Texas murder suspect Kaitlin Armstrong slapped with ‘misuse of passport’ charge for flight to Costa Rica
Federal prosecutors have filed new charges against accused Texas love triangle killer Kaitlin Armstrong
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kaitlin Armstrong, the former Texas yoga teacher accused of gunning down a romantic rival before leading authorities in an international manhunt, faces new federal charges for allegedly misusing a passport, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
The new complaint does not specify whose passport she used, but indicates the document was recovered in Costa Rica after her arrest in Santa Teresa Beach, a surfer’s haven on the Pacific Ocean.
Images obtained by Inside Edition indicate passports belonging to Armstrong and her sister were located at the hostel where the fugitive was hiding out. And as Fox News Digital has reported, after fleeing from Texas to New York, a witness spotted Armstrong at a campsite north of New York City where her sister, with whom Kaitlin shares a striking resemblance, had been staying at the time.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Armstrong is already facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson, a 25-year-old pro cyclist and romantic rival. Other pending charges include unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and an unrelated theft of services charge for allegedly walking out on her bill at a Botox clinic in 2018.
Booking photos taken after Kaitlin Armstrong's extradition to the U.S. appear to show a change in her facial features. (US Marshals, Travis County Sheriff's Office)
On the night of Wilson’s slaying, the victim had gone out to dinner with Armstrong’s boyfriend Colin Strickland, a fellow pro cyclist, according to Austin police. The two had a brief prior romantic relationship during a period when Strickland and Armstrong were split up.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Armstrong’s initial court date on the latest federal charge has not yet been set. She will appear in a Travis County court on July 20 for the state charges.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Misuse of a passport carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
Costa Rican officials initially apprehended Armstrong on an immigration charge on June 29, according to Deputy U.S. Marshal Brandon Filla, the public affairs officer for the Marshals’ Austin Division.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Filla said a confidential source told Marshals that Armstrong had been transported to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey – where authorities have said she was dropped off on May 18.
Left: victim Moriah "Mo" Wilson after a race. Right: A photo of suspect Kaitlin Armstrong released by the US Marshals. (The Wilson Family/US Marshals)
Federal law enforcement agents from Homeland Securities Investigations discovered that Armstrong flew to Costa Rica using a passport of "someone that was closely associated with her," Filla said.
"She took a bus from the San Jose airport in Costa Rica, hours away," he added said, before Costa Rican investigators tracked her route with "old-fashioned police work."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TEXAS CYCLING MURDER SUSPECT KAITLIN ARMSTRONG ARRIVES BACK IN AUSTIN AFTER COSTA RICA ARREST
She used aliases including Beth Martin, Liz and Ari Martin, Filla said. She gave a fake name to police in an interview at Don Jon’s Hostel in Santa Teresa Beach, on the Pacific Ocean. They detained her on an immigration violation for the alleged fraudulent use of a passport. She eventually "confessed her true identity," Filla said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She had altered her appearance – dying her hair and cutting it short, Filla said. Photographs show she may have gotten plastic surgery on her face as well, although investigators have stopped short of confirming the authenticity of a receipt allegedly found with her belongings. The clinic named on the document has told Fox News Digital it does not have information on her.