U.S. Marshals and investigators used a decoy yoga instructor job ad on Facebook to lure the suspected killer of Anna Moriah Wilson, a 25-year-old cyclist, out of hiding after she fled to Costa Rica and got plastic surgery to change her appearance. The fugitive was Kaitlin Armstrong, a former yoga instructor who shot and killed Wilson out of jealousy on May 11, 2022 and escaped the country shortly thereafter.
Prosecutors said that Armstrong had previously dated Wilson’s then-boyfriend, and Armstrong shot Wilson several times in a friend’s house that Wilson was staying in while preparing for an upcoming bike race. Wilson was found by a friend, but she ultimately succumbed to the numerous gunshot wounds.
Following the murder, Armstrong used her sister’s passport to flee to Costa Rica where she then assumed multiple fake identities and underwent plastic surgery to make herself more difficult to identify. Authorities received a tip that Armstrong could be living in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, where apparently many women look very similar to Armstrong, further complicating the search.
After a plan to plant a female operative in local yoga classes in hopes of spotting Armstrong remained fruitless, the job posting was a final effort that paid off. According to The Guardian,
“Just saying, hey, we’re at this hostel, we’re looking for a yoga instructor as soon as possible. Please contact us at this number,” Fernandez told CBS of the advertisement.
After nearly a week of no responses, Armstrong reached out saying she was interested in the job.
Police arrested Armstrong after confirming she had indeed been the one to respond to the ad, and they extradited her back to Texas to face charges.
A jury in November convicted Armstrong of murder, and she was later sentenced to 90 years in prison.
Armstrong is serving her punishment in Lucille Plane state prison in Dayton, Texas, as the Washington Post reported.
Armstrong was extradited back to Texas in June 2022, and in November 2023 she was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 90 years in prison. A few weeks before her trial, Armstrong escaped custody while being escorted to a doctor’s appointment and led officers on a mile-long foot chase before being recaptured.
This case may sound like the plot to a thriller movie, but it was a very real case that had very real implications. If you’re considering fleeing the country to cover up a horrific act you committed, you might want to think again.