TX - Moriah Wilson, 25, prized cyclist, fatally shot before race, Austin, May 2022 #2

[SMK777]

She might have checked into a women‘s shelter, claiming DV. Would a DV advocate question her need for anonymity?

I don’t think they would. Some of them almost operate like witness protection sanctuaries.
The only risk is that they’re likely to see KA warrant because they receive bullitens about violent fugitive husbands.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

Very SIGNIFICANT information :

The new warrant confirms that spent shell casings at the murder scene match those that police later fired from a handgun seized at Armstrong’s home, which she shared with her boyfriend Colin Strickland, 35, another professional cyclist who had gone out to dinner with the 25-year-old Wilson the night of the shooting.

"On the date of the murder, Armstrong owned a pistol that APD (Austin police) seized from Armstrong’s residence in the course of their investigation," the new complaint reads. "Laboratory test-firing of Armstrong’s pistol confirmed that it fired the spent shell casings that APD found at the scene of the murder."

I'm 99.9% certain that KA did this, but how do we know who fired it? It may have been "given" to her by Colin, but aside from fingerprints... How do we really know someone else didn't take it out of the house and put it back?

Which raises the question. Surely her prints were on it prior to it being fired, as it was hers. If someone wore gloves, someone other than her, and fired the gun, would it have smeared her own prints or would they have remained intact?

 

[di anna]

I think she put the gun back, because it would be a handicap to haul around. It also creates questions to leave it in the house with someone she lived with. But most likely she did forget it and then the when thought of it came about she rejected the idea. If she is LTC, she could carry it, if not then she would be in trouble quickly. Throwing it in a dumpster or elsewhere is risky, she might be seen. Plus no one really knows how familiar she is with guns. Nothing to play with, you better know how to use it and you better know how to put safety on, etc. Only CS would know her expertise.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

And as well, the neighbor claimed that she "must have used a silencer", which I have never believed, because he almost certainly would have heard the gunshots, but didn't. Then "bombshell tonight!", NG, and a couple other sources, reported it as fact that a silencer was used. So, if she took the gun back home, due either to carelessness or the idea of hoping to frame CS, why did she take this supposed silencer off and apparently dispose of it? So many things about this case do not seem to make sense, and the often slipshod reporting on it has not helped. JMO

Guessing that maybe she thought if police ever did interview her and check out the house, a silencer makes you look pretty guilty. But maybe she hoped that they'd never even ask to take the gun-sans-silencer back for analysis if her interview with them went well.

 

[SMK777]

I'm 99.9% certain that KA did this, but how do we know who fired it? It may have been "given" to her by Colin, but aside from fingerprints... How do we really know someone else didn't take it out of the house and put it back?

Which raises the question. Surely her prints were on it prior to it being fired, as it was hers. If someone wore gloves, someone other than her, and fired the gun, would it have smeared her own prints or would they have remained intact?

I believe they would still be intact (from what Ive read, but an expert would know)

 

[di anna]

She might have checked into a women‘s shelter, claiming DV. Would a DV advocate question her need for anonymity?

Temporarily, until they knew she was wanted for murder.

 

[di anna]

I believe they would still be intact (from what Ive read, but an expert would know)

Guessing that maybe she thought if police ever did interview her and check out the house, a silencer makes you look pretty guilty. But maybe she hoped that they'd never even ask to take the gun-sans-silencer back for analysis if her interview with them went well.

Maybe there are other ways to silence shots. I don't know.

 

[SMK777]

Maybe there are other ways to silence shots. I don't know.

Yes, there are, such as shooting it through a pillow, but then you need to dispose of that.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

If you leave something out for hours in an area with crime, sooner or later someone is going to steal it. If it was stolen after she was already dead, she wouldn't have been around to hear anything and it would have sat out longer and longer as it got later and later, which darkness would further attract theft. CC herself raised the issue of that exact theft and I take it that CC knows what she's talking about since she lived there. Do you think it was an extreme coincidence that CC told police she warned MW of this happening? I'm not just pulling this scenario out of thin air as it's in the police affidavit with what CC said she told MW, so yeah, I'm saying what CC said could happen may have actually happened.

I've been pondering over this for awhile - whether the bike theft was a coincidence or not.

It certainly could have been unrelated to the murder, but it seems like the chance of "2 bad things happening to someone" within an hour or two would be slim. Sort of like ... getting mugged, and then walking home and being hit by a car 10 min later.

I would think the bicycle, put together or not, would have been inside the house since CC warned MW of theft. MW had just returned home so it was probably still inside the house. Someone unrelated to the murder would have had to have walked by and somehow spotted it inside the upstairs doorway assuming KA ran out after killing her and left the door open.

I also think if it was an unrelated theft, that person would have taken the bicycle completely away, not dumped it close by. Unless it was coincidentally right around the time the authorities were called so they heard sirens.

It seems like it was a way for the murderer to further "stick it to" MW, or to try to make it seem like a crime related to theft, not realizing they'd locate it.

IMO !

 

[jash]

She and her sister would surely have strong incentive to keep checking websites for issued warrants in Austin. They wouldn’t wait for news headlines and updates.

Sorry if I'm being dense, but admittedly I don't know a lot about the warrant process. Are you saying there are public websites that list open warrants? I'd love to take a look if you've got any links handy! Would these websites list a warrant before it's even been filed with the court?

 

[SMK777]

Sorry if I'm being dense, but admittedly I don't know a lot about the warrant process. Are you saying there are public websites that list open warrants? I'd love to take a look if you've got any links handy! Would these websites list a warrant before it's even been filed with the court?

I don’t know for sure, but I absolutely believe there are. The US Marshals website probably lists the warrants as they go out, thus Christine and Kaitlin could have seen it the night it went live from the site, and not wait days for news media to pick it up.

An example: A few years ago there was a criminal investigation involving a member of my family. Family members used to check the county prosecutor’s website daily to see if the case had gone before a grand jury for an indictment. The website would list these before any news media had run the developments as stories. I think it’s highly significant that the warrant went out on the night of the 17th, and she’s dropped at the airport on the 18th, 2 days before it hit the press.

 

[jash]

I don’t know for sure, but I absolutely believe there are. The US Marshals website probably lists the warrants as they go out, thus Christine and Kaitlin could have seen it the night it went live from the site, and not wait days for news media to pick it up.

An example: A few years ago there was a criminal investigation involving a member of my family. Family members used to check the county prosecutor’s website daily to see if the case had gone before a grand jury for an indictment. The website would list these before any news media had run the developments as stories. I think it’s highly significant that the warrant went out on the night of the 17th, and she’s dropped at the airport on the 18th, 2 days before it hit the press.

Thank you for sharing!

Just one clarification -- Austin police got the warrant. The U.S. Marshals announced they were assisting with the investigation on May 20th. But I understand what you're saying.

U.S. Marshals Ask Public’s Help in Locating Austin Homicide Suspect Sought in Cyclist’s Murder | U.S. Marshals Service

Austin, TX – The U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force is assisting with the fugitive investigation of an Austin woman wanted for a homicide that occurred

www.usmarshals.gov

 

[SMK777]

Thank you for sharing!

Just one clarification -- Austin police got the warrant. The U.S. Marshals announced they were assisting with the investigation on May 20th. But I understand what you're saying.

U.S. Marshals Ask Public’s Help in Locating Austin Homicide Suspect Sought in Cyclist’s Murder | U.S. Marshals Service

Austin, TX – The U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force is assisting with the fugitive investigation of an Austin woman wanted for a homicide that occurred

www.usmarshals.gov

Yes, I stand corrected. It would have to come from whichever department was issuing the warrant. In this case Texas at Austin.

 

[Countem]

I'm 99.9% certain that KA did this, but how do we know who fired it? It may have been "given" to her by Colin, but aside from fingerprints... How do we really know someone else didn't take it out of the house and put it back?

Which raises the question. Surely her prints were on it prior to it being fired, as it was hers. If someone wore gloves, someone other than her, and fired the gun, would it have smeared her own prints or would they have remained intact?

As of now, no physical evidence has been disclosed to the public tying the murder weapon directly to KA. However, the circumstantial evidence that has been released to the public is overwhelming, and, clearly, with a homicide warrant out for KA, we know who law enforcement believes fired the weapon.

Aside from the murder weapon belonging to KA, the largest circumstantial evidence released by law enforcement pointing towards KA is doorbell footage showing KA’s vehicle stopping at the scene of the crime one minute after MW’s personal code was used to unlock the door.

The following is MOO, but if law enforcement has footage of KA’s vehicle pulling up, they likely have footage of CS’s vehicle dropping MW off, and, importantly, showing no other suspicious vehicles in that approximate one minute between.

General information about footage of KA’s vehicle and timing: US Marshals are looking for a fugitive yoga teacher suspected of killing an elite cyclist. Here's what the evidence shows

 

[SpanishInquisition]

I've been pondering over this for awhile - whether the bike theft was a coincidence or not.

It certainly could have been unrelated to the murder, but it seems like the chance of "2 bad things happening to someone" within an hour or two would be slim. Sort of like ... getting mugged, and then walking home and being hit by a car 10 min later.

I would think the bicycle, put together or not, would have been inside the house since CC warned MW of theft. MW had just returned home so it was probably still inside the house. Someone unrelated to the murder would have had to have walked by and somehow spotted it inside the upstairs doorway assuming KA ran out after killing her and left the door open.

I also think if it was an unrelated theft, that person would have taken the bicycle completely away, not dumped it close by. Unless it was coincidentally right around the time the authorities were called so they heard sirens.

It seems like it was a way for the murderer to further "stick it to" MW, or to try to make it seem like a crime related to theft, not realizing they'd locate it.

IMO !

This has gotten me too and I took it that the bike was in the bag, which to me things just seem more convoluted if KA messed with the bike than if it was a separate crime. If the bike wasn't in the bag why did KA or some random thief put the bike bag down by the garage? I especially don't think KA would have done this if the garage was supposedly partially open at the time so she had to escape in a hurry and I can't see why she'd go outside after the murder and just walk/toss that bag down at a separate time from her leaving the premises. I think the easiest answer was that the bike was in the bag and was carried downstairs by someone (I'm thinking someone out of shape maybe drug user who decided to try and ride away after finding it was more difficult than they thought to carry the loaded bag) and if that's the case, I don't see why a very fit KA wouldn't just carry it off to her car and dispose of it in some rural area rather than take the time to attempt to set up the bike when CS/homeowner/etc could come along at any minute and spot her, like just by opening up the garage the rest of the way.

 

[di anna]

Are silencer's versatile on guns? Does it have to be for that particular gun? How difficult is to put on a silencer and take it off? Also when a ballistic test is done, could the person purchase the same gun (not exactly the same gun of course) but the same brand and have identical results of the ammo? I know this is a lot of questions but hey I am here to learn anything I can. Maybe someone will know even partial of these questions.

 

[SpanishInquisition]

Are silencer's versatile on guns? Does it have to be for that particular gun? How difficult is to put on a silencer and take it off? Also when a ballistic test is done, could the person purchase the same gun (not exactly the same gun of course) but the same brand and have identical results of the ammo? I know this is a lot of questions but hey I am here to learn anything I can. Maybe someone will know even partial of these questions.

Mounting Pistol Caliber Suppressors

Pistol caliber suppressors are unlike any other suppressor category because they can be used on handguns. Read all about mounting pistol-caliber suppressors and more now!

www.silencershop.com

 

[PrairieWind]

Are silencer's versatile on guns? Does it have to be for that particular gun? How difficult is to put on a silencer and take it off? Also when a ballistic test is done, could the person purchase the same gun (not exactly the same gun of course) but the same brand and have identical results of the ammo? I know this is a lot of questions but hey I am here to learn anything I can. Maybe someone will know even partial of these questions.

Most firearms are not suppressor ready. You need to have a threaded barrel for the suppressor to screw on. You can purchase some firearms with this option already. Otherwise you will need to order a new threaded barrel. Once you have that, actually attaching the suppressor is pretty easy and quick. If KA's gun had a silencer, the threads would be evident to police even if she got rid of the actual suppressor.

 

[SteveP]

Are silencer's versatile on guns? Does it have to be for that particular gun? How difficult is to put on a silencer and take it off? Also when a ballistic test is done, could the person purchase the same gun (not exactly the same gun of course) but the same brand and have identical results of the ammo? I know this is a lot of questions but hey I am here to learn anything I can. Maybe someone will know even partial of these questions.

I do not know a lot about suppressors (silencers), because frankly, although I know many people who own handguns, I know no one who owns a suppressor. I do know that they are somewhat versatile. They are purchased according to caliber size of bullet that your gun fires, though can accommodate a smaller caliber as well. As to mounting, some gun barrels are threaded, or can be threaded, and a threaded suppressor would just screw on, Many guns do not have threaded barrels, and some type of adapter would have to be used to attach the suppressor to the barrel. Btw, if purchased legally, there is, I believe a $200 tax, in addition to the price of the suppressor, so it can cost almost as much as the weapon itself.

The short answer to your last question is no, because the "same" gun is not the "same". Each barrel has rifling marks that make each gun unique. This article explains it better than I can, but when checked under a microscope, markings on bullets and shell casings will appear unique to a specific weapon. If you have the weapon and test fire it, you can match that bullet and casing to another to determine if they were fired by the same weapon.

How can a bullet be traced to a particular gun?

www.scientificamerican.com

 

[Kittybunny]

KA is certainly to me, very calm cool cunning and collected. She was smart in choosing to run...how many murderers have the presence of mind to do it? Not many, IMO. She did not waste much time in getting out of the immediate area.

And this is why she has a huge advantage. All the video surveillance in the world, and smart computers have the huge disadvantage of relying on humans at some point to review past data. Yes you can use machine learning and AI to sift through it and reduce it but at some point a human is required. To monitor things in real time is expensive and uses vast resources. Systems are rarely so interoperable and automated and connected such that the second an arrest warrant is issued by a local LE that data is immediately uploaded to Interpol. Some human intervention is required, processes, authorization, etc. By the time the data is analyzed and alerts are sent the person is long gone. It's virtually impossible for law-enforcement to respond in real time. We see it in movies and shows, but really, how often are fugitives caught at the airport?

Speed was her advantage. This woman I suspect, has a core of steely determination and that will serve her well. She's no Brian Laundrie that's for sure. But it's many against one, and I think ultimately she will be caught. But I'm not quite as sure as I once was.