Suspect in Texas homicide of elite bicycle owner Anna Moriah ‘Mo’ Wilson arrested in Costa Rica
A Texas girl suspected within the killing of an elite bicycle owner was captured in Costa Rica on Wednesday and is being returned to the U.S. to face fees.
Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 34, is accused of fatally taking pictures Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson in Austin, Texas, final month, in response to the U.S. Marshals Service.
A joint activity power that included the marshals and Homeland Safety Investigations discovered that Armstrong boarded a United Airways flight in New Jersey, utilizing a fraudulent passport, and arrived in Costa Rica on Could 18 — every week after Wilson’s dying and a day after a warrant was issued for Armstrong’s arrest.
Susan Pamerleau, the U.S. marshal for the Western District of Texas, counseled the multiagency effort in a press release saying Armstrong’s arrest Thursday.
“The Marshals Service elevated the Kaitlin Armstrong investigation to main case standing early on this investigation, which doubtless performed a key position in her seize after a 43-day run,” Pamerleau mentioned.
Wilson, 25, was a mountain biking and gravel racer who gained a number of races this yr and resigned her place at a motorcycle firm to pursue full-time racing. She had been anticipated to win the Could 14 Gravel Locos race in Hico shortly earlier than her dying.
Armstrong and Wilson had been romantically related with the identical man earlier than Wilson was discovered shot a number of occasions at an Austin residence on Could 11 and later pronounced useless.
Armstrong was in a relationship with skilled bicycle owner Colin Strickland for about three years earlier than the couple went on a break, in response to an arrest affidavit from Could. Throughout that point, Strickland and Wilson started seeing one another.
Strickland has not been accused of any wrongdoing within the case.
Strickland instructed the Austin-American Statesman final month that he and Wilson had a “transient romantic relationship” from late October to early November final yr whereas Wilson was visiting Austin. They’d each lately ended earlier relationships, Strickland mentioned. He and Armstrong reconciled one month later.
An unnamed pal mentioned they had been with Armstrong in January when she discovered of the connection between Strickland and Wilson, in response to the affidavit. The pal mentioned Armstrong “grew to become livid and was shaking in anger.”
Investigators introduced final week that Armstrong’s black Jeep Grand Cherokee had been positioned in Austin, discovering that she had bought the car to a dealership for greater than $12,000 two days after Wilson’s dying.
On Could 14, days after she was questioned by police, she flew from Austin to Houston, then took a flight to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, the Marshals Service mentioned Thursday.
She was dropped off Could 18 at Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport in New Jersey, from which she flew to San José, Costa Rica, the investigation discovered.
Armstrong was discovered and arrested Wednesday at a hostel on Santa Teresa Seashore in Provincia de Puntarenas.
A murder warrant was issued Could 18; then, on Could 25, a federal warrant was issued for a cost of illegal flight to keep away from prosecution.
In a press release to NBC affiliate KXAN of Austin on Thursday, Wilson’s household thanked regulation enforcement for its “diligence” to find Armstrong.
“We’re relieved to know this part of uncertainty is now behind us, and we belief that justice will prevail,” the assertion mentioned. “We’d prefer to ask for the media to respect our privateness presently, as they’ve during the last six weeks.”
Tim Stelloh contributed.