AUSTIN – The United States Marshals Service announced the capture and return of Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, the woman accused of murdering a professional cyclist in Austin and then fleeing to Costa Rica.
On June 29, the U.S. Marshals Office of International Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service worked with authorities in Costa Rica, to locate and arrest 34-year-old Armstrong at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas for fraudulent use of a passport.
Armstrong was then deported back to the United States on July 2 and expedited from Houston to Austin on July 5, where she was then arrested and booked into Travis County Jail for murder and theft of service. She is currently being held with a $3.5 million bond for murder and a $3,500 bond for theft of service.
Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations said they discovered that Armstrong used a fraudulent passport to board United Airlines Flight 1222 from Newark International Airport at 5:09 p.m. on May 18 and arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, at 8:27 p.m.
Officials said investigators searched all outbound flights at Newark Airport but didn’t find any with Armstrong’s name.
During Armstrong’s stay in Costa Rica, officials said she attempted to alter her appearance by cutting her hair and changing her name. Officials said she also visited multiple lodging locations and yoga studios.
“The Marshals Service elevated the Kaitlin Armstrong investigation to major case status early in this investigation, which likely played a key role in her capture after a 43-day run,” said U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas Susan Pamerleau. “This is an example of combining the resources of local, state, federal and international authorities to apprehend a violent fugitive, bring an end to that run and hopefully a sense of closure to the victim’s family.”
What Happened
On May 11, police responded to a call at an east Austin residence and discovered Anna Moriah Wilson bleeding and unconscious from multiple gunshot wounds. Police attempted to perform CPR on the woman, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Wilson, 25, a Vermont native and world-class cyclist, had been in Austin for a race, police said.
On May 13, two days after Wilson was found dead, authorities said they located Armstrong’s black Jeep Grand Cherokee and learned that she had sold the vehicle to a CarMax dealership in south Austin for $12,200. Armstrong was provided a check from the dealership a day after being questioned by Austin authorities. She departed the Austin airport on May 14 to Houston Hobby Airport, where she then boarded a connecting Southwest Flight to New York LaGuardia Airport.
Investigators then learned that Armstrong was dropped off at the Newark Liberty International Airport on May 18, a day after Austin police issued a homicide warrant for her arrest, with a “fraudulent passport and arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica.
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