AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The woman accused of murdering a professional cyclist in east Austin earlier this year, then leading authorities on a 43-day manhunt all the way to Costa Rica, pleaded not guilty to a murder charge during her first court appearance in the case Wednesday morning.
Kaitlin Armstrong remains in the Travis County Jail on a $3.5 million bond. She's facing a first-degree murder charge for the death of Anna Moriah Wilson on May 11.
With Armstrong's plea entered, the case will now proceed to trial. Jury selection is scheduled to begin on October 24.
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Armstrong was taken into custody on June 29 in Costa Rica. Following Wilson's murder, she fled Austin on May 14, after she was interviewed by Austin Police in connection with the case and after selling her black Jeep Grand Cherokee at a south Austin car dealership for $12,200. She flew to New York and then flew from New Jersey to Costa Rica on May 18.
Rick Cofer, Armstrong's attorney, spoke to reporters after the hearing. “What you saw in the courtroom today was illuminating. Ms. Armstrong wants her day in court, she wants a trial,” Cofer said. “As a mater of course, cases should not be indicted if prosecutors are not prepared to proceed.”
Cofer suggested the defense will question a tip provided to Austin Police about the "former boyfriend of Ms. Wilson," along with a reported case of vandalism at the home of Armstrong and Colin Strickland.
“Ms. Armstrong wants her day in court,” Cofer continued, without taking any questions. “Simply put, there is a lot more to this story that has yet been heard.”