331 wounds inflicted with six different weapons: Yoga store worker found guilty of bludgeoning colleague to death
331 wounds inflicted with six different weapons: Yoga store worker found guilty of bludgeoning colleague to death
On March 12, 2011, a manager arriving to open the Lululemon Athletica store in Bethesda, Maryland, phoned police after finding coworkers Jayna Murray, 30, lying dead in a pool of blood and 29-year-old Brittany Norwood with her hands bound with plastic ties but still alive.
At first, Norwood claimed that two men had entered the store and assaulted the women — but police soon realized her story didn't add up.
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A woman who killed her co-worker in a Lululemon yoga clothing shop has been convicted of first-degree murder and now faces the prospect of spending the rest of her life behind bars.
Brittany Norwood, 29, used at least half a dozen weapons from inside the store to kill Jayna Murray, 30, in a 'prolonged and brutal attack' on March 11.
These included a hammer, wrench, knife and peg used to hold up a mannequin.
Norwood was yesterday found guilty after a jury in Montgomery County, Maryland, took an hour to reach a verdict.
Norwood attacked Miss Murray inside the Lululemon Athletica shop in Bethesda, Maryland - a Washington, DC suburb - and then staged a robbery.
She used numerous weapons to kill her, then lied and told police that they had been attacked by masked men.
Her defence lawyer conceded that Norwood killed Miss Murray, but said it happened during a fight and wasn't premeditated.
A judge's ruling prevented both sides from discussing the fight, but prosecutors have previously said it began after suspected stolen merchandise was found during a search of Norwood's bag.
The legal argument was aimed at sparing Norwood a first-degree murder conviction, which can carry a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Murray allegedly found a pair of pants in Norwood's purse at the end of the work day, when they did mutual bag checks, as per store policy.
Norwood initially said she'd bought them from another employee, but Murray called the other employee, they denied it, and Murray confront Norwood for stealing.
Miss Murray's family choked back tears as the verdict was read and a 'yes' sounded from their side of the courtroom. Norwood and her family sat impassively and declined to comment afterwards.
Norwood's attorney Doug Wood said she was disappointed at the speed of the verdict.
She said: 'I think that we were surprised that this happened so quick. I thought we had established a pretty good case for second-degree murder.'
Mr Wood said he expects to appeal the verdict and will argue against a life-without-parole sentence that prosecutors are seeking. Sentencing is set for January 27.
State's Attorney John McCarthy told jurors during closing arguments that there was abundant evidence of premeditation.
He said Norwood lured Miss Murray back to the shop after closing by saying she had forgotten her wallet and needed to get back inside.
A medical examiner, Mary Ripple, testified that she found at least 331 wounds on Murray's body and that the woman was alive for the duration of the attack.
Juror Donny Knepper, 36, said the panel was essentially convinced from the start of deliberations. He said he was swayed by the sheer number of wounds.
He said: 'There's no (rational) argument that this was anything other than first-degree murder, and we tried.'
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