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Captured fugitive Caitlin Armstrong, who was wanted in connection with the alleged May 11 slaying of 25-year-old bicyclist Moriah “Moe” Wilson, will be held on $3.5 million bail, according to Travis County, Texas, records.
Armstrong, 34, was captured Wednesday in a remote beach town in Costa Rica after 43 days on the run after Wilson’s death in Austin, Texas.
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office said Armstrong was still in Costa Rica Saturday morning. Armstrong must also surrender her passport before she can be released and be monitored by GPS, according to county records.
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Austin police questioned and released Armstrong on May 12 before she fled to New York and eventually to Costa Rica using a passport that was not hers, where she checked into a hostel in Santa Teresa Beach in Puntarenas province, authorities said.
A new booking photo shows Caitlin Armstrong from behind after she died and had her hair cut. The photo on the right shows her appearance before she fled the country. (US Marshals/Ministerio de Seguridad Pública de Costa Rica)
Wilson is accused of shooting Wilson, one of the country’s top gravel cyclists, after the 25-year-old went swimming and eating with Armstrong’s 35-year-old boyfriend and professional cyclist Colin Strickland on May 11 while she was in in Austin with a friend for an upcoming bike race in Hico, Texas. Moments after Strickland dropped Wilson off that night, Armstrong’s SUV appeared on surveillance video outside the home where Wilson was staying, according to police.
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Investigators suspect Armstrong used a gun Strickland bought for her in December 2021 or January 2022 to kill Wilson, according to the arrest warrant.
Investigators suspect Armstrong used a gun Strickland bought for her in December 2021 or January 2022 to kill Wilson, according to the arrest warrant. (Wilson Family)
The next day, she sold her black Jeep Grand Cherokee at a CarMax dealership around the corner from her house for $12,200 and flew to New York, the Marshalls said.
U.S. Marshals said they knew Armstrong was in Costa Rica after receiving dozens of tips.
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She boarded a United Airlines flight May 18 from Newark Liberty International Airport to San Jose, the nation’s capital, authorities said.
U.S. Marshals said they knew Armstrong was in Costa Rica after receiving dozens of tips. (US Marshals Service)
“The Marshals Service elevated the Caitlin Armstrong investigation to major case status early in this investigation, which likely played a key role in her capture,” U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas Susan Pamerleau said in a statement announcing the arrest. “This is an example of combining the resources of local, state, federal and international authorities to apprehend a fugitive who is on the run from violence, to end that escape and hopefully provide a sense of closure to the victim’s family.”
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An informant called cops on May 14 to report that Armstrong was “frantic and shaking with anger” after learning of Strickland and Wilson’s relationship, which Strickland described as a brief affair in October 2021, while he and The Armstrongs have temporarily split in a statement from the cyclist released after Wilson’s death, obtained by KVUE reporter Tony Plohetski.
Armstrong also faces a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz and Rebecca Rosenburg contributed to this report.
Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for FOX Business and Fox News. Send tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.
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