Jayna Murray – Murder at Lululemon

      No Comments on Jayna Murray – Murder at Lululemon
Jayna Murray murdered her coworker Brittany Norwood at a Lululemon store in 2011

How could such a brutal senseless murder occur in one of the safest areas around Bethesda Maryland?  Two young women were attacked and brutalized with only one of them surviving.  Would this surviving victim, Britney Norwood, be the key to finding a killer or was the killer of Jayna Murray someone the authorities already knew?

Lululemon store
Subscribe

Location

Bethesda, Maryland is located in Montgomery County northwest of Washington, D.C. Bethesda technically doesn’t have any official boundaries and is considered an unincorporated community.  Due to its proximity to Washington D.C. The National Institute of Health and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center are located in Bethesda.  Bethesda is named after the Bethesda Meeting House built-in 1820.  The Meeting House was named after Jerusalem’s Pool of Bethesda, which is the pool Jesus used to heal a paralyzed man.  Famous citizens from Bethesda include singer Lisa Loeb and actors Richard Schiff from The West Wing and Daniel Stern from the Home Alone movies.

Second Shift

On Friday night March 11, 2011, 28-year-old Brittany Norwood and 30-year-old Jayna Murray, were working until closing at the upscale Lululemon Athletica store.  Brittany and Jayna only recently began working together and didn’t know each other too well.  Lululemon Athletica sells high-end yoga and jogging attire. Around 9:51 pm, after the store closed, Brittany contacted another co-worker, Ella (Eila) Rab in the hopes of getting Jayna’s number because she left her wallet at the store and needed to get back in.  Rab texted Brittany Jayna’s number and they agreed to meet back at the store.

A little after 10:00 pm an employee at the Apple Store which was right next to Lululemon heard noises that included grunting, thudding, dragging, and high-pitched squealing.  The employee, who was filling in as the store manager, asked the store security guard to check it out.  Noises continued to filter into the Apple Store which now included screaming and yelling.  Apple Store employees heard two female voices with one voice saying, “talk to me, don’t do this, talk to me, what’s going on?”  The screaming continued with a voice saying, “God help me. Please help me.”  The Apple employees left the store shortly after 11:00 pm.  No one had bothered to call the police.

Next Day

On the morning of March 12, 2011, the Lululemon store manager arrived to open the store for the day shortly before 8:00 am.  She was surprised to find the door unlocked and thought perhaps another employee was inside and just forgot to lock the door.  She immediately noticed that the lights were on and items were thrown around the store.  After calling out to see who was present she then heard moaning and left the store to notify authorities.  Once outside, she asked a man standing outside the Apple Store if he would go with her back inside Lululemon. He had noticed her looking upset.  The two did not know each other before that moment.  The man just happened to be waiting for the Apple Store to open at 10:00 am so he could purchase a second-generation iPad that had been released the previous day.

Upon entering the store manager asked the good samaritan if he would go to the back of the store to check it out.  The man noticed a blood trail and followed it. He came upon a body lying face down in the back hallway after he was able to force open the door.  He then called out to the store manager to call the police and told them he thinks someone might be dead.  As he was heading back to the front of the store he came across someone else. They were tied up but breathing. He thought she may have been sexually assaulted based upon her appearance.  He found this victim lying on the bathroom floor bloody and moaning.  The store manager quickly placed another call to 911. She informed them of the two victims with only one of them appearing to be alive.

Observation & Examinations

Several officers arrived on the scene to discover Jayna Murray lying face down in a pool of blood with no pulse.  At first Brittany Norwood appeared unresponsive but was breathing. She was loaded into an ambulance shortly after 8:00 am and transported to Suburban Hospital.  Officer Colin O’Brien was working part-time as a security officer at Suburban Hospital when Brittany arrived. He was still dressed in his police uniform.  Officer O’Brien had been an Army medic at one point.  He had some medical knowledge which will come in later.

Officer O’Brien followed the stretcher into the trauma bay and observed cuts on Brittany’s forehead, chest, legs, and arms. He also noticed a one to a two-inch laceration on her right hand that ran parallel to her thumb.  This injury stood out to Officer O’Brien. It was a common injury suffered when a blade slips from a person’s grip and slides down their hand.  She had no injuries to her neck or back.  Officer O’Brien then began to bag her clothing for evidence. 

Brittany also had a sexual assault examination due to a tear in her clothing in her genital area. The exam revealed no evidence of a sexual assault.

Jayna

Jayna Troxel Murray was born on November 22, 1980, in Wichita, Kansas, but grew up in Texas. Her parents were David and Phyliss Murray and she had one brother, Hugh.  Jayna attended George Washington University in Washington D.C. and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree.  At the time of her murder, Jayna was finishing up her two master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University in Communications and Business Administration.

Jayna wrote her master’s thesis on the Lululemon corporate model. To do research for her thesis she took a job with Lululemon. She had planned on rising up the corporate ladder within the company after she graduated.  Janya is described by those that knew her as an animal lover who also loved to dance and travel.  She lived life to the fullest and found time to volunteer with various organizations.  

Violent Attack

While Brittany appeared to suffer minor injuries the same could not be said for Jayna.  Dr. Mary Ripple, the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner would find that Jayna suffered from approximately 331 individual injuries and 105 defensive wounds. She determined that Jayna had been struck with multiple weapons.  Jayna suffered injuries to her head, face, neck, back, and extremities.  The medical examiner determined that Jayna had been alive when she received the majority of her injuries.  It was a stab wound to the back of her head that ultimately hastened her death.

The weapons that caused Jayna’s injuries included a wrench, a merchandising peg (rack holder), a hammer, a box cutter, and an x-acto knife.  These were all found strewn around her body and had come from within the store.

Interview

At 10:25 am, Detective Deana Mackie of the Montgomery County Police Department arrived at Suburban Hospital to interview Brittany.  That first interview lasted approximately fifty minutes.  Brittany told the detective that as she and Jayna were locking the front door for the night two masked men walked in and attacked them. She claimed that one man put a knife to her throat threatening to slit it while another attacker dragged Jayna to the back of the store and began beating her. Brittany stated that her attacker kept asking where the money was. After she had opened the safe he dragged her to the back bathroom and began slashing at her with a knife.

After the initial conversation, Detective Mackie went to the Lululemon store only to return to talk to Brittany further around 2:35 pm. Detective Mackie was working on developing a suspect profile and needed Brittany as she was viewed as the surviving victim.  

Brittany told the detective that she was sexually assaulted in the bathroom. She claimed that she had been raped by a coat hanger during the attack.  

Crime Scene

Meanwhile, investigators were processing the crime scene and shoring up details of Brittany’s initial statements.  Brittany initially stated that one attacker was tall and the other short. Bloody footprints at the scene showed a size 14 possibly belonging to one of the assailants.  However, those were the only bloody footprints found and they didn’t seem to leave the store.  Did one of the attackers take off his shoes before leaving the store?

The store manager was questioned by investigators and told them that she had received a call from Jayna the night of the murder at around the closing time.  She told her that when checking Brittany’s bag she had several items that she didn’t have receipts for.  This was a store policy to check all bags of employees. The store manager told Jayna that they would deal with it the next day. Could the shoplifting allegation be involved with the murder?  At this time, investigators were still treating Brittany as the surviving victim.

Surveillance video obtained from outside the store in the alleyway around 11:00 pm showed two guys dressed in black walking fast down the alley.  Next, investigators talked to Apple Store employees to see if they knew anything about the two men.  They did not, but they told detectives about what they heard specifically two woman’s voices.  

More Information

After Brittany was released on March 14th, Detectives Dimitry Ruvin and James Drewry went to her residence for a follow-up interview to see if she remembered any more details.  This interview was arranged through telephone conversations with Brittany’s family members.  Once again Brittany went over details of her attack.  She told them that Jayna had been struck by one of the attackers while the other one attacked her.  Brittany went on to say that her attacker was wearing black clothing, a ski-type mask, and gloves.  She said that based upon her attacker’s voice she felt that he could have been in his mid-twenties and Caucasian.  Brittany estimated her attacker at five feet five inches in height with a medium build. 

Brittany described Jayna’s attacker as approximately six feet tall with an average build.  He was also wearing black clothing, a ski-type mask, and, again based upon his voice, thought to be Caucasian. 

Brittany went on to report that she had been sexually assaulted and had heard her attacker unzipping his pants.   She also told the detectives that one of the attackers told her that the only reason she was not killed is that she was “fun to fuck.”  She then shared that one of the attackers pushed her down onto Jayna’s body. 

Address Known

Brittany went on to report that the attackers knew her name and address. She thought they might have found it on some bills that were in her purse.  She claimed that both attackers swore at her calling her a “dirty slut” and other racial terms as she was being sexually assaulted.  Talking to the detectives Brittany struggled to recount her assault but continued to answer their questions.  

Brittany informed her family members that were present that the attackers knew where she lives. It was the recommendation of the detectives that she tell them.  Family members wanted Brittany to move back to Seattle. Brittany planned to stay in Maryland since she was offered a job that she would start once she recovered.

New Suspect

On March 16th, Detective Drewery asked Brittany to come down to the station for another interview and to collect elimination fingerprints and hair samples.  Brittany arrived with two of her siblings around 5 pm.  Brittany was taken into an interview room.  One of the doors was left open and the other partially so.  Detective Drewry asked Brittany if she knew what kind of car Jayna drove.  Brittany said that she didn’t.  Brittany once again told the detective about the two attackers.  Once the samples were collected Brittany went home with her siblings.

The next day, Brittany’s siblings, Chris and Marissa Norwood reached out to detectives by phone.  They told the detectives that Brittany was withholding information because she was afraid of being attacked again by the suspects.  They also told detectives that one of the attackers had forced her to move Jayna’s car.  Marissa scheduled another interview with detectives for March 18th at 10:00 am. This was a request that she had made.

Final Interview

Brittany was brought to the station by Chris and Marissa and met with Detectives Drewery and Ruvin.  She initially started talking about moving back to Seattle and living with her brother Chris.  She then unprompted told detectives that before being sexually assaulted the attackers made her move Jayna’s car to a parking lot located on Wisconsin Avenue.  They warned her that they would be watching her the entire time. If she talked to anyone they would kill her.  

Brittany also stated that while she was moving Jayna’s car she saw a patrol car, but did not flag them down due to her attacker’s threat. This statement is a pivotal one for detectives as they felt her lies began to unravel.   Brittany previously told detectives she didn’t know what kind of car Jayna drove. Now she was telling them she not only did know but that she had moved it as it had been parked in front of the store.  Brittany’s blood was found in Jayna’s car once it was discovered by police in a parking lot away from the store.

When asked why she didn’t just drive away and get help, Brittany claimed she was scared because the attackers knew where she lived.  Eventually, Detective Drewery told Brittany that he didn’t believe her as the evidence didn’t match up with what she had been telling them.

Ruled Out

By then the police were also able to rule out the two men caught on video surveillance in the alley behind the store at the time of Jayna’s murder.  These two men were dishwashers from a restaurant up the street from Lululemon walking home after their shift.

Brittany’s siblings were brought into the interview room. They were told that Brittany was being placed under arrest for the murder of her co-worker, Jayna Murray.

Brotherly Love

Before Brittany was placed under arrest her brother, Christopher Norwood talked to her about being honest. He said “you’re going to have to be very honest with us…it doesn’t look good because you tried to cover it all up.”  He asked her if this was about shoplifting and Brittnay later replied, “I didn’t take anything.”  He also asked her if it was all planned which she denied.  At one point the two talk about a possible defense strategy, such as using the insanity defense making Brittany not criminally responsible for Jayna’s murder.  

Cover-Up

Investigators believe that Brittany had lured Jayna back to the store under false pretenses to kill her.  But why?  It seemed that Jayna had caught Brittany stealing a pair of yoga pants and had notified their supervisor before being lured back to the store.  Brittany inflicted multiple fatal blows to Jayna over twenty minutes. Shen then began to cover up her involvement by making it look like they had been attacked by two intruders.

Brittany used a pair of men’s size fourteen Reebok tennis shoes to walk around in Jayna’s blood and create multiple bloody footprints. The tennis shoes she used were kept in the store for customers to use when trying on clothing.  Along with moving Jayna’s car, Brittany also attempted to make it appear as if the store had been robbed by moving various items around inside.

Brittany then opened the safe and took out three bags of money.  To make it look like she had also been attacked she inflicted superficial injuries upon herself. She cut a slit into the crotch of her pants, bound her hands with zip ties, and then laid on the floor waiting to be discovered the next morning.

Background

Brittany Norwood grew up in a small town in Washington state and was one of nine children.  Her father ran an upholstery business.  Many of her siblings hold professional careers.

When investigators looked into Brittany’s background they discovered that she had a habit of stealing things.  Investigators found that in high school she would steal items from her teammates.  Brittany Norwood was a 2000 graduate of Decatur High School.  While in high school she played midfield for the F.C. Royals Soccer Team.  After graduation, she went on to play soccer at Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York.  In her sophomore year at Stony Brook, she was named to the 2002 Northeast Regional Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association. Suddenly in 2003, she left Stony Brook after being excused of stealing from her teammates and roommate. She was lost her soccer scholarship and was expelled, but no formal charges were filed.   

New Start

Brittany resettled in Washington D.C. close to two of her sisters that resided there. She took a job at The Willard InterContinental Hotel. Brittany worked her way up from the front desk to supervising VIP services.  Working in hotel services, however, was not what Brittany wanted to do with her life.  Brittany wanted to break into the personal fitness trainer market and so in 2010, she took a job with Lululemon Athletic in Georgetown.  Brittany seemed a perfect fit as she was into all things fitness and was an outgoing and personable saleswoman.

In February 2011, Brittany transferred to the Bethesda Maryland Lululemon store.  Brittany’s transfer was to be temporary as she had applied to be a personal trainer at a gym right around the corner from the store.

In 2007, investigators found that Brittany had a civil judgment against her. She owed close to $20,000 in student loans. She had also been sued by her landlord in Washington D.C. for failure to pay rent.

Lululemon workers were aware of Brittany possibly having sticking fingers, but to get her fired they would need to catch her in the act.  Unfortunately, it seems that Jayna was the one who caught her.  Investigators found out that on the night of Jayna’s murder she wasn’t even supposed to be working.  She had taken over that shift for another employee when she caught Brittany stealing.

Justice

Brittany Norwood was charged with first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree specific intent to kill murder. Her trial started on October 26, 2011, in Rockville, Maryland. Judge Robert Greenberg presided over Brittany’s six-day trial.  Although the jury didn’t hear a motive for Jayna’s murder the prosecutor would later tell reporters that Jayna had confronted Brittany after finding a pair of stolen yoga pants in her bag.  Brittany feared that if she was fired and/or charged with shoplifting it would undermine her plans to become a personal trainer. The prosecution wanted to put the store manager on the stand to tell the jury about her phone conversation with Jayna the night of her murder. Unfortunately, it was deemed inadmissible due to the hearsay rule.

Prosecution 

Could the prosecutors prove first-degree murder?  Since they couldn’t bring in the shoplifting motive they had to show the jury that Jayna’s murder was more than someone just losing it. To do that photos were shown of the crime scene that showed a brutal killing.  A blood spatter expert testified that the first blows came from the heavy merchandising rack peg that matched her head wounds.  Based on the blood trail he testified that Brittany pursued Jayna to the back small hallway.  Again, the blood spatter evidence traveled down the wall. This indicated that Jayna had been beaten into a crouching position then onto the ground.

Next, the medical examiner testified to just how brutal Jayna’s attack had been.  Photos of Jayna’s hands were shown that were covered in bruises.  The medical examiner was asked how many of the 311 blows did Jayna live through and her response was all of them.  The medical examiner testified that Jayna’s attack lasted over fifteen minutes.  The final blow was from a knife that was found in the employee’s breakroom.  Brittany had taken that knife and put it through the back of Jayna’s head into her brain as she was lying face down on the ground.

Defense

The defense started their case by shocking the courtroom. They told the jury that Brittany did kill Jayna Murray, but it was not premeditated. The defense claimed that the two had gotten into an argument and Brittany “just lost it.”  First-degree murder under Maryland law is charged when a defendant has shown the specific intent to kill that is deliberate and planned.  Therefore, if Brittany was guilty of second-degree murder it meant she could serve as little as 15 years behind bars.

Brittany did not testify in her own defense.  In fact, the defense didn’t call any witnesses at all.  They argued that the prosecution has failed to prove Brittany was guilty of first-degree murder and their evidence showed only second-degree murder.  

Sentenced

On November 2, 2011, the jury found Brittany Norwood guilty of first-degree murder.  She was sentenced on January 27, 2012, to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Brittany pleaded with the judge at her sentencing to give her the possibility of parole not for her, but for her family.  The judge was not moved. In his sentencing, Judge Greenberg directed some of his ire towards the Apple Store employees that had listened to Jayna being attacked and begging for help but didn’t call the police. 

Right to Remain Silent

Three years passed before Brittany’s attorney filed an appeal on her behalf. The attorney claimed that the police interviews used in court violated her Miranda rights because the police didn’t inform Brittany she had the right to remain silent and to have an attorney present.  Her attorney, Assistant Public Defender Juan Reyes, claimed that Brittany felt that she “needed the detective’s permission to terminate the encounter as evidenced by her continued presence and participation in the interviews despite her clearly and repeatedly expressing the desire to leave.”

The other issue brought up in Brittany’s appeal was testimony given by Officer O’Brien. Brittany’s attorney said that prosecutors improperly presented him as an expert witness regarding Brittany’s knife wound to her hand.  Officer O’Brien however testified as to his knowledge about seeing the same type of injury Brittany had to her hand from his experience as an Army medic.  Brittany did not win her appeal.

Brittany is currently housed in the Maryland Correctional Institute for Women.

Life Well Lived

Jayna Murray didn’t get to fulfill her dreams due to Brittany Norwood’s actions.  So her family, wanting to promote all that Jayna loved:  academics, athletics, travel, and fine arts, created “The Jayna Troxel Murray Foundation.” Scholarships and financial gifts are given to various institutions for “supporting and promoting the interest and passions that enriched Jayna’s life by making them available to others in hopes of similarly enriching their lives (In Memory of Jayna Murray Facebook page).”

Resources