Murder at Lululemon | Part 1

Summary

Infamous Podcast: "Murder at Lululemon | Part 1"

Host/Author: Campside Media / Sony Music Entertainment
Release Date: February 20, 2025

---

Introduction

In the gripping first installment of "Murder at Lululemon," hosts Vanessa Grigoriadis, Gabriel Sherman, and Natalie Robehmed delve into a chilling true crime story set against the backdrop of a seemingly serene Lululemon store in Bethesda, Maryland. This episode not only recounts the harrowing events of the murder but also explores the deeper cultural and societal underpinnings that may have contributed to this tragedy.

---

Setting the Scene: Lululemon Culture

Natalie Robehmed (00:35) introduces Kat, a former Lululemon employee, highlighting the intense and almost cult-like culture within the company:

Kat (00:35): "I think we've all seen the type of person who is super into yoga because there's darkness lurking and gets super into exercise generally because there's darkness lurking and there's anger there."

Kat describes her experience working at a Lululemon store in SoHo, New York (01:15). Despite initially knowing little about the brand, she secured the job to support her aspirations as a writer. The company emphasized personal goal setting and self-improvement, fostering an environment that, while beneficial for some, felt invasive for others (03:05).

Kat (03:05): "So we would have these workshops, and in staff meetings, there would be dedicated time to goal setting, where you would set your goals for, like, six months a year."

Kat credits the goal-setting practices at Lululemon for aiding her now-successful career as a novelist (03:52):

Kat (03:52): "I'm a novelist now, so I am a writer now, and I guess I should probably thank the goal setting skills I learned at Lululemon for that."

---

The Tragedy Unfolds: Murder at Bethesda Lululemon

On March 12, 2011, the tranquility of Bethesda, Maryland, is shattered by a brutal crime at a local Lululemon store. Vanessa Grigoriadis (06:19) narrates the upscale setting and the initial discovery of the crime:

Vanessa Grigoriadis (06:19): "We're opening this story in an upscale shopping district in Bethesda, Maryland. ... This is the kind of murder you see on CSI, not in Bethesda."

Rachel, the store manager, arrives early to open the store and immediately senses something is amiss (07:32). She contacts emergency services, reporting:

Rachel (07:55): "There are two dead people in the back of my store. There's a woman that's alive and she's breathing. She's tied up."

Chaos ensues as neighbors and bystanders respond to the scene. The tranquility of Bethesda, typically free from violent crimes, becomes the epicenter of fear and suspicion.

---

Investigative Insights: Chief Prosecutor John McCarthy

John McCarthy, the State's Attorney for the county, takes charge of the investigation (10:52). He recounts his initial impressions upon arriving at the crime scene:

John McCarthy (10:58): "None of it seems to fit."

McCarthy assigns the case to himself, recognizing its atypical nature for the Bethesda area. The investigation soon reveals perplexing and unsettling details, hinting at complexities beyond a mere random act of violence.

---

Profiles of the Victims

The episode introduces the victims, Jana Murray and Brittany Norwood, painting a vivid picture of their lives and personalities.

Jana Murray (15:32), a 30-year-old with multiple master's degrees from Johns Hopkins, was deeply embedded in the Lululemon community. Her dedication to the brand extended beyond her job, as she authored a dissertation on Lululemon's corporate model, forging strong bonds with her colleagues.

Brittany Norwood (17:52), aged 28, hailed from a large, hardworking family in Seattle. A former Division 1 athlete, Brittany was known for her competitive spirit and vibrant personality, often challenging customers to fitness contests.

John McCarthy (17:52): "One of the things she used to do is if women came in, she would challenge some of the customers..."

Their contrasting backgrounds and shared athleticism highlight the diverse yet interconnected lives within the Lululemon community.

---

The Night of the Murder

As Brittany Norwood recounts the events leading up to the attack (24:04), she describes a routine closing shift that quickly devolved into chaos:

Brittany Norwood (24:04): "We actually left, like at about 9:45. We left the store... we looked for like maybe 10 minutes. And it was just like sleep, fine, sleep."

Shortly after closing, Brittany and Jana are violently confronted by two assailants dressed in black. The attackers separate the women, leading to Jana's brutal death and Brittany's severe assault. The harrowing details shared by Brittany underscore the nightmare-like nature of the event (26:43):

Brittany Norwood (26:36): "They grabbed me and then threw me on the ground... He had me by the hair. Told me if I said another word, he would slit my throat."

---

Investigation Developments

The investigation takes numerous unexpected turns, making it one of Chief McCarthy's most challenging cases (11:31). The discovery of meticulous evidence, such as shoe prints matching the attackers and a scene of ritualistic violence, complicates the narrative, suggesting motives beyond simple robbery or opportunistic crime.

John McCarthy (28:54): "The pattern on the bottom of that shoes was identical to the pattern of the shoe prints that were all over the store."

---

Cultural and Societal Reflections

Natalie Robehmed (19:41) provides a broader analysis of the role of fitness and branded lifestyles in modern American society. She draws parallels between the rise of boutique fitness cultures like SoulCycle and CrossFit with the decline of organized religion, suggesting that these fitness regimes have become the new moral and identity frameworks for many individuals.

Natalie Robehmed (19:41): "There is something religious about them... It’s high end and deeply aspirational. A place to buy clothes that promise to make you a better person."

The episode contemplates how the intense, aspirational environments fostered by brands like Lululemon may inadvertently contribute to personal and communal pressures, setting the stage for the tragic events that unfolded.

---

Conclusion and Tease for Next Episode

As the episode concludes, the hosts hint at the complexities and dark twists of the case that will be explored in subsequent episodes. The murder at Lululemon serves as a lens to examine larger themes of identity, community, and the dark side of branded lifestyles.

Natalie Robehmed (28:46): "It's a murder case that has stunned... was laid to rest this weekend after being killed in the yoga store where she worked."

Listeners are left anticipating deeper investigative insights and revelations in the continuing saga of "Murder at Lululemon."

---

Key Quotes

• Kat (03:52): "I'm a novelist now, so I am a writer now, and I guess I should probably thank the goal setting skills I learned at Lululemon for that."
• John McCarthy (10:58): "None of it seems to fit."
• Brittany Norwood (26:36): "They grabbed me and then threw me on the ground... He had me by the hair. Told me if I said another word, he would slit my throat."
• Natalie Robehmed (19:41): "There is something religious about them... It’s high end and deeply aspirational. A place to buy clothes that promise to make you a better person."

---

Final Thoughts

"Murder at Lululemon | Part 1" masterfully intertwines a true crime narrative with insightful commentary on modern cultural phenomena. By examining the intersection of brand-driven lifestyles and personal identity, the episode invites listeners to reflect on the complexities of contemporary societal structures and their potential dark undercurrents.

---

Produced by Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment. For more behind-the-scenes content and to connect with the creative team, visit Campsidemedia.com/join.

Transcript

[Natalie Robumed]

Your data is like gold to hackers. They'll sell it to the highest bidder. Are you protected? McAfee helps shield you blocking suspicious texts.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Malicious emails and fraudulent websites.

[Natalie Robumed]

McAfee Secure VPN lets you browse safely and its AI powered tech scam detector spots threats instantly.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

You'll also get up to $2 million.

[Natalie Robumed]

Of award winning antivirus and identity theft protection, all for just $39.99 for your first year. Visit McAfee.com/Untime Terms apply Campsite Media.

[Kat]

I think we've all seen the type of person who is super into yoga because there's darkness lurking and gets super into exercise generally because there's darkness lurking and there's anger there.

[Natalie Robumed]

That's a woman named Kat. She used to work at a Lululemon store.

[Kat]

And there is at Lululemon, this culture of intensity. Like you're going to your workout classes and you're wearing the clothes and you are setting your goals and you're going to achieve your goals. And I can see how, like, it's not a lot of lackadaisical, laissez faire kind of personalities.

[Natalie Robumed]

Kat worked at Lululemon on a Pretty street in SoHo in New York. Back then, she had just graduated college. She was an aspiring writer, new in the city, in need of a job.

[Kat]

So I figured I should get a retail job. And the Lululemon was hiring. I knew nothing about Lululemon really. Like, I knew that sort of basic girls wore it, but I didn't own anything by it.

[Natalie Robumed]

Kat didn't know that the company culture and some of the people there would be kind of intense.

[Kat]

So I went to my interview, which looking back on was fully crazy. Like it was a group interview. And they sat us down on the floor in a circle and I was definitely the only person who didn't own anything by the brand. And I remember there was this one lady who had just quit her corporate job to come work at Lululemon because she was so obsessed with the brand and so obsessed with product and she was wearing head to toe Lululemon and knew everything about it. And she really wanted that job. But hilariously, I got it because at the time they were introducing running clothes and I was a runner. And so they wanted to hire someone who could product test the running clothes and like sell them in the store, which I did, which was pretty sweet because then they would pay me to go on runs and stuff. So it was actually pretty great.

[Natalie Robumed]

There were other perks too. Like employees were given a debit card with some money to spend on yoga and fitness classes each month. But there were some Lululemon practices that were just sort of strange. I'm not even talking about the intense Lululemon fans, like the woman who quit her corporate job to work there. I'm talking about the weirdly personal things the company made their employees do. Like, Lululemon was really big on helping employees set goals and achieve them.

[Kat]

So we would have these workshops, and in staff meetings, there would be dedicated time to goal setting, where you would set set your goals for, like, six months a year. I wanted to be a writer, and they helped me set all these goals around writing. And most of the people in my store were all aspiring to be on Broadway and were musical theater actors and performers. And so often their goals revolved around that. And even though it's kind of cheesy, I still, like, use a lot of those skills and the sort of rules around goal setting.

[Natalie Robumed]

For a basic retail job with a high turnover of employees, this was pretty deep, personal stuff. Too personal, I'm sure, for a lot of people. But for Kat, who was so young and so new to the city, it was actually pretty helpful.

[Kat]

I'm a novelist now, so I am a writer now, and I guess I should probably thank the goal setting skills I learned at Lululemon for that.

[Natalie Robumed]

There are a lot of novelistic things at Lululemon, when you really think about it. Tightly wound women in tightly wound clothes, Aspirational quotes on walls and merchandise bearing down on them. Merchandise that would one day be splattered in blood. When someone in one of those stores snapped.

[John McCarthy]

It was diabolical and horrific. She says that was followed by screams, yelps, yells.

[Brittany Norwood]

And then as the voice faded, she.

[Natalie Robumed]

Said she heard a woman say, God, help me. Please help me.

[Jonathan Van Ness]

In the case of Lulu, I think.

[Natalie Robumed]

That Chip got steered the wrong way.

[Brittany Norwood]

I really appreciate it, but based on.

[Kat]

My research, I don't think it's a.

[Natalie Robumed]

Good fit for me at this time.

[Kat]

And I kind of listed out all of my reasons without saying it.

[Rachel]

Sounds like a fucking cult.

[Natalie Robumed]

From Sony Music Entertainment and Campside Media, I'm Natalie Robomed.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

And I'm Vanessa Grigoriadis. This is infamous Murder at Lululemon, Episode one.

[Natalie Robumed]

Now, maybe you can tell from the title, but this story is a little more traditional true crime than we normally cover. But it's also much more than a seemingly salacious murder. It brings together so many disparate threads of what it means to be in America in the 2010s, which is the era we'll be covering. It's about womanhood, about how brands and fitness fads and fashion labels became the touchpoints of our lives, almost creating a moral system for us and the reasons why we break those moral systems, why we do the worst things we do as people. For this story, we also called the courthouse to get a hold of police interrogation files and court documents. It was so much stuff that they mailed a thumb drive to us, but it got returned. So we ended up sending the sister of one of our colleagues to pick it up near D.C. long story short, we eventually got our hands on a ton of files, some of which have never been published before. So you'll get to hear a lot of those insider tape recordings over the next few episodes. With that, I'll hand it over to Vanessa.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

We're opening this story in an upscale shopping district in Bethesda, Maryland. It's March 12, 2011. It's early morning. Not too much noise out there. The streets around the boutiques are just starting to stir. The stores aren't quite open yet. Sidewalks are just coming to life. One of the stores is an Apple store, because of course it is. And it's well designed, like all Apple stores, and really, really popular. Even before it opens, there's customers there because the iPad2 has just been released. Now, this iPad had that cutting edge front facing camera, which all of our tablets do that today. But back then, it was the first iPad where you could FaceTime. People were very excited about it. So many people came to buy it the day before that they were turning customers away. Right next door to Apple, there's Lululemon, everybody's favorite athleisure store, home to those leggings that can run $100 and just make your butt look really good.

[Natalie Robumed]

The first employee, Rachel, arrives. She's wearing orange sneakers. She's the manager of this particular Lululemon, and she's arrived to open it for the day, as she's done on so many other days. But almost immediately, right when she approaches, she can tell something is wrong. Really, really wrong.

[Jonathan Van Ness]

What is the emergency?

[Rachel]

Hi, yes, I'm at 4856 Bethesda. I'm opening up my Lululemon store and the door was completely open and I hear someone moaning in the back. And it looks like it's been vandalized. And I'm just really scared to go in. So you just got there and the door was open?

[Natalie Robumed]

You hear someone in the back?

[Rachel]

The door is totally open. It's vandalized in the back. And I hear someone. But I don't. I'm, like, really scared. Okay, just wait outside.

[Natalie Robumed]

We'll be there in a sec.

[Kat]

Okay.

[Natalie Robumed]

While Rachel is waiting for police to arrive, she walks over to the Apple store, where the iPad line is still forming. She flags down a man and asks if he can help. He agrees. According to Dan Morse's book, the Yoga Store Murder, the two of them walk into Lululemon together. Inside, everything seems normal at first. Racks of bright, neatly folded clothes, Lots of inspirational sayings on the bags. And a chalkboard on the wall. Today it says, may each of us equally enjoy happiness and the root of happiness. But then he notices something stains on the floor. Small at first, but as he walks deeper inside, he sees more and more. It's blood. Some of it pooling beneath a purple door. He pushes the door open, and what he sees inside sends him running back to the storefront, straight to where Rachel's waiting.

[Rachel]

Ongoma County 911. What is the emergency? Hi, yes, I just called 911 to come, and there's two dead people in the back of my store. There's two people. There's a woman that's alive and she's breathing. She's tied up. One person seems dead, and the other person is breathing. My store, the door was open this morning. I just came up to the door and I noticed it was unlocked, which is just. It's never unlocked. Someone's tied her up. She's still breathing. And where is the other person? There was a struggle. There was a fight. The other person is in our back hallway. One is in the bathroom. I'm so sorry, ma'am, if I'm a little crazy right now. I'm the manager of this store, and I am so scared that one of my girls is hurt. One of your girls? Yeah, I'm the manager of the store. Yes. Okay. One of your employees is the one that.

[John McCarthy]

Yeah, one of my.

[Rachel]

I'm sorry, one of my employees.

[Natalie Robumed]

That's the kind of place that Lululemon in Bethesda was a place where the manager spoke about her employees so lovingly. A place imbued with an almost religious sense of calm and purpose. And now there are two female bodies lying on the floor. The scene is utter chaos. This is a neighborhood that is not accustomed to random violent crime. Crowds begin to gather. Rumors spread. Meanwhile, at a nearby diner, State's Attorney John McCarthy, the chief prosecutor for the the entire county of almost a million people, is enjoying a quiet breakfast.

[John McCarthy]

Saturday morning. Beautiful Saturday morning. Bright sunny day.

[Natalie Robumed]

His cell phone rings.

[John McCarthy]

The first phone call I got were questions from the Washington Post about crowds of people that were beginning to mill on Bethesda Avenue in downtown Bethesda around the Lululemon store. I very quickly learned that it was a homicide and I immediately left from where I was having breakfast and went directly to the scene of where the murder had occurred. I assigned this case to myself. They don't seem like the typical kind of people are going to find themselves in this kind of situation. This is not a neighborhood where this kind of thing happens. None of it seems to fit.

[Natalie Robumed]

But what McCarthy didn't know was that over the next few days the investigation would take some pretty bizarre turns, making it one of the most insidious, strange and infamous crimes he witnessed in his decades long career.

[Jonathan Van Ness]

Hi everyone, this is Jonathan Van Ness. Clean water, fresh air, our health, electricity, Honey we tend to take for granted the things that matter most, like the separation of church and state. Americans United for Separation of Church and State has been on the front lines defending your freedom to live and believe as you choose, so long as you don't harm others. Most folks don't see how church state separation affects our daily lives until that freedom is gone. The separation between church and state covers many core freedoms like civil rights for LGBTQIA plus people, women and racial slash religious minorities or reproductive justice and freedom. But those rights are not a given. Every day, Americans United works at the state and federal level to make sure these freedoms and more are protected for every American to enjoy and benefit from. They can't do this alone though. Join Americans United for Separation of Church and State and growing the movement because church state separation protects everyone, freedom without favor and equality without exception. Learn more and get [e-mail] Curious cold.

[Unknown]

Weather means more time indoors for both me and my cats, but the last thing I want is my cozy space ruined by litter box odors. Pretty Litter's advanced odor control keeps my apartment fresh even when the windows stay shut. My old litter left a lingering smell no matter how often I cleaned it. But Pretty Litter traps odor lasts longer, plus it ships right to my door. So no dragging heavy litter around on the subway. And Pretty Litter gives me peace of mind. It changes color to warn me about potential health issues in my cats, like UTIs or kidney problems so I can catch them early. Indoor cats and indoor humans agree. Pretty Litter helps my apartment smell fresh and clean. Go to PrettyLitter.com infamous to save 20% on your first order and get a free cat toy. That's PrettyLitter.com infamous to Save 20% on your first order and get a free cat toy. Prettylitter.com infamous terms and conditions apply. See site for details.

[John McCarthy]

This is infamous from Campside Media.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

So before the break, we were talking about the Lululemon in Bethesda, Maryland. That's a classic inner ring suburb where you're close enough to the city for commutes, but you also have the great schools. Not a lot of crime. It is a very educated and upscale place. There's tons of economists, lobbyists, you know, chemists, just people with a lot of education. And then meanwhile, you have in Lululemon, the place that everybody's getting their leggings for doing their athletics or just hanging out. This grisly murder. The place is spattered with blood. This is the kind of murder you see on csi, not in Bethesda.

[John McCarthy]

Look, this is a place that's two doors down from the Georgetown cupcake store. I mean, people are thinking, this is where I'm going to send my kids to get a cupcake. You know, this is not happening next door to the cupcake store. It's just so out of place.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

But the women who were inside that Lululemon who were hurt, they very much belonged to Lululemon. In fact, they themselves were employees or educators, as they're often called there. They were selling clothes in a boutique that wasn't just really about clothes. It was also about all of that stuff you heard earlier, the goal setting, the inspirational quotes. One of them was named Jana Murray. She was 30 years old.

[Natalie Robumed]

She'd graduated from George Washington University with a degree in business and marketing and was both an outdoorsy person and someone into corporate life. As a kid, she tagged along to boy Scout campouts with her dad. She took dance lessons. She was fluent in Spanish. She was very athletic. And McCarthy told us that she'd come by her job at Lululemon in a really interesting way.

[John McCarthy]

The only reason she was even in that store is because she was getting her third master's degree from Johns Hopkins. And one of her professors was somewhat taken with the Lululemon corporate model and said to her, as a dissertation topic, potentially, you know, you ought to consider writing about Lululemon and their corporate model. And that's why she went there. She wrote her paper, got her master's degree, her thesis was accepted, but she became friends with the other young women that worked there. She thought they were vibrant, they were exciting, they were smart women, and she liked hanging out with them. So even when the paper was done, she didn't need the money. She did it for the Camaraderie. So staying engaged with these young women was something she enjoyed.

[Natalie Robumed]

So Jaina is this go getter. She was actually about to move to the Pacific Northwest to be with her boyfriend and then this horrible tragedy occurs. So what about the other victim?

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

That's 28 year old Brittany Norwood. Her parents actually had nine kids and she was the sixth of those nine kids. They used to live outside of Seattle. They didn't have a lot of money. I mean, her dad made a living as a furniture upholsterer, which is hard when you have nine kids. But they really were hard workers. You know, great family, did the best that they could for their kids. She grew up to be a tremendous athlete. She was a really good soccer player, was on the varsity soccer team as a freshman and played in games like almost immediately. She was super outgoing, really pretty. She used to like put on this sort of lavender scented Johnson and Johnson baby lotion. So people thought she was beautiful. And she got a soccer scholarship, full ride to play soccer.

[John McCarthy]

I was also very athletic, loved to work out, like to have a good time with all, like all the other girls did. One of the things she used to do is if women came in, she would challenge some of the customers who thought they were in great shape to push up contests or sitting up contests because she thought she could do more push ups or sit ups than anybody because she was a very strong, powerful young woman who'd been a Division 1 athlete in college.

[Natalie Robumed]

So these two athletes, Jayna and Brittany, were the women inside the store, the women who had been brutally attacked.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

This episode is brought to you by Pluto tv. Are you looking for your next case? Pluto TV has all your favorite crime dramas streaming for free, which means suspicion is free with countless cases to crack. Watch csi, Criminal Minds, ncis, Blue Bloods.

[Natalie Robumed]

Tracker, FBI and swat.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

All for free from all your favorite devices. Feel the free Pluto TV stream now. Pain never. Meghan Trainor, Laundry retrainer.

[Natalie Robumed]

Meghan Trainor.

[Kat]

You're tossing out my gunky laundry detergent bottle.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

It's got that booty, that juicy boom.

[Rachel]

Boom that go right.

[Natalie Robumed]

Alright. Arm and hammer power sheets. Toss like this, It's a no mess.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Laundry bliss.

[Natalie Robumed]

Arm and hammer power sheets.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

More power to you.

[John McCarthy]

This is infamous from Campside Media.

[Natalie Robumed]

Now I want to zoom out for a second and talk a little more generally about fitness and its role in our lives. Specifically the kinds of boutique fitness classes and luxury gyms that Lululemon outfits you for. The ones that got wildly popular in the 2010s like SoulCycle, CrossFit, and Equinox. These expensive, cultish workouts that aren't just a way to move your body, but a lifestyle choice, a brand that can come to define your identity. I don't think it's a coincidence that that Americans move away from organized religion has coincided with the rise of these sorts of identitarian fitness regimes. And there is something religious about them, I think. The dimly lit candles at SoulCycle, the arduous penance of CrossFit lifting. The high ceilings and zigzag atriums of Equinox. This modernist architecture built to inspire awe and make you feel small, like you're in a cathedral. And Lululemon stores. They're one of these sacred spaces. You've probably been in one, or at the very least, walked by one. They look beautiful. Spotlit tables, felt mannequins dressed in their famous stretchy yoga pants. Neat little cubbyholes showcasing rolled up yoga mats just ready for the taking. It's high end and deeply aspirational. A place to buy clothes that promise to make you a better person. Person. This Lululemon store in Bethesda was no different. Behind the counter were red shopping bags with sayings on them, like modern day commandments. Things like breathe deeply and appreciate the moment successful people. Replace the words wish, should and try with I will. This environment made the gruesome scene police discovered in Lululemon all the more disturbing. Sacrilegious, even. We got a hold of a video from the actual crime scene. At first the store looks normal. Everything seems to be in its right place. But then you notice a mannequin is lying on the floor. It's got black bike shorts on and a striped shirt. And there looks to be a bloody shoe print near it. Towards the back of the store, there are signs of a struggle. Another mannequin has toppled over. There are clothes and reusable water bottles littered about. And there's a black athletic bag that looks like it's been dropped on the ground. Its contents spill out. A white candle, a tube of lip balm, a pair of headphones. And in the back of the store, behind a purple door, they find Jaina, the George Washington grad with multiple master's degrees. She's already dead. Her hair is tangled and matted. There's a big open cut on the back of her head. A rope lies underneath her neck. The back of her pants look as though they've been ripped or cut open. In the bathroom, they find Brittany, the strong athlete who'd once challenged customers to push up contests. She's on the floor. But she's still alive. She's got cuts all over her face and she's moaning. She's wearing white footy socks covered in bloodstains and black yoga pants that have been torn open at the crotch. Plastic zip ties bind her ankles and wrists. A grey shirt is wrapped around her neck. It's printed with the saying, set your goals. Life is too short for the treadmill. Get out and run. The beige bathroom tiles are smeared in bloodstains. In the video, you can see three white flowers strewn on the floor, their ivory petals offset by the crimson streaks. Outside the bathroom is a wooden Lululemon coat hanger, a bottle of Windex, used paper towels, and a Buddha statue, one of those little ones about 10 inches tall. The Buddha has been knocked over. Brittany doesn't look like she's in good shape at all. So she gets rushed to the hospital. When she's there, she's stable enough to talk. She's freaked out, but she's coherent. So an investigator sits down with her, a woman, and Brittany starts talking to her.

[Brittany Norwood]

If I could just get your name. Britney. Brittany. Okay, Brittany, do you have a middle name? And what's your last name? Barwood. N O R. W O O D O O D. Where do you work at? Lululemon. How long have you been there? Maybe a little over a month. Okay. Working there about a month. I just transferred from our Georgetown store. What are you just. Are you a worker? Are you a manager or whatever? I'm educator. So just not a manager. Considerate. Educator. Educator. Okay.

[Natalie Robumed]

Britney tells her what happened that day, or rather that night when she and Jaina were attacked. They had shut down the store together, which means that they closed out receipts, turned off the lights, and then right before they left, each of them checked in the other's bag to make sure there had been no sticky fingers, that no items had been shoplifted. These were called bag checks. And it was the way Lululemon closed out stores each night, no matter where in America they were.

[Brittany Norwood]

We actually left, like at about 9:45. We left the store. How do you leave the store? Through the main entrance. I was working. Jaina. Jaina. Do you know her last name? Murray.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

About a half hour after they left, Brittany called Jayna. And she said she'd left her Metro pass inside the store. She needed to go home. And Jayna came back because she was the one with the key. Cause she's the supervisor. And the two girls met up in the store.

[Brittany Norwood]

We'll set the alarm and leave. And that's Normal. And I got to the Metro and actually realized I didn't have my wallet. So I called her and let her know I didn't have my wallet. And she was like, well, I noticed I didn't have my laptop anyway, so it's fine. So I just met her back in front of the store. Went around what time? Maybe, like, maybe a little after 10. If even then I don't think that we locked it behind us and she turned off the alarm and we both went to the back. Did you find your wallet? No. And we looked for like maybe 10, maybe like close upon, like 10 minutes. And it was just like a sleep, fine, sleep. I work tomorrow. And she gave me her smart trip. So she's like, it's fine. Like, I just won't go out. Maybe this is a sorry. Right.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

And when they're in the back getting the metropass, that's when the attackers enter the store and let loose on the two women.

[Brittany Norwood]

And when we walked back out onto the floor, like, there was. She was a little ahead of me, and there was someone who they, like, I think it was maybe in her face, like, hit her in her face. And I turned to try to, like, leave it. Like a back exit door. Yeah. Turned to try to, like, go out of that door because it immediately sets the alarm off anyway. Okay. And I think there was two people. Okay. And they grabbed me and then threw me on the ground. Like, I don't know, like, what they hit her with. Well, the one guy, he was just like, repeatedly just, like, hitting her. And we were both, like, yelling for help. So there's definitely two people. Yeah. He had me by the hair. Told me if I said another word, he would slit my throat. And Jaina kept yelling and fighting and he just kept hitting her.

[John McCarthy]

They were followed back in by two men, both dressed all in black, one taller, one shorter. And the two girls were separated. She could hear where Jayna was being attacked by one of the men. And the man that took her aside sexually assaulted her, cut up her clothing and did some physical injuries to her as she listened to Jane, as it turned out, being killed a short distance away. But she couldn't do anything. They tied up Britney using plastic ties. Her arms were tied, her legs were tied, left on the floor.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

It sounds so scary, so absolutely nightmarish. And this would be the story that would lead the local news that night. The police chief would say that they had no indication at this point that this was anything but a random crime of opportunity.

[Natalie Robumed]

Next time on Infamous. It's a murder case that has stunned.

[Rachel]

Many here in Maryland and even grabbed national headlines.

[Natalie Robumed]

Jana Murray was laid to rest this.

[Rachel]

Weekend after being killed in the yoga.

[Natalie Robumed]

Store where she worked.

[John McCarthy]

The pattern on the bottom of that shoes was identical to the pattern of the shoe prints that were all over the store. Thor I couldn't do my thing and.

[Brittany Norwood]

All I could think was it was my fault because I lost. I forgot my wallet. It's not good enough.

[Natalie Robumed]

I know this is very difficult for you.

[Brittany Norwood]

You're doing a great job. Really are.

[Unknown]

Work takes up most of your time. That's why you should use stamps.com to save time with your mailing and shipping and have flexibility to focus on more important things. Stamps.com can handle all your mailing and shipping needs with rates up to 88% off. USPS and UPS add flexibility to your day with stamps.com go to stamps.com program to sign up for a special offer. No contract. Cancel anytime. That's stance com program.