(AUSTIN, Texas) — Kaitlin Armstrong, a suspect in the murder of professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson, changed her appearance and used several aliases after fleeing to Costa Rica, federal authorities said Thursday.

Armstrong, 34, was arrested on June 29 at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas after a 43-day search, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. She has since been deported and returned to the U.S., where she was booked on Tuesday in Travis County Jail by the Austin Police Department.

Armstrong was charged with felony first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Wilson, 25, in Austin on May 11. Wilson was romantically linked to Armstrong’s boyfriend, professional cyclist Colin Strickland, and was found shot hours after meeting up with him, police said.

Days after being questioned by police about the incident, Armstrong, a yoga instructor and realtor, fled Austin, authorities said.

During a press briefing Thursday, authorities detailed the hunt for the fugitive, which had been upgraded to “major case status” by the U.S. Marshals.

Investigators learned through a confidential source that the suspect was provided transportation to Newark Liberty International Airport on May 18, a day after Austin police officers issued a homicide warrant for her arrest, the U.S. Marshals said. She boarded a flight that day to San Jose, Costa Rica, using a fraudulent passport, according to Deputy U.S. Marshal Brandon Filla.

Armstrong “presented a passport that did not belong to her but belonged to someone that was closely associated with her,” Filla told reporters during a briefing Thursday.

Upon arriving in Costa Rica, Armstrong used several different aliases, including the name Beth Martin, at various lodgings and yoga studios, according to Filla.

“She was really trying to build something where she could instruct yoga there in Costa Rica,” Filla said.

Investigators went door-to-door, tracking Armstrong “from yoga establishment to other yoga estalishments” and spoke to lodgings that she had “left behind” as they closed in on her, Filla said.

Authorities eventually detained Armstrong at the Don Jon’s hostel on Santa Teresa Beach on an immigration violation for the fraudulent use of a passport, and she was transported back to San Jose, Filla said. During the six-hour drive she “eventually confessed to her true identity,” Filla said.

Armstrong had altered her physical appearance — dying her long, light brown hair a darker shade of brown and cropping it to shoulder length — and had a bandage on her nose, according to Filla.

When asked if they believe that Armstrong may have obtained plastic surgery, Filla said they have been unable to confirm that at this time.

“I will say, she had a bandage on her nose with a little bit of discoloration under her eyes,” he said. “Her statement was that it came from a surfboard incident, and I think we’ll just leave it at that.”

Filla said authorities are investigating the use of the fraudulent passport and won’t be commenting further at this time on any assistance they believe she had.

Authorities were offering a combined $21,000 for any tips leading to Armstrong’s arrest and received over 80 tips nationwide, Filla said.

Armstrong is currently being held at Travis County Jail on a $3.5 million bond. A hearing in a Travis County criminal court has been scheduled for July 20, court records show.

Armstrong’s attorney, Rick Cofer, said in a statement Saturday that “neither Kaitlin nor her attorneys will be making any statements to the media at this time.”

Following Thursday’s briefing, Strickland said he was “grateful that investigators, including the U.S. Marshals, have pursued all leads and opened the path to justice for Moriah Wilson and her family.”

“I will continue to provide my full cooperation for the sake of the Wilson family as they, along with so many others who have been affected, endure the burden of this senseless tragedy,” he said in a statement.

ABC News’ Lisa Sivertsen contributed to this report.

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(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — Defense attorneys for the white teenager charged with killing 10 Black people in a Buffalo, New York, supermarket in what prosecutors described as a racially motivated mass shooting are considering a psychiatric defense.

During a status hearing for 18-year-old Payton Gendron Thursday afternoon in Erie County Court in Buffalo, the defense requested an extension to complete a psychiatric evaluation, according to ABC News Buffalo affiliate WKBW.

The suspect’s attorney said they are not sure if that defense will be used but want time to complete an evaluation, WKBW reported.

Judge Susan Eagan gave the defense 90 days to file a notice of a psychiatric defense, according to WKBW. She also denied another motion by the defense seeking to delay the state prosecution for one year while a separate federal case proceeds, WKBW reported.

Gendron is next scheduled to appear in Erie County Court on Oct. 6. He previously pleaded not guilty to a 25-count indictment, including 10 first-degree murder charges and three attempted murder charges stemming from the May massacre at a Tops market.

The teen is the first person in New York history to face a charge of domestic act of terrorism motivated by hate in the first degree, a crime enacted in the state in November 2020. If found guilty of that charge, Gendron faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn said during a news conference last month.

Gendron is also charged with 10 counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime, three counts of attempted murder as a hate crime and one count of criminal possession of a weapon.

The charges against Gendron reflect the white supremacist rhetoric and invective law enforcement sources told ABC News investigators was found on social media posts linked to the suspect, including a belief in the racist conspiracy theory known as replacement.

Gendron is accused of fatally shooting the six women and four men inside a Tops supermarket on May 14 “because of the perceived race and/or color” of the victims, according to the indictment. He also allegedly shot and wounded three people.

Flynn noted last month that two of the three victims who survived the shooting are white, but that attempted murder charges with a hate crime enhancement were filed on behalf of all the wounded victims because of Gendron’s “alleged intent.”

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said last month that at one point during the attack, Gendron allegedly aimed his AR-15-style rifle at a white Tops employee, who was shot in the leg and injured. Garland alleged that Gendron apologized to the victim before continuing the attack.

Investigators allege Gendron drove three hours from his home in Conklin, New York, and spent the day before the rampage conducting a final reconnaissance on the store before committing the mass shooting on a Saturday afternoon.

Authorities allege Gendron was wielding a Bushmaster XM rifle, dressed in military fatigues, body armor and was wearing a tactical helmet with a camera attached when he stormed the store around 2:30 p.m., shooting four people outside the business and nine others inside. Police said the suspect fired a barrage of more than 50 shots during the massacre.

Gendron allegedly livestreamed the attack on the gaming website Twitch before the company took down the live feed two minutes into the shooting.

Among those killed was 55-year-old Aaron Salter Jr., a retired Buffalo police officer who was working as a security guard at the supermarket. Authorities said Salter fired at the gunman, but the bullets had no effect due to the bulletproof vest the suspect wore.

Gendron was also charged last month with 26 federal counts, including 10 counts of committing a hate crime resulting in death; three counts of committing a hate crime involving an attempt to kill; 10 counts of using a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a crime of violence; and three counts of using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

During his first appearance in federal court on June 16, a magistrate judge urged federal prosecutors to quickly decide whether to seek the death penalty for Gendron, citing the expense to taxpayers of defending a death-eligible defendant. Prosecutors told the judge they will inform their superiors of his request, but a decision has yet to be announced on whether federal prosecutors will seek capital punishment.

During his first appearance in federal court on June 16, a magistrate judge urged federal prosecutors to quickly decide whether to seek the death penalty Gendron, citing the expense to taxpayers of defending a death-eligible defendant. Prosecutors told the judge they will inform their superiors of his request, but a decision has yet to be announce on whether federal prosecutors will seek capital punishment.

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