Lululemon Murder Victim Had Caught Suspect Stealing, Prosecutor Says

Update, 3:10p.m. A Montgomery County District Court judge has ordered Brittany Norwood, 28, the woman at the Lululemon store in downtown Bethesda on March 11, to be held without bond.

"The nature of the crime is shocking in the level of violence directed during the attack," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said at Norwood's bond hearing on Monday.

Murray's injuries were "catastrophic" and the blows to her head were probably “too numerous to count,” McCarthy said.

Norwood at of an attack by two masked men but her story fell apart under the weight of forensic evidence discovered by police. Norwood said both women were sexually assaulted, but there was no evidence to support that, police have said.

“Her cunning and her ability to lie is almost unparalleled,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said that Murray suspected Norwood may have been stealing from the store, and called store management to report her suspicions. Murray found items Norwood may have stolen from the store in Norwood’s bag, McCarthy said.

After closing the store on March 11, Norwood called Murray to return to the store just after 10p.m. because Norwood said she had forgotten her wallet, and a confrontation ensued, McCarthy said. The attack, which may have lasted as long as 20 minutes, took place at several locations within the store, he said. Witnesses at the nearby Apple Store heard two women screaming, but didn’t hear any male voices, McCarthy said.

“The instruments used to take Jayna Murray’s life all came from within the store itself,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said Norwood told “pathological lies by the hundreds” and that much of what police found at the crime scene was a product of what she had staged.

Norwood wore a pair of size 14 shoes that belonged to the store and tracked footprints through Murray's blood, he said. She later washed the shoes and put them back on the shelf, McCarthy said.

Police found blood on the shoes “despite her own best efforts to wash the blood off,” McCarthy said.

Later, she tied herself up using her teeth, he said. McCarthy said police found a box of the pull ties she used to tie herself inside the store. Norwood's injuries were consistent with self-inflicted wounds, McCarthy said.

The crime scene, he said was “awash as much as any crime scene I’ve ever been at with the blood of this victim.”

Norwood also changed her story about Murray’s car, McCarthy said.

Norwood initially said she had never been in the vehicle. Officers found the car parked in the lot adjacent to the Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market on Wisconsin Avenue, McCarthy said. In it, detectives found blood that matched both Murray and Norwood. Blood was found on the door handle, the gear shift, and the steering wheel, as well as on a hat in the backseat, McCarthy said.

It wasn’t until the fifth time that officers interviewed her that Norwood said she had “just remembered” that the assailants made her move the car, giving her ten minutes to return or they would kill her, McCarthy said. When asked whether she had asked for assistance during that time, she said no, McCarthy said.

Around the same time, a Montgomery County police officer observed what they thought to be Norwood sitting in Murray’s car for an extended time, he said. The officer “saw what he believed to be her sitting in the car for an hour and a half, trying to decide what to do,” McCarthy said.

Detectives in the case detailed what they had found to Norwood’s family, McCarthy said. She was later left alone with her brother while she was incarcerated. She told her brother, “I don’t want to disappoint you. I’m sorry. I don’t want to talk here, they might be recording it,” McCarthy said.

When her brother asked her why she fought with Murray, she said, “I don’t know,” McCarthy said.

Alan Drew, a public defender, didn't have a comment after the hearing. A public defender will be representing Norwood, he said.

Norwood is scheduled for a preliminary hearing April 15. McCarthy told reporters the case would likely go before a grand jury for a potential indictment before the preliminary hearing. McCarthy said he will try the case.

Norwood appeared via closed circuit television, speaking only to state her name.

Norwood is charged with first degree murder and faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Original post: A Montgomery County District Court judge ordered Brittany Norwood, 28, the woman at the Lululemon store in downtown Bethesda, held without bond in court Monday.

Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy argued for no bond in court. Norwood at of an attack by two masked men, he said. 

McCarthy said that Murray suspected Norwood may have been stealing from the store, and called store management to report her suspicions. He said a confrontation ensued, and that Murray's injuries were "catastrophic." The attack, which may have lasted as long as 20 minutes, took placed at numerous locations within the store, he said.

He said materials from inside the store itself were used as weapons. McCarthy said Norwood set up the crime scene to appear as though there had been an attack by two men. She wore a pair of size 14 shoes that belonged to the store and tracked footprints through Murray's blood, he said. She later washed the shoes and tied herself up using her teeth, he said.

McCarthy said Norwood's cunning in lying to police officers was "unparalleled."

Alan Drew, a public defender, didn't have a comment after the hearing. A public defender will be representing Norwood, he said.

Norwood is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in April. Stay tuned to Patch for more details from today's hearing.

This article has been corrected. In a previous version, Jayna Murray was misidentified in a paragraph detailing Brittany Norwood's knowledge of Murray's car. We regret the error.