The 2022 murder of cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson has returned to the spotlight with the release of Netflix’s new documentary The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson, which premiered April 3 and has quickly climbed into Costa Rica’s Netflix movie rankings. As of today, the documentary was listed at No. 7 among Netflix movies in Costa Rica, giving new attention to a case that briefly drew international investigators to Santa Teresa and the Nicoya Peninsula.
Wilson, known to many as Mo, was a rising American gravel and mountain bike racer whose death at age 25 stunned the cycling community. The new 97-minute film revisits the killing, but places much of its focus on Wilson’s life, her family, and the grief left behind. According to Netflix and Time, the documentary was directed by Marina Zenovich and released as a portrait not only of a high-profile crime, but of the athlete at the center of it.
Prosecutors said Wilson was killed in Austin, Texas, in May 2022. Investigators identified Kaitlin Armstrong, the on-and-off partner of cyclist Colin Strickland, as the main suspect. During trial proceedings, prosecutors argued Armstrong tracked Wilson through a fitness app and acted out of jealousy tied to Wilson’s past relationship with Strickland. Armstrong later fled the United States, setting off a manhunt that would eventually lead authorities to Costa Rica.
That Costa Rica chapter remains one of the most striking parts of the case. The U.S. Marshals Service said Armstrong was captured in Costa Rica on June 29, 2022, after 43 days on the run. Authorities said she entered the country using her sister’s passport, changed her appearance, and tried to stay hidden while moving in the Santa Teresa area. Reporting on the case later said she spent about $6,000 on cosmetic procedures and used the alias Allison Page while attempting to avoid detection.
Investigators eventually narrowed in on Armstrong after learning she may have been seeking yoga work in Santa Teresa. Authorities used a fake yoga-related job posting as part of the operation to draw her out. Despite cosmetic changes, officers recognized her and made the arrest, ending one of the most closely watched fugitive searches tied to a U.S. murder case in recent years.
The case later moved back to Texas, where Armstrong was convicted in November 2023. She was sentenced to 90 years in prison for Wilson’s murder. In 2024, Wilson’s parents were also awarded $15 million in a wrongful death judgment, and the court barred Armstrong from profiting from the case through media deals.
Netflix’s release has revived interest not only in the crime itself but in the unusual Costa Rica connection that turned a local yoga and surf hub into part of an international manhunt. For many viewers in Costa Rica, the documentary lands differently because part of the story unfolded on familiar ground. What began as a murder investigation in Texas ended, for a time, in one of the country’s best-known beach communities.
