Killer Minds: Serial Killers & True Crime Murders

Episode: CYCLE OF JEALOUSY: Kaitlin Armstrong Pt. 2

Date: December 4, 2025
Hosts: Vanessa Richardson & Dr. Tristin Engels

Episode Overview

This episode concludes the in-depth analysis of Caitlin Armstrong’s case, delving into the chilling cycle of jealousy, identity transformation, psychological evasion, and eventual capture that defined her journey after the murder of rising cycling star Mo Wilson. Hosts Vanessa Richardson and Dr. Tristin Engels provide a gripping retelling of the crime, Armstrong’s subsequent flight, and psychological breakdown of her motives, patterns, and courtroom behavior. The discussion also sheds light on the broader psychological and sociological questions surrounding killer behavior, attachment, and the intersection of true crime with digital privacy.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Aftermath of the Crime & Initial Escape

• Timeline Recap: After murdering Mo Wilson (05/11/2022), Caitlin Armstrong quickly became the prime suspect and fled Austin, Texas, selling her Jeep for $12,200 and traveling to New York to seek refuge with her sister, Kristi. (04:27)
• Escape to Costa Rica: Armstrong realized her passport was compromised, so she stole her sister’s to fly to Costa Rica under a false identity. Vanessa recounts how she lied to Kristi about returning to Austin, then vanished using Kristi’s passport. (06:34–07:32)
• Psychological Analysis: Dr. Engels observes, “Kaitlin's betrayal of her own sister is sadly not uncommon. When someone is in self-preservation mode like this...it reads a bit like entitlement. Throughout her story, we've seen her pattern of using people as emotional or practical resources…This is consistent with her history of instrumental thinking where others exist to serve her immediate needs.” (07:32)

2. Life as a Fugitive: Transformation & Avoidance

• Building a New Identity: Armstrong, now “Ari,” dyed her hair, cut it short, changed her appearance, and slipped into the expat yoga/surf scene in Santa Teresa. Dr. Engels calls this, “a psychological reenactment of the same patterns she's done before. Each transformation offers the illusion of control and reinvention, but it's rooted in avoidance behavior.” (10:13)
• Yearning for Connection: Despite her efforts to stay hidden, Armstrong regularly visited local bars and connected with expats, striving for normalcy (“She needed others to mirror [her new identity] back to her for it to feel real,” Dr. Engels, 12:25). She even sought out romance but was wary of too much intimacy.
• Notable Moment: When a local, Teal, attempted a romantic advance, Armstrong pulled away, citing a recent breakup—reflecting her ambivalence about connection and exposure. (13:42–15:02)
• Dr. Engels on Attachment: “She craved connection to feel safe, but the intimacy that this connection required risked destabilizing the control she was trying to maintain…this is consistent with approach avoidance behavior, which we often see in people who have insecure or disorganized attachment styles.” (15:02)

3. Escalating Desperation: Plastic Surgery & Capture

• Surgical Reinvention: Growing paranoid, Armstrong traveled to San Jose for plastic surgery—lip fillers, brow lift, nose job—paying in cash to further change her appearance. (18:07–20:24)
  • Memorable Quote: “Changing your face doesn't change the internal structure of your identity. And when you look in the mirror and you see a literal stranger looking back…that just reinforces the disconnection you've been running from all along.” – Dr. Engels (20:24)
• Manhunt Intensifies: US Marshals tracked flight records and digital activity, following the trail to Santa Teresa. Eventually, Armstrong unknowingly responded to a job ad posted by the Marshals and was apprehended in her hostel. (23:28–26:09)
• Capture Scene: Agent Fernandez recognized Armstrong despite her altered appearance, noticing her healing surgical wounds. She was arrested with Kristi’s passport and surgery receipts in her possession. (26:09)

4. The United States Trial: Motives, Defense, and Escape Attempt

• Courtroom Drama: Armstrong showed little to no emotion, maintaining a blank expression throughout court proceedings. Prosecution presented overwhelming evidence of premeditation: location tracking, vehicle at the scene, and firearms evidence. Colin Strickland, Armstrong’s ex-boyfriend, provided damning testimony regarding her jealousy and their turbulent relationship. (37:38–40:35)
  • Notable Quote: “When Colin entered the courtroom, he didn't look at Caitlin…his discomfort filled the room. Caitlin sat straight at the defense table, hands folded, eyes trained forward…Colin testified for eight hours over two days.” – Vanessa Richardson (39:30)
  • Dr. Engels notes, “Right now in the courtroom, [Colin is] a literal mirror…that would cause someone like Caitlyn, who goes to great lengths to avoid internal accountability, to dissociate or detach in the moment.” (40:35)
• Escape Attempt: While in custody, Armstrong worked out intensely, faked a leg injury to be taken to the doctor, and attempted a bold escape. She briefly got away but was quickly caught after a chase and struggle. (30:29–33:36)
  • Dr. Engels: “Her entire life had been about movement…When she found herself literally immobilized and contained…the distress became physical…But her strategy was in no way rational. Much in the same way, most of her behaviors until this point were not rational.” (33:36)

5. Psychological Analysis: Shortsightedness and Narcissism

• Chronic Short-Term Thinking: Armstrong’s choices are characterized by emotional impulsivity—prioritizing relief from distress over long-term consequence. Dr. Engels explains, “That’s emotional impulsivity…a defining feature of someone who struggles with self-regulation. …Shortsightedness is also tied to possible narcissistic and avoidant traits.” (35:06)
• Rescuer/Victim Logic: Armstrong’s life pattern revolves around crisis, chaos, and expecting rescue—whether emotional or practical—from others. This dynamic plays into her inability to fully take responsibility. (35:59)
  • Memorable Moment: Even in her escape attempt, Armstrong engineered the situation so someone (medical staff, guards) would “rescue” her from crisis, just as she previously leaned on Colin or her sister for rescue. (35:59)

6. Conviction, Civil Suits, and Refusal to Accept Responsibility

• Verdict & Sentencing: Found guilty of first-degree murder after a brief jury deliberation, Armstrong was sentenced to 90 years; she immediately began attempts to appeal, claiming wrongful prosecution and even referencing an alleged pregnancy (never substantiated). (41:29–43:29)
• Refusal to Empathize or Change: Armstrong continues to fight in court, facing both criminal and civil cases, including a $15 million wrongful death judgment to the Wilson family. Dr. Engels describes, “For someone like Caitlyn, conceding guilt or responsibility would mean dismantling an identity she spent years protecting…She continues to fight not for freedom but to maintain the fiction that she is not the villain.” (43:29)
  • Dr. Engels on Empathy: “She can likely recognize someone's pain on an intellectual level, but I doubt that she can feel it in a way that moves her toward change…accountability or compassion would require dismantling her own denial, which she relies on for ego preservation.” (44:23)

7. The Enduring Impact

• Mo Wilson’s Family: The ongoing civil litigation and Armstrong’s remorselessness continue to take a heavy toll on Mo Wilson’s family, who have created a charitable foundation in her memory. (45:16)
• Societal Questions: The case raises broader issues about digital privacy, obsession, the role of social media, and how relationships can turn lethal when manipulated by the fragile egos and psychological needs of individuals like Armstrong.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Dr. Tristin Engels (on Armstrong’s instrumental thinking):

  • “This is consistent with her history of instrumental thinking where others exist to serve her immediate needs.” (07:32)

• Dr. Engels (on identity transformation):

  • “Each transformation offers the illusion of control and reinvention, but it's rooted in avoidance behavior.” (10:13)

• Vanessa Richardson (on capture):

  • “Agent Fernandez…noticed the woman had bloody nostrils and a bandage on her nose. Then he saw her eyes and he became certain he was staring at Kaitlyn Armstrong.” (26:09)

• Dr. Engels (on courtroom dissociation):

  • “Right now in the courtroom, he's a literal mirror…that would cause someone like Caitlyn, who goes to great lengths to avoid internal accountability, to dissociate or detach in the moment.” (40:35)

• Dr. Engels (on empathy):

  • “For empathy to be genuine, it has to lead us toward accountability or compassion…doing that would mean dismantling her own denial, which she relies on for ego preservation.” (44:23)

Key Moments & Timestamps

• Armstrong’s escape plan begins (departure from New York, theft of passport): 06:34–07:32
• Transformation in Costa Rica (disguise, fake identity): 08:47–11:09
• Surveillance, tracking, and manhunt by US Marshals: 23:28–26:09
• Face-altering surgery: 18:07–21:26
• Arrest in Costa Rica: 26:09–28:12
• Attempted escape from custody: 30:29–33:36
• Courtroom testimony, especially Colin Strickland’s: 37:38–40:35
• Sentencing and aftermath: 41:29–46:37

Conclusion

This episode presents a haunting portrait of Caitlin Armstrong—her psychology, relationships, cycles of escape, and refusal to own her actions. Through meticulous storytelling and expert analysis, Vanessa Richardson and Dr. Tristin Engels pull the listener deep into Armstrong’s unraveling—revealing not a criminal mastermind, but a woman driven by shortsightedness, entitlement, narcissistic avoidance, and a desperate need for external validation. The tragedy of Mo Wilson and the continued pain of her loved ones serve as reminders of the devastating ripple effects of obsession and denial, and the need for both societal vigilance and psychological insight.

For more deep dives into the minds of true crime’s most chilling figures, subscribe to “Killer Minds.”