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Kaitlin Armstrong, the Texas woman accused of killing pro cyclist Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson before fleeing to a beachside hostel in Costa Rica, has been transferred back to Travis County after retaining two Austin attorneys as she faces charges of first-degree murder and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Police caught up with the 34-year-old yoga instructor at Don Jon’s Lodge in Santa Teresa Beach, a reclusive surf town on the Central American nation’s Pacific Coast. It is known for its surf, jungle backpacking trails and as a haven for expats and yogis. The hostel itself has 4.5 stars on the travel rating site TripAdvisor and can cost as little as $50 a night.
Another guest at the hostel, identified as Zachary Paulsen, gave Inside Edition images of two passports Armstrong allegedly left behind in a locker – her own and her sister’s. As Fox News Digital has reported, the two share similar features and were close.
Also in the locker was an alleged receipt for cosmetic surgery, written like a bill of sale and addressed to whom "it may concern" and claiming she paid "$6,350 in cash."
Kaitlin Armstrong altered her appearance in the 43 days she spent on the lam, according to authorities. (US Marshals/Harris County Sheriff's Office)
The outpatient and cosmetic surgery clinic named on the document told Fox News Digital Monday, "We don't have that information."
Armstrong is accused of killing the 25-year-old Wilson on May 11, after the victim spent a night out with the suspect’s boyfriend, fellow pro cyclist Colin Strickland, 35.
Moments after Strickland dropped Wilson off at her friend’s Austin apartment on the night of the slaying, Armstrong’s SUV appeared on a neighbor’s surveillance video, according to an arrest warrant. Authorities later said they found Wilson’s body inside with multiple gunshot wounds along with spent shell casings. Investigators later said the ballistic matched others test-fired from a handgun recovered at the home Armstrong shared with Strickland.
According to the Austin murder warrant, Strickland bought Armstrong a gun earlier this year.
Police questioned Armstrong after the shooting but said they released her due to a clerical error before a judge authorized a warrant in the murder case. She allegedly fled to New York on May 14, where she may have rendezvoused with her sister, and then to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
Colin Strickland (main); Moriah WIlson (left, inset); Kaitlin Armstrong (right, inset) (MEGA/Handout/U.S. Marshals Service)
From there, according to the U.S. Marshals, she flew to Costa Rica on May 18.
Federal agents and Costa Rican law enforcement caught up with her on June 29, and jail records show she arrived in the U.S. on Sunday, where she was booked into the Harris County Jail in Houston. She was transferred to Travis County custody on Tuesday.
She had altered her appearance by dying and cutting her hair, according to authorities, and in her most recent booking photo appears as though she may have undergone plastic surgery.
A photo combination of a U.S. Marshal handout of Kaitlin Armstrong and her booking photo after her extradition to the U.S. from Costa Rica. (U.S. Marshals/Harris County Sheriff's Office)
Court documents show she has retained two Austin-area lawyers in her federal case, involving a charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. She was also being held more than $3.5 million bond for a murder charge and an unrelated theft of services case for allegedly failing to pay for a Botox procedure in 2018.
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Armstrong is being represented by the Austin area attorneys Rick Cofer and Naomi Howard. In a statement, Cofer’s office said it would not be commenting on the case and asked for "respect for the privacy of Kaitlin’s family."
