Moriah Wilson's Death: Inside Kaitlin Armstrong's Failed Escape Using Plastic Surgery

The tragic killing of rising cycling star Anna Moriah 'Mo' Wilson continues to captivate global attention, nearly four years after her death. What began as a case rooted in jealousy has since evolved into one of the most chilling true crime stories in recent memory, now resurfacing with the release of a new documentary.

Wilson was fatally shot by Kaitlin Armstrong in May 2022, in a crime reportedly driven by intense jealousy over her connection with professional cyclist Colin Strickland, Armstrong's on-again, off-again boyfriend.

Armstrong later fled to Costa Rica while under suspicion, spending thousands on plastic surgery in a failed attempt to avoid a 90-year prison sentence. The case has returned to the spotlight following the 3 April premiere of the Netflix documentary The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson.

Moriah Wilson's Death

The fatal shooting of Wilson was reportedly driven by an intense jealousy of Armstrong towards the friendship of Wilson and her long-time on-and-off boyfriend, Strickland. The couple was in a relationship for about three years, but they split briefly in the fall of 2021.

During their brief break, Strickland, a fellow cyclist, was 'romantically involved' with Wilson for only about a week. Chris Tolley, Strickland's friend, said that the two remained friends after Strickland and Armstrong got back together.

'He just wanted to be friends with, like, someone who was going to do great things in cycling.' In court, as reported by PEOPLE, Armstrong was allegedly jealous for a long time, with a friend testifying, 'I asked Kaitlin if Colin ever started dating anyone else seriously, what would she do? And she said, "I would kill her."'

In January 2022, Strickland purchased two firearms, one for himself and one for Armstrong, and on 11 May 2022, she used the gun to shoot Wilson.

According to reports, Wilson arrived at her friend's house in Austin, Texas, for a bike race and made plans to meet Strickland. Shortly after they exchanged messages, Kaitlin Armstrong searched for Wilson on the Strava app, which includes GPS tracking.

Strickland then picked Wilson up, and the pair went swimming at Deep Eddy Pool before getting drinks and food at Pool Burger, while Strickland later told police he had claimed to Armstrong that he was out running errands alone and that his phone had died.

That evening, an electronic lock recorded Wilson returning to the house at around 8:36pm, and within a minute, surveillance cameras captured Armstrong's black Jeep entering the neighbourhood. At approximately 9:45pm, Wilson's friend arrived home to find her dead on the bathroom floor, having been shot three times.

Investigators traced the Jeep to Armstrong and Strickland, leading to a search warrant of their property. The following day, police recovered a firearm registered to Armstrong, and ballistics testing later confirmed it matched the shell casings and bullets used in the killing.

Kaitlin Armstrong's Failed Escape Using Plastic Surgery

As mentioned, Armstrong was under suspicion of the murder when she fled to Costa Rica and spent thousands of dollars to evade federal authorities. After selling her vehicle for £9,000 ($12,100), she utilised her sister's passport to flee the United States. Once settled in the beach town of Santa Teresa, Armstrong sought to permanently erase her identity.

Armstrong reportedly cut and dyed her hair from long red curls to short, dark brown, straighter locks when she arrived in Costa Rica, but she didn't stop there. Armstrong used an alias, Allison Page, to undergo plastic surgery.

Plastic surgery worth approximately £4,500 ($6,000) was carried out by Dr Jorge Badilla. He later shared that Armstrong became agitated when he asked to take a pre-operative photo, eventually allowing him to do so only on her own mobile phone before she went under the knife.

The procedures, which included a rhinoplasty and facial fillers, were intended to mask her features from the US Marshals who had placed her on their '15 Most Wanted' list. When she was eventually apprehended in June 2022, she was found with a bandage across her nose, a feature she dismissively attributed to a 'surfing accident.'

The 'Yoga' Trap and Arrest

The fugitive's downfall came through her own professional background. Knowing Armstrong was a yoga enthusiast, US Marshals placed a fraudulent advertisement for a yoga instructor in a local Costa Rican publication.

Armstrong, who had been frequenting local studios to 'establish the next part of her career,' fell for the ruse.

'She was getting really ready to establish that next part of her career,' said Deputy US Marshal Brandon Filla during the investigation. Her 43 days on the run ended when agents confronted her at a hostel, discovered her sister's passport, and the surgical receipts in a communal locker.

Where Is Kaitlin Armstrong Now?

Since she was caught and arrested in 2022, Armstrong has remained behind bars at the Lucile Plane State Jail in Dayton, Texas. She was convicted of first-degree murder in November 2023 and was sentenced to 90 years in prison

In 2024, her case was adapted into a fictionalised Lifetime film, Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story. Now, Netflix has revisited Wilson's story in its latest documentary, bringing renewed attention to a case that continues to resonate.