Montgomery County prosecutors filed notice this week that they intend to seek a sentence of life in prison without parole if a woman is convicted of killing her co-worker at a Bethesda yoga store.
Brittany Norwood is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Jayna Murray. Norwood, 28, is accused of brutally beating 30-year-old Murray to death at the Lululemon Athletica where they both worked the night of March 11.
According to prosecutors, Norwood pretended that she was also a victim when police found the pair in the store the next morning. Norwood was bound, and told authorities that she had been sexually assaulted.
Norwood’s trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 24. Prosecutors previously said the case wasn’t eligible for the death penalty, making life without parole the harshest sentence Norwood could receive.
Prosecutors said at a hearing last month that they plan to introduce evidence from a medical examiner and DNA, shoeprint, blood spatter and rape experts.
Norwood’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment. He said last month that he was still exploring Norwood’s competency.
The Lululemon store, located at 4856 Bethesda Ave., was closed for months after the slaying but reopened in June.
