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Kaitlin Armstrong, a 34-year-old yoga instructor from Texas who stands accused of murdering a romantic rival in a fit of jealous rage, was finally returned to Austin after being detained in Costa Rica for six days. She has been charged with first-degree murder.
She appears to have undergone cosmetic surgery worth $6,300 to alter her appearance. Deputy U.S. Marshal Brandon Filla claimed that she had chopped her hair and then colored it a darker shade than her previous light brown-reddish tone, but had still been apprehended from a hostel the previous week. He also said that she had a bandage covering her nose, and that the area under her eyes was bruised from a reported surfboarding incident.
Armstrong was taken into custody on July 5, 2022, for the murder of 25-year-old Anna Moriah Wilson on May 11, 2022.
According to jail records in Travis County, Texas, Kaitlin Armstrong is also being prosecuted for an "unnamed first-degree felony charge and a Class B misdemeanor charge for theft of service equal to or greater than $100 and less than $750," after allegedly skipping out on a $654 botox bill at a spa in 2018.
Armstrong was deported to the United States on Saturday, July 2, and a video from that day showed her being led by U.S. Marshals from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. She is currently being detained on a $3.5 million murder bond and a $3,500 service theft bond.
Kaitlin Armstrong attempted to avoid arrest, leading to an extended month-long manhunt
The shocking murder and Kaitlin Armstrong's elaborate attempt to avoid arrest prompted a global search that lasted for more than a month and garnered national-scale coverage.
In October 2021, her longtime partner and fellow cyclist Colin Strickland began dating Wilson after a falling out with Armstrong. A police affidavit published by the Austin American Statesman claims that Armstrong told a friend she "wanted to kill Wilson" after learning about the affair.
Strickland remained friendly with Wilson even after Armstrong and he got back together. While he allegedly denied having a relationship with Wilson, he lied to Armstrong about his whereabouts when he met Wilson on May 11. Wilson had come down to Austin from San Francisco to train for Gravel Locos, a 150-mile race through Texas.
According to the affidavit, Strickland rode a motorbike to pick up Wilson from her friend's residence, took her swimming, and then out to dinner before dropping her off. Shortly after Wilson was dropped off, a car that matched Armstrong's black Jeep Grand Cherokee was seen approaching the home where the victim was staying.
Wilson was shot numerous times in the bathroom of the house. She was given CPR but was declared dead at the scene, the affidavit claimed.
Police reportedly questioned Kaitlin Armstrong about the shooting later, but Armstrong was apparently let go because the warrant for the botox tab had a technical error.
Around this time, Kaitlin Armstrong also sold her Jeep for $12,200 and flew from Austin to New York City. Days later, she was dropped off at Newark Liberty International Airport where she got on a plane to Costa Rica using her sister's passport.
