Let me be honest with you.
I have watched a lot of true crime documentaries. The good ones. The bad ones. The ones that feel like a cheap cash grab.
So when Netflix released “The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson” on April 3, 2026, I had my doubts .
Another tragic story about a young woman. Another killer on the run. Another two hours of my life.
But then I watched it. And I understood why everyone on social media would not stop talking about it .
Within two days of its release, this documentary became the number one most-watched film on Netflix in the UK . It surged past major releases like Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man .
So what makes this documentary different? Let me break it down for you.
What Is This Documentary About?
Moriah Wilson was a 25-year-old professional cyclist. She specialized in gravel racing. She was really, really good at it. She had her sights set on the Olympics .
On May 11, 2022, someone shot her three times inside a friend’s apartment in Austin, Texas. Two shots to the head. One through the heart .
The killer? Kaitlin Armstrong , a yoga teacher and the on-and-off girlfriend of professional cyclist Colin Strickland. Armstrong briefly dated Wilson’s ex-boyfriend .
The motive? Jealousy. Pure, senseless jealousy .
The documentary covers all of this. But here is the thing. It does something most true crime films forget to do.
It focuses on Moriah. Not just her death. Her life .
Who Made It? (And Why That Matters)
The documentary comes from Marina Zenovich .
If that name does not ring a bell, you have probably seen her work. She made documentaries about Richard Pryor and Robin Williams. She also directed Lance , the 2020 film about Lance Armstrong .
Zenovich knows how to handle complicated athletes. She knows how to separate the person from the headlines.
And in this film, she does something brilliant. She lets Moriah’s family tell the story .
You hear from her mother, Karen Wilson. Her father, Eric Wilson. Her close friends. Her teammates .
You do not get a narrator telling you what to feel. You get real people. Real grief. Real love.
What Viewers Are Saying (The Emotional Impact)
Let me share what actual viewers are posting online. Because the numbers do not lie.
One TikTok reviewer named Luke Eccleston (Eccy Reviews) called it “one of the most insane true stories I have seen” . He said his jaw hit the floor multiple times.
Another viewer wrote on social media: “Perhaps the most moving and beautiful true crime doc I’ve seen” .
Someone else admitted: “I just finished this and cried like a baby!! She was such a beautiful driven person!”
And here is a comment that really stuck with me. One fan said: “The part in the Moriah Wilson documentary at the end where her friend finds that bike photo in the shop….I BAWLED my eyes out” .
That is the thing about this film. It does not just inform you. It moves you.
What the Documentary Gets Right
Let me give you three specific things this documentary does well.
1. It honors Moriah’s athletic career.
Most true crime docs spend 80% of the runtime on the murder and 20% on the victim. This film flips that ratio.
You learn about Moriah growing up in Kirby, Vermont . You learn about her parents, both former U.S. ski team members . You learn about her engineering degree from Dartmouth College .
She was not just a victim. She was a nationally ranked junior skier who became a gravel cycling star. The documentary celebrates that .
2. It includes raw, emotional footage.
The film shows body cam footage from the night of the murder. You hear the 911 call from Moriah’s friend who found her body .
It is hard to watch. But it is real. And it reminds you that this is not a fictional story. A real family lost their daughter.
3. It explains the bizarre manhunt.
Armstrong did not just kill Moriah and wait for the police. She sold her Jeep for $12,000. She flew to Costa Rica using her sister’s passport. She cut and dyed her hair. She spent $6,000 on plastic surgery including a nose job, lip fillers, and a brow lift .
She even tried to become a yoga instructor under the fake name “Ari Martin” .
The U.S. Marshals finally caught her by posting a fake yoga instructor job ad on Facebook. She applied. They arrested her at a hostel in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, on June 29, 2022 .
That sequence alone is worth watching.
What the Documentary Gets Wrong (Honest Criticism)
No review is complete without some criticism. And I found two valid complaints online.
Criticism 1: The background music.
One IMDb reviewer gave the film a low rating specifically because of the music. They wrote: “Ridiculous use of background music throughout which completely takes away from the documentary” .
Another user agreed, saying: “I couldn’t deal with the dramatic to light to paced to slow piano overture” .
I get this complaint. Sometimes less is more. But for most viewers, the music did not ruin the experience.
Criticism 2: The focus on Colin Strickland.
Several reviewers noted that the documentary spends too much time blaming Colin Strickland, the ex-boyfriend .
One user wrote: “They go to great lengths to try to make Colin responsible for what happened. They spend more time blaming Colin than the actual murderer” .
That is a fair point. Strickland made mistakes. He hid his friendship with Moriah from Armstrong. He put her under a fake name in his phone .
But he did not pull the trigger. Armstrong did.
The documentary could have balanced this better.
Where Is Kaitlin Armstrong Now? (2026 Update)
Since this is a 2026 review, let me give you the latest updates.
Kaitlin Armstrong is currently serving a 90-year prison sentence at the Dr. Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville, Texas .
She will be eligible for parole after 30 years . But given the severity of the crime, most legal experts believe she will serve much longer.
In January 2026, the Texas Third Court of Appeals upheld her murder conviction . Her lawyers tried to suppress her statement to law enforcement. The court denied all three of their arguments .
In a separate civil lawsuit, a judge ordered Armstrong to pay $15 million to Moriah’s parents .
She also attempted to escape from jail in October 2023 while going to a medical appointment. Officers caught her within minutes .
So no. She is not getting out anytime soon.
Should You Watch It?
Here is my honest answer.
If you are looking for a classic true crime documentary with shocking twists and a satisfying conclusion, you will find it here. The manhunt story alone is wild enough to keep you hooked .
But if you are looking for a film that respects the victim and honors her memory, you will find that too .
The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson is not perfect. The music choices are questionable. The focus on Colin Strickland feels excessive at times.
But the film does one thing exceptionally well. It makes you care about Moriah.
And that is more than most true crime documentaries ever achieve.
Final Verdict
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Emotional Impact | 9/10 |
| Storytelling | 8/10 |
| Accuracy | 9/10 |
| Music/Sound | 6/10 |
| Overall | 8/10 |
Watch it for Moriah. Stay for the insane manhunt story. And keep tissues nearby.
Because that final scene? The one with the bike photo in the shop? Yeah. You will cry .
The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson is now streaming on Netflix.
The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson Rating
- Rating8
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