At a desperate crossroads to solve the murder of an elite athlete, investigators used job ads that suited the profile of the culprit to lure them out of hiding.
The sole motive that has so far been identified behind Kaitlyn Armstrong’s murder of elite cyclist Moriah “Mo” Wilson is a romantic rivalry. The assassination took place in Austin, Texas, on May 11, 2022.
Narrowing down the narrow suspects to Armstrong was not a challenge for detectives. However, right after the murder of the cyclist, Armstrong simply vanished from Austin. All efforts to locate her proved abortive.
Down the line, authorities traced their lone investigative vein to Costa Rica. It is only natural that Armstrong relocated there. Costa Rica is a country with a large population of American expats just chilling in the nice vacation destination. In addition to knowing Armstrong was in Costa Rica, the only other clue investigators had was that she was staying in a hostel.
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However, Costa Rica has a ridiculously large number of hostels. Indeed, the hostel clue is similar to looking for a tiny piece of diamond on a sandy beach. In frustration, investigators checked for other leads that could help narrow down on Armstrong.
Deputy US Marshals Emir Perez and Damien Fernandez, who were assigned to the case, were lucky to stumble upon another clue. They found a businessman who had ties with Armstrong and was able to obtain recent pictures of her. From the photos, the investigators could tell that Armstrong is making active efforts to change her looks.
Nonetheless, the information from Armstrong’s former associate made it possible for Fernandez and Perez to narrow down on Santa Teresa. This is a small mountainous town in the interior of Costa Rica.
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At this crossroad, the investigators also encountered yet another roadblock: Most of the women in Santa Teresa look just like Armstrong. Void of ideas, the investigators decided to put out a bait and wait to see if it would attract their intended fish.
So, the investigators put out multiple ads requesting the services of a yoga instructor. Luckily for the authorities, Armstrong fell prey by applying for one of the bogus roles. The suspect reached out to the contact on one of the ads and asked to meet at a particular hostel.
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Perez showed up at the address as the client and got a close look at the yoga instructor, who turned out to be Armstrong. However, she looked significantly different and had bandages on her face. But comparing the eyes he was peering at, Perez did not doubt that the woman before him was Armstrong.
After that meeting, Perez said to his partner, “The eyes are the exact same ones that I saw in the picture… this is her 100%.” After obtaining warrants, the local police descended on Armstrong’s hostel and arrested her. During the raid, police found receipts that connect the bandages on Armstrong’s face to a recent plastic surgery procedure.
On November 19, 2023, a jury found Armstrong guilty of murder and sentenced her to 90 years of incarceration.
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