Disturbing story of how yoga teacher turned killer tried to avoid police with plastic surgery
Topics: Crime, True Crime, US News
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: U.S Department of Justice/City of Austin Police Department
Topics: Crime, True Crime, US News
One of the world's most elusive female killers has left people baffled as to how she was able to evade police for so long.
Texas yoga instructor Kaitlin Armstrong - the subject of Lifetime movie Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story - underwent a dramatic transformation after killing her boyfriend's new love interest, Anna Moriah Wilson.
Back in 2019, Midwest-born, Bali-trained yoga instructor Kaitlin Armstrong first came face to face with the man she believed she'd be spending the rest of her life with: professional cyclist Colin Strickland.
After she began training as a cyclist herself so as to enjoy weekends on the road with her new lover, it looked as though nothing could stand in the way of the happy couple.
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So much so, that a year later, when the Covid-19 pandemic took hold of the US, Armstrong and Colin purchased their first home and moved in together.
What started off as a match made in heaven soon dissolved into a relationship littered with jealousy.
And by the time 2021 rolled around, the couple began describing themselves as 'on-again off-again'.
During this period, Colin Strickland became acquainted with fellow cycling fanatic Anna Moriah Wilson, with the new duo reportedly having become romantic with one another while the sportsman was on a break from his romance with Armstrong.
After a while Colin reconciled with his ex, though allegedly kept Anna saved as a contact in his phone under a different name, hoping to remain friends with her behind Armstrong's back.
According to a friend of the couple, who later testified in court, when asked how she'd react if Colin had seen someone else during their break, Armstrong said, 'I would kill her'.
The friend claimed they had no idea at the time just how serious the yoga teacher was being with her off the cuff claim.
On May 11 2022, Anna Wilson was found dead in a pool of her own blood.
Investigators later discovered that Armstrong had used the Strava app to discover Colin had met up with Anna at one of her friend's houses in a nearby neighbourhood.
Around 8.30pm, after the pair had parted ways and Colin returned home, CCTV determined that Armstrong had driven her black Jeep to Anna's home, and around an hour later, Anna was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds.
Police used an outstanding misdemeanour theft warrant to enter Armstrong's property, where they discovered a gun that matched shell casings from the crime scene.
Within a number of hours, however, Armstrong rightfully pointed out that the search warrant had recorded her birth date incorrectly, invalidating their finds.
The following day, knowing the police were on her case, the jealous killer sold her Jeep to a local dealership and boarded a flight to Costa Rica, using her sister's passport.
By the time she'd arrived in Central America, Armstrong had an even more sinister plan in place in the hope of evading capture.
Within hours of landing, the murderer cut and dyed her red hair and underwent an alleged $6,000 plastic surgery makeover - receiving lip filler, a rhinoplasty and a brow lift - in order to totally change her appearance.
She also hoped to go under the new alias of Allison Page, until authorities baited her out by advertising a job posting for a yoga teacher in the area she was hiding out. And thankfully, it worked.
Just over a month after committing her crime, Armstrong was arrested on 29 June and extradited to the States.
While attending a medical appointment before appearing before a judge, however, she attempted once more to flee, running from officers whilst still in handcuffs before being tracked down 10 minutes later.
Following the subsequent trial, she was charged with first-degree murder and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, and sentenced to 90 years in prison.
Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story was released by Lifetime on 15 June.