“The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson” is out today on Netflix and the documentary does what true crime media should: It actually centers the victim.
Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson was an accomplished, 25-year-old cyclist visiting a friend in Austin in 2022 when she was fatally shot by a local cyclist, Kaitlin Armstrong. Armstrong was found guilty of first-degree murder in November 2023 and sentenced to 90 years in prison, a ruling that was recently upheld by Texas Third Court of Appeals.
The case has the trappings of a true crime podcast or splashy TV show. Armstrong was released from police custody, took her sister’s passport, and made her way to Costa Rica, where she got a nose job and started teaching yoga. After she was found and brought back to Texas, she managed to escape police and even got 1 mile away before being apprehended again.
But despite the bizarre story, Wilson’s murder remained largely untouched, save for local reporting as the case unfolded, until now.
Director Marina Zenovich and Producer Evan Hayes never made a true crime film before this one, and it shows. While the documentary includes details on the case told through police recordings and emotional interviews, you come away from watching with Wilson top of mind. That’s unusual in a world where true crime media seems to focus on things like the looks of a killer or the goriness of an incident.
“I love that you mentioned that the crime is the subplot (of the documentary), because that's really what we were trying to do. We were showing who she was, what she worked to become, how she was on the cusp of becoming,” Zenovich told City Cast Austin.
The documentary also shows how important Wilson became to Austinites as well as the people investigating her murder. Several Austin prosecutors, police detectives, and others who worked on the case attended the movie’s premiere during South by Southwest last month.
Zenovich said you could feel how invested everyone was in doing right by Wilson while making the documentary.
“I felt that (the movie) had to premiere in Austin,” she said.
SXSW was also the first time Wilson’s parents and brother were in Austin since Armstrong’s trial ended. Matt, Wilson’s brother, told the crowd at the movie’s second screening that showing the documentary felt like closure for him.
The film is equal parts sad and beautiful, as timelines switch from the shooting back to Wilson’s life. You may finish the movie and feel compelled to embrace the Wilsons and you wouldn’t be alone in that. A few viewers were lined up after a SXSW screening to give Matt Wilson a hug. Whether you followed the case or not, the documentary is worth a watch.
“At the end of the day, that's what this movie is about. It's about family and community. It's about perseverance,” Hayes said.
Listen to City Cast Austin's interview with Zenovich and Hayes. 👇
