Friday night’s episode of “Dateline” covers the 2022 murder of professional cyclist Moriah “Mo” Wilson.
According to a sneak peek posted to NBC News, the episode “The Night Time Stopped” will feature interviews from authorities and investigators outlining the incident, as well as present interrogation and police footage involving the murder.
Who were the parties involved?
Aspiring to be an Olympic skier, Wilson — growing up in Vermont — tore her ACL during her “sophomore year at Burke Mountain Academy” and again “three winters later.” She decided after the second ACL tear to instead pursue cycling, and within three years she became noted within the gravel racing community, per the Moriah Wilson Foundation.
While preparing for a race in Austin, Texas, in May 2022, she met Colin Strickland — another pro racer who had a long-term, on-and-off relationship with business partner Kaitlin Armstrong, reported CBS News. Strickland and Armstrong were separated at the time, so he briefly dated Wilson.
The incident
On May 11, Strickland claimed he picked up Wilson from a friend’s apartment — with whom Wilson was staying — and they “had gone for a swim at a local public pool,” per CBS News. He then dropped off Wilson at 8:30 p.m. that night.
The friend Wilson was staying with, Caitlin Cash, got into her apartment later that night and found Wilson laying unresponsive on the bathroom floor, bleeding out from three gunshots, according to CBS News.
Her mother, Karen Wilson, was informed the next morning of the tragedy. “This is like the 9/11 of our life,” Wilson’s mother said to Bicycling.
Strickland told authorities he simply dropped off Wilson and never entered Cash’s apartment, and this was later confirmed via camera footage at the time, previously reported by CNN. However, what was also seen from the footage was Armstrong’s vehicle pulling up to the residence.
The search for the perpetrator
Coincidentally, during Wilson’s investigation, on May 12, Armstrong was brought in by local authorities over a separate “outstanding warrant for failing to pay for a Botox treatment,” per CBS News.
During interrogation for the warrant, officers simultaneously asked Armstrong about the Wilson case, to which she once replied, “I would like to leave.” Armstrong was later released due to an incorrect birthdate on the arrest warrant.
Authorities eventually figured out and alleged Armstrong tracked Wilson’s whereabouts through the exercise app, Strava, with GPS and cellphone data confirming she was at the murder scene at the time, mentioned NBC News.
But on May 19, when authorities placed an arrest warrant on her for Wilson’s murder, she could not be found. Authorities eventually obtained airport camera footage showing Armstrong flying to New York and later to Costa Rica — using her sister’s passport for the international flight, allegedly taken while visiting her in New York, according to CBS News.
Over a month later, deputies were able to track where Armstrong was in Costa Rica and soon found and arrested her. She reportedly cut and colored her hair, and even had plastic surgery done on her nose, reported NBC News.
Armstrong’s conviction
More than a year later, in November 2023, Armstrong was charged and convicted for Wilson’s murder. She was sentenced to 90 years in prison, per NBC News. “Kaitlin, I want you to know that I fought for Mo,” Cash said during the trial.
How to watch ‘The Night Time Stopped’
“Dateline” is airing on NBC on Friday, April 5, at 7 p.m. MST. It will also be available for streaming on Peacock the following day, according to NBC.