Yoga teacher Kaitlin Armstrong told her new lover that she had been through a ‘traumatic breakup’ while fleeing cops after allegedly shooting of Anna Morah ‘Mo’ Wilson.
Armstrong, 34, posed as ‘Ari’ to date Teal Akerson after meeting him outside of a tattoo shop in Costa Rica while she was on the run for her love-rivals murder.
She told him that she hadn’t ‘healed’ from a recent break up when he tried to kiss her, and ‘wasn’t ready’ to get closer to him.
Teal also revealed that the pair had been on several dates in the time that Armstrong had been on the run before her capture on June 29.
He was shocked to discover that she had changed her appearance, realizing it ‘made sense’ that she ‘insisted’ they go to secluded areas.
Police say that Armstrong shot Wilson, 25, after discovering that she was having an affair with her cyclist boyfriend Colin Strickland.
Wilson was discovered dead in an apartment in Austin, Texas, on May 11 with two bullet holes in her head and another in her chest.
Armstrong’s car, a black Jeep Grand Cherokee, was spotted driving past Wilson’s friends home, where the gravel bike champion had been staying.
Teal Akerson, pictured, went on several dates with a Armstrong, who called herself ‘Ari’. He was shocked to discover that she was actually wanted for murdering a love rival
Akerson said he only realized the woman he had been hanging out with was the fugitive after he saw her post-surgery pictures released by police. He said that the pair had been on several dates and smoked cannabis together
The couple met outside of the Good Life Tattoo store in Costa Rica before swapping numbers. Akerson had contact with the yoga teacher up until three days before her arrest
Search warrants have revealed that Armstrong visiting a gun range with her sister before the killing, and was given $450,000 by Strickland.
He also admitted to purchasing two firearms between the end of 2021 and start of 2022 for himself and Armstrong.
Shell casings from the gun, labelled ‘9mm JAG’ were found in the room where Wilson was shot, just moments after returning from an outing with Strickland.
Authorities have revealed that the yoga teacher paid for a nose job and dyed her hair brown after fleeing the US, using her sisters passport to fly from Newak Airport in New Jersey.
Speaking to the Austin American Statesman, Teal explained that he was aware of the case but the change in her appearance meant he ‘didn’t put any of it together’.
He initially spoke to her outside of a tattoo shop, saving her in his phone as ‘Ari Tattoo’, before the pair smoked cannabis and spent time together – speaking up until three days before she was arrested.
Teal said: ‘Air was a strange person. I met her outside the tattoo shop, her friends were getting tattoos and she was awaiting out there on the bench and I was having a beer in the lounge.
‘It became apparent to me that she was trying to have a conversation, trying to get to know me so I began talking to her more and more we ended up sharing numbers.
Kaitlin Armstrong’s (pictured) was arrested for the murder of Anna Morah ‘Mo’ Wilson after a 43-day manhunt. Armstrong was allegedly jealous of her boyfriends secret love affair
Anna Moriah ‘Mo’ Wilson, 25, killed inside an apartment minutes after returning from an outing with Armstrong’s boyfriend
‘We went on a bunch of dates but she said that she had been through a real traumatizing breakup, and she hadn’t healed from it yet and wasn’t ready to get close at all so we were just being friends.
‘We wanted to go out to different place we went to a bunch of different spots but most of the time she wanted to be at a secluded spot not a lot of people.
‘I didn’t put any of it together, you wouldn’t t imagine it. After it all happened, and I heard what she was really doing and running from it made sense why she didn’t want to be seen.
‘Why she wanted to go to secluded places and it all kind of made a little more sense.’
He added that Armstrong had a bandage on her nose, which she claimed was from a surfing accident, and he didn’t recognize the pictures put out by police.
Teal admitted he only realize ‘Ari’ was Armstrong after looking at her post-surgery images put out by cops ad was ‘shocked’ that was who he had been hanging out with.
After her arrested Armstrong admitted that she had been going as ‘Ari’, and was deported to Houston.
She was taken to the Travis County Jail on July 5 and remains in the prison pending a $3.5 million bail.
Other Costa Rican locals said that Armstrong had ‘seemed normal’, and spent most of her time working part-time at the front desk of the hostel where she stayed and teaching yoga.
Wilson and Strickland went for a swim at a local swimming pool and then stopped by the Pool Burger (pictured) restaurant for dinner. Strickland then dropped Wilson home just minutes before she was shot dead
She reportedly stayed at Don Jon’s Surf and Yoga Lodge for less than $20 a night, and partied at a barbecue restaurant founded by a former New York lawyer.
Police found two passports inside her hostel lockbox when they arrested her on an immigration violation.
During an interview with US police in May, they found passports belonging to Armstrong in her purse along with two iPhones.
Texas Deputy Marshal Brandon Filla previously told the New York Post in May that Armstrong flipped houses and ‘may have the funds to continue to hide.’
He added: ‘[Armstrong’s escape] wasn’t something that was abrupt, this was something that was methodical, that was timed. She had somewhat of a plan.’
Strickland reportedly asked Armstrong to return the money he lent to her for an investment account, but she kept it before heading to Costa Rica on May 18.
He admitted the affair with Wilson to the police, telling them that he had changed her name on his phone so Armstrong didn’t know who he was speaking to.
Strickland added that he had also deleted previous messages, so his girlfriend was unable to find them, despite her suspicions.
Armstrong was linked to Wilson’s death after her car was seen in the area around the time of the incident, leading officials to believe she killed the cyclist out of jealousy.
Police later discovered Wilson had gone to dinner with Armstrong’s boyfriend the night of the murder.
Strickland told police the two of them took a swim at Deep Eddy Pool before eating, and he dropped her off at 8.36pm.
He stopped briefly to text Armstrong that he had visited a friend and that his phone had run out of battery.
Armstrong was allegedly tracking Wilson using the app for cyclists and runners, Strava.
Police arrested the yoga teacher after an anonymous tip and surveillance footage outside of Wilsons apartment shows the yoga instructors car.
They used her open misdemeanour warrant on theft of services to quiz her about Wilsons’s death after receiving an anonymous tip that she had flown into a rage in January.
Armstrong reportedly discovered that Strickland had been involved with Wilson prior to their relationship.
During questioning on May 14, police showed Armstrong video surveillance of her SUV coming to a stop outside of the apartment Wilson was found dead on May 11.
The footage was stamped a minute after Wilson entered the building following her time with Strickland.
Armstrong also admitted it ‘doesn’t look good,’ and a probable cause document for her arrest says she ‘had no explanation as to why it was in the area and did not make any denials surrounding the statements presented to her.’
A neighbor, who asked not to be named, previously told DailyMail.com her security camera caught Armstrong’s black Jeep Cherokee driving up to the property – above a garage at the back of a larger home – at 8:35 p.m.
A photo of Kaitlin’s passport was obtained by Inside Edition following her arrest on June 30
US Marshals discovered Armstrong used her sister Christine’s passport to flee to Costa Rica after allegedly murdering Wilson
During Wilson and Strickland’s secret meet-up, Armstrong’s 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee was spotted driving outside the home of Wilson’s friend, where the cyclist was staying at
Armstrong’s car was spotted again that night after Strickland dropped off Wilson
She also told DailyMail.com that Armstrong had been caught on camera the previous day, riding a bike in the same spot.
Officers confiscated two of Armstrong’s cell phones and noted she had passports inside her purse before she was released.
Five days before she fled the country, and before she was quizzed by police, Armstrong sold her black Cherokee in Austin for more than $12,000.
She then reportedly flew from Newark Liberty International on May 18, on her sister Christine’s passport.
It’s unclear whether Christine knows her passport was taken by her sister.
Armstrong then flew to Costa Rica where she stayed for about 43-days until she was arrested on June 30.
Police launched a country-wide manhunt for Armstrong, focusing on Texas, New York, and New Jersey before she was arrested.
They tracked her down after going door to door at San Jose hostels for six weeks, with the yoga teacher using three aliases to hide her identity.
As well as going by ‘Ari Martin’, she also claimed she was called ‘Beth Martin’ and ‘Liz Martin’ to unsuspecting locals.
Officers managed to identify her by showing a pre-surgery photo of her, and when they arrested her it was discovered she had cut her hair and dyed it brown.
Armstrong also reportedly underwent a nose job to change her appearance, with officers finding a $6,000 receipt for cosmetic surgery in her belongings.
She was booked in Travis County Jail in Austin and charged with first-degree murder as well as theft of service between $100 and $750.
