A Texas woman accused of killing a professional cyclist and going on the run for more than 40 days has pleaded not guilty to murder.
Mountain bike racer Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson, 25, was found shot to death on May 11.
Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 34, fled the country after her initial police interviews, sparking a 43-day manhunt that ended in her arrest at a Costa Rican beachside hostel on June 29.
Authorities said she tried to change her appearance and used several aliases as she moved around Costa Rica while trying to become a yoga teacher.
Ms Wilson previously dated Armstrong's boyfriend, cyclist Colin Strickland, according to police.
They added Mr Strickland has cooperated with investigators and is not a suspect.
According to investigators, Armstrong's SUV was seen on CCTV outside the home where Wilson was killed.
Armstrong faces up to 99 years in prison if convicted. She is being held on $US3.5 million ($5 million) bond, and her lawyers have pushed for a quick trial.
Prosecutors questioned whether the October 24 trial date set gave Armstrong "privilege", because it put her case in front of other murder trials that have waited since before the pandemic.
They added investigators are still gathering evidence that prosecutors and defence attorneys have yet to receive.
"If they chose to indict without evidence, that's the district attorney's problem," Armstrong's attorney Rick Cofer told District Judge Brenda Kennedy.
Mr Cofer suggested his team will challenge the evidence and conduct by police, asking whether they didn't follow leads that could have led to a different suspect.
"Ms Armstrong wants her day in court," Mr Cofer said.
"Simply put, there is a lot more to this story that has yet been heard."
ABC/AP
