Current:Home > FinanceHow a yoga ad caught cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson's killer, Kaitlin Armstrong -GrowthProspect
How a yoga ad caught cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson's killer, Kaitlin Armstrong
View
Date:2025-04-15 22:48:56
Kaitlin Armstrong was successfully hiding in Costa Rica for weeks when she responded to an ad for a yoga teacher – a mistake authorities say led to her arrest and eventual conviction for the murder of professional cyclist Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson.
Armstrong, 36, was convicted and sentenced to 90 years in prison in 2023 after the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Wilson over a love triangle involving Armstrong's boyfriend, Colin Strickland, another pro cyclist. Wilson's body was discovered on May 11, 2022.
Shortly after the killing, Armstrong used a fake passport to flee to Costa Rica where she was believed to be hiding in one of the country's many hostels, detectives with the U.S. Marshals Service told CBS’s “48 Hours” in a first-time interview over the weekend.
Just before Marshals leave for US, Armstrong replies to yoga ad
For weeks, the search yielded nothing. Detectives made friends with locals in Provincia de Puntarenas and attended various yoga classes, hoping to spot Armstrong. They'd later learn that she went by different names, had dyed her hair and had gotten a nose job. Hoping to use her love of yoga against Armstrong, investigators told "48 Hours" they placed an ad on Facebook that said "We're at this hostel, we're looking for a yoga instructor as soon as possible."
After a week and no answer, the Marshals were set to return to the U.S. Then, they got an email: A woman identifying herself as a yoga instructor wanted to meet at a hostel near Santa Teresa Beach, "48 Hours" reported. When one of the Marshals met the woman face-to-face on June 29, 2022, he confirmed she was the fugitive and took her into custody, ending a weekslong manhunt in the case that drew international attention and shocked the cycling community.
Why did Kaitlin Armstrong kill Anna Moriah 'Mo' Wilson?
Wilson was a rising star in the gravel and mountain cycling world. Prosecutors said Armstrong was jealous of Wilson for dating her boyfriend for a few weeks when they had broken up briefly in October 2021. Wilson was found dead of apparent gunshot wounds inside her friend's home in Austin, Texas.
Investigators spotted an SUV matching the description of Armstrong's Jeep Cherokee outside the home where Wilson's body was discovered. The day after the killing, police brought Armstrong in for questioning but released her. She soon made her escape to Costa Rica.
After the yoga ad and Armstrong's arrest, she was held in the Travis County Correctional Complex in Del Valle, Texas, where she made another attempt at escape. Two deputies were escorting her into a patrol car following a doctor's appointment when she broke free and ran away. She made it about a block before she was picked up by local police.
Contributing: Claire Osborn, Austin American-Statesman
veryGood! (14541)
Related
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Georgia Sheriff Kristopher Coody pleads guilty to groping Judge Glenda Hatchett
- The Fate of And Just Like That Revealed
- No harmful levels of PCBs found at Wyoming nuclear missile base as Air Force investigates cancers
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Woman admits bribing state employee to issue driver’s licenses without a road test
- Unionized UPS workers approve contract leaders agreed to in late July
- Caught in a gift card scam? Here's how to get your money back
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Maxine Hong Kingston, bell hooks among those honored by Ishmael Reed’s Before Columbus Foundation
Ranking
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Untangling Ariana Grande and Scooter Braun's Status Amid Demi Lovato's Management Exit
- Georgia father named as person of interest in 2-year-old son's disappearance
- Former Detroit-area mayor pleads guilty to corruption
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Lawyers win access to files in New Hampshire youth detention center abuse case
- Conservative group sues Wisconsin secretary of state over open records related to her appointment
- Caught in a gift card scam? Here's how to get your money back
Recommendation
How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
850 people still unaccounted for after deadly Maui wildfires, mayor says
Woman admits bribing state employee to issue driver’s licenses without a road test
Zendaya's New Hair Transformation Is Giving Rachel From Friends
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
Washington Commanders rookie Jartavius Martin makes electric interception return
1-year-old dies after being left in hot day-care van, and driver is arrested
Pregnant Kim Kardashian's Haunting American Horror Story Character Is the Thing of Nightmares