Kaitlin Armstrong formally charged in murder of Moriah Wilson

Kaitlin Armstrong has been officially charged with the first-degree murder of professional cyclist Moriah Wilson.

Armstrong, 34, was apprehended in Costa Rica on June 29 after spending 43 days on the lam. A warrant was issued for her arrest on May 17, six days after Wilson, 25, was found shot to death in Austin, Texas. 

On Tuesday, Armstrong was booked into the Travis County jail after transfer from another facility in Houston.

According to NBC station KXAN, jail records show that Armstrong has been charged with an “unnamed first-degree felony charge and a class B misdemeanor charge for theft of service equal to or greater than $100 and less than $750.”

A press release from the city of Austin Police Department states that Armstrong “is currently being held with a $3.5 million bond for murder. The bond for Theft of Service is $3,500.”

Armstrong’s apprehension and arrest marks the end of one chapter of the tragic death of Wilson, a rising star in the US off-road endurance scene.

Wilson was found dead at a friend’s house in Austin the evening of May 11 after traveling to Texas for a gravel race. Armstrong’s car was seen at the site of the crime that evening, and when she was brought in for questioning the following day, she didn’t deny the evidence.

A police affidavit later revealed that pro cyclist Colin Strickland spent the evening with Wilson at a swimming pool in Austin before her death. The affidavit also said that Armstrong was Strickland’s partner and had previously expressed intense jealousy of Wilson. Handguns at the Armstrong/Strickland household matched forensic evidence from the crime scene.

Travis County issued a warrant for Armstrong’s arrest on May 17, but it was later learned that she had left Austin on May 14, flying to Houston and then New York’s LaGuardia airport. She was then seen at Newark Liberty airport on May 18, but her name was not found on any outgoing flight manifests.

It was later revealed that she had used a fraudulent passport to fly to Costa Rica from Newark that day.

Armstrong was apprehended at a beach hostel in Santa Teresa, Puntarenas, Costa Rica on June 29. She had changed her physical appearance by cutting and dying her hair, and a receipt for cosmetic surgery was found in her locker at the hostel. She was taking yoga classes in the area.

According to a report on Inside Edition, Armstrong had her sister Christine’s passport in her possession, and a spokesperson from the U.S. Marshals Office said that she had used the name of the passport-holder when checking in at a yoga class.