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- [00:01]
Vanessa Richardson
On the Crime House original podcast Serial Killers and Murderous Minds, we're diving into the psychology of the world's most complex murder cases.
- [00:09]
Dr. Tristan Ingalls
From serial killers to cult leaders, deadly exes and spree killers, we're examining not just how they killed, but why.
- [00:17]
Vanessa Richardson
Is it uncontrollable rage? Overwhelming fear? Or is it something deeper? Serial Killers and Murderous Minds is a Crime House Studios original new episodes drop every Monday and Thursday Friday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts.
- [00:42]
Katie Ring
This is crime house in 2022, Caitlyn Armstrong couldn't handle it when her boyfriend, Colin Strickland, started spending time with another woman, Anna Mariah Wilson. Caitlyn became fixated on their relationship, and soon her obsession became fatal. She was one of the brightest rising stars in professional cycling, but just days before she was supposed to compete in one of her biggest races, she was found murdered. What followed was a chilling prayer of jealousy, obsession, and a suspect that seemingly vanished into thin air. Welcome to Night watch on Crime House 24 7. I'm your host Katie Ring, and together we'll be following the cases making headlines now, where justice is still unfolding. Follow us wherever you are listening and if you want ad free episodes, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts plus subscribe to our YouTube channelightwatchpod. This episode discusses an active criminal case. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform, not to decide guilt or innocence, so everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
- [02:02]
Commercial Narrator
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- [02:34]
Katie Ring
Anna Mariah Wilson, known to family and friends as Mo, was a talented professional gravel cyclist who was rising fast in the ranks of the sport. Mo was born on May 18, 1996 to Eric and Karen Wilson in Littleton, New Hampshire, and grew up with her younger brother Matthew in Vermont. She was described by family, friends and competitors alike as kind, smart and extremely competitive, but also humble. Mo came from a family of athletes. Both of her parents had been on the US Ski team and her aunt Laura Wilson was a two time Olympic Nordic skier. Mo became a nationally ranked junior alpine skier herself and later joined the Dartmouth ski team. But after multiple knee injuries, she stopped skiing and started biking, which she got into at first as a form of rehab, but she quickly became addicted. Despite graduating from Dartmouth with an engineering degree, she wanted to follow her passion biking. By her mid-20s she had already made a name for herself in elite gravel racing, earning major podium finishes and the respect of competitors across the sport. One of those competitors was a young man named Colin Strickland, a fellow professional cyclist who mo dated briefly. But the situation became a little sticky because Colin had an on again, off again girlfriend named Caitlin Armstrong. From the outside, Caitlin seemed like a nice, carefree, globetrotting yoga fanatic. But there were parts of Caitlyn she didn't show the world. Caitlin was born on November 21, 1987 in Livonia, Michigan. Her parents divorced when she was young and she was raised by her mother who struggled with alcohol abuse. From a young age, she had to cope with all of life's curveballs. After college, Kaitlyn moved to Austin, Texas and became a realtor. But her true passion wasn't selling homes, it was yoga. In January of 2018, Caitlyn flew to Bali for a month long yoga teacher training. On the outside, Caitlyn looked the part. She was tall, slender, with long curly red hair down to her waist. But on the inside she did not possess the calm demeanor you usually associate with a yoga instructor. Other attendees said that during introduction she burst into tears as she confessed to everyone that she was there because she was running from something back home. But she didn't elaborate and after that she mostly kept to herself. Another evening after dinner, she suddenly went pale, pointed to a faint rash on her chest and said she was having an allergic reaction. Her allergy symptoms seemed minor, but they sent Katelyn into a full on panic. A few people rushed to her aid, but some of the attendees couldn't help but think Kaitlin was overreacting as a way to get attention. Little did they know that four years later she would become a cold blooded killer. Tonight we begin our three part deep dive into Caitlin Armstrong, the Austin based yoga instructor whose on again, off again relationship spiraled into something deadly. At the yoga retreat. Caitlin Armstrong clearly had a hard time managing her emotions, but she still seemed to learn something. Once she returned to Austin, she put some of her training to practice and started teaching yoga. She continued working in real estate too, striking a balance between a career and her passion. Caitlin was starting to seem more sure of herself. But her path to self improvement wasn't complete yet. There was still one more thing. Caitlin was looking for love. In 2019, 32 year old Caitlyn started using dating apps to try and meet someone. Soon she stumbled on 33 year old Colin Strickland. Colin was tall and handsome and like Caitlyn, he cared a lot about his physical health. He was a professional cyclist who competed in high level races. As soon as she met Colin, Kaitlin was immediately smitten. However, he was a bit apprehensive. Even though Colin found Kaitlin attractive, she didn't share his interests. He grew up on a farm, preferred to eat organic food and fixed his own clothes with a vintage sewing machine. Meanwhile, Caitlin didn't know how to cook and shopped at fast fashion chains. She also didn't care about music and art as much as Colin did. But by the end of their first date, Colin decided he wanted to learn more about Caitlyn. So they kept seeing each other and soon he saw a loving and kind hearted side to her. They eventually became exclusive and Caitlin's nurturing side came out even more. Once she even spent days helping Colin's mom figure out her unemployment benefits. Caitlin also leaned on Colin to feel safe and secure. One summer night in 2020, she called him in a panic because there was a man banging on her apartment door. She thought the man may have been drunk or high, but Colin stayed on the phone with her to help her stay calm until the man left. Afterward, Kaitlin realized she could rely on Colin and wanted to find ways to be closer to him. So she immersed herself in the world of competitive cycling. She bought all of the gear and before long, Kaitlyn was entering amateur races on the weekends. While Caitlin did love the thrill that came with cycling, she soon felt left behind. For Colin, cycling wasn't just a hobby. He was a well known elite athlete. Caitlin not only struggled to keep pace during their rides, but she felt like she was on the outskirts of the social life Colin had built within the cycling community. Those feelings of being excluded only grew stronger when Caitlin started taking peeks at Colin's phone. She saw that he was texting other women and it stung. Caitlin confronted Collin about the text and he claimed he was just friends with the women. She said she believed him, but that was a lie. Caitlin kept spying on Collins messages. Then one day she started noticing texts from a new woman whose name she hadn't seen before. Colin had apparently met her at a race he recently attended. Caitlin confronted him again and just like before Colin said they were just friends. He promised Caitlin there was nothing to worry about. But she was worried. And one day, while Colin was at a race, Caitlyn managed to get out access to the pictures on his phone. And that's when she found a photo of the same woman wearing only blue jeans and a bra. Kaitlin was livid. She saved the photo, then sent it to Colin from her own phone. She didn't include any text in the message. She just wanted him to know that he couldn't hide anything from her. Caitlyn probably wanted to make Colin feel guilty by sending him the picture. But her actions ended up having the opposite effect. For the next few weeks, Colin distanced himself from her. Then, just after the New Year in 2021, he broke up with her. But soon, Kaitlin found a way back into his life. In February, an ice storm hit Austin and the pipes in Kaitlin's apartment burst. She called Colin for help and he invited her to come over and stay with him. They agreed it would be temporary, but soon they were back together as a couple. This time, their relationship became a little more serious. Caitlin's real estate career was taking off, so the couple bought a house together and even launched a trailer restoration business called Wheelhouse Mobile. Caitlin managed the business side of things, which meant she had even more access to Colin's phone and personal accounts, which for a while didn't seem to create any problems. But then, In October of 2021, Colin did something to trigger Caitlyn's jealousy again. They went on a road trip to Bentonville, Arkansas, where Colin was competing in a race. Caitlin was looking forward to cheering him on, but when they got there, her cheerful mood turned sour. Caitlin noticed that Colin was being extremely friendly with a young woman she had never seen before. The woman was also a cyclist, and soon Kaitlin learned that the woman was 25 year old Anna Mariah Wilson, a rising star in the world of cycling who went by the nickname Mo. Colin and Mo had first met a month earlier at a race in Idaho. Even though he told Kaitlin they were just friends, Kaitlin didn't believe him. And her suspicions only intensified during the second day of the trip. That day, Colin went on a mountain bike ride with friends, but he didn't invite Kaitlin. He said that the ride would be too hard for her, but she thought the real reason was because Mo would be there. Kaitlin was infuriated. She couldn't believe Colin was humiliating her like this again, no matter how hard she tried to keep her feelings under control, she was reaching a breaking point. And soon she would explode. In the fall of 2021, 34 year old Caitlin Armstrong was dealing with intense feelings of jealousy over her boyfriend Colin's relationship with Mo Wilson. After the event in Arkansas was over, Caitlyn and Colin drove back home to Austin, Texas. And during the car ride, Caitlyn told Colin how she was feeling. She was hoping he'd apologize and promise not to talk to Mo anymore. Instead, Colin said something that shattered Caitlyn's world. He told her that he couldn't be the partner she wanted him to be and that it would be best if she moved out. By the time they reached Austin, Caitlyn was struggling to process the sudden end of their relationship. As the days passed, Kaitlin's disbelief seemed to morph into denial. She didn't make any plans to move out. She told Colin that she wanted to move into one of the homes they'd been renovating and it wasn't ready yet. And Colin seemed to go along with it, telling her that she could stay in their house a while longer. But he reminded her that the romantic side of their relationship was over and that he still expected her to move out when the new place was ready. But instead of accepting that the relationship was over, Kaitlin kept keeping tabs on Collins life. And soon she got more than she bargained for. Less than a week after the breakup, Caitlin found out that Mo was in Austin. She was there for a race, and she was hanging out with Collin. When Caitlin saw what they were up to on social media, she felt crushed. Colin was introducing Mo to all of his friends. Their relationship was barely over and he was apparently already moving on to another woman. And things only got worse when Caitlin learned that Colin and Mo were going on a road trip together, just the two of them. She somehow got her hands on Mo's phone number and started calling her constantly, warning her to stay away from Colin. Eventually, Mo blocked Caitlin's number and now there was nothing Caitlyn could do except fester in her jealousy and anger. About a week later, Colin returned home and Mo went back to her home city, San Francisco. And now that she was gone, Kaitlin made her move. Over the next few months, she and Colin rekindled their relationship. However, Colin eventually confessed something to Caitlyn. During Mo's visit and their road trip, they had been intimate. Caitlin was extremely hurt. Not only that all of her fears about Mo were validated. But rather than asking herself whether she could truly trust Colin, Kaitlin started leaning on him even more. She started telling Colin that whenever she went on bike rides alone, creepy men followed her. Everyone close with Colin knew that he believed all women should own guns. He thought it was unfair that women often felt unsafe in situations where men could feel completely comfortable. So in late December of 2021, he took Caitlin to arm herself. Caitlin happily went along with Colin's idea and they rode their bikes to McBride's, a small family owned gun shop. Caitlyn picked up a 9 millimeter Sig Sauer P365, which is a compact pistol built for concealed carry and personal defense. Colin thought that having a gun would help her feel safer. Instead, it added a dangerous new layer to an already fragile relationship. Things were good between Kaitlin and Colin for the next few weeks. However, things went sour again when Kaitlin saw a video that Colin posted on Instagram while he was at a race in another city. After this, Caitlyn's jealousy ran wild. She monitored Colin's phone constantly asked him questions about Mo, and obsessively checked social media for any sign they were spending time together. Whether it was Mo's race results or photos of her with mutual friends of Colin and Kaitlin. Kaitlin felt like Mo was showing all of the ways she was better than her and encroaching on her life. Caitlyn tried to keep herself busy by spending time with friends in Austin, but the conversation always turned to Colin and whether he was cheating on her with Mo. On at least two separate occasions, Caitlin told friends that she was so jealous she would kill Mo. Unfortunately, Caitlyn wasn't coping. She was diving headfirst into her own obsession. Things only got worse in May of 2022, when Caitlin learned that Mo was back in Austin for another race. By now, Colin had changed Mo's name and his phone as a way to hide their interactions from Kaitlin. But Kaitlin found other ways to keep tabs on what they were up to. On Wednesday, May 11, Caitlyn opened the workout tracking app Strava. She saw that Mo had recently gone on a bike ride in Austin. After that, Caitlin checked Pollan's messages and saw that after her ride, Mo sent him her location. It was an address in East Austin in a neighborhood called Cherrywood. She also saw that Colin and Mo were making plans to hang out later that day. This sent Kaitlin through the roof because Colin had told her that he was taking his motorcycle out for a long ride in the country. Caitlin called Colin to see if she could catch him in his lie. But her call went straight to voicemail. So did her next call, and the one after that. Kaelyn couldn't take it anymore. She was tired of sitting back and watching her relationship be destroyed. So she decided to take matters into her own hands. This is Coke Zero Sugar with real Coca Cola taste and zero sugar.
- [16:26]
Commercial Narrator
Listen closely.
- [16:28]
Katie Ring
Hear those bubbles?
- [16:30]
Commercial Narrator
That's the sound of delicious Real Coca.
- [16:32]
Katie Ring
Cola taste and zero sugar. Ice cold Ah cook. Zero sugar Real Coca Cola taste, Zero.
- [16:40]
Vanessa Richardson
Sugar what drives a person to kill? Is it uncontrollable rage? Overwhelming fear? Unbearable jealousy? Or is it something deeper? Something in the darkest corners of our psyche?
- [16:56]
Dr. Tristan Ingalls
Every Monday and Thursday, the Crime House Original Podcast Serial Killers and Murderous Minds dives deep into the minds of history's most cheap, chilling murderers. From infamous serial killers to ruthless cult leaders, deadly exes and terrifying spree killers. I'm Dr. Tristan Ingalls, a licensed forensic psychologist. Along with Vanessa Richardson's immersive storytelling full of high stakes twists and turns, in every episode of Serial Killers and Murderous Minds, I'll be providing expert analysis of the people involved, not just how they killed, but why.
- [17:32]
Vanessa Richardson
Serial Killers and Murderous Minds is a Crime House Studios Original new episodes drop every Monday and Thursday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts.
- [17:47]
Katie Ring
On May 11, 2022, 34 year old Caitlyn Armstrong discovered that her boyfriend, Colin Strickland had lied to her so he could hang out with Mo Wilson. Colin returned home around nine that night and Caitlyn wasn't home when he arrived. But she got home about 20 minutes after him, wearing workout clothes and carrying a yoga mat. The two sat down to have a drink together and completely ignored the fact that Colin had been ignoring Caitlyn's phone calls all day. Then Caitlin did something unusual. She initiated sex with Colin. On the surface, this wasn't out of the ordinary. They were in a relationship after all. But Kaitlin was being extremely forceful. Colin didn't think much of it at the time. It wouldn't be until later that he looked back and realized how sinister Caitlyn's behavior really was. While Caitlin and Colin were getting intimate, a young woman named Caitlin Cash was returning home to her apartment. It was just before 10pm when Cash stepped inside, expecting to find her friend. Mo Wilson was staying with her that week. But Cash didn't see Mo anywhere. She called out for her and got no response. Then she noticed the bathroom door was ajar. She walked closer and when she looked inside the bathroom, she was met with a horrifying sight Mo was lying on her back, unconscious in a pool of blood. Cash shook Mo trying to wake her, but she had no success, so she grabbed her phone and dialed 911. The dispatcher guided her through CPR until first responders arrived. Once they were there, Cash was quickly let outside, and pretty soon medics and officers from the Austin Police Department realized there was no chance of saving Mo. She was already dead when they got a closer look at her body. Officers determined that Mo had been shot twice in the head and once in the chest. And as they examined the surrounding area, they quickly began uncovering clues. This made officers believe that someone had stood over her and made sure she wouldn't get back up. They also found a cut on her right index finger and another one under her chin, which made them think there had been a struggle before Mo fell. Finally, they found three shell casings on the bathroom floor. Each appeared to have been fired from a 9 millimeter handgun. The police knew that whoever did this was probably covering their tracks at the very moment. With no time to waste, they went outside to speak with Cash in order to establish a general timeline. Distraught and shook, Cash gathered herself so she could answer the questions and hopefully help catch the killer. She said that Mo had left her apartment around 5:30pm that day with plans to go swimming with a friend, a man named Colin Strickland. Officers immediately wondered if Colin was Mo's killer, but they needed to learn more before zeroing in on him from there. Cash knew that Mo had returned to the apartment at 8:36pm because she had an app on her phone connected to the electric lock on her front door. She didn't know what happened after that, but it's clear that Mo had been killed sometime between then and when Cash got home shortly before 10pm now that investigators had a time frame, they prepared to canvass the area in search of surveillance footage or witness testimony. Before heading out, they spotted a bicycle lying in the bushes outside of the apartment building. Cash confirmed that bike belonged to Mo. This was extremely odd. Mo was a professional cyclist, and no one would leave a bike that costs around $10,000 just lying around. This added to the detectives theory that someone had come after Mo. And once they obtained security footage from the area, they got closer to figuring out who that person could be. First, they discovered footage from a camera inside of the house containing chilling audio. Mo can be heard screaming before two gunshots go off in quick succession. Seconds later, a third shot is fired. Then just two minutes after this audio was captured, investigators found video of a black jeep Cherokee with a bike rack on it driving out of the neighborhood. While detectives couldn't make out the license plate number, they did a little digging and realized the direction the Jeep traveled was towards Colin Strickland's home. The next morning, Detectives Richard Spitler and Jason Ayers went to Colin's house to bring him in for questioning. When they arrived, something in the driveway immediately stood out a black Jeep Cherokee with a large bike rack on the back. They thought they might be about to catch their guy, but when Colin opened the door and the detectives told him Mo had been killed, he seemed genuinely stunned. However, Kaitlin was standing nearby and her expression remained completely blank even as Colin left with the officers. A little later, Colin's friend Lance showed up to the house to borrow a bike part from Colin. Kaitlin told Lance she could help him and invited him in. Once Lance was inside, Kaitlin casually brought up the news about Mo. Then she asked him if he thought Austin was becoming a violent city. Lance tried to reassure her and said that that kind of violence wasn't normal there. But then she asked another question. Is Cherrywood a bad neighborhood? Lance kept trying to make her feel better. However, after he left the house and the shock of Mo's death began to fade, he wondered, how did Caitlin know where Mo was when she died? We'll answer that question in episode two of our three part series on Caitlin Marie Armstrong. So stay tuned because the story is only getting started. What did you think of tonight's case? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments. See you next time if you haven't already. Make sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel, ITWatchPod and your support means everything.
- [23:34]
Vanessa Richardson
What drives a person to murder? Find out from a licensed forensic psychologist on Serial Killers and Murderous Minds. A Crime House Original Podcast New episodes drop every Monday and Thursday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts.