Woman Accused Of Killing Elite Cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson Charged With Murder After Extradition
Texas yoga teacher Kaitlin Armstrong has been charged with first degree murder for the shooting of elite cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson in May.
On Tuesday, Armstrong was booked into the Travis County Jail in Austin, Texas, a little over a week after she was extradited from Costa Rica where she fled after investigators began to hone in on her as a suspect. According to jail records, she is facing two charges including a first-degree felony and a class B misdemeanor charge for theft of service equal to or greater than $100 and less than $750.
Travis County jail records show that Armstrong is being held on a $3.5 million bail bond and a $3,500 bond for her misdemeanor charge.
Armstrong’s saga began nearly two months ago. On May 11, Wilson, a nationally-known cyclist, was found gunned down in a home she was staying at with a friend in Austin.
Detectives soon discovered surveillance footage from a nearby property that showed an SUV similar to one owned by Armstrong pull up to the home where Wilson was staying only one minute after Wilson had returned home. Through a tipster, police learned Armstrong received a 9mm Sig Sauer handgun from her then-boyfriend, cyclist Colin Strickland, and shell casings at the scene of Wilson's death were found to be a match to the one owned by Armstrong.
Armstrong allegedly killed Wilson after learning of a brief affair between her and Strickland. She reportedly harassed Wilson and expressed a desire to kill her as far back as January.
Two days after detectives showed the surveillance footage of her vehicle near the home Wilson was staying at, Armstrong sold it and is thought to have used the money to purchase a ticket to Costa Rica. She allegedly used a fake passport and false name for the trip, according to the Austin-American Statesman.
Police in Austin issued a warrant for Armstrong’s arrest on May 17. Six days later, the United States Marshal Service issued a fugitive warrant for her arrest on May 23.
It is unclear when Armstrong arrived in Costa Rica. Working together with Costa Rican authorities, U.S. federal authorities located and arrested Armstrong at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas on June 29.
A deputy U.S. Marshal assigned to Armstrong's case noted that she altered her appearance by dying and cutting her hair. She was soon after extradited to Houston before being transferred to Austin where she was initially charged with Wilson’s murder.
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