MURDEROUS MINDS: Kaitlin Armstrong Pt. 1

When Austin-based yoga instructor Kaitlin Armstrong met elite cyclist Colin Strickland, their relationship seemed passionate and driven by shared ambition. But behind the calm surface, jealousy simmered. When Colin reconnected with rising cycling star Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson, Kaitlin’s insecurity spiraled into obsession — and ultimately, murder. In Part 1, Vanessa Richardson and Dr. Tristin Engels unravel how Kaitlin’s deep-seated anxiety and fear of abandonment evolved into dangerous control. Through psychological insight and chilling detail, the hosts trace Kaitlin’s unraveling — from her unstable upbringing and toxic romance to the moment her jealousy exploded into violence. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Killer Minds to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Killer Minds is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Murder True Crime Stories, Crime House Daily and Crimes and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse https://www.instagram.com/crimehouse/ TikTok: @Crimehouse https://www.tiktok.com/@crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios https://www.facebook.com/crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios https://www.youtube.com/@crimehousestudios

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Vanessa Richardson?

  Hi, everyone. Before today's episode, there's another show I want to tell you about. It's called What the Fact with Connor Tomlinson from Netflix's Love on the Spectrum and Carter Roy. Every week, they take three unbelievable true facts from history and tell you the full story behind them. Plus, Connor's infectious energy that'll make you realize history is the most fascinating thing on earth. Follow What the Fact wherever you listen or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.

• 0:36Speaker 01

  This is Crime House.

• 0:41Vanessa Richardson?

  We all get a little jealous sometimes, whether it's seeing our crush flirt with someone else, or hearing a colleague receive more praise than us at work. It's normal to want what someone else has, or worry that what we have will be taken away. And most of us know how to keep those feelings in check. But not Kaitlin Armstrong. In 2022, 34-year-old Caitlin couldn't handle it when her boyfriend, 35-year-old Colin Strickland, started spending time with another woman, 25-year-old Anna Mariah Wilson. Caitlin became fixated on their relationship, and soon, her obsession became fatal.

• 1:36Vanessa Richardson?

  The human mind is powerful. It shapes how we think, feel, love, and hate. But sometimes it drives people to commit the unthinkable. This is Killer Minds, a Crime House original. I'm Vanessa Richardson.

• 1:50Tristin Engels?

  And I'm Dr. Tristin Engels. Every Monday and Thursday, we uncover the darkest minds in history, analyzing what makes a killer.

• 1:58Vanessa Richardson?

  Crime House is made possible by you. Follow Killer Minds and subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts for ad-free early access to each two-part series. And if you can't get enough true crime, go search and follow Crime House Daily, our team's twice-a-day show bringing you breaking cases, updates, and unbelievable stories from the world of crime that are happening right now. Before we get started, you should know this episode contains discussion of sexual violence and murder. Listener discretion is advised. Today, we begin our deep dive on Kaitlin Armstrong, the Austin-based yoga instructor whose on-again, off-again

• 2:39Vanessa Richardson?

  relationship spiraled into something deadly. In 2022, when Kaitlin's jealousy became too much for her to bear, she took violent measures to hold on to the man she loved. And in the aftermath, she went to extreme lengths to avoid getting caught.

• 2:56Tristin Engels?

  And as Vanessa goes through the story, I'll be talking about things like how someone's lack of self-confidence can manifest in toxic ways, what happens when toxicity spirals into delusion, and how a killer who's so detached from reason can also behave in calculated and methodical ways.

• 3:13Vanessa Richardson?

  And as always, we'll be asking the question, what makes a killer?

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• 4:25Vanessa Richardson?

  Kaitlin Marie Armstrong was never a stranger to turbulence, and from the time she was a little girl, Kaitlin had to cope with all of life's curveballs. She was born on November 21, 1987, in Livonia, Michigan. Kaitlin's parents divorced when she was young, and she was raised by her mother, who struggled with alcohol abuse. They moved around a lot, and amid this instability, Kaitlin allegedly experienced sexual violence on multiple occasions. While those allegations haven't been confirmed, it does seem like Kaitlin looked for ways to heal as she got older. After college, Kaitlin moved to Austin, Texas, and became a Realtor. But her true passion wasn't selling homes. It was yoga.

• 5:10Vanessa Richardson?

  She was drawn to its emphasis on inner peace and self-control. In January 2018, 30-year-old Kaitlin was seeking an escape from her day-to-day life. So she flew to Bali for a month-long yoga teacher training. She looked every bit the part of a yoga instructor, tall and slender, with long curly red hair down to her waist. But once she arrived at the retreat, it was clear that Kaitlin didn't possess any of the inner composure that the other attendees had. During introductions, she allegedly 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 on what she was running from. After that, Kaitlin hardly spoke to anyone

• 5:55Vanessa Richardson?

  and generally kept to herself. And her odd behavior wasn't over. One evening after dinner, as people shared food and chatted, Kaitlin suddenly went pale. She pointed to a faint rash on her chest and said she was having an allergic reaction. Her allergy symptoms seemed minor, but they sent Kaitlin into a full-on panic. Her breathing grew ragged as her body trembled. A few people rushed to her aid while others stayed out of the way. But as they watched the commotion unfold, some of the attendees couldn't help but think Caitlin was overreacting as a way to get attention.

• 6:32Tristin Engels?

  What's happening here can have several psychological explanations. And I know this is killer minds and we cover complex and atypical cases that do not represent the norm. But that being said, I would caution people ordinarily that experience something like this or witness something like this to not automatically assume that this behavior is manipulative or attention-seeking, even if it may appear that way on the surface. Now with regard to Caitlin, we are just starting to do our deep dive on her and we don't know too much about her yet or the source of her distress, but we do have two data points so far. First, Caitlin herself stated that she was there because she was running from something back home.

• 7:13Tristin Engels?

  And number two, some of the attendees felt she was doing this for attention, like you said. That could be because of their own biases or assumptions or because they've seen a pattern that we haven't seen yet. And one such pattern might be that Caitlin lacks emotional regulation skills. That doesn't mean it's manipulative necessarily. It just means that she is seeking external sources to soothe her when she lacks the skills to do it herself. Also, when someone is under intense internal distress, especially if they're suppressing that distress or living with it in secret like she might be doing here, that psychological pressure can seek a physical outlet. The body and mind are deeply connected, so it's not unusual for it to manifest as a somatic reaction.

• 7:57Tristin Engels?

  Things like shortness of breath, trembling, or even a rash can occur. She might have been having a genuine panic attack. And if she was truly running from something, then that stillness of a yoga environment could have had the opposite effect on her. It could have forced those emotions to the surface, triggering panic instead of peace.

• 8:16Vanessa Richardson?

  Kaitlin definitely had a hard time managing her emotions, but she still seemed to learn something at the retreat. Once she returned home, she put some of her training to practice and started teaching yoga. She continued working in real estate, too, striking a balance between her career and her passion. Kaitlin was starting to seem more sure of herself, but her path to self-improvement wasn't complete yet. There was still one more thing Kaitlin was looking for: love. In 2019, 32-year-old Kaitlin started using dating apps to try and meet someone. Soon, she stumbled upon 33-year-old Colin Strickland. Colin was tall and handsome, and like Kaitlin, he cared a lot about his physical health.

• 8:59Vanessa Richardson?

  He was a bicyclist who competed in high-level races for both professionals and amateurs. As soon as she met Colin, Kaitlin was smitten. However, he was 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, Kaitlin 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 Kaitlin, so they kept seeing each other, and soon, he saw a loving and kind-hearted side to her.

• 9:42Vanessa Richardson?

  They eventually became exclusive, and Kaitlin's nurturing side showed itself more. Once, she even spent days helping Colin's mom figure out her unemployment benefits. Kaitlin 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. Kaitlin thought he might be drunk or high. 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 the gear, and before long, Kaitlin was entering amateur races on the weekends.

• 10:26Tristin Engels?

  Firstly, I just want to highlight that it is normal and healthy to take an interest in your partner's interests. That's part of how we build connection and shared meaning in a relationship. But there's a difference between sharing an interest and absorbing it as part of your identity. When someone's sense of self is fragile or overly dependent on external validation, they may start adopting their partner's interests not just to connect, but to feel belonging or to feel worthy of love. And in Kaitlin's case, it seems like cycling wasn't simply about trying something new because cycling represented Colin's entire lifestyle, his community, and his identity. And given that this is killer minds, and we know where this ultimately leads, her interest went beyond shared meaning and

• 11:10Tristin Engels?

  supportiveness. She was trying to secure her place in his world. That's relational mirroring, when a person subconsciously molds themselves to reflect the person they're attached to. This can often happen in people with anxious attachment or who have a low self-concept. They fear rejection, so they over-adapt to maintain closeness. It's not necessarily manipulative, it's survival to them. And the problem is that partner reliance isn't sustainable. And when the relationship is threatened in any way to them, according to them, it can feel like an existential crisis, which can lead to very drastic reactions.

• 11:48Vanessa Richardson?

  It's worth mentioning that Kaitlin actually took up cycling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Does that change the way you view her actions at all?

• 11:56Tristin Engels?

  So this is exactly why I wanted to normalize this to some degree, because not every behavior is something to be pathologized. And taking interests in other people's interests can be normal. There are often other very plausible and reasonable explanations for certain behaviors. I mean, I personally took up hobbies during the pandemic I never previously were interested in, and many people did, all in an effort to adapt to the isolation and the magnitude of what was happening. I also cycled a lot during the pandemic, although it was on like a stationary bike. But it was an order track and it had those programs. So I could choose a program that would let me cycle across the world. And that gave me a mental and physical escape. This could have absolutely contributed to her interest in cycling.

• 12:40Tristin Engels?

  However, you have to really look at why she was interested in cycling in the first place. Was it to cope with the pandemic only? Or was it to maintain closeness? I'd be curious to know if she found additional hobbies that were not interests of Colin's, because that would be really telling whether or not this was related to the pandemic or not.

• 13:03Vanessa Richardson?

  I did the same thing during the pandemic. Well, while Caitlin did love the thrill that came with cycling, she soon definitely 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 Colin about the texts, and he claimed he was just friends with the women. She said she believed him, but that was a lie. Caitlin kept spying on Colin's messages.

• 13:47Vanessa Richardson?

  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, Caitlin managed to get access to the pictures on his phone. That's when she found a photo of the same woman, wearing only blue jeans and a bra. Caitlin 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.

• 14:31Tristin Engels?

  Jealousy in relationships is common, and in small doses, it can even serve a protective function because it signals that something feels uncertain or what we value feels threatened. But when jealousy shifts into behavior that crosses boundaries, like invading someone's privacy, it stops being protective and it starts being controlling. Kaitlin's actions here suggest a deep sense of insecurity and an inability to tolerate ambiguity in relationships. When someone lacks emotional regulation or has anxious or preoccupied attachment, uncertainty feels intolerable. The fear of being replaced or lied to can override reason and lead to impulsive invasive acts that temporarily relieve anxiety

• 15:15Tristin Engels?

  but ultimately damage the trust in the relationship. And in this case, Kaitlin was invading his privacy in order to manage her anxiety through control. But this is a false sense of safety because the more she tried to secure the relationship through surveillance like this, the more emotionally distant and unsafe it's likely to become for the both of them. And clinically, this kind of behavior doesn't necessarily mean a severe mental illness is occurring, but it does point to poor distress tolerance, attachment deficits, and possible obsessive or ruminative tendencies. It reflects a relational dynamic that's built more on fear. And once that pattern takes hold, both partners start reacting to the anxiety instead of relating to each other, which can create a very toxic cycle.

• 16:02Vanessa Richardson?

  Kaitlin 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 more serious. Kaitlin's real estate career had been doing well, so the pair bought a house together

• 16:43Vanessa Richardson?

  and even launched a trailer restoration business called Wheelhouse Mobile. Kaitlin managed the business side of things, which meant she had even more access to Colin's phone and personal accounts. For a while, this didn't seem to create any problems. But then, in October 2021, Colin did something to trigger Kaitlin's jealousy again. They went on a road trip to Bentonville, Arkansas, where Colin was competing in a race. Kaitlin was looking forward to cheering him on, but when they got there, her cheerful mood turned sour. Kaitlin noticed that Colin was being extremely friendly with a young woman she'd never seen before. The woman was also a cyclist. Soon, Kaitlin learned that the woman was 25-year-old Anna Mariah Wilson,

• 17:28Vanessa Richardson?

  a rising star in the world of cycling, who went by the nickname "Moe." Colin and Moe 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 Moe 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.

• 18:12Vanessa Richardson?

  And soon, she would explode.

• 18:20Speaker 01

  The moment a body is found, the clock starts ticking. Forty-eight hours. That's how long detectives have before the trail begins to go cold. From A and E and Crime House, this is the official podcast from the famous true crime series, The First Forty-Eight. Step inside the critical window, the interrogations, the dead ends, and the breakthroughs that crack a case wide open. I'm Carter Roy. Each week, I revisit a landmark homicide investigation with a depth you know and immersive long-form storytelling built for your ears. Real detectives, real cases, real stakes.

• 19:02Speaker 01

  This is The First Forty-Eight. New episodes every Thursday. Listen to and follow The First Forty-Eight on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

• 19:22Vanessa Richardson?

  In the fall of 2021, 34-year-old Kaitlin Armstrong was dealing with intense feelings of jealousy over her boyfriend Colin's friendship with Mo Wilson. After the event in Arkansas was over, Kaitlin and Colin drove back home to Austin, Texas. During the car ride, Kaitlin told Colin how she was feeling. She was hoping he'd apologize and promised not to talk to Mo anymore. Instead, Colin said something that shattered Kaitlin's world. He told her 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, Kaitlin was struggling to process the sudden end of their relationship. As the days passed, Kaitlin's disbelief seemed

• 20:07Vanessa Richardson?

  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. He told Kaitlin 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.

• 20:32Tristin Engels?

  From a practical standpoint, it might not seem wise for Caitlin to stay with Colin and for Colin to allow that, especially given the tension in their relationship. But decisions like this often are made from financial or practical needs, or, and likely in this case, an attachment need. When someone is in a fragile emotional state, proximity to the person they're attached to can feel like the only thing keeping them stable, even if that closeness is not good for them or is painful. It's what we call proximity-seeking behavior. But there's also repetition of a familiar dynamic emerging between them, which is the rescuer and the rescued. If you recall, earlier in their relationship, when they had first become exclusive, Caitlin

• 21:15Tristin Engels?

  called him when someone was banging on her door and he stayed on the phone with her, making her feel safe and calm. Then, when they had split up, and were still living separately at the time, and her pipes froze in an ice storm, Colin had come to her aid. This brought them back together. So these experiences strengthened her emotional attachment to him. I believe Caitlin felt that he was her rescuer, and that can create a powerful bond, especially for someone who equates safety with love. So now, when she says she wants to wait to move out until the home is renovated and he allows her to stay temporarily, she may be unconsciously recreating that same scenario.

• 21:56Tristin Engels?

  She may have interpreted his willingness to help as proof that he still cares or that their relationship still has a future. That's black and white thinking and a misattribution of safety. In this case, confusing an act of compassion or obligation with renewed intimacy rather than basic human decency. So for someone with anxious attachment or low self-worth, those small acts can carry enormous meaning, reinforcing hope and making it even harder to realize that the relationship has changed. So while Colin may have intended to help out of kindness or practicality, for Caitlin, that act likely reignited the illusion of being chosen and rescued again.

• 22:39Vanessa Richardson?

  Kaitlin may have wanted to keep tabs on Colin's life, but soon she got more than she bargained for. Less than a week after the breakup, Kaitlin found out that Mo was in Austin. She was there for a race, and she was hanging out with Colin. When Kaitlin saw what they were up to on social media, she felt crushed. Colin was introducing Mo to all his friends. Their relationship was barely over, and he was apparently already moving on to another. Things only got worse when Kaitlin learned that Colin and Mo were going on a road trip together, just the two of them. Kaitlin couldn't take it. She somehow got her hands on Mo's phone number and started calling her constantly, warning her to stay away from Colin.

• 23:23Vanessa Richardson?

  Eventually, Mo blocked Kaitlin's number. Now, there was nothing Kaitlin could do except fester in her jealousy and anger. About a week later, Colin returned home, and Mo was back in her home city of San Francisco. 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 Kaitlin. During Mo's visit and their road trip, they'd been intimate. Kaitlin was extremely hurt. Not only that, all of her fears about Mo were validated. But rather than ask herself whether she could truly trust Colin, Kaitlin started leaning on him more than ever. She started telling Colin

• 24:08Vanessa Richardson?

  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 2021, he took Kaitlin to arm herself.

• 24:31Tristin Engels?

  All right, stemming from my previous discussion, we're not really seeing that Caitlin is seeking safety because she's genuinely afraid, though of course, women should always practice situational awareness for safety. But rather, she's seeking rescue. It's another reenactment of dependency. Every time she recreates that victim-rescuer dynamic, it reinforces the belief that closeness can be achieved through crisis, and that's conditioning. So instead of addressing her true fears, like insecurity, jealousy, and shame, she's outsourcing safety to Colin with the underlying belief that as long as he keeps saving her, the relationship will stay intact and she will return to a state of calm because she'll remain relevant for him.

• 25:13Tristin Engels?

  What she really would benefit from is learning internal regulation. And if we look back at her behavior in Bali, the pattern was already there. Even then, she showed signs of poor emotional regulation. Her panic episode during the retreat, which some interpreted as attention-seeking, could be viewed as another way of outsourcing safety, relying on the people around her to soothe her distress rather than learning how to do it herself. And of course, it's completely normal and even healthy to lean on others for support during times of emotional overwhelm. We all need that. But there's a time and a place for it, and what we're seeing here is something different. Why do you think people look for quick fixes to their mental health needs? That's a great question, because what we often call a "quick fix"

• 25:57Tristin Engels?

  is really just a human response to distress. When people are in emotional pain, the instinct is to make that pain stop now. It's not necessarily about laziness or denial. It's about intolerance of discomfort. So the quick fix offers immediate relief, even if it is at times at the expense of others. And the brain simply is trying to restore equilibrium and end the internal tension as fast as possible. And in doing so, it prioritizes short-term relief over long-term resolution.

• 26:30Vanessa Richardson?

  Well, Caitlin happily went along with Colin's idea. They rode their bikes to McBride's, a small, family-owned gun shop. Caitlin picked up a 9mm 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 Caitlin and Colin for the next few weeks. However, things went sour again when Caitlin saw a video that Colin posted on Instagram while he was at a race in another city. After this, Caitlin's jealousy ran wild.

• 27:12Vanessa Richardson?

  She monitored Colin's phone, asked him pointed questions about Mo, and obsessively checked social media for any sign they were spending time together. Whether it was her race results or photos with people who were Colin and Caitlin's mutual friends, Caitlin felt like Mo was showing off all the ways she was better than her and encroaching on her life. Caitlin 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.

• 27:52Tristin Engels?

  So at this point, it appears Caitlin is interpreting neutral information as personal attacks or taunts. When jealousy escalates like this, it's often a reflection of an underlying identity threat. It seems like Mo represents everything Caitlin fears she isn't, and because of that, everything Mo does subsequently becomes evidence that Mo is somehow winning a competition that only exists in Caitlin's mind, which is borderline delusional. Not psychosis in the clinical sense, but it is a distortion of reality that reinforces her narrative of betrayal. And it's also a projection of fear of abandonment and rejection. Now, saying she'd kill Mo reflects the intensity of that envy and pain, and it fits with her known pattern of coping.

• 28:37Tristin Engels?

  Because again, every time she feels anxious, rejected, or unsafe, her instinct hasn't been to self-reflect. It's been to find and label an external source for it. This spares Caitlin from the discomfort of confronting her own insecurities if she can convince herself that someone else is responsible for them. But the problem is, every time she externalizes her distress, she reinforces a worldview where other people are the source of her suffering. And that's the kind of thinking that can escalate into aggression.

• 29:07Vanessa Richardson?

  As far as we know, Caitlin's not a violent person. I don't think she's ever committed a violent offense before. So why would something like this push her to feel so much rage and aggression to the point of just even entertaining the idea of murdering someone?

• 29:21Tristin Engels?

  Violence doesn't always emerge from a pattern of aggression. Sometimes it develops from a pattern of emotional instability or poor frustration tolerance that reaches its breaking point. When someone experiences repeated feelings of rejection, humiliation, frustration, or betrayal, especially without any healthy coping skills or outlets, it can compound and have nowhere to go. Eventually, the individual's coping system, or lack thereof, collapses. And what we see as rage is often the explosion that happens when shame, fear, and helplessness compound together. Anger in that moment becomes a defense that feels powerful to them. So she was attempting to reclaim control when she'd felt she'd lost everything.

• 30:08Vanessa Richardson?

  Unfortunately, Caitlin wasn't coping. She was diving headfirst into her obsession. Things only got worse in May 2022, when Caitlin learned that Mo was back in Austin for another race. By now, Colin had changed Mo's name in his phone as a way to hide their interactions from Caitlin. But Caitlin found other ways to keep tabs on what they were up to. On Wednesday, May 11, Caitlin opened the workout-tracking app Strava. She saw that Mo had recently gone on a bike ride in Austin. After that, Caitlin checked Colin'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.

• 30:50Vanessa Richardson?

  She also saw that Colin and Moe were making plans to hang out later that day. This sent Caitlin 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. Caitlin couldn't take it anymore. She was tired of sitting back and watching her relationship be destroyed. So she decided to strike first.

• 31:28Speaker 04

  Did you know the most feared pirate in the Atlantic, the man who terrorized an entire ocean for years, may never have actually killed anyone? Or that the real Golden Age of Pirates was the most democratic workplace in the Western world? I'm Connor Tomlinson from Love on the Spectrum, and history is my thing.

• 31:46Speaker 05

  And I'm Carter Roy, and this is What the Fact. Every week, we take the most unbelievable true things in history and tell you the whole story behind them.

• 31:55Speaker 04

  Carter sets the scene.

• 31:56Speaker 05

  Connor brings the facts, the deep cuts, and the genuine belief that this is the most interesting subject in the world.

• 32:02Speaker 04

  It is. This is the history lesson you actually wished you had in high school.

• 32:07Speaker 05

  New episodes every Wednesday. Follow What the Fact on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.

• 32:22Vanessa Richardson?

  Happy Halloween, Crime House listeners. I'm Vanessa Richardson. Did you know horror films like Abigail and Sinister were based on true stories? Join me every Sunday this month on Crime House 24/7 for Crime House of Horrors, where I dive into four stories behind some of our favorite scary movies. From Abigail, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Sinister, and The Taking of Deborah Logan, you'll find one thing in common: the truth is scarier than fiction. Listen every Sunday on Crime House 24/7, or join Crime House Plus for all four right now, ad-free. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at crimehouseplus.com.

• 33:09Vanessa Richardson?

  On May 11th, 2022, 34-year-old Kaitlin Armstrong discovered that her boyfriend, Colin Strickland, had lied to her so he could hang out with Mo Wilson. Colin returned home around 9 that night. At the time, Kaitlin wasn't there. She arrived about 20 minutes later, wearing workout clothes and carrying a yoga mat. The two sat down to have a drink together. The whole time, neither of them said anything about how Colin had been ignoring Kaitlin's phone calls that day. Then, Kaitlin 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.

• 33:53Vanessa Richardson?

  Colin didn't think much of it at the time. It wouldn't be until later that he'd look back and realize how sinister Kaitlin's behavior really was.

• 34:03Tristin Engels?

  Yeah, this behavior is an extension of what I was just talking about with regard to her need to reclaim control. When someone like Kaitlin, with her level of emotional dysregulation and attachment insecurity feels deeply betrayed, sometimes the instinct is to reclaim control. Sex in this context appears to be about dominance and possession. By initiating sex right after she's been deceived, Kaitlin appears to be trying to transform rejection into control, and then vulnerability into power.

• 34:33Vanessa Richardson?

  Do you think that her initiating sex could be a cover-up, maybe just to make Colin think nothing's wrong? Or does it come as a physical reaction from what she'd just done?

• 34:43Tristin Engels?

  Of course, it could absolutely be that. In the past, when she called Colin multiple times like this and was upset, it often led to conflict or even a breakup. So this could have been her way of trying to preempt that. By acting as though everything was fine and initiating intimacy, she may have been trying to reset the dynamic before he could pull away again. Either way, no matter the reason, truly, this behavior, especially the forcefulness of it that you described, served both emotional and tactical purposes. At the core, it's reclaiming control and protecting her ego.

• 35:17Vanessa Richardson?

  Well, while Caitlin and Colin were getting intimate, a young woman named Caitlin Cash was returning home to her apartment. It was just before 10:00 PM when Cash stepped inside, expecting to find her friend, Mo Wilson, who was staying with her that week. But Cash didn't see Mo anywhere. She called out for her and got no response. Then Cash noticed the bathroom door was open. 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 couldn't. So she grabbed her phone and dialed 911. The dispatcher guided her through CPR until first responders arrived.

• 36:02Vanessa Richardson?

  Once they were there, Cash was quickly led outside. 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. To start, the position of Mo's body suggested that she'd been shot while she was already on the floor. Officers believed this meant that Mo had been deliberately targeted. 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,

• 36:47Vanessa Richardson?

  which made them think there'd been a struggle before Mo fell. Finally, they found three shell casings in the bathroom. Each appeared to have been fired from a 9mm handgun. The police knew that whoever did this was probably covering their tracks at that very moment. With no time to waste, they went outside to speak with Cash in order to establish a general timeline. Distracted and in shock, Cash gathered herself so she could answer their questions and hopefully help them catch the killer. She said that Mo had left her apartment around 5:30 PM that day with plans to go swimming with a friend, a man named Colin Strickland. Officers immediately wondered if Colin was Mo's killer,

• 37:30Vanessa Richardson?

  but they needed to learn more before zeroing in on him.

• 37:36Vanessa Richardson?

  From there, Cash knew that Mo had returned to the apartment at 8:36 PM. Cash had an app on her phone, connected to the electric lock on her front door. She didn't know what happened after that, but Mo had been killed sometime between that time and when Cash got home shortly before 10 o'clock. Now that investigators had a timeframe, they prepared to canvas the area in search of surveillance footage or witness testimony. Before heading out, they spotted a bicycle lying in the bushes outside the apartment building. Cash confirmed that the bike belonged to Mo. This was extremely odd. Mo was a serious cyclist. She wouldn't have tossed her own bike to the side like that.

• 38:18Vanessa Richardson?

  This added to 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 in 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

• 38:58Vanessa Richardson?

  realized the direction the Jeep traveled was toward 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. Then, when Colin opened the door and the detectives told him Mo had been killed, Colin seemed genuinely stunned. However, Caitlin 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 at the house.

• 39:43Vanessa Richardson?

  He was there 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. He said 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 Kaitlin know where Mo was when she died?

• 40:22Tristin Engels?

  Kaitlin's line of questioning with Lance is a form of probing, because she is testing what he knows. And to subtly gauge whether suspicion might fall on her, this kind of behavior can also serve as self reassurance. By framing the event as just another instance of random violence in a, quote, "dangerous" city, she's externalizing blame again, aligning the narrative with something impersonal rather than taking ownership. And that fits with her established pattern of deflecting internal distress outward. But also, she's subtly redirecting attention. She's planting the idea that the crime was related to Mo's neighborhood, that it was random or opportunistic, seemingly in an attempt to steer suspicion away from her. She's also information gathering,

• 41:07Tristin Engels?

  testing what others know and how they're interpreting events. That's a common behavior among offenders who are still trying to control the story and the narrative. And so her calmness is about managing perception in real time, both to self soothe her own self and to influence how others will see her.

• 41:25Vanessa Richardson?

  So in a lot of our episodes, we see situations where killers don't think through their actions. They don't think they'll be caught. And then they say or do things that just increase the likelihood of them getting caught. Is there a link between a person's willingness to take someone else's life and then their sense of confidence or assurance about getting away with it?

• 41:45Tristin Engels?

  Yes, there's often a link between someone's willingness to take another person's life and their confidence, or more precisely, their perceived ability to get away with it. But the psychology behind that confidence varies. So for some individuals, especially those with antisocial or narcissistic traits, the belief that they're smarter, more strategic, or less detectable than others, creates a sense of entitlement and invincibility. They convince themselves the rules don't apply to them, or that they can outthink everyone else. That distorted self-assurance lowers inhibition against violence because they don't anticipate real consequences and they don't fear real consequences. For others, especially those with intense emotional states like jealousy or betrayal,

• 42:28Tristin Engels?

  the confidence often comes from rationalization. They attempt to justify their actions as necessary or even inevitable. But either way, whichever the cause, the confidence also comes with a lack of accountability as well.

• 42:43Vanessa Richardson?

  Kaitlin's comments were extremely suspicious, and by now Lance wasn't the only one wary of her. At Austin Police Headquarters, Detective Spittler and Ayers were starting to learn more about the past drama between Colin, Mo, and Kaitlin. Colin also explained everything he and Mo had done before he dropped her off at home the night before. He said he'd picked Mo up on his motorcycle around 6:00 PM, and they went for a swim at a popular pool in Austin. Then they grabbed dinner before he dropped her back off at Kaitlin Cash's apartment around 8:30 PM. After that, he went straight home. The detectives asked if anyone could confirm his timeline, and Colin said, "No, his girlfriend Kaitlin didn't get home until about 9:20 that night."

• 43:28Vanessa Richardson?

  With this, Detective Spittler and Ayers asked Colin to hang tight. Then they left him alone in the interrogation room for over an hour. They watched on camera as Colin slumped against the wall and wrapped his arms around himself. He was clearly distraught, but he didn't seem panicked. The detectives wanted to get more of Colin's reaction, so when they finally returned, they told him they had surveillance footage of a black Jeep with a bike rack on it, driving near Cash's apartment right around the time Mo was killed. Then they revealed something else. They also had footage of him riding his motorcycle down the highway away from Cash's apartment and toward his own house at 8:48 PM.

• 44:13Vanessa Richardson?

  On the one hand, Colin was relieved to hear authorities had evidence that he wasn't guilty, but on the other hand, that would mean Caitlin had been driving the Jeep near the crime scene. Colin told Spitler and Ayers that he couldn't fathom Caitlin being responsible. She wasn't a violent person. When they pressed him harder, he said that if he thought Caitlin was truly capable of murder, he wouldn't be with her. The detectives seemed convinced that Colin really meant what he said. So as they continued speaking with him, other investigators began digging into Caitlin's background.

• 44:51Vanessa Richardson?

  While they didn't have enough evidence to arrest her for Mo's murder, they did have something else: an outstanding misdemeanor charge from 2018. Apparently Caitlin had not paid for a Botox treatment. She was later charged with theft of service, but she was never arrested. This would be enough to bring her into the station. At the same time, officers obtained search warrants for Caitlin and Colin's house and their phones. They went back to the house the same day. Caitlin was still there, and she appeared emotionless when they discovered her gun and when she handed over her phone. Then they told Caitlin she was under arrest for her 2018 theft charge. She cooperated as they handcuffed her and brought her in.

• 45:37Vanessa Richardson?

  In the interrogation room, she claimed she never knew that she'd been charged. Then she requested an attorney. At that point, a knock at the door interrupted the interview. Apparently, the date of birth on Caitlin's arrest warrant didn't match the one in their system, which meant the warrant wasn't valid, and they had nothing to hold her on. The detectives made a last-ditch effort to get Caitlin to talk about Colin and Mo. They even told her about the footage of the Jeep, but she refused to say anything. Eventually, they had to let her go. Kaitlin Armstrong went home and waited for Colin Strickland to return. He came back that night, and Kaitlin immediately broke down. She told Colin how scared she was. He tried to make her feel better.

• 46:22Vanessa Richardson?

  By now, they had both hired lawyers, so Colin said all they could do was stay calm and cooperate. But then, Kaitlin became more frantic. She even wondered out loud if their house was bugged. At that point, Colin said they should get some sleep and talk things through in the morning. Kaitlin finally agreed.

• 46:44Vanessa Richardson?

  The next morning, Kaitlin was still afraid their conversations were being recorded, so they went to a nearby coffee shop to talk. Kaitlin told Colin that during the time of Mo's murder, she had gone to yoga and then a waxing appointment. Colin listened carefully. Whether or not he really believed her, Kaitlin at least thought he did. Then, after they left the café, they heard from their lawyers, who advised them to separate while the investigation was underway. Kaitlin and Colin both agreed. But then, Kaitlin began to fret over how they'd stay in touch, since the police had their phones. Colin suggested they buy temporary ones, which Kaitlin said she didn't even know how to do, so he took her with him to buy some at Walmart.

• 47:28Vanessa Richardson?

  Then around 10:30 a.m. on May 13th, 2022, two days after Mo Wilson's murder, Kaitlin climbed into her Jeep, backed out of the driveway, and drove away. As the house she shared with Colin grew smaller in her rearview, Kaitlin likely knew she wouldn't see him again for a very long time. Meanwhile, police confirmed Colin's alibi and ruled him out as a suspect, which meant investigators were solely focused on Kaitlin. The evidence against her was still largely circumstantial, especially since the footage of the Jeep was grainy, and they couldn't confirm Kaitlin was actually the driver.

• 48:10Vanessa Richardson?

  However, word was beginning to spread around the cycling community about what had happened to Mo, including the fact that police had questioned Colin and Caitlin. And that's when investigators received a tip from one of Caitlin's own friends, saying that Caitlin had once said she wanted to kill Mo. As police continued speaking with people, they learned just how much jealousy and rage Caitlin had exhibited toward Mo. From there, they also learned that Caitlin had gone to the shooting range with her sister after buying her gun. But while all of this painted a damning picture, it still wasn't concrete evidence. However, now that they'd gotten some help from the public, authorities decided they

• 48:54Vanessa Richardson?

  should continue to tap that well. So they made an announcement regarding Mo's murder. They said the crime did not appear to be random, and that a person of interest had been identified, but they didn't say who. Finally, they asked for people to share any information that could help with the investigation. Police didn't have to say Caitlin's name publicly for her to understand that she was now their main suspect. Shortly after leaving her house on the morning of the 13th, Caitlin drove to a CarMax about a mile from her and Colin's house. There, she sold her Jeep for $12,200. Her whereabouts for the rest of the day are unknown, but a day later, on May 14th, Caitlin

• 49:38Vanessa Richardson?

  headed to Austin Bergstrom International Airport and boarded a plane to New York, where her sister lived.

• 49:46Tristin Engels?

  For someone who is really emotionally dysregulated, she certainly is showing really calculated steps to escape. And at the root of that is actually a need for control in both of those situations. So previously, when she felt powerless with Colin, she portrayed herself as helpless or victimized, and that helplessness was a way to elicit rescue, reassurance, and proximity, all of which helped regulate her emotionally. But once that situation went far beyond her control and Colin's attention shifted elsewhere, she shifted from emotional manipulation to logistics. What looks like a contradiction is really a defense mechanism in two forms: emotional manipulation and chaos when control still feels possible through others,

• 50:29Tristin Engels?

  and calculation when control can only be restored through action. It's the same pattern, just manifesting differently.

• 50:36Vanessa Richardson?

  Kaitlin's passion is yoga. She's a yoga instructor. She lives by the principle of nonviolence in this yogic way. How could she live with herself after killing someone?

• 50:48Tristin Engels?

  Well, let's start by exploring what likely drove her to yoga to begin with, given what we know about her so far. I mean, you mentioned it earlier. She was drawn to the calmness, the peacefulness, and the self-control of it. People who struggle with emotional regulation are often attracted to structured external systems that look like peace because they offer a sense of order that they can't create internally. In Kaitlin's case, given her pattern of finding external sources to regulate her emotions, yoga probably represented another form of external regulation. It gave her a manual for serenity, using breathing, posture, and ritual. That also gave her the ability to mimic peace,

• 51:29Tristin Engels?

  but she can't create peace for herself unless she also does the internal work, which, from what we can tell, she avoids. So for someone like Kaitlin, yoga likely felt like a way to maintain an image and contain her emotions rather than to understand them. So for her to reconcile her actions with her yoga training and principles would mean she would have to integrate those principles to begin with. And I think it's clear that that didn't really happen.

• 51:56Vanessa Richardson?

  Well, around the same time Kaitlin made her escape, investigators realized how cold and calculated she actually was when forensic tests proved that her gun was the murder weapon. As soon as they made this discovery, the Austin Municipal Court issued a warrant for Kaitlin's arrest on a charge of first-degree murder. But when they tried to take her into custody, Kaitlin was nowhere to be found. Little did they know she was about to take her escape plan to unprecedented extremes.

• 52:43Vanessa Richardson?

  Thanks so much for listening. Join us next time for the conclusion of our deep dive into the murder of Mo Wilson.

• 52:50Tristin Engels?

  Killer Minds is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on all social media at Crime House. And don't forget to rate, review, and follow Killer Minds wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference.

• 53:10Vanessa Richardson?

  And to enhance your listening experience, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode of Killer Minds ad-free, along with early access to each thrilling two-part series and exciting bonus content.

• 53:27Vanessa Richardson?

  Killer Minds is hosted by me, Vanessa Richardson, and Dr. Tristin Engels, and is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Killer Minds team: Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Lori Marinelli, Natalie Pritzowski, Sarah Camp, Sarah Bachelor, Heather Dundas, Sarah Tardif, and Carrie Murphy. Thank you for listening.

• 53:58Speaker 06

  The police closed my sister's case in 2019. Last month, her killer commented on my post. "On Reddit, true crime doesn't come from journalists. It comes from the victims, the witnesses, and sometimes the suspects themselves." People post the things they'd never say out loud: anonymous, unfiltered, and completely real. And every Tuesday, on Crimes of Reddit, we read them out loud. I'm Sabrina Deanna-Roga from Two Girls, One Ghost. And I'm Alexis Linkletter from The First Degree. Each week, one of us brings the most unhinged true crime stories the internet has to offer. And the other goes in completely blind. No prep, no spoilers, reacting in real time, same as you. And then we swap.

• 54:41Speaker 06

  And we pull every thread until the whole twisted picture comes into view. It's dark, it's messy, and the scariest part is that these are real stories, posted by real people. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Listen to and follow Crimes of Reddit, available now wherever you get your podcasts.

• 54:58Vanessa Richardson?

  If you're looking for your next podcast, check out What the Fact with Connor Tomlinson from Netflix's Love on the Spectrum and Carter Roy. Every week, they take three unbelievable true facts from history and tell you the full story behind them. Follow What the Fact wherever you listen, or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.