Kaitlin Marie Armstrong was found in Costa Rica with her sister’s passport.
The woman who is suspected of killing a professional cyclist over a love triangle involving another cyclist has been arrested after avoiding the authorities for 43 days.
Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 34, was in Costa Rica when authorities finally found her. She allegedly used her sister’s passport to get into the country illegally. Now, she’s in the process of returning to the United States, where she will likely face a murder charge and other criminal charges for evading the authorities.
Here’s the lowdown on the slightly confusing love triangle between Armstrong, Wilson, and a man, along with more information authorities gleaned about how Armstrong was spending her time in Costa Rica when she was found.
Who murdered Mo Wilson?
Armstrong is a Texas-based yoga teacher who has been accused of shooting and killing Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson earlier this year. Wilson was an up-and-coming professional cyclist who was in the area to compete in a gravel race called Gravel Locos. She was shot and killed on May 11 several hours after going swimming with Armstrong’s boyfriend, fellow cyclist Colin Strickland.
The relationship timeline between Kaitlin Armstrong, Colin Strickland, and Mo Wilson
Per People Magazine, Armstrong and Strickland had been in a relationship for three years when they decided to take a break last fall. During the break, Strickland dated Wilson for about a week, according to a police affidavit. The two cyclists then went their separate ways, and Strickland eventually got back together with Armstrong.
By May, Strickland and Armstrong were living together in Texas. Wilson was based in San Francisco and had traveled to Texas to compete in the gravel race. On May 11, she and Strickland met up, went swimming, and had dinner. Per The Washington Post, Strickland dropped Wilson off at a friend’s apartment just after eight in the evening. A few minutes later, an SUV that police believe to be Armstrong’s drove to the same residence for a few minutes before driving away.
Wilson was found bleeding and unconscious in the bathroom apartment by a friend that evening. She had been shot multiple times.
Shortly after news of Wilson’s death began to spread, police received an anonymous tip that Armstrong had learned about Strickland’s brief relationship with Wilson in January, and had “become furious.” The tipster told police Armstrong had said she wanted to kill Wilson. When police searched Armstrong’s home following Wilson’s death, they found a 9 mm handgun that is believed to have “significant” similarities to the type of gun that was used to kill Wilson.
Armstrong was brought in and questioned by police. She denied any involvement, but couldn’t come up with an explanation for why her car might have been seen near the apartment where Wilson was shot. However, she was released from custody due to a “technical error.”
When Armstrong disappeared, a nationwide manhunt was launched to track the murder suspect down. For over a month, though, Armstrong managed to evade authorities — until a beloved hobby revealed the location where she was hiding.
What was Kaitlin Armstrong doing in Costa Rica when the authorities found her?
Yoga was Armstrong’s personal and professional passion before she fled the country — and as it turns out, it was yoga that occupied Armstrong’s time while she was laying low in Costa Rica. It was also yoga that helped the authorities track her down.
On May 14, Armstrong was seen carrying a yoga mat at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Police tracked her to Newark Liberty International Airport on May 18, where she allegedly used her sister’s passport to board a flight. When she landed in Costa Rica, she cut her hair and dyed it a dark brown color. Then, like any devoted yogi, she looked up nearby studios so that she could take yoga classes close to her hotel.
At a recent press conference, Deputy Marshal Brandon Filla explained how the authorities finally tracked Armstrong down. “Once she got to Costa Rica, she didn’t really move around a lot,” Filla said. “We knew she was going to be associated with some type of yoga studio. When foreign officials arrived at that yoga studio, they did find a handwritten login that was the same alias that she was going by when she traveled to Costa Rica.”
Armstrong is now traveling back to Texas and will be held on $3.5 million bond.
So, was Colin Strickland involved in Mo Wilson’s murder?
Strickland has not been charged with any crimes related to Wilson’s death, but he did give a public statement to the Austin-American Statesman in May. “There is no way to adequately express the regret and torture I feel about my proximity to this horrible crime,” Strickland said. “I am sorry, and I simply cannot make sense of this unfathomable situation.”
He went on, “It was not my intention to pursue along an auxiliary romantic relationship that would mislead anyone. Moriah and I were both leaders in this lonely, niche sport of cycling, and I admired her greatly and considered her a close friend. I am deeply grieving her loss.”
