The first two days of Kaitlin Armstrong’s murder trial involved graphic crime scene images, home surveillance video of the night the Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson was killed, and in-dep…
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Updated: Nov 3, 2023 / 11:10 AM CDT
While the state mapped out a timeline through phone, GPS, video surveillance and DNA evidence prosecutors believe pin Armstrong for Wilson’s murder, the defense’s primary argument in opening statements was that none of the video shows Armstrong in person, just a car that may belong to her.
The state also addressed the relationship between Armstrong, Wilson and Armstrong’s then-boyfriend Colin Strickland.
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Another neighbor testifies first Friday morning
Daniel Sheer was the first to take the stand Friday. He lives near Cash’s apartment, where Wilson was killed.
Police contacted Sheer asking for his home surveillance footage. Sheer said he found a card from a detective at his front door a few days after the shooting with a note requesting the footage. Sheer obliged.
Defense attorney Rick Cofer asked Sheer if he knew Strickland or Armstrong or had ever seen Armstrong in person before seeing her in court Friday. Sheer said no.
Police testify about communication with Colin Strickland after the shooting
The State played police body camera video of homicide detectives’ first interaction with Colin Strickland at Strickland’s home.
In the video, APD first asks Strickland if he knows an “Anna Moriah” and Strickland looks confused until police say “Mo Wilson.”
“There’s no easy way to say this sir–but it appears that last night she passed away,” APD informs Strickland, telling him her death is being investigated as a homicide. At this point, Strickland covers his face with his hands, then puts his hands on his hips and looks down.
Strickland explained that he and Wilson had hung out the day before, and he dropped her off just before dark at Cash’s apartment and did not go upstairs. Strickland also spoke very highly of Cash to police officers, calling her a “sweetheart” and talking about how close she and Wilson were.
Strickland told police what Wilson was wearing as they hung out, which matches crime scene photos shown earlier in the trial. Detectives asked him about his relationship with Wilson and Strickland said they had a brief relationship while he and Armstrong were on a break in 2021 but only maintained a friendship when he and Armstrong got back together.
In the video, you can see and hear Strickland consent to going to police headquarters to issue an official statement.
MOST READ: Kaitlin Armstrong Day 2: State plays doorbell video where gunshots are heard
As the video played, Wilson’s friends and family had their eyes glued to the screen on the left side of the courtroom. Armstrong looked at the screen in the front of the courtroom.
The judge excused the jury before the court viewed the video so the defense could issue objections if they wished. The defense objected to most of the video. The judge has allowed the jury to view the whole video but ruled the audio must be cut after the first few minutes, essentially just enough to capture Strickland’s initial reaction.
Before the video played, Sgt. Jason Ayers was on the stand talking about the process of going to talk to Strickland. Ayers said he and another homicide detective identified Strickland for questioning because he appeared to be the last person who saw Wilson. Ayers also said he had been told there was a black Jeep with a bike rack near the crime scene at the time of Wilson’s death, and he saw a black Jeep with a bike rack at Strickland’s home when he and Detective Richard Spitler went to question him.
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