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Lawyers for captured fugitive Caitlin Armstrong have accused police of using an invalid arrest warrant against a Texas yoga instructor turned murder suspect, local reports say. .
Armstrong, 34, is accused of murdering cyclist Moria “Moe” Wilson, 25, in Austin in May and trying to avoid arrest by using a passport that did not belong to her. After Austin police obtained a murder warrant for her in Wilson’s death, she was on the run for her 43 days until the U.S. Marshals Service caught her on a secluded beach in Costa Rica.
However, Armstrong’s attorney, Rick Cofer, said the misdemeanor warrant obtained by the Austin Police Department (APD) in May that was used in Armstrong’s initial arrest was invalid and therefore prosecutors were not collected. He argues that he should not be allowed to use the evidence that he has been accused of. Austenian American politician reported first.
He also noted that when APD officers first interrogated Armstrong at her home on May 12, in the wake of Wilson’s shooting on May 11, they did not read her Miranda’s rights. She claims she didn’t let Armstrong go until she made her sixth request.
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Detectives arrested Armstrong that day with an outstanding Class B warrant for her arrest. According to the Austin Police Department’s Homicide Division, authorities questioned the 34-year-old woman, but her birth date on the department’s report management system did not match the warrant’s date of birth, so a misdemeanor warrant was issued. mistakenly released her in Richard Spitler.
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Coffer argues that prosecutors should not be allowed to use evidence collected under improper terms because the warrant is alleged to be invalid.
Neither Coffer nor the Travis County Attorney’s Office immediately responded to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
Wilson was in Austin in May for a bike race.
Armstrong’s boyfriend, 35-year-old professional cyclist Colin Strickland, said he picked up Wilson, whom he knew from a previous race, on his motorcycle in October 2021 and went swimming on the day of her death. told the police. He also told police that he lied to Armstrong about his whereabouts before dropping Wilson off that night when they got food, but he apparently didn’t see “no one in the vicinity.”
Caitlin Armstrong: Texas fugitive used alias until Costa Rican cops detained her at immigration
Security camera footage obtained by police appears to show a black SUV parked near the Maple Avenue residence shortly after Wilson returned home on the night of May 11. Texas Lone Star Fugitive Task Force We drove to the Strickland address where Armstrong lived and observed a black 2012 Jeep Cherokee with a large bike rack that “looks like the same vehicle observed in the surveillance footage.” Strickland told police that the Jeep belonged to Armstrong.
On May 13, Armstrong sold her black Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was allegedly seen in surveillance footage outside the Austin home where Wilson was staying on the day of her death. A warrant was issued for her arrest in connection with Wilson’s death, but Armstrong was nowhere to be found.
Officers found two 9mm guns at the Strickland home, one of which investigators determined was “important to the investigation.” The professional cyclist told authorities that between December 2021 and January 2022 he purchased two of his firearms, including one for Strickland.
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Armstrong appears to have used a passport that did not belong to him when he flew to Costa Rica, where he settled in a hostel in Santa Teresa Beach, Puntarenas state, officials said at the time.
A GoFundMe called the “Moriah ‘Moe’ Wilson Fund” created by her family said, “Moriah inspired many, lived a fulfilling life, and loved fiercely.” The fundraiser will “help fund community organizations that help young people find confidence, strength and joy through cycling, skiing and other activities that Moria was so passionate about.” is intended for