AUSTIN, Texas — Not many seats went empty at the first floor courtroom of the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center as Kaitlin Armstrong’s trial began. Armstrong is accused of murdering 25-year-old professional cyclist Anna Moriah, or Mo, Wilson on May 11, 2022. On Wednesday, the state and defense gave their opening statements to 12 jurors as a packed courthouse watched on.

Up first, was Ricky Jones with the prosecution. Jones began his remarks by commenting on the athletic accomplishments of Mo Wilson. Wilson was an accomplished college skier, turned cyclist, from Vermont. She was visiting Austin for a cycling race nearby.

“May 11, 2022 at 9:15 pm here in Austin, Texas, the last thing Mo did on this earth was scream in terror,” said Jones.

Jones told the jurors that they’ll be listening to those screams of terror, which were captured by audio from surveillance video. He clapped his hands together imitating two loud gunshots.

Jones proceeds to tell jurors about an alleged relationship between Kaitlin Armstrong and another person, Colin Strickland. He also described the alleged relationship between Wilson and Strickland. Strickland was labeled one of the three key figures in this case, along with Wilson and Armstrong. Jones said in the opening statement that Armstrong and Strickland were romantic partners beginning in 2019, and became business partners in 2021.

“You’ll hear from Colin that the relationship was on again off again, and you will hear that when the relationship was off, they both dated other people,” said Jones.

Strickland did not testify Wednesday, but he is named on the witness list for the trial. Jones gave insight on what Strickland’s testimony may contain. Allegedly, Strickland left Austin for 30 days in April, the month prior to Wilson’s death.

“Colin will testify that his communication with Mo began to ramp up in that time,” said Jones.

Jones described more than just the relationships between these three individuals, but some actions he alleges Kaitlin Armstrong took the month, and days prior, to Wilson’s death. Jones says that Armstrong began looking up photos and information on Wilson. One of the ways she did, he alleges, is on the popular cycling app Strava. Jones claims the evidence will show Armstrong looking Wilson up multiple times on that app.

Strava was discussed during one of the witness’s testimony. Caitlin Cash, friend of Armstrong, was asked at the app. Cash met Wilson at a cycling race in 2021 and remained friends, though they were not connected on Strava. However, she described the app as a way to track different rides, post photos, and leave likes and messages.

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Cash was the second witness called on Wednesday, but she discussed more than the Strava app. Wilson was staying at Cash’s residence while in town for the cycling race. Cash is the person that came home to find Wilson unconscious, and covered in blood, laying on her back in Cash’s bathroom.

The state then pulled out the 911 call Cash placed at 9:54 p.m., a few minutes after arriving home. The audio contained a frantic Cash, heaving with breath and crying. The dispatcher instructed Cash on how to perform CPR as she waited on police and EMS. The dispatcher is trying to keep Cash calm, saying she’s performing the chest compressions at a perfect pace. Cash performed dozens of compressions. People in the courtroom were noticeably emotional as the 911 call played out.

Before Cash’s testimony, the defense gave their opening statement. Geoffrey Puryear led the remarks, and honed in on the circumstantial evidence in this case.

“You did not hear any direct evidence that Kaitlin Armstrong is responsible for this crime, because there isn’t any,” said Puryear.

Puryear told the jury they would hear “weird things” that were happening to Armstrong, that would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety. He then criticized the science used in the case, which earned an objection from the state, though ultimately overruled by Judge Brenda Kennedy.

“Ballistic science, isn’t a science at all. And it’s not highly regarded by the general scientific community,” said Puryear.

The state objected multiple times to the defense’s opening statement, essentially claiming that it was not in adherence with an opening statement.

After Puryear wrapped, the first witness was called: Matthew Wilson. Wilson is the brother to Mo Wilson. The state asked about his relationship with Mo Wilson.

Matthew Wilson said he was close with his sister, and they talked constantly. When asked by the defense, he said that she was not in love with Strickland.

Several Austin Police Department officers were also called up to testify. Several videos of body-worn camera footage were shared in court. Officer Salinas’ body cam footage showed him taking over compressions on Wilson while Cash and the officers waited for EMS.

It was during his testimony that Salinas said he saw a bullet casing next to his foot, in the blood, while giving chest compressions. Cash can be heard making a similar remark on the body cam footage.

Another officer described the scene and the search for Wilson’s bike, which Cash said was missing from the living room.

Puryear, the defense attorney, asked several questions about whether officers were wearing gloves and how the crime scene was maintained. The officers all stated they were wearing gloves.

After 8 witnesses, the court recessed for the day. The trial is expected to pick back up on Thursday at 9 a.m.