Was he killed? And you see defendants picking at themselves, moving around, jumping around, standing up, pounding their fists. He says today that's really not true. Maybe [defense counsel] is right, that the police were suspicious. The evidence of Norwood's guilt was overwhelming. Following an eight-day trial in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, the sole charges submitted to the jury were first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree specific intent to kill murder. The examination revealed no evidence of sexual assault. Officer O'Brien was working part-time for Suburban Hospital doing security work as a uniformed police officer on March 12, 2011. The victim Jaynas hair and blood were found on a rope inside the store which means she was strangled. Norwood told Detective Mackie that she had been raped and sexually assaulted with a clothing hanger. Help me, please. Wood, the defense attorney, seized on this, reading from the witness's statement and repeating how the Apple employee described the female voices: One of them was screaming bloody murder.. One belonging to Brittanys and the other footprints were from size 14 shoes kept in the store for customers to try on with the clothes. After beating Jayna once, Brittany chased her around the store and beat her with the metal bar several times until she fell. They were working until the last shift would end at 9.45 pm and the victim Jayna had the keys with which she was supposed to close the store. This isnt two clowns from out of town, as one local remarked. Update, 5:06 p.m.: Prior to her sentencing Friday, convicted killer Brittany Norwood apologized to Jayna Murray's family. The burden of showing the applicability of the Miranda requirements, i.e., that there was custody and interrogation, is on the defendant. It was at that point that he should have told her that it was her right to remain silent and consult an attorney, Greenberg, the judge, said Friday. Brittany had cuts on her body and her pant zip was torn and her hands were tied above her head with a zipped tie. Whether the trial court abused its discretion by permitting a witness to testify about a laceration he saw on Norwood's hand and about knife wounds he had seen in the past. [1][3] Bloody footprints were tracked through the store. In 2013, Washington Post police reporter Dan Morse published the book, The Yoga Store Murder: The Shocking True Account of the Lululemon Athletica Killing.[4]. At the end of the interview, Norwood spoke with the detectives about what she was going to do in the future. The next day, Brittanys brother Chris and sister Marissa rang the police station and told them they had some type of information which Brittany was too afraid to tell police earlier in the investigation. [13] Nor did investigators find evidence that either woman had been sexually assaulted, though Norwood had cut a hole in Murray's pants to make it appear that she had been. 246 (2012) (alteration in original). 278701. . One of the footprints was from size 14 sneakers that were found in the store. With respect to any opinion testimony by Officer O'Brien, the prosecutor argued that Officer O'Brien's testimony was not expert testimony because it's not outside the realm of an average person's ability to, to use everyday life experience and observe knife wounds.. [The Prosecutor]: Now, when you observed Brittany Norwood, on March 12th of 2011, can you describe the injury you saw on her thumb? The night of Wednesday, March 11, 2011, would go down as the night Jayna Murray would work her last ever shift with her colleague Brittany Norwood. She left. Amend. Norwood's siblings left to get something to eat and Norwood was asked to sit in an interview room. The Yoga Store Murder: The Shocking True Account of the Lululemon Athletica Killing by Dan Morse" (Berkley), Daniel Stashowers most recent book is The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War.. Detective Ruvin testified that Norwood became emotional during the conversation about the sexual assault. Employees claimed to have heard moans and screams coming from the walls. Highs in the 60s, Virginia Beach struck by tornado, dozens of homes damaged. Norwood also said that the other masked man attacked and raped her in a different part of the store, at one point using a clothes hanger during the sexual assault and calling her a dirty whore.. Don't do this. When the police started investigating Brittany while trying to find evidence to prove the theory that they had staged it all. Prosecutors believed Brittany used the size 14 shoes to stage the crime scene. What mattered, the judge said, was that Norwood still thought she had the detectives duped, and that a person in her position would have felt she was free to leave. [3] When Murray arrived, Norwood attacked her, moved her car, then staged the scene to look like a robbery, putting on a pair of men's shoes to track blood across the floor; tossing mops, broom, and chairs around the store; and finally cutting herself and binding her own wrists and ankles with zipties. Officer O'Brien explained that his attention was drawn to that cut because it was typical of a common injury caused when a blade slips from one's grip and slides down the hand. By this time, Detective Drewry had begun to view Norwood as a suspect. From this, they concluded that there was also a theft. On the morning of March 12, 2011, manager Rachel Oertli arrived at the Lululemon store shortly before 8:00 a.m. She noticed that the door was unlocked and initially believed that someone had arrived just before her and had forgotten to lock the door. Heres what that means for weather and the world. According to Norwood he was also wearing black clothing, a ski-type mask, and, based upon his voice, Norwood thought he was Caucasian. Norwood told detectives that the attacker swore at her and called her a dirty slut and a racial epithet while sexually assaulting her. Paperback, $9.99. Dr. Ripple further testified that Murray's injuries were caused by at least five weapons, including a wrench, a merchandising peg, a hammer, a box cutter, and an x-acto knife. Don't do this. Just before being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Friday . The employee heard one female voice which sounded hysterical and another female voice saying, Talk to me. TermsPrivacyDisclaimerCookiesDo Not Sell My Information, Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, use enter to select, Stay up-to-date with FindLaw's newsletter for legal professionals. "I am exceedingly reluctant to grant you even the slightest chance of doing this to another member of the community.". Jaynas brother Dirk Murray and his wife April detailed the impact of the loss of their Tia T on their two young sons. . The time that it took Norwood to gather the weapons from various locations in the store further supports a conclusion that Murray's murder was premeditated. Norwood told Drewry that she had been in Murrays car because the masked men made her go out and move it. In statements, Norwood's family has argued at a chance at parole for their daughter. at 567. New details were revealed at that hearing about how detectives questioned her, and identified her as a murder suspect: The interviews began on March 12 at Suburban Hospital. But Norwoods tale quickly unraveled, and she was arrested and charged with the murder less than a week later. The sentence capped an afternoon of emotional testimony and marked the end of a Prosecutors say Norwood doctored the crime scene at the shop and lied to police, saying the two women were attacked and sexually assaulted by two masked menleaving the Bethesda community in fear. Detective Ruvin testified that he still considered Norwood a victim during the March 14 interview. The Apple Store did not open until 10:00 a.m. Kelly v. State, 392 Md. The March 11, 2011 will be the subject of a Sunday episode of "On the Case With Paula Zahn" on Investigation Discovery, according to a news release. They arrested Brittany for first degree murder. Detective Drewry testified at the hearing on the motion to suppress that Norwood was asked to come in both to provide elimination prints and because it was also a ruse to get her to come in to talk to the detectives. Murray was found deceased, having suffered approximately 331 individual injuries. Accordingly, we consider only whether Norwood was in custody. Drewry allowed Norwood's sister Marissa and brother Chris into the interview room and . She was animated. Norwood was not restrained and was not prevented from exiting the building at any time. Brittany Norwood, accused of killing a co-worker inside a Bethesda yoga store, appeared in court Friday. Norwood asserts on appeal that Officer O'Brien's testimony was impermissible under Ragland, supra, 385 Md. In addition to speaking with Norwood, while at Suburban Hospital, Detective Mackie spoke with various medical professionals. at 64748 (citing Longshore v. State, 399 Md. [The Prosecutor]: And can you describe how it, how it appeared in relation to the knife injuries that you had observed in the past that you've just described to us? He met the ambulance carrying Norwood when it arrived and followed her stretcher into the trauma bay. The store also has just TWO sets of footprints. Wood, the defense attorney, asked Drewry on Friday about his hearing. She explained that she went, alone, to move Murray's car. [7][12] Additionally, the tracks ended before either exit from the store. He can't hear well. The duo ran . Drewry said he hears fine, but he wanted Norwood to speak loudly enough for the recording system, which Norwood was not told about, to pick up what she was saying. Assistant States Attorney Marybeth Ayres captured some of the communitys conflicted feelings in a statement at Norwoods trial: As humans, we want to believe its the masked men. On the morning of March 12, 2011, Brittany Norwood (Norwood), appellant, and her co-worker, Jayna Murray (Murray), were discovered in the Lululemon Athletica retail store in Bethesda, Maryland, the apparent victims of a violent attack. 0. She haltingly started her statement by saying she had considered whether she should say anything at all. This is for the purpose of the motions only. Norwood told the detectives that the man who attacked her was wearing black clothing, a ski-type mask and gloves, and that, based upon his voice, Norwood thought the attacker was in his mid-twenties and Caucasian. The judges remark captured only a small measure of the outrage and incredulity sparked by this horrific crime, the reporting of which had by this time overrun the Beltway and captured the attention of the nation. It was amiable. Its not race, he insists, even as he struggles to make sense of the charges against his sister. The Court explained that among the numerous possible explanations for the events [observed by the officers] on Northwest Drive, the correct one was that a drug transaction had taken place. Id. 105 of the wounds were defensive wounds because the victim used her arms and legs to defend herself. [The Prosecutor]: When you observed these injuries occur and, could you tell exactly how that, how you observed those injuries that, that went parallel to the thumb with the knife, how did it occur? On March 17, Norwoods sister, Marissa Norwood, called Drewry and told him that Norwood had more to say, according to prosecutors. Mr. Haugh told Ms. Oertli that there was one person who was dead and another person who was alive and appeared to have been sexually assaulted. Did we really need to know the population of the town where Murrays mother grew up or that a medical examiner once played all kinds of high school sports? In his statement, Andre Norwood asked Greenberg to grant his sister the possibility of parole. When Norwood requested to use the restroom, she was shown to an employee restroom on the same hall through which Norwood entered. BETHESDA, Md. His conduct falls within the bounds of legally acceptable investigation techniques, according to criminal experts. There was no theft as Brittany took the money out of the safe by herself to organize the theft, so it appeared that she and Jayna were both victims of the attack. The murder has been covered in a number of true crime podcasts, including Morbid[15] and Generation Why. Oh hes good, your honor, Wood said. 2394, 240102, 180 L.Ed.2d 310 (2011). The clash somehow escalated into a mind-numbing frenzy of violence during which Norwood bludgeoned, choked and stabbed her co-worker to death, using at least five different weapons and inflicting 331 separate wounds. ", wanted a judge to toss out five interviews. Talk to me. at 2402). "We are all reaching for a new normal," Jayna's father, David Murray said in a press conference. And what I also noted here isand I guess this is maybe to sort of be able to fudge things, continually when she would describe what had purportedly happened, she would say like in response to a questionI'll give you an example. Detective Dimitry Ruvin, who spoke to Norwood on March 14, 16 and 18, said that Norwood said the attackers showed her Murrays bloody body. When the police finally arrested Norwood, the Washington community struggled to accept that this always happy, always smiling young woman, who dreamed of owning her own gym one day, might actually be the villain. As a result of that sentence, Ms. Norwood will die in jail, McCarthy said. Having already obtained her parents permission, Bocell said, the couple was only waiting out the few short months left before Jayna finished her degree and could move to the Pacific Northwest to be together to make the engagement official. 136, 148 (2011)). 2001," Murray's brother, Hugh, told the judge. [7] Statements by police officials and testimony during the trial indicated that on the evening of the murder, Murray and Norwood checked each others' bags for unpaid merchandise, a routine security procedure at Lululemon and other retail stores. On January 27, 2012, the court sentenced Norwood to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. When asked why she returned to the Lululemon store after moving Murray's car instead of driving away and attempting to contact police, Norwood explained that she was afraid for [her] life and that the attackers knew where she lived. The murder was as gruesome as it was bizarre, in part for its seemingly . She also had stab wounds to the shoulder, one to the lower back and two to the back of the head. Our review of the record indicates that the State referenced Officer O'Brien's testimony only to support the argument that Norwood was wielding a knife and had killed Murray, and that Norwood's injury was self-inflicted. Previous Pause Next. A jury is going to decide this case. The Murray family clapped and sighed with relief as the judge read his sentence. As Mr. Haugh walked back toward Ms. Oertli, he saw a second person who was tied up but breathing. [8] The manager said she would deal with it in the morning. And suddenly, she jumps right into it and says, All right, I'm here because . She had tears in her eyes and looked down a lot, but continued to talk to the detectives. In a move to not get fired, Brittany decided to kill Jayna instead. For the reasons stated herein, we shall affirm the judgment of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. And you're going to have to go to the bathroom at some point. She's offered beverages a couple of times and doesn't even want a glass of water. The trial court ruled on the issue of voluntariness as well as on the issue of Miranda. Again, the offering of detail that wasn't asked for. 8. Sisters is centered around a pair of famous sisters, but fans have plenty of love for the Slaton women's brother, Chris Combs. WASHINGTON Brittany Norwood, convicted of the March 2011 murder of co-worker Jayna Murray in the Bethesda Lululemon Athletica shop, also likely was working as a prostitute, according to a new book by journalist Peter Ross Range. 12. Id. For the Murray familywhat do I say when your daughters gone and Im the one convicted of her murder? 308, 332 (2008) (Once it has been determined that error was committed, reversal is required unless the error did not influence the verdict; the error is harmless only if it did not play any role in the jury's verdict.) (internal quotation and citation omitted). At the bench, defense counsel argued that he was entitled to notice if they're going to elicit an expert opinion from someone in terms of how these injuries occurred. The trial court inquired as to the relevance of the evidence, and the prosecutor, apparently anticipating that the defense might advance a theory of voluntary manslaughter based upon a mutual affray, answered that counsel had referred in opening statement to a mutual affray between Norwood and Murray. When she entered the store, the lights were on and things were out of place, leading her to believe an altercation had occurred. By the fifth day after the attack, detectives were starting to review forensic evidence and at least one key witness account which led them to doubt her story. 498, 518, 974 A.2d 991 (2009), aff'd, 414 Md. In Murder In The Yoga Store, Range says in the days before the murder, Lululemon co-workers and managers suspected Norwood of stealing money and expensive perfume from co-workers. A jury in November convicted Norwood of first-degree murder for killing Jayna Murray, her co-worker at the Lululemon yoga store. 632, 650 (2012) (alteration in original) (quoting Miranda, supra, 384 U.S. at 479). Montgomery County Police Detective Deana Mackie was asked in court about an audio recording of the interview, one that Judge Robert A. Greenberg had listened to. And again, I do not sit here as the trier of fact in this case. The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides:No person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.U.S. [A] ruling reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard will not be reversed simply because the appellate court would not have made the same ruling. Alexis v. State, 437 Md. In re Ondrel M., 173 Md.App. And of course, I'm not the trier of fact here. She came right back. Chris Norwood asked if he could speak to his sister alone. Our review of the video recording leads us to agree with the trial court that Detective Drewry did not convey his suspicions to Norwood in any way. Throughout the afternoon Friday, friends and family members of Jayna Murray read statements before the court detailing the devastating impact her loss has had on their lives. In light of the overwhelming evidence of premeditation presented at trial, any alleged error regarding Officer O'Brien's testimony was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. 388, 429 (2007) (quoting Whitfield v. State, 287 Md. (At the time, police were in the process of analyzing blood found in Murrays car, which matched Norwoods blood, according to prosecutors.). But these are quibbles when weighed against the quality of Morses reporting. The officers took her in for questioning and asked her if she knew what Jaynas car looked like, but she told police she didnt. [4][5], Norwood told police that after she and Murray had closed the store the previous evening, she realized that she had forgotten her wallet and called Murray to let her back into the store. They had worked together at the store on the night of March 11, 2011. It's at that point she says, We've been over this. And Detective Drewry says, I'm just trying to get it as straight as possible. And then there's another And I want to say, in response to a question that I've noted here. 13. Norwood told Detective Mackie that she and Murray had been attacked by two men wearing masks. The trail of blood in the store indicated that Jayna was trying to drag herself to the back door to escape her attacker. Facts pertaining to events before the interrogation are also relevant, especially how the defendant got to the place of questioning[,] whether he came completely on his own, in response to a police request or escorted by police officers. Several officers arrived shortly thereafter. Based on the totality of the circumstances, we hold that the circuit court did not err when it concluded that Norwood was not in custody at any point during the March 16 interview. Norwood's statements to police officers during conversations were later the subject of a motion to suppress. In contrast to expert testimony, lay opinion testimony requires no specialized knowledge or experience but instead is derived from first-hand knowledge and is rationally based. Bruce v. State, 328 Md. Police also examined the stores safes and found them to be empty. Morse is a Washington Post police reporter who covered the Lululemon murder as it unfolded in 2011, and he brings a journalists instincts to this moment-by-moment chronicle. Also played in court was a YouTube video, showing the young woman bungee jumping to celebrate her 30thbirthday. Brittany Norwood is an American woman sentenced to life in prison in Maryland on January 26, 2012 for killing her co-worker Jayna Murray, 30, on March 11, 2012. . You're making yourself look nervous here. She was composed. Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you. January 25, 2012. When she was arrested for the murder of a fellow worker Jayna Murray, Brittany was around 29 years old. Morse also presents an effective portrait of the two families whose lives were destroyed by the crime. at 56768 (alterations in original) (quoting Owens v. State, 399 Md.
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