Officers say the elite bike owner homicide suspect used another person’s passport to flee to Costa Rica. That is how the authorities say she was arrested

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Authorities say they have found Kaitlin Marie Armstrong at a hostel in Costa Rica on Wednesday. She is facing extradition to the United States to face murder charges in the death of Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson, who was shot May 11.

Wilson briefly dated Armstrong’s boyfriend, a professional cyclist, and investigators say romantic jealousy may have been a motivating factor.

Here’s the timeline of the case, from Wilson’s death to the capture of Armstrong, a 34-year-old real estate agent and yoga teacher from Austin, Texas.

May 11th: Wilson was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds at a friend’s house. She told her friend she was going for an afternoon swim with Colin Strickland, 35, a professional cyclist and Armstrong’s boyfriend. He told police he and Wilson swam and dined, and he dropped her off at the friend’s home, according to an affidavit arrested in Travis County Court.

May 12: Austin police arrested Armstrong on an unrelated warrant. They released her after learning the order was invalid.

May 13: Armstrong sold his black Jeep Grand Cherokee for $12,200.

May 14: Armstrong flew from Austin to Houston to New York City.

US sheriffs are searching for a fugitive yoga teacher suspected of killing an elite cyclist. Here's what the evidence shows

May 17: The police issued orders to kill Armstrong. It said a vehicle similar to hers was shown via surveillance video near the home shortly before Wilson’s body was found.

May 18: Armstrong is seen at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, according to the US Marshals Service. No reservations were found in her name.

May 19: An arrest warrant said Strickiland told police he tried to conceal his communications with Wilson from Armstrong. It says Armstrong told Wilson to “stay away” from Strickland, one of Wilson’s friends who alerted the police.

May 25: Authorities issued a separate federal warrant against Armstrong for “an illegal flight to avoid prosecution.” Strickland said to Austin Chinese American that he had a “brief romantic relationship” with Wilson last year while separating from Armstrong. He told the newspaper that he and Armstrong had reconciled and that he considered Wilson a “gay guy” and “close friend”.

6 weeks later found in another country, with a different appearance

June 29: Authorities arrested Armstrong at a Santa Teresa Beach motel in Provincia de Puntarenas, according to the US Governor’s Office.

Wilson switched from skiing to cycling after his college years.

June 30: Austin-based Deputy Field Marshal Brandon Filla told CNN that Armstrong “changed his appearance dramatically.” Her long blonde hair is now “shoulder-length and dark brown”, he said.

He also revealed more details about the week-long search:

• Armstrong was previously “like” the person whose passport she used to flee the country. Filla did not say how Armstrong obtained the passport or if its rightful owner gave it to her.

• After authorities learned the name Armstrong might have used for travel, the US Sheriffs “worked with the Department of Homeland Security and reviewed the list of passengers on the flight.” They found a name matching that passport on a May 18 flight from Newark to San José, Costa Rica.

• They then scanned the surveillance cameras for the specific airport gate from which the flight departed and “ID’d Kaitlin Armstrong” boarded.

• US police chiefs contacted Costa Rican authorities, who placed Armstrong at the motel and detained her for an immigration violation for using a fraudulent passport to enter the country.

What’s next: Filla said Armstrong will face murder charges when she returns to Austin. She is also facing an additional federal charge of illegal flight to avoid prosecution.

Armstrong has been returned to Texas and is being held at the Harris County Jail pending extradition to Austin, US police said Saturday.

When she arrives in Austin, she will be held with a $3.5 million deposit, court records in Texas’ Travis County program.

It’s not clear if anyone else assisted Armstrong in her attempt to evade the US Marshals, but Filla said “they don’t rule out others being charged” depending on where her investigation is located. surname.

CNN’s Emma Tucker, Rebekah Riess, Holly Yan and Jennifer Henderson contributed to this report.

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