Kaitlin Armstrong murder trial delayed four months until October

Kaitlin Armstrong's murder trial in connection to the death of cyclist Moriah Wilson has been delayed four months from its expected June 26 date to October 30, 2023, with no explanation provided for the postponement, according to a report in CBS Austin (opens in new tab).

Armstrong last appeared in court on April 20, 2023, and requested a speedy trial. 

However, at that court appearance, her defense attorney Rick Cofer told District Judge Brandy Mueller that he and his team may need to request that the trial be delayed in order to secure witnesses and other evidence for her defense, according to a report in the Austin American-Statesman (opens in new tab).

Cofer was expected to make a formal request for a delay on May 1, 2023.

It is the second delay of Armstrong's murder trial, which was first expected to begin last October 2022. However, at that time, it was postponed while the presiding judge, Judge Brenda Kennedy, made a decision to dismiss two motions filed by Armstrong's defense team to suppress evidence.

"There was no evidence of any intentional disregard for the truth," Judge Brenda Kennedy stated in a court hearing on November 9, 2022, regarding Armstrong's defense team's filing of a Frank’s Hearing and Motion to Suppress Evidence to challenge the truth of the information which detectives used to support the search and arrest warrants during their initial investigation.

Armstrong has been formally charged with first-degree murder in connection to Wilson's death in an East Austin, Texas, home on May 11, 2022.

After a 43-day fugitive hunt, authorities located and apprehended Armstrong on June 29, 2022, at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas, Costa Rica. 

Armstrong was deported and returned to the US on July 2, 2022, and then extradited to Travis County Jail in Austin on July 5, 2022. 

She is currently held at the Travis County Jail in Austin, with a bond set at $3.5 million. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.