TX - Moriah Wilson, Cyclist Fatally Shot Before Race, Austin, #4

[BUF]

Texas murder suspect Kaitlin Armstrong escapes charge for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Buie filed a motion for dismissal Friday, and Magistrate Judge Susan Hightower granted it.

The move is routine in such cases, according to the Los Angeles trial attorney Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor.

"This is a routine dismissal because the feds want the state prosecution for murder to happen first," he told Fox News Digital Monday. "The U.S. Attorney’s Office can’t bring Armstrong to trial within the time required under the Speedy Trial Act because she is in state custody."

The motion to dismiss was granted "without prejudice," meaning prosecutors can re-file the charge again in the future if they think it’s necessary, he added.
……
As Armstrong awaits her next court date on the state charges, Austin police confirmed to Fox News Digital that they served a new search warrant last week as they continue to gather evidence.

 

[WingsOverTX]

Texas murder suspect Kaitlin Armstrong escapes charge for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Buie filed a motion for dismissal Friday, and Magistrate Judge Susan Hightower granted it.

The move is routine in such cases, according to the Los Angeles trial attorney Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor.

"This is a routine dismissal because the feds want the state prosecution for murder to happen first," he told Fox News Digital Monday. "The U.S. Attorney’s Office can’t bring Armstrong to trial within the time required under the Speedy Trial Act because she is in state custody."

The motion to dismiss was granted "without prejudice," meaning prosecutors can re-file the charge again in the future if they think it’s necessary, he added.
……
As Armstrong awaits her next court date on the state charges, Austin police confirmed to Fox News Digital that they served a new search warrant last week as they continue to gather evidence.

New search warrant served last week is good news! We need a conviction.

MOO

 

[RickshawFan]

May 2021

If she bought the house for that much in May 2021, she might very well be underwater. She bought at the height of the COVID house-buying boom, where people were bidding up prices like crazy. The interest rate must also be really high if she only had $4k down.
She might have to offload it at a loss. If she's in prison long term, there's no way to pay the mortgage.

 

[Spider92]

If she bought the house for that much in May 2021, she might very well be underwater. She bought at the height of the COVID house-buying boom, where people were bidding up prices like crazy. The interest rate must also be really high if she only had $4k down.
She might have to offload it at a loss. If she's in prison long term, there's no way to pay the mortgage.

I'm shocked that a house can be purchased with 1% down. I thought those practices disappeared with the 2008 housing bust.

 

[RickshawFan]

Can KA’s family visit her where she is housed in the Austin jail? Even though she put herself in this predicament, I can’t imagine being in her shoes - especially after the kind of life she lived pre-murder. She seemed to have a lot of friends, and really nobody has come out and spoke negatively about her that I can recall - other than a yoga retreat classmate being put off by the reaction she had to a food allergy. She seemed to surround herself with many friends and had a lot of great traveling and other fun social experiences. I’ve seen lots of photos with girlfriends and her sister who is is very close to, and I can’t imagine her fitting into the population she is surrounded by at the moment in the jail - probably a few repeat offenders, addicts, and such. She has no freedom, no phone to play on, she doesn’t even get to chose her meal. She must be absolutely miserable. I wonder if she is thinking and recounting at all what she did to Mo and her family? She’s ruined countless lives. Even her own family will suffer because they will probably never get to spend free time with her again outside prison walls - or it will be a very long time.

What is the evidence KA has a lot of friends? How do we know photos with others aren't just casual acquaintances? I learned from other cases (especially the Hart case, where a woman drove her wife and 6 kids off a cliff), that SM photos can all look fabulous, when reality is the opposite.

Looked at this later. Oopsie, a little blunt. Apologies @Gypsy Road

 

[Gypsy Road]

What is the evidence KA has a lot of friends? How do we know photos with others aren't just casual acquaintances? I learned from other cases (especially the Hart case, where a woman drove her wife and 6 kids off a cliff), that SM photos can all look fabulous, when reality is the opposite.

Looked at this later. Oopsie, a little blunt. Apologies @Gypsy Road

Naw it’s okay! I like a good debate and question! And you could be right! You can’t judge from photos.

I’ve been looking around and going down different rabbit holes on SM. She seems to be in a lot of photos with a lot of the same group of close girlfriends and family - who she had dinner with, outings and also traveled often with. And then there’s that interview from Dave, CS’s friend, who said that KA worked with them and was very sweet and a very hard worker - something to that effect. It appears she was very socially engaged and very active with friends. There are some glowing comments too - like “she is the most wonderful person I don’t know what I’d do without her” kinda thing. Even though she shut down her social media, there’s still plenty online. I don’t get the picture that she was a weird loner nobody liked, but I could be completely wrong.

 

[steeltowngirl]

I had a family friend who is now deceased, I don't know if it would be appropriate here to give his name. He was a PHD psychiatrist, we knew him as he went through college and was a very dear friend. He once told me that when a relationship is well over many individuals are not strong enough to just leave the relationship, but must bridge the gap of finding someone else first.

Overlappers. It’s a thing. And not pretty.

 

[Spider92]

Naw it’s okay! I like a good debate and question! And you could be right! You can’t judge from photos.

I’ve been looking around and going down different rabbit holes on SM. She seems to be in a lot of photos with a lot of the same group of close girlfriends and family - who she had dinner with, outings and also traveled often with. And then there’s that interview from Dave, CS’s friend, who said that KA worked with them and was very sweet and a very hard worker - something to that effect. It appears she was very socially engaged and very active with friends. There are some glowing comments too - like “she is the most wonderful person I don’t know what I’d do without her” kinda thing. Even though she shut down her social media, there’s still plenty online. I don’t get the picture that she was a weird loner nobody liked, but I could be completely wrong.

I think Dave is also the guy who said KA could retire at 34 which I can't reconcile with her indignant claim.

 

[Kemug]

I wonder if CS would be allowed to visit KA in prison? Would he want to? Would she want him to?

 

[di anna]

Nah, he's done.

 

[WingsOverTX]

I wonder if CS would be allowed to visit KA in prison? Would he want to? Would she want him to?

If she weren't indigent, maybe. Got to protect any shared assets! I can't see him making the visitor list or really wanting to since it's really not going to promote his self-interest.

But I can see him attending the trial with a new woman on his arm.

JMO

 

[Seattle1]

Maybe she had a real terror about the mismatch between her face and Christine’s passport photo. To be honest, I’m surprised it passed at Newark airport and in the Costa Rican customs.

I'm a frequent traveler/flyer, both domestic and international. I don't presume to speak for all but can share my late 2019 travel experience and observation when I last traveled to SJO (San Jose, CR).

Coincidentally, I also departed EWR (Newark) and was routed to SJO via LAX (Las Angeles, CA) on connecting flight to SJO.

As best I recall, I never pulled out my passport until boarding in Los Angeles for the last leg of the flight- LAX to SJO.

I presented my passport for the first time to the gate agent at LAX -- the same time as my boarding pass was scanned at the door. At this time, there was no scrutiny of me and my passport or any discernible comparison of passengers with passports.

(I used my DL to pass security at Newark and no identification other than a boarding pass was required to board my flight to LAX. Also, I never left the gate area upon arriving at LAX, i.e., no security re-entry was required).

IMO, all the validation of passengers and passports takes place behind the scenes via Advance Passenger Information System (APIS).

At the time my ticket was purchased, all data required for APIS including my passport number was provided and completed.

International passenger information requirements​

Alaska Airlines is required to adhere to the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), which mandates the collection of specific information from every passenger traveling to or from the U.S. and other countries. This information is requested for the purposes of ensuring aviation safety and security.

Travelers must supply advance passenger information at time of check-in or they will be prevented from traveling.
The following information is required:

• Full name (last name, first name, middle name if applicable)
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Nationality
• Country of residence
• Travel document type (normally passport)
• Travel document number (expiration date and country of issue for passport)
• Destination address in the U.S. (Not required for U.S. nationals, Legal Permanent Residents, or Alien Residents of the U.S. entering the U.S.)

As of summer 2007, all new U.S. passports carry a tiny RFID chip embedded in the front cover (biometric passport). Each chip contains the identical personal information found on the passport's picture page, including a digital image of your photograph.

ARRIVING AT SJO AIRPORT IN COSTA RICA:

It didn't take more than 30 minutes (Tourista line) to go through immigration and pass through customs before exiting the terminal. I did not need to collect any checked bags.

For my 2019 flight, the airlines did not hand out the typical customs form during the flight. (The form generally asks you to declare everything you are bringing into the country that is not part of your personal effects). COVID protocols were also not in effect during this time.

An immigration officer asked where I was staying and physically stamped my passport in green ink, with a hand notation of "90" for the number of days I could legally stay in CR.

US Passports are valid for 10 years.

I'm not surprised that KA would be able to use the passport of another female with similar physical attributes.

IMO, for the trained party viewing a physical passport, there tends to be minimal physical change for females between the age span 25-45, and I don't think hair color, style, or even 20 pounds +- causes any alarm when passing immigration. For example, a passport of a then very pregnant 26-year-old was still used by the 35-year old passenger, nine years later, without official scrutiny.

MOO

ETA: Add link

Are the Microchips in Our Passports and Credit Cards Safe?

The tiny plastic chips embedded in passports and credit cards are making consumers and travelers uneasy about the potential for someone with prying eyes trying to steal their personal data.

www.govtech.com

 

[SMK777]

I'm a frequent traveler/flyer, both domestic and international. I don't presume to speak for all but can share my late 2019 travel experience and observation when I last traveled to SJO (San Jose, CR).

Coincidentally, I also departed EWR (Newark) and was routed to SJO via LAX (Las Angeles, CA) on connecting flight to SJO.

As best I recall, I never pulled out my passport until boarding in Los Angeles for the last leg of the flight- LAX to SJO.

I presented my passport for the first time to the gate agent at LAX -- the same time as my boarding pass was scanned at the door. At this time, there was no scrutiny of me and my passport or any discernible comparison of passengers with passports.

(I used my DL to pass security at Newark and no identification other than a boarding pass was required to board my flight to LAX. Also, I never left the gate area upon arriving at LAX, i.e., no security re-entry was required).

IMO, all the validation of passengers and passports takes place behind the scenes via Advance Passenger Information System (APIS).

At the time my ticket was purchased, all data required for APIS including my passport number was provided and completed.

International passenger information requirements​

Alaska Airlines is required to adhere to the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), which mandates the collection of specific information from every passenger traveling to or from the U.S. and other countries. This information is requested for the purposes of ensuring aviation safety and security.

Travelers must supply advance passenger information at time of check-in or they will be prevented from traveling.
The following information is required:

• Full name (last name, first name, middle name if applicable)
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Nationality
• Country of residence
• Travel document type (normally passport)
• Travel document number (expiration date and country of issue for passport)
• Destination address in the U.S. (Not required for U.S. nationals, Legal Permanent Residents, or Alien Residents of the U.S. entering the U.S.)

As of summer 2007, all new U.S. passports carry a tiny RFID chip embedded in the front cover (biometric passport). Each chip contains the identical personal information found on the passport's picture page, including a digital image of your photograph.

ARRIVING AT SJO AIRPORT IN COSTA RICA:

It didn't take more than 30 minutes (Tourista line) to go through immigration and pass through customs before exiting the terminal. I did not need to collect any checked bags.

For my 2019 flight, the airlines did not hand out the typical customs form during the flight. (The form generally asks you to declare everything you are bringing into the country that is not part of your personal effects). COVID protocols were also not in effect during this time.

An immigration officer asked where I was staying and physically stamped my passport in green ink, with a hand notation of "90" for the number of days I could legally stay in CR.

US Passports are valid for 10 years.

I'm not surprised that KA would be able to use the passport of another female with similar physical attributes.

IMO, for the trained party viewing a physical passport, there tends to be minimal physical change for females between the age span 25-45, and I don't think hair color, style, or even 20 pounds +- causes any alarm when passing immigration. For example, a passport of a then very pregnant 26-year-old was still used by the 35-year old passenger, nine years later, without official scrutiny.

MOO

ETA: Add link

Are the Microchips in Our Passports and Credit Cards Safe?

The tiny plastic chips embedded in passports and credit cards are making consumers and travelers uneasy about the potential for someone with prying eyes trying to steal their personal data.

www.govtech.com

Thanks for all this info.

 

[Charlot123]

It’s true. I know many people like this- men and women. Some people can’t stand to be alone and will seek out a new partner before they’ve disconnected completely from the current one. I have a dear friend who is currently going through a situation where her 50 plus year old hubby met a 24 year old woman online who lived 2000 miles away. By all accounts my friend’s marriage was good - and the hubby will even admit that, but he did it anyway and left my friend for the 24 year old after secretly meeting up with her all over the US for the span of a year. It’s heartbreaking.

I feel very sorry for your friend. I hope she has kids and friends to rely on. As to midlife crises, I have my own theory why they hit men so much more than women. For here, suffice it to say, your friend’s husband is ready to pay, and pay dearly, for a total mirage, delusion, even.

 

[duckduck]

If she weren't indigent, maybe. Got to protect any shared assets! I can't see him making the visitor list or really wanting to since it's really not going to promote his self-interest.

But I can see him attending the trial with a new woman on his arm.

JMO

We should see about getting you verified as a Clairvoyant.

Yes, it is MOO and I'm aware it is full of snark.

 

[Sundog]

Unfortunately, this article is behind a pay wall. Just could read the first few paragraphs. Not sure if there is anything new in the article.

Aliases, a plastic surgery receipt, and 43 days on the run: How suspect in Vt. cyclist slaying got caught in Costa Rica - The Boston Globe

Zachary Poulsen was just going to ask the receptionist about the Band-Aid on her bruised nose when three police officers darted through the front gates of Don Jon's Lodge near the beaches of Santa Teresa in Costa Rica.

The officers demanded that the receptionist show her documents, according to Poulsen. She responded to the officers with one word, “Puntarenas,” the name of a faraway port town. She seemed to be suggesting that her passport was hours away. The officers did not seem to buy it, Poulsen said. They escorted her out of the hostel and drove her six hours to the country’s capital of San José.

It was there, according to authorities, that the woman broke down and admitted her true identity: Kaitlin Armstrong.

 

[BUF]

Unfortunately, this article is behind a pay wall. Just could read the first few paragraphs. Not sure if there is anything new in the article.

Aliases, a plastic surgery receipt, and 43 days on the run: How suspect in Vt. cyclist slaying got caught in Costa Rica - The Boston Globe

Zachary Poulsen was just going to ask the receptionist about the Band-Aid on her bruised nose when three police officers darted through the front gates of Don Jon's Lodge near the beaches of Santa Teresa in Costa Rica.

The officers demanded that the receptionist show her documents, according to Poulsen. She responded to the officers with one word, “Puntarenas,” the name of a faraway port town. She seemed to be suggesting that her passport was hours away. The officers did not seem to buy it, Poulsen said. They escorted her out of the hostel and drove her six hours to the country’s capital of San José.

It was there, according to authorities, that the woman broke down and admitted her true identity: Kaitlin Armstrong.

A little more…

The only time she caused alarm was when she disappeared for a few days in June. The hostel owner rang her again and again. She returned with a bandage across her nose, discoloration under her eyes, and a backstory that she’d been injured in a surfing accident.

She still wore the bandage on the afternoon of June 29 when the three Costa Rican police officers barreled into Don Jon’s.
…….
The hostel owner and Poulsen would later open a lockbox of her personal belongings. There they allegedly found an American passport bearing her real name, a vaccine card bearing her name, an American passport bearing another person’s name, and a $6,350 receipt for cosmetic surgery at a clinic in San Jose under yet another name, according to Poulsen.

Aliases, a plastic surgery receipt, and six weeks on the run: How suspect in Vt. cyclist slaying got caught in Costa Rica - The Boston Globe

Kaitlin Armstrong fled Austin, Texas, in the wake of the May 11 murder of well-known off-road cyclist, Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson, only to be arrested on June 29 in a laid-back coastal town.

www.bostonglobe.com

 

[SteveP]

A little more…

The only time she caused alarm was when she disappeared for a few days in June. The hostel owner rang her again and again. She returned with a bandage across her nose, discoloration under her eyes, and a backstory that she’d been injured in a surfing accident.

She still wore the bandage on the afternoon of June 29 when the three Costa Rican police officers barreled into Don Jon’s.
…….
The hostel owner and Poulsen would later open a lockbox of her personal belongings. There they allegedly found an American passport bearing her real name, a vaccine card bearing her name, an American passport bearing another person’s name, and a $6,350 receipt for cosmetic surgery at a clinic in San Jose under yet another name, according to Poulsen.

Aliases, a plastic surgery receipt, and six weeks on the run: How suspect in Vt. cyclist slaying got caught in Costa Rica - The Boston Globe

Kaitlin Armstrong fled Austin, Texas, in the wake of the May 11 murder of well-known off-road cyclist, Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson, only to be arrested on June 29 in a laid-back coastal town.

www.bostonglobe.com

And also this, further suggesting she did use her sister's passport...

US Marshals had surveyed the flight manifests out of Newark and found the name of someone close to Armstrong on a flight scheduled for May 18 from Newark to San José, and surveillance cameras at the gate showed Armstrong boarding. Costa Rican authorities then traced the route of her bus from San José, discovering her many aliases among log-in sheets for hostels across the country.

 

[WingsOverTX]

If she bought the house for that much in May 2021, she might very well be underwater. She bought at the height of the COVID house-buying boom, where people were bidding up prices like crazy. The interest rate must also be really high if she only had $4k down.
She might have to offload it at a loss. If she's in prison long term, there's no way to pay the mortgage.

Doesn't she have a renter? She wasn't living there. I realize having a renter when you're "not available" is probably not sustainable without giving someone else power over your financial obligations.

Being nosey, I'm curious about whether being out on bond would make a difference to her financial choices? But then, I guess making bond is unlikely even if it were granted.

If she has renters in the two homes she bought, I feel bad for them. It's a tough housing market to get thrown into with no help for moving expenses either.

MOO

ETA: I would prefer she not be out!

 

[LorMitt]

Search warrant gives new details about what Kaitlin Armstrong did after Moriah Wilson’s murder