Current:Home > MarketsHow a yoga ad caught cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson's killer, Kaitlin Armstrong -CapitalWay
How a yoga ad caught cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson's killer, Kaitlin Armstrong
View
Date:2025-04-18 09:45:24
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! (7)
Related
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- 3 crew members killed in Kentucky medical helicopter crash were headed to pick up a patient
- These Amazon Prime Day Deals on Beauty Products You’ve Seen All Over TikTok Are Going Fast & Start at $5
- 'Completely out of line': Malachi Moore apologizes for outburst in Alabama-Vanderbilt game
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- How Tucson police handled a death like George Floyd’s when leaders thought it would never happen
- Biden cancels trip to Germany and Angola because of hurricane
- Raven-Symoné's Body Was CGI'd Thinner on That's So Raven, New Book Claims
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Michigan university president’s home painted with anti-Israel messages
Ranking
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Khloé Kardashian’s Must-Have Amazon Prime Day Picks You’ll Want to Shop Now With Picks as Low as $6.99
- New charges filed against Chasing Horse just as sprawling sex abuse indictment was dismissed
- Takeaways from AP’s investigation into fatal police incidents in one Midwestern city
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- New charges filed against Chasing Horse just as sprawling sex abuse indictment was dismissed
- Why Lisa Marie Presley Kept Son Benjamin Keough's Body on Dry Ice for 2 Months After His Death
- Defendant pleads no contest in shooting of Native activist at protest of Spanish conquistador statue
Recommendation
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
Airline Issues Apology After Airing NSFW Dakota Johnson Movie to Entire Plane During Flight
Cissy Houston, gospel singer and mother of pop icon Whitney Houston, dies at 91
Supreme Court rejects IVF clinic’s appeal of Alabama frozen embryo ruling
Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
Popular Nintendo Switch emulator Ryujinx shuts down amid crackdown from Nintendo
Flaming Lips member Steven Drozd's teen daughter goes missing: 'Please help if you can'
Is Your Company Losing Money Due to Climate Change? Consider Moving to the Midwest, Survey Says