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Timeline leading up to Kaitlin Armstrong’s arrest

(NewsNation) — The Texas woman accused of killing professional cyclist Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson was arrested in Costa Rica, U.S. Marshals said Thursday.

There were several twists and turns in the Texas love triangle that led to the arrest of 34-year-old Kaitlin Marie Armstrong.


Deputy Brandon Filla of the U.S. Marshals Service urges Kaitlin Armstrong, above, to turn herself in. (Credit: U.S. Marshals Service)

Here is a timeline of everything we know.

MAY 11: Mo Wilson found dead

Austin police responded to a 911 call at an east Austin residence where they found an unconscious woman, who later was identified as Anna Moriah Wilson, with a gunshot wound. She died from her injuries at the scene, police said. Wilson was a rising star in the cycling world.

MAY 12: KAITLIN ARMSTRONG QUESTIONED BY POLICE

Armstrong was brought in for questioning in the murder case, but she was released and had been on the run ever since.

An arrest warrant revealed that in the hours before Wilson’s death, she went swimming with another professional cyclist named Colin Strickland. Kaitlin Armstrong and Strickland were dating at the time Wilson was found shot to death, according to an affidavit.

The affidavit further explained that Strickland told police that during a break in his relationship with Armstrong, he met and began dating Wilson.

Investigators said, based on their search of Wilson’s phone, text messages indicated Wilson thought she “was still in a romantic relationship with Strickland even though he was currently dating Armstrong.”

MAY 13: KAITLIN ARMSTRONG SELLS CAR

Armstrong sold her Jeep to a CarMax dealership in South Austin for $12,200. She received a check from the dealership one day after being questioned by police.

MAY 14: ARMSTRONG SPOTTED AT AUSTIN AIRPORT

Just three days after the alleged crime, Armstrong boarded a flight from Austin to Houston, according to U.S. marshals.

She then took a connecting flight to LaGuardia Airport in New York City, where she was spotted on surveillance footage wearing a denim jacket and a black shirt with a pink design.

MAY 17: WARRANT ISSUED FOR ARMSTRONG’S ARREST

Police issued a warrant for Armstrong’s arrest May 17.

MAY 18: ARMSTRONG DROPPED OFF AT NEW JERSEY AIRPORT

Investigators said Armstrong was dropped off at an airport in Newark, New Jersey, with no record of an outbound flight in her name.

Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 34, flew out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on May 14. (U.S. Marshals Photo)
June 23: Armstrong’s Jeep found

On Thursday, June 23, the black Jeep registered to Armstrong was found.

JUNE 30: ARMSTRONG ARRIVED IN COSTA RICA

Armstrong was arrested Wednesday at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas, the Marshals Service said in a statement.

“The Marshals Service elevated the Kaitlin Armstrong investigation to major case status early in this investigation, which likely played a key role in her capture after a 43-day run,” said Susan Pamerleau, U.S. marshal for the Western District of Texas.

Armstrong is expected to be returned to the United States, where she faces a murder charge.