You’ve probably seen the headlines. The story of the Austin love triangle that ended in a cold-blooded murder and an international manhunt sounds like something a screenwriter dreamed up after a fever dream. But it was real. When Lifetime decided to dramatize the 2022 killing of pro-cyclist Moriah Wilson, they knew the cast of Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story had to carry the weight of a very fresh, very painful reality.
Honestly, true crime fans are picky. They want the look-alikes, sure, but they also want to see that specific brand of desperation that leads a person to sell their Jeep, grab a fake passport, and fly to Costa Rica for plastic surgery. The movie, which premiered in mid-2024, didn't just cast for talent—it cast for a weirdly intimate chemistry.
The Lead Duo: Caity Lotz and Kyle Schmid
It's kinda wild when you think about it. The two people playing the toxic couple at the center of this tragedy are actually married in real life. Caity Lotz plays the titular Kaitlin Armstrong. If you know her from the Arrowverse as Sara Lance, you're used to seeing her as a powerhouse hero. Here? She’s the opposite. She plays Armstrong with this frantic, hollow-eyed obsession.
Lotz has mentioned in interviews that playing a character with so little internal strength was a massive departure for her. She had to tap into that feeling of trying so hard to keep a life together while it’s clearly slipping through your fingers.
Then you have Kyle Schmid playing Colin Strickland. You might recognize him from SIX or Being Human. In this film, he captures that specific "cool guy" gravel-racer energy that Strickland was known for in the Austin cycling scene. The chemistry between them is layered. There’s a scene where you can almost feel the air go out of the room because they’re playing a version of a relationship that is fundamentally broken.
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Schmid has been open about how nervous he was to work with his wife on something so dark. He joked about whether their marriage would survive the shoot. Luckily, it did. But that real-world connection definitely adds a strange, uncomfortable depth to their onscreen arguments.
Larissa Dias as the Tragic Moriah Wilson
Finding the right person to play Moriah "Mo" Wilson was arguably the most sensitive part of the production. Wilson wasn't just a "victim" in a TV movie; she was a rising star in the gravel racing world, a daughter, and a friend. Larissa Dias, known for When Calls the Heart, stepped into the role.
She doesn't have a massive amount of screen time—because the story is focused on the fallout—but she makes Wilson feel human. That's the key. If you don't care about the person who was lost, the "killer" part of the title doesn't mean much. Dias brings a softness and an athletic capability to the role that honors who Wilson was before that night in May 2022.
The Supporting Cast and the Investigation
While the central trio gets the spotlight, the people playing the detectives and the legal team have to ground the movie in reality. This wasn't just a drama; it was a massive police failure followed by a massive recovery.
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- Monice Peter plays Detective Brown. She’s the one trying to piece together the digital breadcrumbs Armstrong left behind.
- Brad Harder appears as Detective Bertrand.
- Jason McKinnon takes on the role of Rick Cofer, who was part of the legal whirlwind surrounding the case.
- Natalie Farrow plays Christine Armstrong, Kaitlin’s sister. Her role is crucial because, in real life, the use of Christine’s passport was a huge part of how Kaitlin escaped the U.S.
The movie also features Miranda Edwards as the Judge and Dean Redman as Landon Jones. Each of these actors had to navigate a script that was being written almost as the real-world court case was finalizing.
What the Movie Gets Right (And Wrong)
Lifetime movies aren't documentaries. Let's be real. They’re meant to be dramatic. But the cast of Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story had a lot of actual trial footage to work from.
The film captures the 43-day manhunt and the plastic surgery Armstrong allegedly received in Costa Rica. It touches on the $6,350 she spent to change her face. Lotz plays those moments with a chilling lack of remorse. It makes you realize how far someone can go when they’ve convinced themselves they’re the hero of a tragic romance.
One thing people often get wrong about this case is the "yoga teacher" label. While Armstrong was an instructor, she was also heavily involved in real estate and the cycling world. The movie leans into the yoga angle for the aesthetic, but the cast does a good job showing the financial and social pressures that were actually at play.
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Why This Cast Worked
The reason this specific group of actors landed so well with audiences is because they didn't play "villains" or "victims" like caricatures. They played them like people you’d meet at a coffee shop in Austin.
Schmid’s portrayal of Strickland is particularly nuanced. He doesn’t make him a total bad guy, but he doesn't let him off the hook either. He plays him as a man who was indecisive and, in some ways, fueled the fire of Armstrong’s jealousy. It’s a messy, gray-area performance that reflects the real-life complexity of the case.
Key Takeaways for Viewers
If you're planning to watch or have just finished the film, here are a few things to keep in mind about the real-life events that inspired this cast:
- The Sentencing: In November 2023, the real Kaitlin Armstrong was sentenced to 90 years in prison.
- The Escape Attempt: The movie depicts her attempt to run from officers during a medical appointment, which actually happened in real life just before her trial.
- The Legacy: The cycling community still holds memorial rides for Moriah Wilson, emphasizing that she was a champion athlete, not just a headline.
If you’re interested in the deeper details of the case, you can look up the actual court transcripts or the 48 Hours specials that covered the evidence in much more clinical detail than a dramatization ever could. The work of this cast serves as a gateway to understanding one of the most bizarre crime stories of the 2020s.
Next time you’re scrolling through your streaming options, pay attention to the way Lotz and Schmid interact. Knowing they are a real-life couple makes the breakdown of their onscreen relationship even more fascinating to watch.