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

[GDawg89]

Since KA seems to be a lot smarter than a lot of us initially thought, I think it's useful to think through how this could have been planned and executed. I'm going to discuss two different scenarios: that MW's murder was in the works for an extended period of time (Scenario 1) and that MW's murder was a spur-of-the-moment decision (Scenario 2).

Scenario 1: KA has been plotting MW's murder for an extended period of time, perhaps months or even since CS's first instance of infidelity. Knowing that she wants to kill MW, KA plants an idea in CS's head that both of them should have weapons, maybe telling him that now that they are planning on traveling in the renovated trailer, they should have weapons to protect themselves if they are camping in isolated areas, so CS and KA go to a gun store and purchase 2 handguns. KA, knowing that she is going to need to flee as soon as she kills MW, starts considering what she would need to execute an escape plan. The most important things she needs to acquire are a fake passport, access to cash, and a place to go.

She goes on the dark web, or uses one of the many Telegram channels specializing in the production of fake passports, to buy some sort of fake passport, most likely not a US passport. If she speaks French even passably, she may opt to purchase a Belgian or French passport as those are some of the easiest and most common ones passports to fake. She has been working in real estate and likely has access to some cash, let's assume $20,000. She spends $8-10,000 on the fake passport, which she gets shipped to a PO box, one of her rental properties, or the Wheelhouse Mobile business. While she is waiting for MW to arrive in Austin for the race, she withdraws additional cash from her banks in increments of under $10,000 so it isn't flagged. She creates a 'go bag' which she stashes somewhere she doesn't believe CS will find it, such as one of the rental properties. Alternatively, she may give the bag to a family member/friend for safe-keeping and tells them she may need them to ship her the box at a later date. She may have even opened a PO box in NYC.

Then, when MW is in town and CS meets up with her, she kills MW. Detectives question and release her, and we know that she then went to a neighbor's house and frantically asked them to use their phone. Perhaps she asked the family member/friend to mail the box to the address in NYC. She then flies to LaGuardia, and has to wait there until the box with the fake passport, cash, and whatever else she might need to arrive before flying out of the country. Knowing that she would be receiving a package with the necessary supplies, she leaves Austin with only a yoga mat and few other things to not tip authorities off to her plan. Then she receives the package and pays cash and takes a cab to Newark-Liberty airport where she buys a ticket out of the country, perhaps to somewhere like Thailand or Vietnam. She uses the fake passport to get on the flight and gets out of the country.

Scenario 2: KA didn't have a long-standing plan to kill MW and it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. She confronts MW, shoots and kills her, and is brought in for questioning but is released. She now sees that she has time to flee and books a flight to NYC in an attempt to buy her more time to figure out her next move. She goes on the dark web and buys a passport (which probably wouldn't be possible as I highly, highly doubt she could obtain one in only 4 days), or pays someone who looks similar to her for their passport (more likely than buying a fake one). She spends four days in NYC figuring out how to acquire the resources and cash necessary to flee the country. Perhaps she reaches out to her family/friend and asks them to purchase a passport for her/mail her one of theirs (if she has a relative/friend who looks similar) or wire her money. Once she has a decent enough passport and some money, she takes a cab or Amtrak to Newark-Liberty, where she buys a ticket out of the country, boards the plane, and leaves.

Very well stated Scenario's, gut is On #1 IMO..and IF KA entered Newark airport, went to ticket counter and purchased international flight with fake passport and cash, LE/US Marshalls should be looking at all in airport cash International and/or US ticket purchases made on May 18-19 in Newark Liberty. Anyone's guess at how many, but narrowed down to an age group and female, it would narrow the number of leads if KA flew under a different name. AMOO

 

[SMK777]

Very well stated Scenario's, gut is On #1 IMO..and IF KA entered Newark airport, went to ticket counter and purchased international flight with fake passport and cash, LE/US Marshalls should be looking at all in airport cash International and/or US ticket purchases made on May 18-19 in Newark Liberty. Anyone's guess at how many, but narrowed down to an age group and female, it would narrow the number of leads if KA flew under a different name. AMOO

Good thinking.

 

[SteveP]

If I have learned anything at all from this case, I have learned that if you commit a heinous crime and need to disappear, make a beeline to the nearest airport. Apparently, that is where footprints go to die. JMO

Authorities offer $5,000 reward for Kaitlin Armstrong, last known location Newark Liberty Airport

U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force upgrade file to ‘major case’ status

www.cyclingnews.com

 

[GDawg89]

Good thinking.

A step further to international travel depending on country is the Covid vaccination travel restrictions/policy. I looked up Thailand and it looks like KA would have to have planned in advance for this as well, or possibly this was part of the fake passport package. AMOO

 

[Sundog]

I noticed in the US Marshals Wanted poster shown in this story, the small inset picture of KA is one I don’t know if we’ve seen before.

Kaitlin Armstrong: US Marshals announce reward for suspect in cyclist love triangle slaying

The U.S. Marshals Service announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the capture of a Texas woman accused of gunning down pro cyclist Moriah "Mo" Wilson.

www.foxnews.com

Also notes that she is considered armed and dangerous.

 

[SMK777]

A step further to international travel depending on country is the Covid vaccination travel restrictions/policy. I looked up Thailand and it looks like KA would have to have planned in advance for this as well, or possibly this was part of the fake passport package. AMOO

Yes, if this was all pre-planned undoubtedly she would have had to factor in the pandemic policies.

The only thing which to me counts against it being pre-planned:

Wasn’t the whole point of getting rid of MW, to the point of literally murdering her, basically to keep CS?

Life on the run without him: Would that really have been her goal?

 

[SMK777]

Also notes that she is considered armed and dangerous.

Yes. Everything has been upgraded.

 

[Cryptic]

LE states she didn’t purchase a ticket in her own name. I’m not sure how she could get through security without having a ticket in her own name, unless she had a really good fake passport or borrowed a passport from someone who looks similar to her...

Good point.

Airports are not "good test beds" to find out whether the fake ID is going to pass muster. Not only are there trained and alert humans, but they are probably backed by post 9/11 mega brain data crunching and algorithm running super computers- all looking for indications of strange ticket purchases.

Even purchasing a fake or stolen identity could be problematic for the suspect. In the world of stolen and counterfeit ID vendors, nothing might scream "under cover cop" louder than: "clean cut, physically fit white chick with good grammar, no, or minimal tattoos and no apparent need for a fake ID to work."

Though throwing enough money, time and connections at a fake ID effort could well yield results for the applicant eventually, she would have needed to purchase it fast if the crime was a near spontaneous rage motive.

Given her under cover cop "vibes", I suspect that they usual ID vendors say, down at the swap meet, would take one look at her, get alarm bells and then respond with: "No- we dont do that here. In fact, I am, uhmmm...."shocked and appalled" that you would even ask (gasp)".

The totality could suggest that the trip to the airport was a ruse designed to throw off investigators, or maybe she had arranged fake ID of airport quality and the crime all in advance?

 

[SMK777]

One thing I’m wondering:

They’ve been saying for weeks that they “lost her footprint at La Guardia airport, NYC”.

Now they know she was dropped off 4 days later at New Jersey’s Liberty airport.

What could have led to this sudden knowledge?

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Good point.

Airports are not "good test beds" to find out whether the fake ID is going to pass muster. Not only are there trained and alert humans, but they are probably backed by post 9/11 mega brain data crunching and algorithm running super computers- all looking for indications of strange ticket purchases.

Even purchasing a fake or stolen identity could be problematic for the suspect. In the world of stolen and counterfeit ID vendors, nothing might scream "under cover cop" louder than: "clean cut, physically fit white chick with good grammar, no, or minimal tattoos and no apparent need for a fake ID to work."

Though throwing enough money, time and connections at a fake ID effort could well yield results for the applicant eventually, she would have needed to purchase it fast if the crime was a near spontaneous rage motive.

Given her under cover cop "vibes", I suspect that they usual vendors say, down at the swap meet would take one look at her, get alarm bells and then respond with: "Oh, no- we dont do that here. In fact, I am, uhmmm...." shocked and appalled" that you would even ask (gasp)".

The totality could suggest that the trip to the airport was a ruse designed to throw off investigators, or maybe she had arranged fake ID of airport quality and the crime all in advance?

Most of the good fake passports are made overseas and then shipped to the recipient so there would be no need for a face-to-face meeting. The know they are selling to criminals and terrorists and don’t ask questions, so I doubt if she did buy a fake passport that they would have refused to sell to her.

 

[jash]

I wish we knew more about these witnesses. Some must be drivers.

Authorities have interviewed several witnesses on the East Coast as they continued to search for her, Filla said.

Kaitlin Armstrong: US Marshals announce reward for suspect in cyclist love triangle slaying

The U.S. Marshals Service announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the capture of a Texas woman accused of gunning down pro cyclist Moriah "Mo" Wilson.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Cryptic]

Most of the good fake passports are made overseas and then shipped to the recipient so there would be no need for a face-to-face meeting. The know they are selling to criminals and terrorists and don’t ask questions, so I doubt if she did buy a fake passport that they would have refused to sell to her.

I have a very opposite impression.

I agree, these high quality airport level ID vendors know they are selling to criminals and terrorists. They also know that assisting criminals and especially terrorists can bring very long prison sentences. The vendors want to stay out of prison. My guess is that they either:

A- Charge big bucks to make the risk worth while. Even still, this could involve the big spender having being introduced by somebody they trust.

B- Only sell to people who have been vetted by a terrorist or criminal organization they are used to dealing with.


In regards to questions......

I also doubt such airport quality fake ID vendors ask questions. Rather, if they get bad vibes about a strange customer who radiates "cop vibes", they just quickly refuse the sale- no questions asked ever. Ie: "We dont have what you are looking for. You can buy something legal like a tasty latin fruit drink, a used tire, cell phone repair etc, or.... you gotta leave."

 

[citizen_sleuth]

I have a very opposite impression.

I agree, these high quality airport level ID vendors know they are selling to criminals and terrorists. They also know that assisting criminals and especially terrorists can bring very long prison sentences. The vendors want to stay out of prison. My guess is that they either:

A- Charge big bucks to make the risk worth while. Even still, this could involve the big spender having being introduced by somebody they trust.

B- Only sell to people who have been vetted by a terrorist or criminal organization they are used to dealing with.


In regards to questions......

I also doubt such airport quality fake ID vendors ask questions. Rather, if they get bad vibes about a strange customer who radiates "cop vibes", they just quickly refuse the sale- no questions asked ever. Ie: "We dont have what you are looking for. Now, buy a coke from the cooler, or.... leave."

Most of the vendors are based in countries like Uzbekistan and Turkey that either don’t have an extradition treaty with the US (Uzbekistan) or it is weakly enforced (Turkey) so an undercover US cop wouldn’t mean much of anything to them. Also, fake foreign IDs aren’t actually a crime in the US, so unless she bought a fake American passport there aren’t really any legal grounds to pursue them on.

Revealed: how fake passports allow IS members to enter Europe and US

Seller whose passports have been used by those who illegally crossed Syrian border says: ‘it is not my job to see who is bad’

amp.theguardian.com

Passport and Visa Fraud - United States Department of State

Since 1916, the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and its predecessor agencies have investigated passport and visa crime. The dedicated cadre of special agents, analysts, and support staff coordinate with other federal and international law enforcement agencies to help protect the integrity of...

www.state.gov

 

[SMK777]

I wish we knew more about these witnesses. Some must be drivers.

Authorities have interviewed several witnesses on the East Coast as they continued to search for her, Filla said.

Kaitlin Armstrong: US Marshals announce reward for suspect in cyclist love triangle slaying

The U.S. Marshals Service announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the capture of a Texas woman accused of gunning down pro cyclist Moriah "Mo" Wilson.

www.foxnews.com

Yes, me also. Drivers, people in stores or hotels?

I still wonder how they found out she was dropped at Newark airport. Did a driver recognize her and call in? (I’m remembering how the car wash manager called in on Casey White.)

 

[GDawg89]

Yes, if this was all pre-planned undoubtedly she would have had to factor in the pandemic policies.

The only thing which to me counts against it being pre-planned:

Wasn’t the whole point of getting rid of MW, to the point of literally murdering her, basically to keep CS?

Life on the run without him: Would that really have been her goal?

Along the lines with citizen_sleuths Scenario #1, KA's entire 4-6 month pre-meditated plan may have been to take MW"S life and ruin CS's career as a double result. There could be more unknown's in the relationship between CS and KA. One thing that I find odd and similar to the Gabby case is there have been very few interviews in MSM with close friends from KA/CS "inner circle" (if they had one). In addition to her father, one person, I think his name was David, 42, gave an interview and said he saw no signs from KA being able to commit this crime, but that is all I know of. Now LE may have already interviewed others, and may have a different profile of their relationship?

Today's news of Newark, LE/US Marshalls upgraded the case, hopefully MSM in the northeast will give MW's family the exposure they deserve, KA's picture needs to be on every news station in the northeast and national news for that matter. It's been mentioned on here today and I keep dwelling on it: Apparent last KA sighting May 18th, that is a lot of time. I wish they would comment on more details on Newark Liberty, who reported it? how did she arrive? was she recorded on CCTV? did she enter airport? switch forms of transportation? TOA at Newark? Did she have the yoga mat? same clothes? cut the hair, change hair color? baseball cap/mask? LE could help the public with more info if they have it.

There are 20+ hotels around that airport, did she stay in one from May 14-18? LE prolly looking into this today, working from center of circle outward.

 

[Cryptic]

Most of the vendors are based in countries like Uzbekistan and Turkey that either don’t have an extradition treaty with the US (Uzbekistan) or it is weakly enforced (Turkey) so an undercover US cop wouldn’t mean much of anything to them. Also, fake foreign IDs aren’t actually a crime in the US, so unless she bought a fake American passport there aren’t really any legal grounds to pursue them on.

Revealed: how fake passports allow IS members to enter Europe and US

Seller whose passports have been used by those who illegally crossed Syrian border says: ‘it is not my job to see who is bad’

amp.theguardian.com

Passport and Visa Fraud - United States Department of State

Since 1916, the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and its predecessor agencies have investigated passport and visa crime. The dedicated cadre of special agents, analysts, and support staff coordinate with other federal and international law enforcement agencies to help protect the integrity of...

www.state.gov

Aiding and abetting terrorism is a crime everywhere. Evan fake foreign ID would still need to get past airport security- and the data crunching / algorithm super computers. In short, my bet is that fake ID comes in two or three general levels:

- Level 1: Fool an restaurant manager (who might not be inclined to look too closely anyways) that one can work legally. Fool the doorman to let you into the club. The guy at the liquour store etc.

- Level II: Fool the bank into issuing a credit card. This means getting past their fraud algorithms.

- Level III: Fool post 9/11 security and airlines backed by data crunching super computers with very sophisticated algorithms into letting one buy a ticket and.... then board a plane.

Sure, one can probably order level 1 stuff on line from sites in Uzbekistan, Turkey etc. They can also be found at swap meets face to face- providing one does not "freak out" the vendor with cop vibes. Then, one can get past the bouncer who is busy checking IDs- and also checking out the figure fitting spandex of the girl he just let in.

But.... my bet is that level III fake ID cannot be bought on line from Uzbekistan for say, $29.99. Rather, purchasing airport level fake ID could get, well, complicated.

 

[SMK777]

If I have learned anything at all from this case, I have learned that if you commit a heinous crime and need to disappear, make a beeline to the nearest airport. Apparently, that is where footprints go to die. JMO

Authorities offer $5,000 reward for Kaitlin Armstrong, last known location Newark Liberty Airport

U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force upgrade file to ‘major case’ status

www.cyclingnews.com

How could it happen twice? First at La Guardia, then at Newark Liberty? Both huge metro New York City-area international airports, equipped with multi cameras, TSA agents, security guards, etc. in our post-9/11 society?

 

[SMK777]

There are 20+ hotels around that airport, did she stay in one from May 14-18? LE prolly looking into this today, working from center of circle outward.

All good points in your excellent post.

As for quoted above: I sure hope they go to all those hotels and ask desk people to look at her picture closely, and try and remember if she checked in. Her wanted poster should be plastered in the airports and hotels.

 

[SMK777]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1533826105622290435

 

[SMK777]

Kaitlin Armstrong, wanted for the murder of San Francisco cyclist Mo Wilson, seen in NJ, police say​

'Armed and dangerous': Police offer new details on yoga teacher fugitive

"She needs to know the Marshals are not going to stop looking for her."

www.sfgate.com