← MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
The Fugitive (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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- [00:00]
Mr. Ballin
Hey, prime members, you can binge eight new episodes of the Mr. Ballin podcast one month early and all episodes ad free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app. Today, In September of 2021, a young woman named Anna Mariah Wilson, who everyone knew as just Mo, stood in front of a cheering crowd at the end of a long outdoor bike path in Idaho. Mo had just finished a grueling gravel race, which is a cycling race on very difficult terrain. And it was clear to everyone in the crowd who was cheering that not only was Mo one of the best women cyclists in the country, she was actually quickly becoming the face of the sport. Like all the other competitors, Mo was a highly trained athlete and in peak physical condition. But her brute athleticism was offset by a bright smile, her long auburn hair, and a true love for talking to anybody and everybody. And it was this combination of her athletic skill, outgoing personality, and her natural comfort in front of cameras and on social media that that made her the perfect ambassador for the growing sport of gravel racing. And on this particular day at this race in Idaho, there was one person in particular who just couldn't take his eyes off of her. He was already one of the most famous male gravel racers in the world. And when he made his way through the crowd over to Mo and Mo turned and saw him, she knew who he was, and her face lit up and she could feel her heart racing a little. Before long, the two top riders were introducing themselves officially to each other and having some nice small talk, not realizing the horrible chain of events this encounter would spark. But before we get into that story, if you're a fan of the strange, dark, and mysterious delivered in story format, then you've come to the right podcast, because that's all we do. And we upload twice a week, once on Monday and once on Thursday. So if that's of interest to you, please offer the follow button a nice brand new candy apple. But don't tell them you've replaced the apple with an onion. Okay, let's get into today's story. You know that person in your life who just can't stand mayo? Call them traumatized. Call them closed minded. With. We get it, they're stuck in their ways. But here's the thing. They just haven't tried Hellman's flavored mayo. We're talking bold flavors that will flip even the biggest skeptics. Spicy mayo that adds the perfect kick to your burger. Garlic aioli that transforms ordinary fries into something extraordinary. Chipotle mayo that turns your basic wrap into a smoky sensation. So to all the mayo haters out there, yes, we're looking at you. It's time to eat your words. Because with Mayo this flavorful, any hater is just a mayo lover waiting to be convinced. Hellman's Flavored Mayo Get Ready to Eat.
- [02:59]
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- [04:00]
Mr. Ballin
On October 28, 2021, 25 year old Mo Wilson climbed up onto her bike, pulled her dark goggles down over her eyes, put her feet on the pedals and and sped off down a dirt path in the West Texas town of Marfa. Mo leaned down a bit over her handlebars and adjusted her bike perfectly to the changing rocky terrain on the path. Pretty soon she heard the tires of another bike grinding through the dirt and rocks right behind her and when she turned and saw who it was, she broke out in a huge smile. It was a 34 year old man named Colin Strickland who was another rider who pulled his bike right up alongside her and then the two of them started winding their way down the path together. So Moe and Colin were not just two bike riders out here enjoying a bike ride. They were actually both world class professional gravel racers. This meant they competed against other cyclists from all over in races that took place on all kinds of different tracks. They would race through deserts in the mountains and over long distances down steep wooded paths. And the two of them had come here to Marfa, Texas because it was home to great desert trails with difficult terrain that made it a perfect training ground for top riders like Mo and Colin. But after riding for a while, Mo looked out at the bright orange and red sunset stretching out across the huge West Texas sky and she felt Happy she'd come to Marfa, but for a reason that had nothing to do with her training. Because Marfa had gained a reputation as this perfect place for a romantic getaway. The small town had become home to upscale restaurants, high end art galleries, and places to stay where visitors could feel like they were secluded from the rest of the world. And Mo was looking forward to being alone there with Colin. The two of them had met about a month earlier at a major gravel cycling race in Idaho. Colin was already considered one of the top male racers in the world, and he was actually a celebrity in the sport. And Mo was well on her way to becoming his counterpart. But in women's racing, their shared love and commitment to the sport made it easy for them to get along right away. And so shortly after that race in Idaho, when Mo went home to Vermont and Colin went home to Austin, Texas, they started texting and speaking all the time on the phone. And just a few weeks later, Mo had headed to Austin to visit Colin. And at that point, they became romantically involved. Now their relationship was still new and Mo wasn't exactly sure where they stood, but she figured a few days alone together and Marfa would go a long way to bringing the two of them closer together out on the path. Mo and Colin kept on riding, and during this ride, each of them made sure to take the time and made the effort to hone specific skills that they needed to work on. As fun as this was, they were still very serious competitors and they both had dreams of being the best in the sport, so they always had to train seriously. And they also both really wanted to serve as ambassadors for gravel racing so it would continue to grow all over the world. Mo and Colin eventually finished up their training ride and then hopped off their bikes and began to stretch. They were both sweaty and a bit worn out, but now they could get all cleaned up and just spend some time together. And later that night, that's exactly what they did. They relaxed and talked in their room and everything seemed easy between them. But as they were doing that, Colin got a text message and Mo could see his whole attitude changed. He tensed up and got this annoyed look on his face and quickly responded to the text. Mo didn't want to press him, but she was pretty sure she knew who had just messaged Colin, because Mo was aware that he had been seeing another woman, Caitlin Armstrong. Before the two of them had started talking and texting, Colin said that he and Kaitlin had split up, but it was clear to Mo that Kaitlin had not gotten over him. After spending a few perfect days in Marfa, Mo tried hard not to worry too much about Kaitlin. However, Mo wasn't naive. She didn't just have Caitlyn to contend with. She also had the reality that, you know, trying to maintain any kind of serious relationship with Colin was always going to be difficult. She lived in Vermont and he lived 2,000 miles away in Texas. And in addition to that, they both traveled a ton for gravel racing competitions. And they didn't always compete at the same locations. So this was a big uphill battle from the start. But when it was time to leave Marfa and go their separate ways, Mo hoped that she and Colin had at least started something special enough that maybe could grow into something bigger in the future, even if they couldn't always be together in the same place. And by the time Mo finally got home to Vermont, she was already looking forward to the next time she could see Colin at about 4:45pm on May 11, 2022. So a little more than six months after Mo's trip to Marfa, Mo wrapped her arms around Colin's waist on the back of his motorcycle as they sped down a road in Austin, Texas. The last six months had not gone exactly as Mo had hoped. After leaving Marfa, she and Colin had both been very busy traveling and competing like she knew they would be. But through the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, she felt like she and Colin had barely spoken. They texted occasionally, but their conversations really just seemed to be focused on gravel racing and competing. And so Mo began to think that maybe their romantic getaway together in Marfa had just been a one time affair. But then about a month ago in April, Mo had begun to hear from Colin a lot more. And he didn't just want to talk about racing. And when Mo had told Colin that she was headed to Austin in May to compete in a race and to spend some time with one of her best friends who lived there, Colin got excited and made it clear he was looking forward to seeing her. So now, on the back of Colin's motorcycle, Mo held onto him a bit tighter as he turned off a main road onto a side street. They whipped through a heavily wooded area, past an artificial lake and into the parking lot of Deep Eddy Pool, a popular public swimming pool in Austin. Mo and Colin hopped off the motorcycle and went inside. Mo took off her shoes and her cover up that was over her bathing suit and she dove right in. And while Mo didn't want to force anything, she was already Starting to feel like she and Colin had reconnected here since she'd arrived. So they would spend hours just swimming and talking in the pool, having a great time. And then afterwards, they climbed out, got dressed, and then went and got dinner together nearby. A little after 8:30pm that same night, Colin dropped Mo off at her friend's place where she was staying. They said they would see each other at the upcoming race. And then Mo climbed off Colin's motorcycle. She smiled and waved as she walked around the building into the alley. Then she headed up the old wooden staircase that led from the alley to her friend's small second floor garage apartment. Once inside, Mo checked on her gravel bike that she'd brought with her just to make sure it was ready to go. Once she was satisfied that it was in good shape, she headed to the bathroom to take a shower. But before she could ever turn the water on, she heard the sound of the apartment door opening about an hour and a half later. So a few minutes before 10pm, Mo's friend walked into the apartment and called out for moving. The friend didn't get a response, and so initially she thought maybe Mo was still out with Colin. But as she walked further into the apartment, she saw Mo's legs sticking out from the bathroom. And the friend actually smiled because she knew that sometimes after a long day of bike riding, Mo liked to stretch out on the cool bathroom floor to recuperate, especially if it was really hot outside and it had been over 90 degrees Fahrenheit most of that day. So she called Mo's name again, but Mo still didn't say anything. So her friend walked down the hall, and when she got to the bathroom and actually saw Mo, she began to scream because the bathroom wall and floor were spattered with blood. Mo's friend grabbed her phone and dialed 911. And as soon as she heard the operator, she shouted that her friend was covered in blood and unconscious. The operator said he would send first responders right away, but he also began telling Mo's friend how to perform cpr. And so the friend dropped down and started doing chest compressions on Mo, fighting through tears and begging Mo to wake up. But nothing was working. Within minutes, Mo's friend heard the door open and a first responder quickly rushed to the bathroom. The friend at this point backed away and the first responder took over cpr, but it was too late. Mo was pronounced dead at the scene.
- [12:26]
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- [12:58]
Mr. Ballin
If I told you that the crime of the century is the one being waged on our planet? Introducing Lawless Planet, Wondry's new podcast exploring the dark side of the climate crisis. Uncover shocking tales of crime and corruption threatening our world's future. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondry app or wherever you get your podcasts. Late that night, Detective Richard Spitler and Detective Katie Connor of the Austin Police Department walked through the alleyway and up the steps to the second floor apartment. On their way, they passed by a uniformed police officer who was standing with a young woman who couldn't stop crying. Spitler and Connor passed them and then put on their gloves, stepped inside the apartment and walked past a few more officers who'd also arrived before them. Spitler and Connor knew that Anna Mariah Wilson, a woman in her 20s nicknamed Mo, who'd been visiting from out of state, had been pronounced dead at her friend's apartment. But they really didn't know much more than that. But as soon as they stepped into the doorway of the bathroom, they had a pretty good idea about what had happened. Mo had three gunshot wounds in her chest, and amidst the blood surrounding her body, they saw nine millimeter bullet casings. With all the blood on the walls, the floor and the body, the detectives knew that the forensics team would have plenty of samples to take, and they thought they already had a pretty clear picture of what had happened to Mo. So they stepped away from the bathroom and just did a sweep of the apartment. It didn't look like the place had been ransacked in any way, and as far as they could tell, it didn't look like this had been a robbery gone wrong because expensive electronic equipment had been left untouched. But they still didn't want to jump to any conclusions until they talked to the person who actually lived there. So as the forensics team arrived and got to work, Spitler also sent other officers to canvass the apartment complex and the surrounding area. And then once they were dispatched, he and Detective Connor headed downstairs towards the alley. There they found the woman who was still crying, and it would turn out she was the owner of the apartment and was Mo's friend. Both detectives felt bad for her, and they knew she'd actually performed CPR on her friend to try to revive her. But right now, despite how much trauma this woman had been through, she was still the only direct link they had to the crime scene. She'd found the victim, and she'd made the 911 call. So as gently as he could, Spitler told Mo's friend that she would have to come with them to the station for questioning. As the night of May 11th turned into the morning of May 12th, Detectives Spitler and Connor sat across from Mo's friend inside of an interview room at the station. The woman was still visibly upset, so the detectives did their best to keep her calm and let her know they were just trying to get a clear picture of what had happened that night. And eventually, Mo's friend began to talk. And she told the detectives that she had found Mo in the bathroom after coming home. And she said that when she'd come to her apartment that night, she hadn't heard or seen anything strange. Outside, when she parked her car or when she was walking up the steps, everything seemed normal. Spitler asked her if she had noticed if anything inside of her apartment appeared to have been stolen. Moe's friend thought about it and then said nothing of hers had been taken. However, Mo's very expensive specialty gravel racing bicycle was gone. And she said there was no way that Mo would have taken it somewhere and just left it because Mo not only loved that bike, but literally needed it for an upcoming race. The detectives shared a look. They both realized this could mean that Mo's murder had been the result of a robbery gone wrong. But since the expensive bike was the only thing taken, Spitler thought that Moe likely pointed to someone who would have known Mo was in town and that she'd brought her bike with her. So Spitler asked if anybody else knew that Mo was staying at the apartment and that she might have brought her bike. And Mo's friend said that actually a bunch of people knew because Mo was a big time gravel racer and a large number of cyclists who knew her were in town to compete at an upcoming race. But Mo's friend did quickly add that the only person she knew Mo had seen that day was a cyclist. That Mo had an on again, off again relationship with a guy who was famous in gravel racing circles named Colin Strickland. Several hours later, still on the morning of May 12, Detective Spitler and several other officers drove towards Colin Strickland's house in Austin. After working through the night, Spitler and Connor had begun to believe that the man Mo had been out with the day before was their only legitimate lead. They'd taken DNA samples from Moe's friend who'd found Mo. And while they weren't willing to write anyone off yet as a suspect, neither detective really believed she was the killer. On top of that, the detectives early theory that Mo's murder could have been a robbery gone wrong had already taken a significant hit, because as officers had canvassed the surrounding area, they'd found Mo's missing bike abandoned in a thick growth of bamboo less than 70ft away from the apartment where Mo had been killed. The one other piece of possible evidence they'd found had come from video doorbell footage from an apartment near the crime scene that showed a black Jeep Cherokee with a large bike rack driving towards Mo's friend's place not long before Mo had most likely been killed. But the police couldn't get a clear read on the license plate number or a clear look at the driver. So while Detective Connor stayed behind at the station and tried to track down the Jeep, Spitler and his team pulled up their cars to Colin Strickland's house. And when Spitler glanced out of his window, he almost wanted to laugh because he couldn't believe his luck. Parked right out in front of the house was a black Jeep Cherokee with a large bike rack, just like the one in the video footage. The sight of the Jeep gave Spitler a rush, and he thought this was almost too good to be true. But he didn't want Colin to panic and do something stupid. And as much as this car made it seem like there was a good chance Spitler had just found his killer, he did not want to rush to judgment. So when Colin opened the door calmly and said he was willing to speak to the police, Spitler played everything very close to the vest. And so he started his interview with the most basic questions he could think of. He asked Colin if he knew a woman who is a professional cyclist named Anna. Anna. And Colin said no, he didn't know anybody by that name. And this actually blew Spitler away because it was such a blatant lie that Spitler easily could have refuted, even if he hadn't already heard from a friend that Colin and Mo had a close relationship. In fact, in less than a day, Spitler and his team had found online references to Colin and Mo being at multiple races across the country at the same time. And it was also clear to Spitler that the world of professional gravel racing was a pretty small one. So there was no logical way that one of the top racers on the men's side never would have come across one of the top racers on the woman's side. But Spitler didn't show any of that on his face. Instead, he told Colin the woman in question, Anna, had the last name of Wilson and was a gravel rider. And at this, Colin's face suddenly changed, like he was only just now remembering Moe's given name, Hannah. And he said, actually, yeah, I do know her. Then the detective told Colin that, well, Mo had died the night before and now Colin's expression changed again. He leaned over and just started rubbing his face and neck. Spitler didn't know what to make of this. Colin did look upset, but at the same time he had just acted like he didn't know who Anna was. You know, as if he literally didn't know that the woman he had been intimate with Mo, that her actual first name was Anna, had. I mean, I guess it was possible, but realistically, if you're being intimate with this person, you probably know their real first name. But, you know, maybe he forgot, but it was just all very suspicious. So after a moment, Spitler told Colin they would need to take him to the station for further questioning. Spitler knew he didn't have anything to hold Colin on yet, but he didn't want to risk Colin fleeing and he needed more time because he wanted to get a search warrant for Colin's house. As they walked outside together, Splinter, Spitler asked Colin if the black Jeep Cherokee belonged to him. And Colin said no, it belonged to his girlfriend who lived with him, Kaitlin Armstrong. So Spitler asked if Colin ever drove it and Colin laughed and said no, it wasn't really his style. He said he liked to drive motorcycles and big diesel trucks. Spitler smiled and nodded like it was no big deal. But deep down he knew that Colin could easily be lying here. I mean, it was just as likely that, you know, he was at Mo's friend's house the night before driving that Jeep Cherokee. But right now it was Colin's word against his. After a short drive, Detective Spitler arrived at the station while his suspect, Colin Strickland was taken to an interview room, Spitler told his partner, Detective Connor, about how he'd found the black Jeep with the bike rack on it. It was Colin's live in girlfriend's car, Kaitlin Armstrong. And Detective Connor seemed shocked. Not because she was surprised about the Jeep, but because she'd also discovered something huge about Kaitlin. While she and the rest of the team were searching for the Jeep and, you know, naturally digging into Colin Strickland's background because he was someone who was seeing Mo. They had discovered his and Kaitlin's relationship. And a quick search of a police database showed that police had an outstanding arrest warrant for Kaitlin, because years earlier, Kaitlin had gone in to get Botox done at a place in town and she'd agreed to pay for it. She got the services done, but then at the end, when she was actually told to cough up the money, $650, she had run out without paying. Spitler could barely contain his excitement, because this meant they could bring Kaitlin in and hold her on that warrant, even if they didn't have enough evidence to hold her in Mo's murder case yet. And that just meant they would have more time to look into her possible connection to the murder, or at the very least, they would have leverage on her. And if she maybe knew something about her boyfriend Colin Strickland's potential involvement in Mo's murder, she might be more willing to give up that information. As the detectives talked, they found it hard to believe how quickly things were coming together. In the course of just a single day, they'd already moved in on two primary suspects. And it really looked like the doorbell camera footage of the Jeep, along with all the ample circumstantial evidence, pointed to one or both of these people. Shortly after that, officers were able to track down Kaitlin at work. They brought her into the station, and at that point, the detectives split up. Spitler continued his conversation with Colin that they had started back at the house, while Kaitlin was brought to a separate interview room to sit down with Detective Connor. By this point, Kaitlin knew about Mo's death, so Detective Connor didn't waste any time. She went right after Caitlin about her Jeep. Connor said they had footage that showed Caitlin's car driving right near Mo's friend's apartment soon before the murder took place. But Kaitlin proved to be very calm and cooperative. She didn't deny that she'd been driving in the area where Mo had been murdered, but she said she had nothing to do with Mo's death. Still, she couldn't really provide the detective with any real reason why she had just happened to be right by the apartment at that time. And while Caitlyn never lost her cool, Connor did notice a change in her voice and body language when the subject of Mo's relationship with her boyfriend came up. Kaitlin started to sound like a jealous girlfriend, she began talking about how she and Colin had broken up for a short period of time, and it was during that time that Colin apparently had begun seeing Mo a little bit. And it just clearly rattled Kaitlin. And by the end of the interview, Detective Conner flat out told Caitlin that the evidence did not make things look good for her, and Kaitlin just sort of nodded in agreement. And Detective Connor didn't really know what to make of it. Kaitlin didn't confess to anything, but also didn't really defend herself. She just kind of accepted that she was being looked at seriously as a suspect in a murder case and didn't really put up much of a defense. And while the Jeep footage was pretty damning on its own, realistically it was not clear in the video who was driving. But by this point, Connor believed if she and Spitler could secure even just one more piece of evidence to connect Caitlin to the crime scene in addition to the Jeep, that that would be more than enough to arrest her for Mo's murder. Hey, it's Mr. Ballin. I'm excited to tell you about something special. For the first time, my show, Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries, has joined forces with Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamanna to tell a story so complex it required our combined storytelling styles. This special episode is called a Redacted Medical Myst. In it, unexplained symptoms after a routine surgery quickly unravel into something much darker, leading straight to classified government operations hidden for decades. To listen and uncover the truth alongside us, head to either the Mr. Bolan's medical mysteries or Redacted show pages right now. Or search for a Redacted medical mystery in the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're fascinated by unexplained medical stories, well, stick around on Medical Mysteries. Every week we dive deep into cases that will leave you questioning everything you know about the human body. And if government conspiracy are more your style, redacted is your go to for stories that unravel secrets never meant to see the light of day. Remember, you can listen to both shows early and ad free by joining wondry. Hey listeners, Mr. Ballin here. What if I told you that some of the strangest, darkest and most mysterious stories happening right now are all connected to what might be the biggest crime of our generation? You know I'm always on the hunt for the most chilling and perplexing tales out there. Well, I've discovered a new podcast that uncovers real world mysteries unfolding right now, much like how another Ballin Studios podcast, Declassified Mysteries, brings hidden government secrets to light, and it's called Lawless Planet. Host Zach Goldbaum reveals how shocking tales of murder, coverups and mysterious deaths are all part of something the systematic destruction of our planet. From activists who vanish in the Amazon to whistleblowers uncovering billion dollar environmental crimes, these aren't just stories about the environment, they're real life thrillers about people caught between powerful forces willing to kill to keep their secrets buried. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad free right now by joining Wondery. In the days following the interviews with Kaitlin and Colin, police did obtain a search warrant for their house. And inside the house they found two 9 millimeter pistols which matched the type of bullet casing found at the crime scene. Now all they had to do was wait a few days for the ballistics report to come in to see if one or even both of those guns had fired the rounds that killed Mo on May 14. So three days after Mo's death, the race that she had actually come to Austin to take part in went ahead as scheduled. But the race quickly turned into a kind of memorial for Mo. For the opening portion of the race, the riders all rode slowly and stayed together in a pack, placing their hands on each other's backs while others openly sobbed on the course. And when the winner on the men's side of the race crossed the finish line, he didn't celebrate. Instead, he took off his helmet and bowed his head, he would later post on Instagram. A normal victory salute was inappropriate on a day like this, but as riders from all across the country used that race in Austin as a way to honor and celebrate the life of Mo Wilson, a person most of them considered a friend who they loved and respected. There was one rider whose absence seemed to cast a shadow over everything. Colin Strickland, one of the most popular competitors in the world and someone who people clearly saw had a relationship with Mo, even if it was just a friendly one, had not shown up. And three days later, on May 17, the detectives read over the ballistics report at the station. And as they did, both of their faces lit up because it was clear in the report that one of the guns found in Colin and Kaitlin's house was the murder weapon. Following that ballistics report, Spitler and Connor felt a mix of excitement and relief. They believed that in less than a week, they had basically cracked Mo Wilson's murder case. They still weren't sure if either Colin or his girlfriend Kaitlin had acted alone or if maybe they had killed Mo together. But they felt confident they now had more than enough evidence to charge them both. The murder weapon had been found in their house, and police had footage of Kaitlin's black jeep driving near Mo's friend's apartment soon before the murder took place. And in addition to that concrete evidence, the detectives had also caught Colin in what appeared to be a lie. When he was first approached about who Anna was, he said he didn't know who she was. But then when they mentioned that her nickname was Mo, Colin was like, oh, now I know who it is, but it's like you were in a relationship with her. You had to know what her first name was. So there was that. And then also the fact that Kaitlin, in her interview, seemed very much like a jealous girlfriend whenever Mo came up. And then finally, detectives had conducted interviews of people in the gravel racing community who spoke openly about the potential love triangle between the victim and the two suspects. So as far as Connor or Spitler were concerned, either one or both of their suspects would soon be going away to prison for a very long time. But before Spitler and Connor were able to wrap up everything and hand the case over to the district attorney, their investigation, which had been incredibly straightforward so far, Took a bizarre turn that neither of them saw coming. In late June, about a month after Mo's murder, Austin police got word from a small group of United States marshals who were working in Costa Rica. The marshals told the detectives that they were on the trail of a fugitive named Ari Martin, and they believed that Ari was involved in the murder of Mo Wilson. On the morning of Wednesday, June 29, 2022, over a month and a half after Moe's death, U.S. marshal Amir Peres walked down the street in a small coastal town called Santa Teresa in Costa Rica, Dressed in a Hawaiian shirt like a tourist. Perez and his small band of marshals had been desperately trying to track down the wanted American fugitive named Ari Martin for over a month. They had spent the last week here in this touristy town with bars and shops and yoga studios. Right now, Perez was holding up his cell phone with a picture of Ari pulled up on the screen, and he was checking the face of every woman that passed by him to look for a resemblance. But he was having a bizarre problem, and that was that a lot of the women he passed looked like Ari Martin. So Ari was an Attractive woman, but she was strangely generic looking with no unique features really at all. And so this made her somewhat forgettable for the people that interacted with her. And it also made it very hard to pick her out of a crowd because basically in any crowd, there were at least three other women who sort of looked like her. But today, Perez was not just canvassing. He was on his way to a specific location, a cheap hostel he was hoping Ari might be staying at. And after a half a block walk, he found it. He turned off the sidewalk and walked inside the building. Then, pretending to be a tourist looking to meet someone, he walked through the hostel out onto a back patio where there were several tables and people were sitting and talking and drinking. And sitting at one of these tables, Perez saw a generic looking woman who was speaking English. Perez started to get excited and he looked down at the photo on his phone, but he still couldn't quite tell if this woman was actually a match. He needed to get closer to be sure. So Perez approached the table, he smiled and began speaking in Spanish. And at this point, the generic looking American looked up and smiled at him. And while the smile was like the rest of her, sort of unremarkable, Perez saw one marking that none of the other women he'd looked at had possessed. And what it was was a bandage across this woman's nose. And at this point, Perez knew he had found Ari Martin. With more help from Costa Rican authorities, Perez and his team would soon get Ari back to America. And in Austin, Texas, detectives Spitler and Connor would get to sit down with Ari. And through their conversation, they would learn exactly what had happened to Mo Wilson. And and they would finally be able to close one of the strangest murder cases any of them had ever worked. Based on information provided by the fugitive Ari Martin, evidence found in the United States and Costa Rica, and interviews conducted throughout the investigation, the following is what police believe happened to Mo Wilson on the night she was killed, May 11, 2022. That night, around 9:15pm the killer walked through the alley and climbed the steps up to the second floor apartment. The killer thought being in the alley would keep them mostly out of sight, but they still wore all black just to be safe. Even though the sun had set, it was still very hot outside and the killer could feel sweat dripping down their face. They used their sleeve to wipe their face. Then they drew a 9 millimeter pistol from their waistband and opened the door as slowly and quietly as they could. The killer walked into the apartment and made their way down the hall. At some Point, they stopped and looked over at the high end gravel racing bike leaning up against the wall. Eventually, they kept on moving down the hall, and as they did, they heard something coming from the bathroom. They stopped and looked over at the bathroom door, and they saw light coming out from underneath. Clearly, somebody was in there. At this point, the killer grabbed their gun tightly and took a few more steps until they were stopped right in front of the bathroom door. There, they took a steadying breath, raised their gun, then reached out with their offhand and opened up the door. Inside the bathroom, Mo saw their killer and she screamed. But before Mo could do anything, the killer fired off two shots from their pistol. The bullet struck Mo directly in the chest, and she fell to the floor on her back. As blood spattered the walls. The killer walked over and just stood over Mo, staring down for a few seconds, seeing all this blood run from her wounds onto the ground. Then the killer raised their gun again, aimed it at Mo's chest, and fired for a third time. After that, Mo lay motionless on the bathroom floor. For a few moments, the killer just stood there staring down at Mo, trying to make sure she really was dead. And when she continued to lay there motionless, the killer felt confident she was. So they turned around and headed back into the hallway. There, they grabbed Mo's expensive bike that was leaning up against the wall, and with it in hand, they moved as quickly as they could back towards the door. The bike was cumbersome to move, but the killer managed to handle the outside stairs quickly and rushed into the alley with the bike. Then they ran through the darkness to a spot they knew was covered with a thick growth of bamboo. The killer then tossed Mo's bike into the bamboo, hoping it would hide it and convince the police that Mo had been killed for her expensive bike. Once the bike had been ditched, the killer took a deep breath, then ran out of the alley and hopped into the black Jeep Cherokee that was parked nearby. Once in the car, they hit the gas and sped away across town. From the beginning, Mo's murder had seemed pretty straightforward to Spitler and Connor. But it was in the days following the interviews with their main suspects, Colin Strickland and his girlfriend, Caitlin Armstrong, that had sent their investigation down a path the detectives never could have predicted. Because before any arrests could be made, the detectives discovered that Moe's killer had actually fled Austin. And it was not until a month later, when the U.S. marshals conducted their search in Costa Rica for the fugitive, Ari Martin, that everything would finally come together. Because when U.S. marshal Amir Peres found Ari at the hostel in the small coastal town. He knew he was actually looking at Moe's killer, who was none other than Kaitlin Armstrong herself. Here's what happened during Caitlin's interview with Detective Connor. Police had wanted to hold Caitlyn on the arrest warrant that had been issued when she ran out on a bill for $650, which had been for that Botox treatment. But it would turn out that arrest warrant apparently had listed Caitlin's date of birth incorrectly, and so it was deemed invalid and Caitlin was released from jail that very day. And in the time between her release and when the police got the ballistics report back from the guns found in Kaitlin and Colin's house, Kaitlin moved fast. She immediately sold her Jeep and used some of that money to quickly get out of Texas and head north to Newark, New Jersey. She wiped all of her social media accounts, got rid of her cell phone, and then flew from Newark to Costa Rica. And once she'd made it to Costa Rica, she began going by several different pseudonyms before landing on Ari Martin. Once police discovered Kaitlin had made a run for it, they were more convinced than ever that she was the killer. But finding her proved to be very difficult. And this was because Kaitlin had not just changed her name, she also went ahead and changed her face. She'd gotten plastic surgery to intentionally erase her individuality and make her look like lots of other women. But while the surgery did make her look somewhat generic, it also left her with a bandage over her nose. And that's how U.S. marshal Perez finally identified her. The Marshals brought Kaitlin back to Austin, and there she eventually confessed to murdering Mo. Colin Strickland was not involved in any way with Mo's murder. Kaitlin Armstrong was convicted of murder and sentenced to 90 years in prison with a chance for parole in 2053. A quick note about our stories they are all based on true events, but we sometimes use pseudonyms to protect the people involved. And some details are fictionalized for dramatic purposes. The Mr. Ballin podcast Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories is hosted and executive produced by me, Mr. Ballin. Our Our head of writing is Evan Allen. Our head of production is Zach Levitt. Produced by Jeremy Bone Research and fact checking by Shelly Shue, Samantha Vanhus, Evan Beamer, Abigail Shumway and Camille Callahan. Research and fact checking supervision by Steven Ear Audio editing and post produced by Whit Locasio and Cole Locasio Additional audio editing by Jordan Stidham Mixed and mastered by Brendan Cain Production coordination by Samantha Carson Collins production support by Antonio Minotta and Delaina Corley Artwork by Jessica Claugston Kiner Theme song called Something Wicked by Ross Bugden thank you for listening to the Mr. Ballin podcast. If you enjoyed today's story and you're looking for more bone chilling content, be sure to check out all of our studio's podcasts. There's this one, the Mr. Ballin podcast, as well as Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries, Bedtime Stories, Wartime Stories, Run Fool Redacted, Late Nights with Nexpo, and a Twist of History. All you have to do is search for Ballin Studios wherever you get your podcasts. To watch hundreds more stories just like this one, head over to our YouTube channel, which is just called Mr. Ballin. So that's going to do it. I really appreciate your support. Until next time. See ya. Hey prime members, you can binge eight new episodes of the Mr. Ballin podcast one month early and all episodes ad free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. And before you go, please tell us about yourself by completing a short survey@wondry.com survey hey listeners. Big news for true crime lovers. You can now enjoy this podcast ad free on Amazon Music with your prime membership. Listen to all episodes of my podcasts, Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries and Mr. Ballin's Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories, along with a huge collection of top true crime podcasts. Completely ad free. No more wading through cliffhangers or dealing with ads. Because let's be honest, ads shouldn't be the most nerve wracking part of true crime. To start your ad free listening journey, download the Amazon Music app for free or head to Amazon.com ballin that's Amazon.com B A L L E N Dive into uninterrupted true crime stories today.