KAITLIN ARMSTRONG AFTERNOON THREAD
This morning we heard from a DNA analyst who said it was highly likely that Armstrong's DNA was found on Mo Wilson's bike at the crime scene. A medical examiner showed us pictures of the gunshot wounds Wilson sustained. Live tweets below.
Next Witness: Pamela Mazak, Criminal Intelligence Analyst, Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit, Texas Attorney General's Office.Former APD Crime Analyst for 20 years.
Mazak helped detectives analyze the cell phones and extraction data. She also looked at the Jeep infotainment system. We are going to look at call detail records.
Because the cell phone records are so voluminous, it is too difficult for the witness to easily explain to a jury. For that reason, it appears we are going to instead look at a PowerPoint presentation that Mazak created.
This PowerPoint presentation was altered on Nov. 10, 2023. A previous version was discoverable and given to the defense for review. There is a sidebar happening with the Judge now; I suspect because this version was not made available to the defense with enough time to review.
Sidebar over. The PowerPoint has been admitted into evidence without objection. We are now about to view it.
Presentation: Methodology was using databases from cell phone companies. Call Detail Records document the network interactions to and from the cellphone, including date, time, duration, number called and calling number. CDRs use cell towers to pinpoint cell placement.
Cells are considered radios that scan the cellular network looking for the best signal from the cell sites. It is often the closest cell site, but not always. Various factors affect signal quality.
The location of cell towers are often determined by population and anticipated capacity/use. Generally, there are more cell towers with partial overlapping coverage in urban areas and less cell towers in rural areas.
We are looking at Kaitlin Armstrong's cell records, received from Verizon. Phone was disconnected on 5/16/22.Mazak was asked to analyze Armstrong's data from 9/1/21-5/15/22.Location information is provided for calls only, location information is NOT provided for texts.
Before going into the mapping, Mazak is also sharing that she looked at the cell phone data of Strickland and Mo Wilson, as well. Armstrong's data will be mapped in yellow, Strickland's in blue, Wilson's in green. Only mapping locations with accuracy of <= 200 meters.
The locations of interest: Fort Clarke Home, Deep Eddy Pool, Pool Burger Bar and crime scene in East Austin.
There is now a timeline of Kaitlin, Colin and Mo's communication on 10/28/21. Kaitlin and Colin text back and forth, including the text: "I know you know better than to show up at Meteor with that girl." There is a phone call from Kaitlin to Colin. Kaitlin also calls Mo at 6:34 pm. That call lasts 1 minute and 28 seconds. At 6:41 pm, Kaitlin calls her sister Christine Armstrong and speaks to her for 23 minutes.
Later on at 6:53pm, Colin responds to Kaitlin. "Could you please be an adult?" Later, "Mo left for Meteor with friends an hour ago. I am not going because I am trying to respect you"... "Yet, I'm not feeling respect from you." Kaitlin responds: "Not the best feeling is it." Colin: "Yeah, you sure are paying it back.”
About an hour and a half after Kaitlin's phone calls Mo's phone, Colin texts Kaitlin: "Did you call Mo? Wtf?""Sorry, I can't talk right now," is the response.
About an hour and a half after Kaitlin's phone calls Mo's phone, Colin texts Kaitlin: "Did you call Mo? Wtf?""Sorry, I can't talk right now," is the response.
We are now fast forwarding to May 9 & May 10, 2022.Kaitlin's phone views Mo's Strava profile once on 5/9/22 and four times on 5/10/22. Mo Wilson arrived in Austin at 4:47pm on 5/10/22.
On 5/11/22, the day of the murder, Mo texts Colin at 9:01am: "Whatcha thinking?" Kaitlin and Colin's phone records show an arc location that most likely means they were at home. Mazak says it is hard to be precise with location data. Mo's location is likely Cash's apartment.
Kaitlin and Colin's phones leave home for a morning bike ride around 9:00am. Mo texts Colin for the first time of the day one minute later.Colin's phone continues to Lockhart while Kaitlin's turns around and heads home. This path matches her Strava activity of the day.
Colin responds to Mo at 11:12 am after returning from his bike ride: "I rolled out early with my buddy...I never heard from you!"Moriah wonders if the two are having phone troubles again. In reality, the phone issues of the past were likely a result of her phone number being blocked without either of them realizing it.
At 12:41pm, Mo texts Colin: "Do you have plans tonight? Cash has a dinner with some college friends who are visiting so I'm on my own." At 1:31pm, Mo goes on her own bike ride.
Colin to Mo at 3:15pm: "Want to go swimming? Maybe swimming and a beverage."Kaitlin's jeep begins leaving their home area shortly after Colin's phone arrives back home. Kaitlin's Jeep and phone travel to S Lamar Blvd and stop around 2:07pm. That's the last location of the Jeep for over an hour.
Colin's texts about swimming plans happen around the same time he arrives to his dentist at 2:30pm. Mo is still on her bike ride at this time. Kaitlin's Jeep is now heading downtown. At 3:41pm, Colin follows up with Mo: "What do you think?" Mo agrees.
At the dentist, Colin finalizes plans to pick Mo up after her bike ride on his motorcycle. Kaitlin arrives back home at 4:13pm. Her cellphone location data is being corroborated by her Jeep infotainment location data.
Kaitlin and Colin speak over the phone at 4:24pm. They speak for 3 minutes and 4 seconds. Colin is still at his dentist appointment. Gotta wonder what that discussion was like. At 4:31pm, Mo tells Colin she got back and he can come and pick her up at Cash’s.
Kaitlin sends Colin a series of texts about real estate deals at the same time he is texting Mo. Simultaneously, Mo texts Colin Cash's address for him to come pick her up.Kaitlin begins to view Mo's Strava profile and activity at this time. She looks at her specific route and starting/ending point to view the map.
Cash leaves home at 5:30pm. Colin arrives to pick up Mo up at around 5:40pm. Mo locks the door of Cash's apartment behind her at 5:55pm. Mo & Colin's phones move together away from Cash's home, arriving at Deep Eddy at 6:09pm.
During this entire time, Kaitlin has remained at home through 6:15pm. Kaitlin calls Colin at 6:24pm. No answer. Kaitlin texts Colin. No response. Colin is at Deep Eddy this entire time. Around 6:57pm, the two head to Pool Burger.
Around 6:33pm, Kaitlin's jeep leaves home and heads down South Lamar. Jeep stays in one location until 6:54pm.Alex Note: Mazak's presentation is really well done. In addition to being informative, it is interactive and corroborates all of the facts with other evidence the prosecution has presented, including maps, receipts and still images. It is is really easy for a jury member to follow along to get the full picture.
Kaitlin's Jeep moves north on South Lamar around 7:15. She has not received any replies from Colin. We are watching an animation now of Kaitlin's Jeep traveling North on Lamar. It crosses Lady Bird Lake into Downtown around 7:20pm. The cell and Jeep data corroborate each other.
Kaitlin's Jeep takes a series of turns through downtown over the next 10ish minutes.At 7:30pm, the phone goes "off-network" meaning the network can no longer communicate with the phone.
The next time Kaitlin's phone would go "on-network" would be 9:55pm. Kaitlin's Jeep, however, continues to provide location information.Kaitlin heads east to I-35, North on Frontage Road, and then East on MLK toward Cash's place. The jeep circles the block twice using the alleys around Cash's apartment before stopping on a nearby road.
Kaitlin's Jeep is spotted on various video surveillance systems near Maple Ave. at 8:05pm, 8:06pm, 8:08pm. This video is corroborated by the Jeep infotainment data. The jury is reminded with still images from each of these video systems.
Colin and Mo leave the Deep Eddy/Pool Burger area at ~8:16pm. Video surveillance confirms cell phone data.Colin and Mo arrive back at Cash's around 8:28pm. The Jeep is seen around 8:26pm on video surveillance just a few doors down.
At exactly the same time, 8:28pm, all three phones are all within a few hundred feet from each other. The courtroom is enraptured by the drama and storyline that this map is providing. Everyone's eyes are glued to the closest screen.
8:29pm, Colin and Mo arrive at Cash's. The Black Jeep is stationary on the side of the street for 3.5 minutes. At 8;35, Colin's phone moves North while Mo's stays at Cash's. Colin's motorcycle is seen riding away on surveillance video. At 8:36pm, Colin texts Kaitlin his false alibi. Mo Wilson unlocks Cash's door.
At 8:37, the Jeep is seen traveling westbound in the alley next to the apartment where Mo was staying. A still image of the Jeep from the video pops up for the jury to see and remember.
Mo Wilson begins using phone apps within a few minutes of being dropped off. The Jeep pulls out of the alley and parks at 8:41pm. It doesn't move until 9:17 pm. Colin's phone shows that he arrives back home at 8:50pm.
At 9:07pm, Colin receives an incoming call from Allan Burrows that lasts 9 minutes. Cell phone data shows that he is home when he receives this call.At 9:13pm, Mo would send her final text message. At 9:16pm, a woman's screams can be heard and three gunshots. The full audio of that moment was played with a loud speaker for the jury to hear.
Mazak says Mo Wilson's bike was found at the approximate location where Kaitlin's Jeep was parked for about half an hour. At 9:21, Colin texts Kaitlin. She never responds. Kaitlin's Jeep travels north on I-35 all the way to HWY 290 before turning around and heading back to South Austin via I-35. At 9:43pm, Kaitlin's Jeep stops at a dumpster near an apartment complex for three minutes. It then turns and heads home. This is where Kaitlin's phone is once again powered on and goes "on-network.”
At 9:54pm, Cash arrives home and calls 911.Correction: Kaitlin's phone arrives home at 9:47pm. It goes "on-network" at 9:55 pm. Mazak doesn't have a reason why there is a time gap between the two, other than to say it could be for a number of reasons.
State has no further questions. Defense's turn. But first. a 10 minute recess!
