilson case was also asked questions, mostly from the defense. A number of videos were shown today in the courtroom, including the interview with the detective who interviewed Armstrong. They also went over the arrest affidavit. It's still unclear what exact evidence the defense is looking to suppress. Well, I can tell you that right now they want her statements suppressed that's what they're talking about it's not unclear it's very clear Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

Dave Mack, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. On several occasions, detectives told her she was free to leave. Is that true? Absolutely true. Five different times they told her she was free to leave. And that true? Absolutely true. Five different times they told her she was free to leave. And what about Miranda? Do we know if they gave her her Miranda rights? I find it very difficult to believe that they did not. They did not, apparently. Now, this is, I haven't actually seen the entire video of what they're talking about, Nancy, but for all intents and purposes uh they did not miranda her at all

okay that's going to be a problem uh if they very often you will see them give the suspect a piece of paper with the miranda rights written on it and the suspect will sign them but i've got to tell you if there are no miranda rights there is a problem. That's the biggest problem I see. Jump in. So Nancy, yeah, you know, that is we're talking about fundamental constitutional rights. If she is in a custodial interrogation, which means she's not free to leave. And there's a question about that. I understand. But if she's in a custodial interrogation in which she's asked to leave or asked to speak to an attorney and she's never been Miranda, you know, the landmark case, Miranda versus Arizona, you have the right to remain silent. You have the right to have counsel and

anything you say can be used against you if she wasn't given those Miranda rights. And as you pointed out, typically there's a written waiver in every case where someone signs off saying they understand those rights. If that wasn't done here, they're going to have a very difficult time keeping any statement that she made in this case for trial. You're absolutely correct. And I do not like admitting it. But if there's no Miranda, there's no statement. Then the state has to figure out, can we prove the case without her statement? Maybe they can. Maybe they can't.

Seems like they've got a lot of other hard evidence proving that she's the killer. But do they? We don't know everything that they've got. Now take a listen to our friends at GMA. Attorneys for Caitlin Armstrong say these newly released images from her interrogation were part of an illegal arrest and that they raised serious concerns about the case. The photo is part of newly filed court documents trying to suppress evidence and obtained by ABC News. Armstrong's attorneys allege that one day after pro cyclist Mariah Wilson was found murdered in

May, the detective on the case took Armstrong into custody with an illegal arrest warrant and constructed an illegal interrogation, claiming they'd brought her in on a 2018 charge for allegedly failing to pay for Botox, but then asked her about Wilson's murder. The reality is, though, Matthew Mangino, you can be brought in rightfully, legally on an outstanding warrant, and you can be questioned about another incident. Well, yeah, there's no question about that. You can be brought in on a valid warrant, or even if you believe that's a valid warrant and it's not, you can still be brought in and you can be questioned. But once you get into that point

where you're interrogating somebody and they're not free to leave or they've asked for an attorney, you need to make sure that they understand their Miranda rights before you do any further questioning. Well, there's no question they did not give Miranda. Right. There's no question. Because apparently Officer Connor was in the process of starting Miranda, then took a call or went out of the room to speak to someone, came back in and never did it. That's going to be a major, major problem. But I'm already beyond that. In my mind, that interview has been ruled out. That's not coming in because Miranda was not given unless there was a waiver, a written waiver that she signed with Miranda on it.

And she signs. Yes, I she signed with Miranda on it. And she signs it. Yes, I read it and I understand it. It's the only way that that statement's going to be saved. I'm on to the next step. The only thing I would say, Nancy, you know, and I think the state is going to try to prove that she was free to leave. So she was not in custody. And if you're not in custody, that's essential.

You have to be in custody. Again, I'm past that the statement's out it's not coming in it's not coming in because they didn't give her miranda they screwed up and i'm putting it very mildly they screwed up they didn't give a murder suspect her miranda rights i mean it's just they might as well not even argue it. It's over. Next. Now can we prove the case without that statement?

And I would submit that H-E-double-L-Y-E-S. They can. But now wait a minute. Wait a minute. Let's go forward to our code 104, our friends at News Nation. Listen. Austin police filing a search warrant and discovered what's believed to be the email address used by suspected murderer Caitlin Armstrong following the shooting death of

professional cyclist Mariah Wilson. Police say Wilson had previously dated Armstrong's boyfriend, who helped police in the investigation and is not considered a suspect. Investigators say this newly discovered email account was used while Armstrong was fleeing Austin, Texas. So I think the biggest thing that's going to come out of this digital search warrant, which they got, is really premeditation. Is what she did reactionary to her killing Mariah Wilson? Or did she have a plan in place in the days or weeks prior to killing her? I think that's the biggest thing that they're trying to establish with this. I think Strickland is in an interesting spot.

I'm not certain that I think he played a direct role in the death of Mo Wilson. I think that that's more going to fall on her sister, Christine Armstrong. Okay, do I smell the word conspiracy? Is somebody claiming that the boyfriend, Colin Strickland, or Caitlin Armstrong's sister aided and abetted before, during, or after the murder? Hold on. Wait for it. Take a listen to Tracy Walder, former CIA, from our friends at NewsNation. I think what's going to go into place is what did he know and did he try to cover it up? For example, when he found out you know

the police had confiscated her phone and he provided her with a new one what did he know and when did he know it about when she was making purchases at walmart to buy the burner phone or the prepaid debit cards and i think that's what's going to be important there and i really do not think that he played a role in the murder itself. I think what it's going to come down to is what did he, what role, if any, did he play in sort of covering it up and helping her escape? I do not think that he is going to face charges. And I do think he will get some kind of a deal.

Well, to get a deal, you have to have a charge. Why would you have a deal with the state if there's not a charge? I'm not running down to the DA's office and say, hey, I want straight probation. And I'm going to tell you everything I know about X, Y, and Z. I've got to be charged first before I cut a deal, which tells me they may have enough to charge him with aiding a fugitive. What about it? Dave Mack joining me, CrimeOnline.com, talking about the alleged cheating boyfriend, Colin Strickland. He had a relationship, a romantic relationship, with a world-class cyclist, Mo Wilson, Mariah Wilson. Then he goes back to his regular girlfriend, the yoga instructor, and he dallies, let me say, when Mariah comes back in town.

According to the state, Caitlin Armstrong is incensed, stalks them all day into the evening, and finally guns Mariah down. So, what, if anything, does the state believe the boyfriend, Collins Strickland, had to do with aiding and abetting his scorned girlfriend? Nancy, what we do know is what you just pointed out about the previous relationships and everything else. But, you know, one thing that's not being pointed out is that Strickland actually has said that Armstrong was not a jealous type. Right. But on his cell phone, he had Mo Wilson's name changed to something else so that Armstrong wouldn't know they were communicating. He went out of his way to lie to Armstrong about who he was with when he was with Armstrong. Well, you know, I hate to, you know, tear up the fiber of your universe, Dave Mack, but he ain't the first cheating boyfriend and he probably is not going to be the last.

It's probably about, I don't know, what would you say, 20, 30 million guys cheating right now as we're talking. And it's not a felony, sadly. No, but I'm trying to point out that he is claiming that Armstrong was not the jealous type. He's gone out of his way to give those statements to police. But everything else indicates that, yes, she was, or he wouldn't have been hiding it to such a degree. Now, we know that leading up to it, that he was hiding, that he was out with her that night. But we also know, well, we believe Armstrong actually had a way of tracking him using an app called Strava. So she knew where Colin Strickland was that evening and where he was down to the millimeter, you know.

And that she was, in fact, using Strava to find everywhere that they went. Yes. Okay, I've got another thing. What about it? Everybody jump in on this, especially you, Dr. Sherry Schwartz, forensic psychologist joining us. You can find her at PantherMedication.com. And she's the author of Criminal Behavior and Where Law and Psychology Intersect. Take a listen to our cut 66.

These are our friends at Fox 7. A first look at accused murderer Caitlin Armstrong in custody in Costa Rica after more than a month on the run. Her long golden hair, now shoulder length. And she also dyed her hair to a darker brown color. Early in the case, Fox reported a Utah-based investigator was looking at the possibility Armstrong was using the identity of her brunette New York-based sister. 34-year-old Armstrong flew into New York on May 14th, two days after being questioned about the murder of her romantic rival, professional cyclist Anna Mariah Wilson. Armstrong flew to Costa Rica from New Jersey four days after she landed in New York using a fraudulent passport. Around that same time, Fox reported her sister registered for a New York State driver's license.

At this time, marshals are not confirming that Armstrong used her sister's identity, only telling Fox 7 Austin. That fraudulent passport was very particular to her as far as physical descriptions that were closely matched. Not only that, take a listen to our cut 69, Fox 7. Armstrong used a passport. Now, the real identity of the person who had that passport, we're told, was somebody who closely physically resembled her. She continued using that alias while in Costa Rica, taking a bus, going to yoga studios. This enabled authorities to establish a paper trail and eventually close in

on her after hiding out for more than a month law enforcement found fugitive caitlyn armstrong in a hostel on costa rica's santa teresa beach trying to build a new life she was getting really ready to establish that next part of her career arm Armstrong, a yoga instructor, wanted for murdering her romantic rival, professional cyclist Anna Maria Wilson, in a fit of jealous rage, went to yoga studios on the island, signing in by hand at at least one studio, using the same alias she used to travel to the country. This, U.S. Marshals say, was key. Once they developed that pattern, it really opened up things.

To Dr. Sherry Schwartz, forensic psychologist, you know, when a cop comes up behind me, state patrol on the interstate, I don't take off at 90 mph. I may slow down, I may tap my brakes a little bit, but my point is, if she didn't do it, then why did she go to such extremes to go on the run? First, going to New York, changing her appearance and going to New York, hiding out in rural upstate New York, leaving with her sister's passport, and hiding out under an assumed name in Costa Rica at a hostel, getting plastic surgery to change her face, changing the color of her hair, using a different name. Why would you do all that if you didn't do it?

Exactly right. And this is the intersection of psychology and law when we're looking at things, those kinds of factors that go to consciousness of guilt. And I'm no lawyer, but I believe that a jury can consider those things, consciousness of guilt, right? She took multiple flights. She sold the car, right? This is in evidence.

Why do you sell your car? Then you take multiple flights to go to your sister at some clandestine location to get her passport. This is all over the news that she's wanted, and then she flees from the country and everything else that you mentioned. So I think you don't need a PhD in psychology to see that this is evidence of guilty mind. I want to go to you, Dr. Tim Gallagher,

joining us, medical examiner for the entire state of Florida. You can find him at PathCareMed.com, lecturer, University of Florida Medical School, and founder and host of the International Forensic Medicine Death Investigation Conference. Could you describe what 25-year-old Mariah Wilson

lived through until she bled out, cornered there on the bathroom floor of a friend's apartment. What did she go through after multiple shootings? Well, it's a horrifying experience as is obvious, but typically what happens is you don't feel the first bullet wound. You hear the gun. You see the gun being aimed in your direction, and you see the explosion. You hear the explosion, but you don't feel the first bullet wound. It's very shocking. It takes a while for the body to react to that.

When she received the second and third bullet wound, now the body is reacting to the pain, and it is extremely painful. But at the same time, the organs now are hemorrhaging. They're bleeding. They're bleeding inside. The lungs are filling up with blood, and you slowly develop difficulty breathing. All of a sudden, you cannot capture your breath you start gasping for air and your consciousness slowly slips away from you you slip into unconsciousness and eventually you

will die several minutes later i think that is why she went on the run because of what happened to mariah run because of what happened to Mariah. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Dave Mack, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. Dave, please outline the evidence the state is amassing against Caitlin Armstrong. This is anything but a misogynistic case put together by a cabal of women haters. If anything is misogynistic, it's one woman gunning down another woman over a scorned lover i'm just go ahead we have the uh gun we have the prospective gun actually uh colin strickland bought two guns one specifically for caitlin armstrong uh they found that gun and they found ammunition or the shell casings rather

at the scene um that were consistent with the gun that Armstrong was known to have. We have Armstrong's vehicle, the Jeep Grand Cherokee that was actually seen 60 seconds after Mo Wilson got home that evening. We have that vehicle right there at the property. We also have the evidence that she took off right away. You know, she's known to sell the vehicle on May 13th. Okay, we've got the shooting May 11th. May 12th, the police talked to her. May 13th, she sells the Grand Cherokee for $12,000 to a dealership there in town. We also know that her boyfriend, Colin Strickland, had given

her $450,000 as an investment into a business and had asked her to return that money. She didn't. So she still had that money plus the money from the car when she then goes on the run. We know that she, of course, went to Newark. We know that she met up with her sister out in the middle of nowhere she then escapes using a different passport uh to go to costa rica where she stayed there uh under different aliases we know that she used uh beth martin liz martin and ari martin as different names along the way so we know that we have her at the scene of the crime we know she has a gun that matches the description with the shell casings. And we see that she fled and went out of her way to really go off the grid. How did the whole thing start?

Take a listen to our friends at Fox 7, Hour Cut 1. Police are investigating a suspicious death in East Austin. This happened on Maple Avenue near East 17th Street overnight. A woman called police saying she found her friend inside her house unresponsive and there was blood near her. When officers arrived, they found the victim had gunshot wounds. AMAs provided life-saving measures, but the woman later died from her injuries. Police do not know how long she was inside the home, but did call her death suspicious. It is unclear if a gun was found on scene.

The gun was not found on scene. The gun was not found on scene. It was found where the defendant, Caitlin Armstrong, yoga teacher, resided. And more from Fox 7, our cut to. Tonight, we're learning the victim of a deadly shooting in East Austin earlier this week was a well-known cyclist who was supposed to take part in a mountain bike race in the hill country today. Anna Wilson, better known by her middle name Mariah, was pronounced dead on Wednesday night at home on Maple Avenue near 18th Street. Austin police were called there after a friend of Wilson's returned home to find the 25-year-old unconscious with gunshot wounds.

APD has identified a person of interest and does not believe the shooting was random. They're urging anyone with information or video of what happened to give them a call. Now, according to the cycling magazine Velo, Wilson was in Texas ahead of today's gravel low coast race in Hiko, where she was a favorite to win. Velo published a statement from her family saying she was, quote, always pushing tirelessly to reach her goals. We knew she was pursuing that, which she loved. The family adding, we know Mariah would want the event to carry on. Well, that's all well and good. But what allegedly led yoga instructor and a glamorous yoga instructor at that into a rage, a murderous rage?

Take a listen to our friends at CrimeOnline.com in our cut 20. Colin Strickland picked Anna Wilson up for their swim date on his motorcycle. The pair spent time at the city of Austin's Deep Eddy Pool, then walked to Pool Burger to eat. Afterwards, he drove Wilson back to her friend's home, but didn't go inside.

On the way home, Strickland stopped to text Armstrong at 8.36 p.m. His text message said, hey, are you out? Went to drop some flowers for Allison at her son's house up north and my phone died. Heading home unless you have another food suggestion. Strickland lied to his girlfriend. Strickland arrived home around 8.43 p.m. and sent Armstrong another text and headed to the garage to work on his bicycles to prepare for an upcoming race. He sent another text message to Armstrong at 9.21 and not long after, Armstrong arrived home driving a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a large bicycle rack mounted on the trailer hitch, a luggage rack mounted on the roof, and chrome around the windows. According to Strickland, Armstrong was the only person to drive that vehicle. Owie! That's gotta hurt, because according to the defense attorney, that was not her car. So,

Jackie, could you please play the sound of the defense attorney we played earlier, insisting this was not her car? The crux of law enforcement's theory from within the first 24 hours of this case, they had decided that Caitlin Armstrong is a crazy, jealous person who, in a fit of rage, murdered Miss Wilson. rage murdered miss wilson the whole case against kate armstrong is predicated on a deeply misogynistic view of her so this dark colored suv that's where the detective really wants to start to hang this horrible crime on kaylin armstrong There's no evidence presented ever of a license plate on this vehicle, of any description of an occupant of the vehicle. Okay, so let me understand this. Dave Mack, they are claiming that this was not Caitlin Armstrong driving the SUV, that there was another person in a black SUV just like hers with a bike rack on top just like hers and a luggage rack just like hers

and chrome around the windows just like hers that went round and around and around her boyfriend's side interest over and over and over. The boyfriend is accounted for. We know where he is based on his cell phone, which he lied about. But is that right, Dave Mack? Yes, and not only does he say, you know, that he says, the attorney says you can't be in two places at once. It's simple math. But then it's like, well, okay, then where was she? If not in her vehicle at that time, where was she?

And he said, well, I don't have to prove that. And I don't, I don't know what else you can do other than prove it if you're going to make that claim. Now, hold on. I want you to take a listen to our cut 18. These are our friends at CrimeOnline.com. So not only, according to the defense, is the murderer driving a dark colored SUV just like Caitlin Armstrong's with the same bike rack, chrome around the windows and luggage rack on the back, exact same. Listen to the behavior of the unknown assailant. Detectives turned to video as they discover a surveillance camera mounted on the exterior of a home nearby. The camera faced the driveway next to Cash's home. The footage showed a dark colored SUV drive past at 8 37 p.m. That's one minute after Wilson entered Cash's home. The SUV slowed down,

appearing to come to a stop directly next to Cash's residence. The SUV had a large bicycle rack mounted on the trailer hitch of the vehicle, a luggage rack mounted on the roof, and chrome around the windows. No other vehicles were seen on video surveillance until emergency vehicles arrived. To Dr. Sherry Schwartz, how angry do you believe Caitlin Armstrong was after she had been following her cheating boyfriend all around town as he was texting her all those lies about taking flowers, I guess, to a sick friend up north, wherever that may be, the whole time she's following him in the SUV with Mariah in the car. That's the theory. Now, what other unknown assailant is going to come out right behind them and watch the boyfriend leave on his motorcycle and then continue to circle around and around?

Who would that be? The simmering, the anger building on itself and erupting in murder. Who else would do that? What unknown assailant, Dr. Sherry Swartz? Well, this is the challenge, I think, for the defense and the defendant. There seems to be compelling evidence that a car that looks just like Caitlin Armstrong's that she later sold was on scene around the time of the murder. But the thing is, I've never seen this case from the beginning of it as this explosion of jealous rage. I think it's exactly what you said, Nancy, the simmering rage. But there seems to be evidence of planning here, right? The stalking is predatory behavior. And then to be able to slip in and slip out of that

residence, whoever did this to kill this young woman, and then get away. And then, you know, what the state alleges is that it's Caitlin Armstrong and she had several steps to get away. A pretty elaborate plan is what it seems to me. That requires a bit of planning and cool mind. Well, it's not just the video surveillance. There have been many other cases where a car has been proven to be driven by the killer and who the killer is based on markings on the car. For instance, in Molly Tibbetts, a young co-ed out jogging who goes missing. Finally, ring doorbell cameras revealed a car in the vicinity where she would jog,

going back and forth and back and forth, couldn't get a tag plate, but got, quote, distinct markings. It was scrapes along the side of the car, traced back to the killer. Patrick Dentist, Kendra Hatcher, her fiance's ex-girlfriend followed her all around town and used a friend's jeep to come and kill her, have her killed. The markings on the car without a tag number led to the car. The same thing is going to happen here. But aside from the car argument, what about intent? Now, this is something created by Caitlin Armstrong herself. These words. Take a listen to our cut 22. Two days after Anna Wilson's murder, police contacted one of Wilson's friends, who remains anonymous to prevent being targeted by Armstrong. According to the friend, Armstrong discovered Wilson's phone number and contacted the cyclist several times, warning her to stay away from Strickland.

Ultimately, Wilson blocked Armstrong's phone number. The friend tells police that Armstrong began following Wilson on Instagram. Feeding into Armstrong's jealousy, police say Colin Strickland had bragged on Wilson's talent on a bicycle and had told his girlfriend that training with Armstrong was holding him back because he was constantly having to stop and wait for Armstrong to catch up. Three days after the murder, police get an anonymous call. The caller tells police that Armstrong had discovered Strickland was having a romantic relationship with Wilson and that made Armstrong furious to the point that she said she wanted to kill Wilson.

Oh yeah, that's coming into evidence. Okay, here's the word to this pretty good defense attorney for Caitlin Armstrong. You will get these statements suppressed. You will win the battle. But will you win the war? We wait as justice unfolds. Nancy Grace, Crime Story, signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.