Monday, March 12, 2012
An editor's reflection on covering the Lululemon case, a year after the tragic homicide.
“Body found on Bethesda Row,” read the news alert that showed up in my inbox that bright Saturday a year ago. I had been trying on bridesmaid’s dresses at a bridal shop in Rockville with my soon-to-be-married friend, whom I met when we were both journalism graduate students at American University. We delighted in the minute decisions that would all somehow come together in a few months to make her wedding day perfect. Strapless? One shouldered? Apple red or burgundy? But the lighthearted morning quickly turned into an adrenaline-fueled whirlwind of breaking news coverage, as the first details of a horrific murder that would thrust Bethesda into the national spotlight began to emerge. After barreling down Rockville Pike, I was told by a …
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Patch looks back in photographs at the tragic homicide case that rocked Bethesda.
It was March 12, 2011, when Bethesda first learned of the horrific crime that had taken place the evening prior inside the downtown Lululemon store. Since that day, the tragic homicide of Jayna Murray has rocked the Bethesda community. Bethesdans were left in fear in the wake of the murder, believing two masked men had attacked two women inside the store and were still on the loose. They were shocked when they learned Murray' co-worker Brittany Norwood, at first thought to be the surviving victim of the attack, was accused in the crime. They were stunned when they learned employees next door heard cries for help, but didn't call police. And they were saddened as they came together to honor Murray, a vibrant, adventurous graduate student …
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Open house planned for Sunday, March 11, at the Bethesda store that was the scene of a brutal murder.
Downtown Bethesda's Lululemon store is planning an open house this Sunday, March 11 -- a date that marks a year since the brutal March 11, 2011 homicide that left store employee Jayna Murray dead. Murray's co-worker Brittany Norwood stands convicted of her killing and was sentenced in January to life in prison without the possibility for parole. Murray, a vibrant graduate student, was stabbed and bludgeoned more than 331 times inside the store. Norwood, who was found bound near Murray's body, told police the two women had been attacked by masked men -- a story that left the community in terror. But after forensic evidence at the scene didn't match Norwood's tale, her story unraveled. The renovated store re-opened last year with the word "…
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Episode will air on Investigation Discovery Sunday at 10 p.m.
The March 11, 2011 Lululemon homicide will be the subject of a Sunday episode of “On the Case With Paula Zahn” on Investigation Discovery, according to a news release. The episode will detail the police work that led to developing Brittany Norwood, initially thought to be the surviving victim of a robbery and attack at the shop, as the prime suspect in the murder of 30-year-old Jayna Murray. The episode is called “Unmasking a Killer.” Emmy-award winning journalist Paula Zahn will lead interviews during the episode, which will feature Murray’s parents, David and Phyllis; her brother Hugh; Montgomery County Police Det. Dimitry Ruvin, Sgt. Craig Wittenberger and Det. Deana Mackie, who investigated the crime; Montgomery County State’s Attorney…
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
ABC7 reports on the video, which was made public Monday.
Videos of the police interrogation of convicted Lululemon killer Brittany Norwood were released Monday, ABC7 reports. Norwood was sentenced to life without parole last month for the murder of her co-worker Jayna Murray at Bethesda's Lululemon shop in March 2011. Norwood lied to police and elaborately staged the crime scene to make it appear as if the two women were attacked, leaving the Bethesda community in fear. On the video, Norwood's elaborate tale crumbles as police continue to question her about Murray's death and the alleged attack. Norwood changes her story on the tape, telling police the "attackers" forced her to move Murray's car after she previously denied being in the vehicle. The interrogation videos were played for the court …
Friday, January 27, 2012
Brittany Norwood, convicted Lululemon killer, was sentenced to life without parole Friday.
Just before being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Friday afternoon, Brittany Norwood gave a tearful apology to the family of the woman she stands convicted of killing. Dressed in a pink blouse, a black blazer and a pearl necklace, Norwood stood and addressed the Murray family, seated in the second row of a packed courtroom. She haltingly started her statement by saying she had considered whether she should say anything at all. “For the Murray family—what do I say when your daughter’s gone and I’m the one convicted of her murder? I know what I say today won’t take the pain away over the loss of Jayna,” she said. Norwood said she was “deeply sorry” for the March 11 crime, during which prosecutors say she cut, …
Patch will be reporting live from Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville.
Brittany Norwood, who was convicted in November in the killing of her co-worker Jayna Murray at Bethesda's Lululemon shop, will face sentencing in Montgomery County Circuit Court Friday. The sentencing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. She faces life in prison, and a judge will determine whether or not she will be eligible for parole. Victim impact statements detailing the impact of Murray's loss have been submitted from around the country to Judge Robert A. Greenberg, and Murray's family and a few close friends have requested permission to read their statements aloud in court Friday. An afternoon of testimony is expected, according to a Montgomery County State's Attorney's office spokesman, but it's not clear who will read their …
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Family of slain Lululemon employee Jayna Murray advocates for life without parole for Brittany Norwood ahead of her Friday sentencing.
When Brittany Norwood is sentenced Friday for the March slaying of her co-worker Jayna Murray at Bethesda’s Lululemon shop, Murray’s family hopes to read aloud to the court the statements they’ve prepared describing the devastating impact the crime has had on their lives. Norwood was convicted of first-degree murder in November, and faces life in prison. Prosecutors said she killed Murray, lied to police and elaborately staged the crime scene to make it appear the women were attacked by two masked men. A judge will determine Friday whether or not she will be eligible for parole. “I kind of felt like this is my last voice for Jayna, and it needed to be perfect. It needed to express everything I wanted to say,” said Hugh Murray, describing …
Monday, January 23, 2012
The prosecution argued for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole in a sentencing memo, the Washington Post reported.
Brittany Norwood, the woman convicted of killing her co-worker Jayna Murray at Bethesda's Lululemon shop in March, would pose a "tremendous danger" if released from prison, county State's Attorney John McCarthy stated in a sentencing memo obtained by the Washington Post. In the prosecution's memo, McCarthy argues for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for Norwood, the Post reported. Norwood, who prosecutors say lied to police and elaborately staged the crime scene at the shop to make it appear as if the two women had been attacked, will face sentencing at 1 p.m. Friday. A judge will decide whether or not Norwood should be allowed the possibility of parole. “It is the State’s firm belief that this defendant …
Friday, December 2, 2011
Murray family speaks to Patch about celebrating Jayna Murray's life following an emotional homicide trial.
A year to the day after Jayna Murray bungee jumped from 191-foot Pacific Northwest Bridge south of Seattle to celebrate her 30th birthday, her family made the same jump in her honor. Murray, who would have turned 31 on Nov. 22, was killed at Bethesda’s Lululemon store March 11. Her co-worker, Brittany Norwood, was convicted last month in the homicide. Murray was known for her adventurous nature and encouraging others to push the limits of their comfort zone to accomplish their goals. Now, her family hopes to continue on that tradition in her spirit – both through her memorial foundation and in their own lives. “I’m not a thrill seeker – I wouldn’t have done this if it weren’t to pay tribute to Jayna,” said Kate Murray, Jayna’s sister-in-…
Joanna Karpinski-Widzer
9:19 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
thanks for writing this. Very moving. I hope her family sees it. more ›