“There’s really no easy way to say this,” an officer told him. Wilson had died, and the case was being investigated as a homicide.
Strickland appeared stunned. He told investigators he and Wilson had gone swimming, eaten together and then returned to the area where she was staying.
He also had to explain a complicated personal history. Strickland was in a long-term relationship with Kaitlin Armstrong, but the relationship had broken down for a short period in late 2021.
During that separation, Strickland and Wilson became romantically involved. According to his later testimony, both had recently come out of relationships, spent time together in Austin and traveled to Marfa for several days of training.
The romantic relationship was brief and had ended by early November 2021. Strickland and Armstrong reconciled in December, but Strickland remained friendly with Wilson and continued communicating with her.
That communication became a source of tension. Strickland admitted that he sometimes hid his contact with Wilson because he wanted to avoid arguments with Armstrong.
On May 11, he deleted his text thread with Wilson and saved her contact information under another name. He later testified that he did this to avoid agitating Armstrong, not because he expected violence.
He also lied to Armstrong about what he was doing that evening. After dropping Wilson off, he sent Armstrong what he later called an “alibi,” claiming he had been delivering marijuana to a friend in north Austin rather than spending the evening with Wilson.
For investigators, those lies initially complicated the picture. A person who conceals his communications and gives a false explanation to his partner naturally creates questions, even if the motive for the deception is personal rather than criminal.
But digital evidence began clearing Strickland. His cell-phone records showed him moving away from the Maple Avenue area after dropping Wilson off, and at roughly 9:15 p.m., when the shooting occurred, his phone was near his home in south Austin.
There was another detail waiting in his driveway: a black Jeep Grand Cherokee. It did not belong to Strickland.
It belonged to Kaitlin Armstrong.
THE RELATIONSHIP BEHIND THE CASE
Armstrong and Strickland had met on a dating app in 2019. Their relationship lasted roughly two and a half years and, in Strickland’s description, could be loving and comfortable but also turbulent.
Their lives were intertwined financially as well as romantically. Armstrong helped manage Strickland’s finances, they bought property together and formed a business entity.
Through Strickland, Armstrong also knew about Wilson. Wilson had become part of the same professional cycling world and was increasingly visible because of her racing success.
Trial testimony later described episodes of jealousy involving other women in Strickland’s life. Two witnesses also testified that Armstrong had spoken about wanting to hurt or kill Wilson, statements they had not necessarily understood at the time as serious plans.
Investigators now had a possible motive, but motive alone was not enough. They needed evidence placing Armstrong near the apartment and connecting her to the weapon used in the shooting.
THE JEEP’S DIGITAL TRAIL
Modern vehicles record far more information than many drivers realize. Investigators obtained data associated with Armstrong’s Jeep and compared it with the known timeline from May 11.
Detective Daniel Portnoy later testified about two vehicle travel logs. At approximately 8:40 p.m., one log ended with the Jeep located next to the alley adjoining Cash’s residence.
The electronics remained inactive through the crucial period. At 9:17 p.m., roughly two minutes after the approximate time of the shooting, another travel log began and the Jeep started moving away.
The vehicle eventually returned toward the home Armstrong shared with Strickland. Strickland testified that Armstrong later arrived in her black Jeep and appeared calm, with nothing in her demeanor immediately signaling what had happened.
Armstrong’s phone produced its own unusual timeline. Records introduced at trial indicated that it was turned off at approximately 7:30 p.m. and turned back on at approximately 9:47 p.m.
That did not by itself prove what Armstrong was doing, but it denied investigators the ordinary location data that might otherwise have been generated during the exact window they were trying to reconstruct.
Another digital clue later came from Armstrong’s iCloud account. Detectives found a note containing “1704 Maple Ave.”
The address did not exist as a normal street address, but Detective Richard Spitler testified that entering it into Google Maps pointed toward Cash’s garage apartment. The note was deleted on May 12, the day after Wilson was killed.
THE FIRST ARMSTRONG INTERVIEW
On May 12, police brought Armstrong to the station on an unrelated theft-of-service warrant. Detectives hoped to question her about Wilson while she was there.
The warrant soon created a procedural problem. Officers discovered that the date of birth attached to it did not match Armstrong, meaning the warrant could not lawfully hold her.
Detective Conner informed Armstrong that the warrant was no good and that she was free to leave. The interview then became voluntary rather than custodial.
Armstrong repeatedly expressed concern about speaking without an attorney and repeatedly said she wanted to leave. She also denied knowing that Strickland and Wilson had been together the previous afternoon and rejected the suggestion that she was jealous of Wilson.