Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 34, “turned her head and rolled her eyes in an angry manner” when asked by Detective Katy Conner on May 14 about her boyfriend Colin Strickland spending time with Ms Wilson on the day of the murder of 72 hours earlier, according to a police affidavit. Austin police called Ms. Armstrong in for questioning after discovering the real estate agent and part-time yoga teacher had an open misdemeanor warrant on a theft of services charge. She was shown tracking her black Jeep Cherokee outside the home where Mrs. Wilson had been shot. Police say they were “even on guard” and eventually nodded in agreement with the suggestion that “maybe you were upset and just in the area.” During the interview, detectives learned that the warrant was not valid and they could not detain her. “Armstrong then asked to leave, at which point the interview ended,” the affidavit said. Authorities would not see Ms. Armstrong again for another 43 days when she was arrested Wednesday at Don Jon’s Surf and Yoga Hostel in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, by agents assigned to the beach town’s tourist police department. Although the manhunt has come to an end, questions remain about how Ms. Armstrong managed to evade capture for nearly seven weeks, seemingly several steps ahead of law enforcement agencies trying to track her down.
“Another way of life”
The day after her May 14 police interview, Ms. Armstrong sold her Jeep Grand Cherokee at a dealership for $12,200 before flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Houston Hobby and then taking a Southwest flight to LaGuardia in New York. . A warrant was issued for her arrest on May 17, and she appeared at Newark Airport in New Jersey the next day. Authorities did not see her board an outbound flight. Brandon Filla, Deputy US Marshal for the Western District of Texas, told The Independent that agents later tracked Ms Armstrong to Costa Rica after learning she had obtained a valid US passport in another person’s name and checking flight records. They alerted authorities in the Central American country, who began combing potential tourist haunts for any sign of the fugitive. They finally met her at Don Jon’s, a $17-a-night hostel and yoga retreat in the popular surf resort of Santa Teresa, 170 miles (275 kilometers) west of the capital San Jose on the Nicoya Peninsula. Ms Armstrong reportedly gave police an alias, which did not appear when the name was traced through the country’s immigration service. She then gave her real last name, which officers matched to her international warrant. She had cut and dyed her hair in an attempt to change her appearance and had a bandage over her nose. Don Jon’s Surf and Yoga Lodge in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, where Caitlin Armstrong was reportedly arrested (booking.com) A member of staff at Don Jon’s confirmed to the Independent that Ms Armstrong was staying there at the time of her arrest. “She looked very different from her earlier photos,” one person who claimed to be with Ms Armstrong when she was arrested commented on an online forum. “He did have a bandage on his nose which he told me was a surfing accident. I was about to ask how exactly it happened because if a surfboard did that to her nose she would be dead in the water. I think he had an operation.” Sources also told Velonews that Ms Armstrong had undergone plastic surgery. Video obtained by local news agency Teletica shows Ms Armstrong being led into a prison after her arrest, with her back to the camera. Teletica.com obtained video of Kaitlin Armstrong after her arrest in Costa Rica (Teletica/Screengrab) Ms Armstrong was “trying to create another way of life” in the city, Mr Filla told the Independent. Asked if anyone else would face charges for helping Ms Armstrong, Mr Filla said: “Now that we have her we will assess and look at other things. If we have strong evidence or evidence presented, we will pass it on to the appropriate authorities.” A spokesperson for the Austin Police Department told the Independent they could not comment on the handling of the investigation and referred inquiries to the US Marshals. If the authorities had checked Ms Armstrong’s social media accounts at the time she was questioned, they would have learned she was a seasoned world traveller. Her Linkedin page shows that she spent time in Bali, Indonesia, teaching yoga. Ms Armstrong’s sister Christy wrote about a trip the sisters took to Europe in 2018 in an Instagram post. Kaitlin Armstrong, center, in Rome, Italy, in 2018 with her sister Christie Armstrong, right (Instagram/Christie Armstrong) “I’m still adjusting to not having Caitlin Armstrong, who was like a personal assistant to me and all of us – checking flights, hotels and doing everything. She is seriously such a gem and I don’t know what I would do without her.”
“Chill Surf Town”
In a Costa Rican travel book last summer, New York Magazine described Santa Teresa as a “relaxed surf town” where beachfront hotels offer morning yoga classes and sunset surfing.
“The laid-back town of Santa Teresa has grown into a thriving travel destination and is recognized as a world-class surfing spot, yet many people come to enjoy Playa Santa Teresa,” writes GoVisitCostaRica. In announcing her arrest, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas Susan Pomerleau said they elevated the investigation to a serious case early on, which likely played a role in her arrest. She will now face deportation to the US, where she will be charged with first-degree murder and face the death penalty. In a statement after her arrest, Ms Wilson’s family said: “We are relieved to know that this phase of uncertainty is now behind us and we believe that justice will prevail.”
An on-again, off-again relationship
Ms. Wilson, 25, of Vermont, was an ace downhill skier as a teenager before turning to gravel bike racing in her 20s. A month before her death, Ms. Wilson beat 30 of the top gravel racing cyclists in the United States to claim the Fuego 80k at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. Ms. Wilson followed that win with a victory in the Belgian Waffle Ride in San Diego on April 30 and arrived in Austin on May 10 as the favorite to win the Gravel Locos at Hico a few days later. Moriah ‘Mo’ Wilson was one of the world’s top gravel racing cyclists (Instagram/Mo Wilson) She was staying at her friend Caitlin Cash’s apartment on Maple Avenue in east Austin, and on May 11 she arranged to meet fellow bicyclist Colin Strickland, with whom she was romantically involved, according to a police affidavit. The couple went for a swim at the Deep Eddy Pool public aquatic center in Austin before going to eat at the nearby Pool Burger, Strickland, 35, told investigators. He took Mrs Wilson to her friend’s house at around 8.30pm. A minute later, a neighbor’s surveillance camera captured Ms. Armstrong’s Cherokee outside the address. Later that night Ms. Wilson was found bleeding and unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds from the boyfriend she was staying with. Despite efforts to revive her, she was pronounced dead at the scene. According to a police affidavit, Mr Strickland told detectives in an interview on May 12 that Ms Armstrong had returned to their home in her SUV around 9.20pm. Mr Strickland said he started a relationship with Ms Wilson in October 2021 when he and Ms Armstrong were on a short break. Texts between him and Ms Wilson showed he was under the impression they were still dating. Colin Strickland cooperated with the police investigation into the homicide of Mo Wilson (Instagram) According to the affidavit, a friend called the police on May 14 to say that Ms. Armstrong had learned about the on-again, off-again relationship in January. Another caller, who was given the pseudonym Jane to protect her identity from Ms Armstrong, said he “became furious and shaking with anger” and said he wanted to kill Ms Wilson. He began calling Ms. Wilson and ordering her to stay away from her boyfriend, according to the affidavit. In an interview with police, Mr Strickland said it was during this time that he bought 9mm handguns for himself and Ms Armstrong. During his police interview, Mr Strickland spoke glowingly of Ms Wilson’s prospects as a cyclist, describing her as the best gravel cyclist in the United States, and possibly the world. It wasn’t so flattering for his girlfriend Ms Armstrong, also a “competitive” cyclist, telling officers he had asked her not to ride with him because she was “holding him back”. Strickland, 35, told the Sun last month that a police affidavit suggesting he was still romantically involved with Ms Wilson was “skewed”. Mr Strickland admitted he dated Ms Wilson in October 2021 during a break from his relationship with Ms Armstrong, adding that she was seeing other men at the time. However, he insisted his friendship with Ms Wilson had been “strictly platonic” ever since.
