It could be days or even weeks before fugitive Texas yoga instructor Caitlin Marie Armstrong is sent back to the United States to face charges in the fatal shooting of a pro cyclist in a rage-fueled love triangle.
Armstrong, who allegedly killed Anna Moriah Wilson, a 25-year-old cyclist who was romantically involved with her boyfriend, was captured in Costa Rica on Wednesday after a 43-day international manhunt.
A spokesperson for Costa Rica’s Directorate of Migration told CNN that the 34-year-old yoga teacher is in the midst of “deportation proceedings, but there is no specific date for that to end” — and they added that the county has 30 days to complete any deportation order.
Armstrong has been held at the Los Lagos jail since Thursday, the official said.
Armstrong fled, using a valid, active passport that belonged to a person with “very similar physical characteristics” to go and escape to the South American country, Deputy U.S. Marshal Brandon Fila told News Nation Now.
“She was able to get through those types of obstacles very easily to where she boarded a flight from Newark International Airport to Costa Rica,” Fila said, adding that he did not yet know the exact date Armstrong would be extradited.
Costa Rica’s Directorate of Migration has confirmed that fugitive Caitlin Marie Armstrong is in the middle of “deportation proceedings”. U.S. Marshals attempted to pursue Armstrong. US Marshals/Mega
She had changed her look, dyeing her fair hair dark and cutting it off to her shoulders. She was also reportedly found with a bandage on her nose and bruises under her eyes and had used the name of the person whose passport she used to hide, Fila said.
She was allegedly trying to start a new life by staying in a hostel and studying yoga, Phila said.
Costa Rica’s public police posted a photo on Twitter of Armstrong in custody on Thursday, showing her from behind with cropped dark hair. Cycling website Velo News said Armstrong appeared to have undergone plastic surgery, according to sources.
Armstrong was allegedly involved in an intense love triangle between her boyfriend Colin Strickland and Anna Moriah Wilson. US Marshals Service surveillance footage shows Armstrong at LaGuardia Airport on May 14, 2022. US Marshals/Mega
One person who claims to have been with Armstrong at the time she was arrested said she looked very different from her photos, the Independent reported.
“She did have a bandage on her nose which she told me was a surfing accident,” the man said in an online forum, according to the Independent. “I was going to ask exactly how it happened because if a surfboard did that to her nose, she should have been dead in the water. I think she had surgery.
Armstrong allegedly billed an Austin spa for a $653 Botox treatment in 2018. She was accused in a complaint of receiving the treatment and then charging a credit card.
“Before the card was released for payment, Armstrong stated that he did not want to use the card, but had another card in his vehicle that he preferred to use. Armstrong put the card on the counter and walked out [the spa]and did not return to pay,” the arrest warrant said.
Police in Austin, Texas believe Armstrong shot Wilson multiple times in the bathroom of her boyfriend’s home on May 11 after Wilson spent the day with Armstrong’s boyfriend, Colin Strickland, who is also a cyclist.
Armstrong is accused of murdering professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson. US Marshals/Mega
Armstrong and Strickland lived together and dated for three years, but he sparked a relationship with Wilson around October when the couple were out. Wilson came to Austin and was staying with a friend while she prepared for the upcoming race in May.
On the day of the murder, Strickland puts Wilson on his motorcycle and the two go swimming and eating. A minute after he dropped her off, surveillance video from a neighbor’s house showed a Grand Cherokee SUV that matched Armstrong’s stop near the house.
Strickland told police he had to change Wilson’s name on his phone and delete her text messages because of Armstrong’s jealousy, and he lied to his girlfriend about where he was the night of the murder, according to a police statement published by the American-Statesman in Austin.
Callers told Austin police that Armstrong was furious when she found out about her boyfriend’s relationship in January, allegedly making her so angry she “wanted to kill Wilson.”
The yoga instructor allegedly called Wilson and told her to stay away from Strickland, the warrant affidavit said.
Strickland said in a statement to the Sun last month that he and Wilson were now platonic and said the statements in the police affidavit were “distorted”. Several sponsors ended their relationship with Strickland after the killing, Velo News said.
After the shooting, Armstrong was questioned by the police, but was released and disappeared. The U.S. Marshals Service said she sold her SUV for $12,200, hopped on a flight from Austin to New York, then was dropped off at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where she caught a flight to Costa Rica.
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