Statements a woman accused of killing her coworker at a Bethesda yoga store made to investigators after the slaying can be used against her at trial, a Montgomery County judge ruled Friday.
Lawyers for 29-year-old Brittany Norwood had sought to suppress five statements she made to detectives at the hospital, at her home and at the police station in the days after the March 11 slaying. Norwood was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Jayna Murray, 30, a week after police found Murray dead and Norwood bound at the Lululemon Athletica.
Prosecutors contend that Norwood posed as a victim to cover up the slaying. She was questioned by detectives several times over the next week, and her attorneys argued in court papers that she should have been told of her rights to remain silent and consult with an attorney.
Judge Robert Greenberg disagreed, ruling that Norwood spoke willingly to police and was not in custody, according to the Associated Press. Detectives testified Friday that they were treating her as a victim, not a suspect, at the time of the questioning, the AP reported.
The ruling was the second time this week Greenberg has sided with prosecutors in the case. On Tuesday, he denied a defense request to postpone Norwood’s Oct. 24 trial. Defense attorneys argued that they needed more time to examine her mental health in preparation for a likely plea of not criminally responsible — Maryland’s version of the insanity defense.
Prosecutors allege that Norwood brutally beat Murray to death, crushing her skull and severing her spinal cord. Murray’s bosses had asked her to look into Norwood’s purse for evidence of stolen merchandise.
