Kaitlin Armstrong captured: Fugitive yoga teacher wanted in love triangle shooting murder of Moriah Wilson pro cyclist arrested in Costa Rica. Underwent plastic surgery.
A yoga teacher accused of killing her love rival in a jealous rage has been arrested in Costa Rica after six weeks on the run.
Kaitlin Armstrong, 34, was wanted for the murder of cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson, 25, on May 11 in Austin, Texas.
US Marshals have been searching for the fugitive across the US, and said she was last seen at Newark’s Liberty International on May 18, the day after the Austin Police Department issued a warrant for her arrest.
On Thursday evening, Armstrong was captured at Santa Teresa Beach hostel in Costa Rica, US Marshals said.
Sources cited by VeloNews told of Armstrong having undergone plastic surgery.
“Plastic/cosmetic surgery wasn’t far behind the medical tourism boom in Costa Rica. This country is now strongly established as a favorite destination for reconstructive & cosmetic surgery, as well as for surgical & non-surgical procedures.”
Guessing Kaitlin Armstrong knew this.
— Les is More (she/her) (@LesKnits) June 30, 2022
How she evaded arrest
Armstrong is the prime suspect in the shooting death of 25-year-old cycling star Moriah ‘Mo’ Wilson. The woman’s body was found at a friend’s apartment in East Austin on Maple Avenue near East 7th Street on May 11, 10pm that evening.
The pro-cyclist was found riddled with gunshot wounds.
Wilson, a rising cyclist star, had flown from Colorado to Texas earlier that week in preparation for the Gravel Locos race in Hico, where she was a favorite to win. A few weeks earlier, she won the Belgian Waffle Ride in California.
Law enforcement had not been able to locate Armstrong since police briefly detained and mistakenly released Armstrong on an unrelated charge.
‘Armstrong was mistakenly released from custody on the misdemeanor warrant because her date of birth in our report management system did not match the date of birth on the warrant,’ said Detective Richard Spitler, with Austin police in a press conference on May 25.
The capture follows last week’s news of Armstrong having sold a black Jeep Grand Cherokee to an Austin, Texas, car dealer for $12,200 one day before she fled the state. Similar vehicles sell for close to $30,000, with authorities believing she used the cash to plan her escape.
Armstrong had dated star cyclist star Colin Strickland for a few years. Last year, Strickland was romantically involved with Wilson while Strickland and Armstrong were on a brief break.
Two 9 mm handguns previously recovered
Investigators believe Wilson was shot and killed over a love triangle since Wilson and Strickland went out the day of the murder and Armstrong’s car was seen driving around where Wilson was killed.
Surveillance video picked up Armstrong’s SUV after Strickland dropped Wilson on the evening of her murder.
Armstrong was questioned and released on May 12. By May 17, she was named in a murder warrant. By then, she’d already flown from Texas to New York, where police say she arrived at LaGuardia Airport on May 14.
That same day, an anonymous caller told Austin police that Armstrong had recently obtained a handgun. Months earlier, according to the tipster, she allegedly grew furious after learning that Strickland was involved in a romantic relationship with Wilson. Police said one of two 9 mm handguns they recovered at Strickland’s home was “significant to the investigation.” Armstrong also lived there, according to the warrant for her arrest.
Armstrong’s last known whereabouts were at Newark International Airport in N.J on May 18. Marshals said they did not find a record of any departing flights in her name.
It was suspected that Armstrong may have been using her sister’s identity while on the run FOXNEWS reported.
Faces potential death penalty
Police in Austin previously said they’d already recovered the handgun used to kill Wilson after searching Strickland’s home, where Armstrong also lived.
According to the warrant for Armstrong, he had bought her the pistol earlier this year.
Armstrong will now be deported and returned to the U.S where she will face first-degree murder charges.
First-degree murder, which is a capital crime in Texas, could result in Armstrong facing the death penalty.
