Investigators in Austin on Wednesday said Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, the woman accused of killing cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson and currently on the lam, was mistakenly released from custody following the killing.
Armstrong, a 34-year-old Austin resident, was arrested for an unrelated misdemeanor warrant issued out of Travis County a day after Wilson was killed on May 11, according to Austin police detective Richard Spilter.
It was a mistake made on the Austin police management system, which listed her birthday month incorrectly, that allowed Wilson to be released from custody because the birth month did not match the warrant, Spilter said.
More:Austin woman accused of killing cyclist Moriah Wilson spotted in New York, authorities say
“We cannot simply arrest somebody if there is some sort of discrepancy,” he continued, adding that Armstrong still could have been released on bond because she had not yet been charged with killing Wilson.
Federal agents earlier Wednesday said Armstrong, who now faces a murder charge in connection with the shooting, may have fled to New York days after Wilson’s death.
Federal authorities think Armstrong boarded a Houston flight at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on May 14 at 12:30 pm She then took a connecting Southwest Airlines flight to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, investigators said.
An arrest warrant in the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Wilson details a love triangle that included a male professional cyclist and Armstrong, according to Austin police.
Wilson was found dead in an East Austin home on Maple Avenue. She had traveled from San Francisco and was staying in town before riding in a gravel race in Hico, northwest of Waco, that coming weekend.
More:Anna Moriah Wilson death: See the facts about the case, charges against Kaitlin Armstrong
Authorities spoke with Armstrong on May 12 — the day after Wilson was killed — and confronted her with video surveillance that investigators say shows a vehicle matching one she drives pulling up to the residence where Wilson was staying. One minute earlier, Wilson had returned to the home after swimming with Armstrong’s boyfriend.
That same day, investigators during a search warrant of a home Armstrong shared with her boyfriend found two handguns, according to Spilter. One of those guns matched the weapon used to kill Wilson, he said.
Over the weekend, agents were still looking for Armstrong’s black Jeep Cherokee, Texas license plate LDZ5608, and believed it was possible she could have still been driving it or had abandoned it around Austin.
The US Marshals issued a wanted poster asking the public to call 800-336-0102 if they see the car or have any information about Armstrong’s whereabouts.
Armstrong, police said, agreed in agreement when detectives told her the video showing a matching vehicle to hers did not look good for her.
Police say she deleted her social media accounts and that her boyfriend told them he has not seen her since May 13. Her account on Strava — an online cycling and fitness platform — remains public and shows that she last cycled on May 11, the day Wilson died.
www.statesman.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism