Authorities extradited homicide suspect Kaitlin Marie Armstrong from the Harris County jail in Houston to the Travis County Jail in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, July 5. Armstrong is held with a bond set at $3.5 million, confirmed the City of Austin Police Department in a statement sent to Cyclingnews.
APD confirmed that Armstrong was arrested on first-degree murder felony charges in connection with the shooting death of Moriah Wilson on May 11 in Austin. Authorities also booked her on Theft of Service charges.
"On July 5, 2022, Kaitlin Marie Armstrong was booked into Travis County Jail for Murder, 1st Degree Felony, and Theft of Service. She is currently being held with a $3.5 million bond for Murder. The bond for Theft of Service is $3,500," said the APD.
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Led by the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, a 43-day fugitive hunt ended on June 29 when authorities located and apprehended Armstrong, who had been hiding under an alias at a Santa Teresa Beach hostel in Provincia de Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
Authorities confirmed that Armstrong fraudulently used another person's passport to flee the US from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on May 18, a day after the APD obtained a warrant for her arrest in connection to the homicide investigation.
According to an Inside Edition report, two passports were located in a locker at the Santa Teresa Beach hostel after Armstrong's arrest. One belonged to Armstrong, and the other belonged to a family member. A $6,350 receipt for cosmetic surgery was also found in the locker under another name.
Authorities confirmed that Armstrong had changed her physical appearance by cutting and changing her hair colour to dark brown.
Armstrong was detained for four days in Costa Rica while awaiting her deportation process so that she could be returned to the U.S. Marshals, on US soil, on Saturday, July 2.
ABC 13 Houston captured exclusive video footage of authorities escorting a hand-cuffed Armstrong through the George Bush Intercontinental Houston Airport (IAH). She wore a COVID-19 face mask, kept her head down, and did not respond to questions regarding her involvement in the homicide investigation.
Upon entrance to the US, Armstrong was first detained at the Harris County Jail, located in the Houston area, while awaiting extradition to Austin.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Brandon Filla confirmed in a news conference last week that Armstrong is facing first-degree murder charges in the homicide investigation arrest warrant with the APD into the death of Wilson, along with a federal warrant for the unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Filla also confirmed that, at this time, no other person had been taken into custody in the authorities' pursuit of Armstrong.
Cyclingnews has pieced together a timeline of how authorities believe this crime allegedly unfolded, based on legal documents. Cyclingnews will provide additional updates as more information becomes available from authorities throughout this investigation.
Detectives ask anyone with information or video of the incident to call APD Homicide at 512-974-TIPS, the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 512-472-8477 (TIPS), the new Crime Stoppers App, and or email APD Homicide at homicide.apd@austintexas.gov. You may remain anonymous. You can also submit tips by downloading APD's mobile app, Austin PD, free on iPhone and Android.
