It is appearing unlikely that attorneys for the woman accused of killing her coworker at a Bethesda yoga store will argue that the woman was too mentally ill to be held responsible in the slaying.
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Attorneys for 29-year-old Brittany Norwood had until Monday to file a plea of not criminally responsible — Maryland’s version of the insanity defense — with Judge Robert Greenberg. But no new documents had been filed in the case by Monday evening, according to a Montgomery County Circuit Court Clerk’s office and the judge’s chambers.
Norwood is charged with first-degree murder in the March slaying of 30-year-old Jayna Murray at the Lululemon Athletica where they both worked.
Attorneys for Norwood did not respond to requests for comment Monday. A spokesman for prosecutors also could not be reached.
Norwood’s lawyers had sought to delay her trial while they investigated her mental health.
But late last month, Greenberg denied the request to postpone the Oct. 24 trial, saying her attorneys hadn’t articulated why they needed more time to prepare.
The psychological issues Norwood’s lawyers claimed she suffered have never been made clear. One of her attorneys, Harry Trainor, argued at an Aug. 30 hearing that an expert found that Norwood had a “major mental illness,” but needed to study interviews and records before making more specific findings.
Defense attorneys have also said that Norwood, a former soccer player, suffered concussions, and they were examining how those might have affected her mental health.
Prosecutors, however, argued in court filings that Norwood “specifically denied” having any mental-health problems. Her brother has also said that Norwood didn’t have any psychological issues, according to prosecution motion.
Prosecutors allege that Norwood pretended to be a victim after she brutally beat Murray to death to cover up the slaying.
When police found the pair at the store, located at 4856 Bethesda Ave., the morning of March 12, Norwood was bound and told investigators that she had been sexually assaulted.
The night before, Murray’s manager had instructed her to look into Norwood’s purse for evidence of stolen Lululemon merchandise. Later, Norwood called Murray to re-open the store because she had left her wallet inside, according to prosecutors. Murray returned, and Norwood is accused of severing her spinal cord and crushing her skull in the struggle that ensued.
