LULULEMON MURDER: THE JAYNA MURRAY CASE

Listener discretion advised: This episode discusses violence and sexual assault that may be disturbing to some listeners.

In March 2011, a gruesome discovery inside a Lululemon store in Bethesda, Maryland shocked the community. Thirty-year-old employee Jayna Murray was found brutally murdered, while her coworker was discovered bound in the back room, claiming to have been attacked by masked intruders.

At first, it looked like a robbery gone horribly wrong. But as investigators examined the crime scene, troubling inconsistencies began to emerge. The story started to unravel, revealing a disturbing truth that ignited the age-old nature vs nurture debate.

In this episode, we break down the timeline of that night, the forensic evidence that exposed the truth and how one of the most shocking workplace murders in recent true crime history was uncovered.

RESOURCES:

'Casefile Podcast': Case 210, Jayna Murray

Lululemon murder trial: Judge rules testimony from employee hearsay (ABC7 News)

New Book Details Reaction From Apple Store Employees During Lululemon Murder (Bethesda Magazine)

Jayna Murray Obituary (Dignity Memorial)

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This episode contains brief discussions of sexual assault, which may be distressing to some listeners. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is always available. Go to findahelpline dot com to access relevant services available in your country. Or dial nine eighty eight for this twenty-four-seven suicide hotline in Canada or the US. Please take care while listening.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

My name is Lisa, and I'm here with my co-hosts and siblings, Katie and AJ. And today I will be telling the story. And the case I have for you today is different than the ones I normally do. So this one is different because it's not unsolved. In fact, it was solved very quickly. There's no mystery about whether a crime occurred because a crime was committed and it was committed brutally. So what makes the case linger in my mind is the question of why? Why does anyone take another person's life? What makes someone snap? How does a moment something over something so small, which is the case in this case, turn into a decision that destroys lives forever? And it forces us to confront that age-old debate, one of my favorite, nature versus nurture. Are some people simply born evil, or can the environment someone grow up and create it? This is the case of Jaina Murray, also known as the Yoga Storm Murder. So it was another busy night in Bethesda Row in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 11th, 2011. The shops were bustling and the restaurants were filling up. Bethesda Row is a downtown district in Bethesda, Maryland, and it offers a mix of open-air boutiques and shops and restaurants, salons and spas. So 30-year-old Jaina Murray arrived for her Friday night at the Lululemon store. She knew it was going to be an especially busy night for them since their neighbors, which was the Apple store, had just released the iPad 2 and there had been a line out the door all day. So Jaina, who wasn't supposed to be working that shift but had agreed to cover for a co-worker, enters the store with her laptop tech under her arm. She wasn't due to actually start her shift for another two hours, but she wanted to catch up on some schoolwork. So Jaina was actually working on her master's theses. She was weeks away from graduating with an MBA, focused on business communications, and her theses was Lululemon's business model, including emergency planning procedures. Jaina loved Lululemon. She had been working there, she had been working for them for two years. She was a great employee, known for doing cartwheels across the store and dancing with customers during the quieter hours. Her boyfriend was visiting from Seattle the following weekend, and Jaina hoped to get all her schoolwork done before he arrived. She actually planned to move to Seattle with her boyfriend once school was done and had dreams of working for the Lululemon headquarters in Vancouver, BC. So that Friday night, there were supposed to be three people working, but one had called in sick. So it would just be Jaina and another employee, Britney Nolward. So 28-year-old Brittany Nolward had just recently been transferred to this Lululemon location from another one. She was athletic, charismatic, and had dreams of becoming a personal trainer and opening her own gym. As she arrived for work that Friday, she was closer to achieving that dream than ever before, having secured a job interview at a local gym the following week. By 9 p.m., Lululemon was shutting its doors for the night, while the Apple store next door still had people lined up for that new iPad, too. Jaina and Britney took about 45 minutes to do closing procedures, and then Jaina, who was the senior of the two, set the alarm and locked up. The two women said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, but not for long. The next morning, store manager and owner Rachel shows up at 8 a.m. to open the store. She passes a few people already lined up outside the Apple store to get that new iPad. So she stops outside the Lululemon store and is annoyed when she finds the front door unlocked. Rachel swears under her breath at Jaina for not locking up properly and opens the front doors. But as soon as she steps inside, the annoyance turns to fear because she can see something horrible has happened. Merchandise is shown all over the place, mannequins are toppled over, and a flat screen TV is smashed on the floor. She ventures a little further and hears moaning coming from the back and stops dead when she sees it, a bloody footprint. She runs out of the store and calls 911. There's a man sitting on the bench who notices Rachel running out of the store looking frightened. His name is Ryan and he's waiting for the outer store to open. And he asks Rachel if everything is okay and tells her he hadn't seen anyone enter or exit the store since he had been sitting there, but he offers to go inside and take a look. So Ryan makes his way into the store. He sees the bloody shoe prints. He walks past the clothing ax and into the changing rooms. And this is where the bloody footprints seem to increase. So he calls out to see if anyone is there, but there is no response. He walks through the back of the door. So the way this Lululemon store is set up, there's a half door at the back of the store, then another door that leads to like a hallway with an emergency exit. So Ryan walks through this half door at the back of the store, and this is what he sees a large pool of blood that is seeping out from the second door. So Ryan tries to push the door open, but it won't open. He feels like there's something pushed up against it that is keeping it from opening. So he forces it open just enough to see what inside. And what he sees is horrifying. There's a body of a woman who is propped up against the door and she is face down on the blood-drenched floor. So blood is splattered up the wall, and a rope is tied around the woman's neck. A red toolbox is sitting on the woman's back with multiple tools covered in blood scattered around her body. Ryan, panicked by what he has come across, he turns around and makes his way back outside. On his way back to the front of the store, he passes two staff bathrooms he hadn't noticed before, and a pair of legs protrude from one of the doorways, a pair of zip ties are around her ankles. It is the body of another woman lying on her back with her wrists bound above her head. She is covered in wounds on her face and upper body, and blood is coated all over her clothes. She's wearing yoga pants, and the crotch looks like it has been slashed open, and there's a white rock about the size of a baseball that lay beside her in a pool of blood. Within minutes, two officers arrive and make the way to the rear of the store. Once the officers establish that the perpetrator or perpetrators are not anywhere in the store, they begin tending to the woman lying in the hallway. It's Jaina Murray, and she has been dead for a while. So the officers rush to the bathroom where the second body of a woman lies, Brittany and Olward. Her eyes are closed, but she is still breathing. An officer cuts the zip ties from her ankles and wrists, and paramedics take her to a nearby hospital. So the Montgomery police waste no time beginning their investigation. So right away, it looks like robbery was the motive. All the registers were open, receipts were strown all around the floor, the safes are open and empty. So, meanwhile at the hospital, Britney regains consciousness. She has sustained multiple wounds to her chest, stomach, and legs. Her back has shards of glass embedded in it. Um, and there's a large wound on her forehead, and her right hand is covered in defensive wounds. While still in shock, Brittany Norwood tells her story about what happened just hours before. So, according to Britney, her and Jaina left the store and went their separate ways. But halfway to the subway, Britney realizes that she forgot her wallet in the store. She didn't have any keys to the store, so she calls Jaina to explain the situation. Coincidentally, Jaina also forgot something behind her laptop. So she tells Britney to meet her back at the store. They both arrived back at the Lululemon store at a little bit after 10. Jaina opens the door, turns off the alarm, and they start searching for Britney's wallet, but they can't find it anywhere. The two women searched for about 10 minutes before they decided to give up. Jaina gives Brittany Britney her metro card so she can get home and promises Britney she will look for the wallet again tomorrow. Then, Britney says, is at this moment, both ladies realize that they left the door unlocked when they came back in and someone is here. A man dressed in black, including gloves, a hoodie, and a ski mask, sneaks out from behind a clothing rack and hits Jane over the head with a middle bar. Britney goes on to explain how another man dressed in black grabs her by the hair and begins cutting at her with a sharp sharp object and warns her he will slash her neck if she says a word. The first man drags Jane into the back hallway and the second man takes Britney to the staff bathroom. According to Britney, the man was calling Britney racial slurs and calling her a dirty slot. Once in the bathroom, he throws Britney to the ground and rips open her yoga pants. Brittany begins crying uncontrollably as she describes the brutal rape that takes place that includes a clue to coat hanger. Afterwards, the man hits Britney in the head with a heart object. This hit causes Britney to float in and out of consciousness while the assault on her continued. Then her attacker tells her she needs to be quiet. So Britney quiets, and this is when she says she could hear voices coming from the Apple store next door. And she begins to pray that someone will come to the rescue, but no one does. After a little bit, the voices next door get quiet down, and the man yanks Britney to her feet and orders her out to open up the cash registers and safes. Britney obliges, and she says as she's doing this, she can hear Jaina screaming from the back of the store. She says Jaina's screams start loud and they get quieter and quieter and quieter until there's no sound coming from her at all. The next thing Britney remembers is being carried away on a stretcher and put into the back of an ambulance. When asked to describe the two men, Britney says they were both of medium build, but one was significantly taller than the other one. Jaina's attacker was approximately six feet tall, while the man who assaulted Norwood was about 5'5. From the voices, Britney guessed they were white American males. Since they were covered in black from head to toe, Britney isn't able to give much more of a description. She then tells detectives that she blames herself. If it was because of her, they had to go back to the store. If she hadn't forgotten her wallet, Jaina would still be alive. The interview takes about 48 minutes, and after it is done, a timeline of events start to take shape for police based on what Britney has told them. So police believe that the two men had seen Jaina and Britney go back into the store at around 10 and seen an opportunity to rob them and follow the girls inside. Lululemon announces right away that they are offering a$125,000 reward for any information that leads to the capture of the two men. And the chief of police address addressed reporters outside the Lululemon store, giving them descriptions of the two men and pleading for witnesses to come forward. So later that day, an Apple employee is interviewed. She is shaken and very upset. She was working the previous night during the attack and she had heard commotion next door. She had heard raised voices, but she had dismissed it as a spat between co-workers. She didn't go over to see what was going on, it didn't offer assistance, and now the guilt has arrived. So Jaina's murder had happened eight feet away where the app employees had stood and listened against the wall to Jaina's screams. So Lululemon didn't have any security cameras inside, which was I found very shocking. But Lulul didn't Lululemon didn't have any security cameras inside the store, but there was CCTV at the back of the store. And what those CCTV cameras showed was the first big break in the case. So it showed the car park that is shared by the Apple store. And at first nothing stands out, but then at 11 p.m., which is after the attack took place, two men enter the frame and they are both dressed entirely in black. The taller of the two wore a ski mask, rolled up like a beanie, and has a backpack slung over one shoulder while the other while the shorter man is talking on the phone. They are walking fast like they are in a hurry. They quickly walk out of frame. The detectives go back frame by frame to try and get a clearer look at the men's faces, but surprise, surprise, it's too blurry. So the two police detectives are convinced they got their guys, they just have to find them. Then another lead emerges. A day after the murder, a two-door silver Pontiac Jeep is found three blocks away from the Lululemon store in a car park, the car is Jaina's. But where the car is parked doesn't make sense to police. There was a lot of available parking at the front of the store, or closer to the store, at 10 p.m. when Jaina came back to help look for Britney's wallet. So why would Jayna park so far away? Once this is released, a patrol man comes forward to announce he was on duty that night and he had been patrolling that car park at around midnight, or a little bit after, and he says that he drove past Jaina's car, he noticed someone in the driver's seat. So this is about 90 minutes after those two men were seen on the CCTV camera, walking quickly past the store. The patrol man says he had considered pulling over the driver to see what was going on, but he decides not to. He had not been able to really see who it was, so he can't tell police any features or description of any sort. So two hours later, the patrol man is making his rounds again and he sees that car again in the same spot with its lights on, still, but this time he can't tell there's anyone in the driver's seat. The third time he makes his rounds to the car park, again he sees Jana's car, but this time the lights are off and no one is around. When the detectives hear this story, they assume it was Jana's killer in the car, but why? The police are more determined than ever to find the person or persons who did this. So tips are rolling in, and one name keeps popping up over and over. Keith Lockett. So Keith Lockett was a homeless man who was very well known in Bethesda. He didn't have um the best rap. He was known to get drunk and be verbally abusive to the woman in the community, and they were all terrified of him. So police discover that there's a local restaurant that Keith always goes to. So they visit that restaurant, and the manager there tells them that yes, Keith usually comes in every day, but on Friday, the day of the attack, and the day afterwards, Keith never came to the restaurant. So a worker from nearby gets wind that the police are looking for Keith and goes to police to tell them that he had seen Keith walk by the Lululemon store on the night of the attack and he had a backpack over his shoulder. The worker adds this little detail about the backpack because he thought it was strange because he had never ever seen Keith wear a backpack before. Keith was accompanied by two men and the worker had never seen before. Turns out, so like I said, this Keith guy had a long rap sheet, which included burglary and assault and assault and battery. So the police set out to search for Keith, and it doesn't take long to find him. He's in a hospital out of town, being treated for injuries to his face, which include a swollen eye. There are spots of blood on his clothes, and the police wonder if the blood is from the attack of Jaina and Brittany. DNA testing is done on Keith's clothes, and once Keith is released from the hospital, he's instantly taken to the police station. So he tells police he was attacked by a short Spanish dude and becomes visibly emotional as he tells police he was standing right across the road from the store when he says he saw a black man and a Spanish man rob the ladies and then quote, cut her. There are many inconsistencies with Keith's story, however, and police later discover he has mental health problems, so they cast doubt on his story and involvement. When no DNA evidence can be leaked, could be linked back to him, he's officially eliminated as a suspect.

SPEAKER_00 15:44

Do they think then that like I mean maybe we'll get into it, but like they think, oh, because he has mental health issues, he made it all up.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

Yeah, like he he I I didn't go elaborate further, but um essentially he he he starts telling the story like I saw a black man, mismanaged man cut the girls, and he's telling like he's saying what he saw through the window, but what that it's a lie combed like what he said is happening based on the scene and the like that really didn't really happen. He's not like being and then he changed the story again, and then they find out he has like um bipolar and he had a lot of mental health issues and stuff. So that's um yeah, they just jump in he's gonna be.

SPEAKER_02 16:23

Does that kind of match up with what Brittany was saying? Because she said there was two men that came into the store. Yeah, yeah. And then the CCTV shows two men, one with a backpack. Or it's like maybe he does see those men, but they didn't he didn't see them attack anybody.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

Yeah, yeah. He so like, like, and that home that um hardware worker saying I did see Keith that like with two men um walking past the store. But yeah, he's saying I looked through the window and I saw it all happen. He's trying to say what happened, but that doesn't go with what Britney said what happened. So they like yeah, so they and then there's no DN evidence the blood on him was actually his from the f someone did attack him. Like that's true, someone did jump him. Um and it was his blood, no blood of anyone else's.

SPEAKER_02 17:05

Um And they were like attacked in the back, right? So it's not like you could see that through the window, right? Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 17:10

Yeah, yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:11

Um so he's kind of just so did he like think he was actually like did he actually think that he saw it and was thought he was telling the truth, or he was like malicious maliciously just lying to it.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

I I didn't think take it as him being malicious. I think he really was like kind of out of it and just said, no, I did poor girls, I saw them cut I saw this guy cut her. But as you'll find out later, it happens in the back of the store. How could anyone see it? If and and and what he's saying doesn't go before Britney's story is. So anyway, they just miss him, they dismiss him pretty quickly. So Jaina's autopsy shows that the attack on her was brutal. She had bruises and lacerations all over her face and scalp, and her face was so disfigured that her features were unrecognizable. There were lacerations on her torso and back, some as deep as four inches. Her leggings were ripped at the crotch, and there was blood in a spot that seemed to indicate to police that Jaina had been sexually assaulted. Fibers of rope were found clenched in her hand that matched the rope tied around her neck, showing that Jaina had fought desperately to loosen that rope around her neck. However, strangulation was not the cause of death. Jaina died by a stab wound to her neck, a one-inch stab wound that severed her brainstem. Jaina had suffered 13 skull fractures and at least 331 separate injuries. 152 of those wounds were to her head, 105 of them were defensive wounds. These injuries to her were inflicted by many different objects that could be found all around the store and included in that toolbox that had been found sitting empty on Jaina's back when her body was found.

SPEAKER_02 18:49

I just want to say that like right now, this seems like if it was a robbery gone wrong, like first of all, why are they being the shit out of these girls before they even rob anything or attempt to? And it just seems like way too much of an attack for it to be random. I say that that's what I bring up. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

It seems like like targeting personal.

SPEAKER_01 19:09

Exactly. Yeah, personal. It definitely does. Yes. Okay, so that's that's a big red flag going up for police right away, pretty much. Um, so some of those chills that we used on Jada were a veg, a foot-long metal bar, a metal display hook, a box cutter, a Buddhist statue, and an Xacto knife. It's such overkill and seems personal. Usually a killing perpetu perpetrated by a stranger doesn't have such overkill.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

So three days after But also it seems a little bit um like personal, but also possibly um unplanned in terms of like because they're just using whatever is around. Not like they came with something.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

It was just like and it kind of goes with a theory, like the cops thinking like it ha like that it wasn't really planned, like two people, those two men happen to walk by seeing this girls go back into a store, and then that's when they decided we're robbing them. So that maybe it wasn't planned. It was c it was just opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

Like planned in the moment.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:08

But then why would it be it wouldn't be personal then if it was random people that happened to see two random girls go into a random store?

unknown 20:15

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 20:15

Unless you're just uh I mean, I guess it could be. Like if it's just you're a really fucked up person. I mean, obviously you are anyway, if you do it, regardless of who you are, but maybe they're just I don't know. Like two random people can just be so fucked up, they're just like, let's do this for fun because they want to.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

Yeah. Yeah. It seems to me, like, when they first when the police first come to the scene, they think of robbery robbery right away. I think once they reel once the medical examiner tells them how Jaina, what was found how Jayna died and stuff, it kind of switches to, I don't think of a strangers for the police anyway. I think that's what police I think the robbery thing, they don't think that for long. Three days after the attacks, Britney is released from hospital and into her family's care. She is one of eight siblings and she's surrounded immediately by her family. Her family, who had flown across the country from Washington State, are happy to have Britney close by. They had been worried about her recently. She had seen withdrawn and hadn't been sleeping well lately. So on the second day of Britney's release from hospital, the police visit her home to get a second statement from her. Um, they're no closer to solving this than they were a couple days ago, and they're desperate to gather more clues and info from the key witness. So Britney tells the story for the second time, taking time to collect her emotions all over again. But she does add some new details she hadn't before. She tells police that she now remembers that the two men had been laughing about the robbery and the rape. She tells also tells police there's something she had been keeping from them, something she was scared to tell them initially. The two masked men know where she lives. Brittany explained that the two men had gone through her purse and found two utility bills that were addressed to Britney, and the bills had her address on them. And ever since that night, Britney had been terrified that they were going. To come to her house and finish what they started. So after Britney gives her statement for the second time, um, Brittany's brother Chris asks to speak to police. He has a question that has been bothering him for a while. He asks the police, why do you think the killer spared my sister when Jaina had been so savagely beaten and murdered? The detective paused, and then he decides to answer Chris's question with one of his own. What kind of person is Brittany? This time, Chris takes a second to pause, and then he says this: Brittany is very secretive. So, while the detectives are at Britney's, Moore are back at the Lululemon store to reassess the crime scene for the hundredth time because to one officer specifically, there's something about the scene that isn't sitting right with him. Why were only Britney's footprints and one other set found in the store when there were two masked men involved? When police had arrived at the scene, they saw bloody shoe prints all over the store and around the cash registers. This made sense if Britney and one of the men were at the front opening the registers and empty and emptying the safe like Britney had said. One set of footprints were a size seven and a half new balance shoe that belonged to Britney, and the second set of footprints were from a size 14 V-Box men's shoe. But there were why isn't there four sets of bloody footprints? Not just two. Also, why were there no bloody footprints outside the st outside the store, either at the back or the front? So he goes back inside and looks over the scene again, and this time he notices something he hadn't noticed before. There's this table that is against one of the walls, and this table has drawers attached underneath it. So he decides to do something he hadn't done previously. He decides to open the drawers. He opens the first drawer, and inside the top drawer is a pair of V-Box men's sneakers size 14. The tread is an exact match to the large bloody shoe prints that were found all over the store. So the small and new balance shoe prints had suddenly stopped at the sink at the back of the store, and then there was another strange-looking blood trail from the sink to that table of drawers where the V-Box had been stored. So Rachel, the store manager and owner, is questioned about these V-Box shoes, and she says, yes, those are the shoes owned by the store, and they're kept in the store for the male customers to try on when buying pants. So this is the tiny detail that breaks the case wide open for this one piece of time.

SPEAKER_00 24:19

Why do you need shoes to try on pants?

SPEAKER_01 24:21

Oh, just for length, so to see how, like for like length. I was gonna say, don't they have their own shoes to try pants on with? You know what? I never actually thought of that. I'm like, oh that makes sense because like working retail. I'm like, oh yeah, we keep a pair of shoes. But then I was like, yeah, like I gotta say if it was like women's shoes, keep a pair of heels for a dress or something at the store. But like men come in, like, I don't know, yeah, you're right.

SPEAKER_02 24:45

Like, why don't they have their own shoes? May maybe men don't always come in with like workout shoes, maybe this is a pair of like sneakers what you would wear to the gym, maybe.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

But yeah. And also, I'm so it goes into like when I looked into this a little further, like it said if they want something tailored and they want to know how long it's gonna be with the shoes, because the shoes had a little bit of height, like they just want to get it, they just want to So this is the tiny detail that breaks the case wide open. The police quickly determined these Reebok shoe prints were staged. The shoe because the shoe prints were inconsistent with normal movement.

SPEAKER_02 25:15

When the rest of the So the Do those Reeboks that are the stores pair have blood all over them or look like they were washed off? To me, it's thinking like though they were like br somebody, like Britney, um like was like had those shoes on, made it look like someone else was there, and then washed them off, put them back.

SPEAKER_01 25:33

So we talk about this later. Um, they do get the person does wash them in the back sink. So the police quickly determined these rebox shoe prints were staged. The shoe prints were inconsistent with normal movement. When the rest of the police hear this development, it shocks them, and the shock only gets amplified by the next piece of info relayed to them. Those bloody shoe prints never left the store because the killer never left the store. Six days after the murder, March 17th, 28-year-old Brittany Norward arrives back at the police station, but this time she has agreed to give hair samples and fingerprint samples. When Britney arrives, she is taken into an interview interview room and is told the tech and is told the technician who is going to be taking her DNA samples is running late. So why'd they wait? Why doesn't Britney just tell the police one more time about the events of March 11th? So Britney tells her story for the third time, but this time, the police ask her if she had ever been near Jana's car before. Brittany says she hasn't. Then the technician comes in and Britney gives the DNA samples and goes home. The next day, the detective who had been to Britney's house before receives a phone call from Britney's brother Chris. He tells the detective that Britney has something she wants to get off her chest and can he meet with Britney. So Britney arrives back at the station. This time she has one of her brothers and one of her sisters in tow. And she tells the officer there's something she hadn't revealed before because she was scared. She now tells the officer that yes, she actually had been inside Jana's car before. She says, halfway through the attack, her attacker demanded her to move Jana's car. He doesn't give her an explanation to Brittany why he wants her to do this, that's just that she has to do it. She says, quote, they said if I was to pass anyone and open my mouth, I can consider myself dead, and that one of them would be watching me the entire time. I remember seeing a cop, but I was too scared to even wave him down. Brittany explains how she parked the car a few blocks away and walked back to Lululemon. She walked past pedestrians while she is covered in blood, but says no one notices her injuries and she was too scared to ask anyone for help. Why didn't she drive Jana's car to safety? So when she's asked this very question, Britney says the attackers knew where she lived and she was scared they would show up there. So the rest of her story continues, and it's all the same as the first two times. So when she's finished talking, the police get up and go grab her brother and sister and take them to another interview room and tell them something that shocks them to their core and that will shock the whole community. They say to her siblings, Brittany killed Jaina. Brittany's siblings are then told a horrifying story and are stunned into silence as the police go over all the extensive evidence they have collected that point to Britney as the one and only attacker. So this is this this is like a very short investigation. I'm gonna go into what they were all because behind because behind the scenes they actually things were pointing to Britney, but everyone, no one else knew that obviously. So this is what they um discovered during the week-long investigation. So those two men captured on CCTV camera behind the store, right after the attack, who seemed to be walking quickly past the store, were actually two kitchen hands that worked at a nearby restaurant, and they were running because they were late for work, and they had been interviewed and ruled out of suspects. So they were down right away. So there was a there was a ton of evidence that pointed to Britney inside the Lululemon store, but the analysis of Jana's car was the final piece of the puzzle that pointed to Brittany. So when they had asked Britney if she had ever been in Jana's car, they had asked that, uh already knowing she had been. Forensic examinations showed that there was blood in the car stick shift, the steering wheel, and the inside of the door. DNA analysis showed that blood belonged to two people, Jana Murray and Britney Norward. There was a black Lululemon hat that was found in the backseat of Jana's car that had a blood stain on it in the same exact location of the wound on Britney's head. DNA confirmed it was Britney's blood on the hat. So Britney at first said no, she had never been in Jana's car, and then came back the next day with that tale of, well, actually I was in her car because they made me drive Jana's car away from the store. So it was Britney, who the patrol man had seen during his rounds sitting in the front seat. Next, further interviews with the Apple store employees who had been working that night revealed to police that they had heard two women's voices that night, which would make sense, because there were two women in there, Jana and Britney, but it is what the employees heard the two women's voices saying that caused alarm. It is reported that the employees heard two women arguing loudly before the screaming began. Before the screaming began, one woman could be heard yelling, Talk to me, don't do this, what's going on? And then screaming, and then someone yelling, God help me. From the very beginning, Chris, Britney's brother, had thought it was strange that Jaina received such a savage beating and fatal injuries, while Britney received only superficial injuries that required only a short stay in hospital. Brittany had tried to explain this away, but saying the reason she had been spared from the brunt of the attack was because the rapist had said she was, quote, fun to fuck. However, Brittany was examined by a nurse who was trained in treating patients of sexual assault and found no clinical signs that Britney had in fact been raped. She also didn't find any physical injuries that you would suspect to see after a violent sexual assault, and there were no traces of semen at the scene. So, in Britney's original statement to police, she tells police she had not been near Jaina's body since the two had been separated. So when masked man number one dragged Jaina to the back hallway and masked man number two dragged Britney to the staff washroom, Britney's saying that's the last time she saw Jayna. However, three days after the attack, when Britney gave gave her second statement, she told police she just remembered something else. She says she remembered the attacker pushing her onto Jaina's body in an effort to psychologically torture her. Obviously, police believe Brittany concocted this random piece of info to explain why some of Britney's blood was found on Jaina's body. All injuries afflicted um that were on Britney, police discovered were self-inflicted. She could have easily um she could have afflicted them on herself. Britney had said she had been slashed and stabbed over her clothes, but none of the clothing she was wearing that night had any slash marks of any kind. When Britney was found, remember, she had her wrists zip tied together and her hands were raised above her head, which didn't make sense to police right away. There seemed to be no reason for the position because Britney could have like lowered her hands. Like, why was she like this? Like they thought that was kind of weird and over dramatic. Like she didn't have to have her hands over her head. They just, that was weird to them. So when the zip ties that were around Britney's ankles and wrists were analyzed, it confirmed that bite marks from Britney were found on them, meaning she had zip tied her hands together with her teeth. A two-inch laceration that was between Britney's thumb and forefinger was initially believed to be a defensive wound from a knife, but was later determined to be a wound from the knife slipping from Britney's hands as she was stabbing Jayna. And then comes and then the attack itself. So, like I said before, um Jaina was so savagely murdered and her face was left disfigured, it pointed to the attack being personal. Someone who had a lot of rage towards Jaina and not a very not a random stranger. So this begged the biggest question of all. Why did Britney Norward murder Jayna Murray? So I'm gonna go into the background of Britney a little bit and kind of get you to, I'm gonna take you to a background on what led up to her working at Lululemon. Kind of paints the picture a little bit of her. So uh Brittany Norward, she came from a very good family. Um, it was a family of overachievers, and she grew up in Washington State. She did well in school and excelled in all aspects, but it was on the field playing soccer where her talents really lied. Britney had actually received an athletic scholarship at Stony Brook University, where she was named the team's most valuable player. She dreamed of being a social worker, and she was studying social sociology and psychology as well, which is just fascinating that she was, of all people, studying psychology. And then in 2004, Britney is asked to leave the university. This comes after numerous friends accuse her of stealing from them. So Britney does admit to stealing but promises she wouldn't do it again, and and then breaks down and pleads to her friends to not abandon me. I won't I won't steal anymore. But that promise didn't last long. She then goes on to steal about$300 from her sister during a family gathering. But unlike before, Britney doesn't confess to this. She she's adamant she didn't steal from her sister. She then tells her family she graduated from university when in fact she got kicked out and left before she completed her degree. So after all this, Britney secures a job at Willow Intercontinental Hotel, which is actually just a stone's throw from the White House. And at this job, Britney is well liked and quickly gets promoted and even once received employee of the quarter. So things seem to be looking up. She seems to be getting her life on track, but not for long. In 2007, she and her boyfriend both broke up after 18 months. A year later, she breaks into his house and steals various things like jewelry, blank checks, and car keys. Her ex then files a restraining order against her, and in that restraining order, he says Britney had been physically abusive towards them and he feared for his life. So Britney violates the restraining order within two weeks, and an arrest warrant is issued for her, but it was never executed and it weren't expired after a year. So Brittany had a goal of becoming a personal trainer, so she left her job at the hotel, took a significant pay cut to work at Lululemon in Georgetown, D.C. Not long after she starts working there, she is accused of stealing from the Tills. In January 2011, two months before the murder, she is fired from the Lululemon job for abusing her staff discount. But she fights this. She fights against this, and in the end, Lululemon decides to instead transfer her to the Bethesda Row Lululemon instead. So this takes us to how and why Britney ended up at Lululemon and her like shady history prior to all this. So Brittany gets transferred to this new location and meets up with her future co-workers and sends them all a group text after meeting them, which reads, You have such a solid team. I know it will be a great experience. So everything seems to be starting off well. Britney is making a good first impression. So things are going good, but over the next coming weeks, her new Lululemon employees start noticing things are going missing. So they go to the manager and explain that someone is stealing. And when the manager checks the schedule, they notice that Britney was working every time something went missing. So there's a staff meeting two days before the attack. It's described as like a weekly leadership meeting. And at this meeting, the team discusses what to do with Britney and how to handle the thefts. They know they have to catch her in the act so they can actually legitimately fire her. So they toss ideas around, and one joke is they should have set up a nanny cam in the store. So by the time the meeting ends, the group has come to a decision. They decide to announce to the rest of the staff that there's possibly a thief among them and then see what happens with Britney. And before they all leave, Jaina makes a comment saying, like, I have to close with the thief tonight. Do you think I will catch her? So now it is Friday, March 11th. It's the day of the attack. Jaina and Britney are working together and they seem to be working happily together that night until it came time for closing. As the girls get ready to go, Jaina asks to look inside Britney's bag, which is standard store procedure for all staff members. When Britney opens her bag, Jaina sees a pair of yoga pants with the tag still attached and no store receipt. Britney says, you know, she bought them earlier that day, but since the cash registers were already cashed out and closed for the night, Jaina tells Britney not to worry. They would sort it out the next day. Then the two girls then the two girls lock up and exit the store. On the way to the to her car, Jaina calls the staff member, who Britney says rung up her purchase of the pants, and the employees denies ever selling Britney anything that day. So then Jaina calls her boss, Rachel, who tells Jaina not to worry now that they caught Britney in the act. Rachel is going to fire her the next day. Then, as Jaina's driving home to her house, Britney calls her, and that's when she tells her that she can't she forgot her wallet in the store and needs Jaina to come back and let her in the store so she can look for it. So once the girl both girls are back in the store, um, you know, Britney and Jana are the only ones who knows what happens next. Britney, for the most part, has kind of always denied her part in this, so no one knows for sure what happened, like exactly happened, but please think Britney probably asks Jayna what was going to happen to her now that she had been caught stealing. Things escalate from there. And again, no one knows what was really said, other than what the Apple employees heard them saying. So forensic examination shows Britney first attacked Jayna in the back of the store, hitting her in the head with the metal bar. Jayna fought hard against Britney, which was evident with the defensive wounds on Jaina. Then the final blow to Jaina, the fatal blow, was from a knife that was always kept in the back of the store. So, why did Britney move Jayna's car? Jayna had parked in a no-standing spot right outside, probably thinking she's only going to be a minute, running right inside to grab Britney's wallet. Britney feared Jaina's car would draw attention. Britney, so Britney rummages in Jaina's purse and grabs Jaina's car keys and she drives Jaina's car three blocks away to that random car park. And then police believe Britney sat in Jaina's car for a bit, which the patrolman had set had seen. Um, and she was like, like Brittany was likely sitting there figuring out what to do next. Had that patrol officer actually gone over to investigate, like he was he would thought about, he would have seen Britney covered in blood. Brittany then returned to the store at some point and stirred in the huge amount of blood from Jaina's body. Brittany then took out the reebox shoes and put them on and walked the bloody shoe prints out to the registers and safes. She then put a new balance shoes on and repeated the process, walking around the register and safes to create the evidence of that part of her story. She then walks to the back sink and washes both shoes in the back sink. She then puts a new balance shoes on and walks the reebox shoes back to the drawer, and as Britney walked, her own shoelaces left little marks of diluted blood, which is that strange blood trail that the cop was like, I couldn't understand where it was coming, where it was from. Brittany then throws all the clothes from the racks all around the store, toppled over mannequins to make it look like a struggle had taken place. She slashes a hole in the cart of Gina's leggings to suggest sexual assault. And once the scene was staged, Brittany then inflicted several cuts on her own body, slashed open the crotch of her own pants to again make it seem like sexual assault. She was strained her ankles and wrists and laid on the bathroom floor. Now all she had to do was wait for the morning shift person to arrive. So Brittany's family refused to believe this at first. They refused to believe that the sister would murder someone over a pair of stolen yoga pants. That is exactly what it was. The lead detective working the case had a hard time accepting it was Britney as well. Over the course of the investigation, he actually grew really close to the Norwood family and really liked them. Britney's dad had actually invited the detective fishing once the investigation is over. So he's going close with Britney's family, the detective, and he just cannot believe that Britney did this. So on March 18th, exactly one week after the murder, so it's only a week-long investigation, very short. On March 18th, exactly one week after the murder, Britney's arrested for first-degree murder. The day of the arrest also happened to be the day of Jaina's funeral. Over 200 people gathered to say goodbye, including the Lululemon Lululemon founder and CEO. So while Jaina's parents were driving to their daughter's funeral, they received the call they had been waiting for. They have made an arrest, but when they learn who, they are horrified. The horror of the crime was compounded by the betrayal. The murderer had been a trusted coworker, someone who worked alongside Jaina moments before her death. I talked about Brittany's background a little bit. I'll go quickly into Jaina's background, which is not a lot about Jay out there, which is unfortunate because she's the victim. I couldn't really find a lot about Jaina. I found a lot about Britney, but this is just a quick synopsis of who Jaina was. So Jaina Murray, she was a graduate student at John Hopkins University, and she spent much of her childhood in the Houston area. She attended a university in Spain for two years before graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Jaina was near completion of her Master's in communication and master in business administration from John Hopkins University. She loved animals, dance, and travel, and she also carried with her an extensive volunteer resume involving many different organizations. Jaina loved life on the edge and to the fullest. Multiple adventures and all phases of completion describe the way this incredible young woman lived her life. So that's kind of a brief synopsis of who Jaina was. Brittany has never confessed, never like she never confessed to the crime, but to the surprise of everyone, during opening statements, her defense team does admit that Britney did kill Jaina. But it wasn't first degree, it was second degree. So the defense acknowledged from the outset that Britney Norwell was responsible for the killing, but sought to persuade jurors that she acted in a sudden rage rather than with deliberate attempt. So the trial lasts for six days, and during the trial, the medical examiner testifies that Jana suffered more than 300 wounds and that Jina was alive for all of them. And Britney used at least five different weapons, which I kind of talked about earlier. And the motive? Theft and escalating anger. Jana had caught Britney stealing yoga pants from the store earlier that day. Threatened with exposure and termination, Britney lashed out violently, brutally murdering her colleague in a premeditated attack. Her superficial injuries, initially thought to be from the attackers, were self-afflicted to complete the deception. Blood spatter specialists shocked the courtroom by stating that Murray was attacked first while upright, then again as she crouched down, and the experts said the most lethal strikes occurred once she was down on the floor. So prosecutors said they had planned to seek a sentence of life in prison without parole. But Brittany Nolwood's attorney, Douglas Wood, argued that she lost control and used whatever weapons were nearby, maintaining that the crime did not involve the premeditation necessary for a first-degree murder conviction. In his closing argument, her lawyer attempted to raise doubt by describing the incident as a fight between Nolwood and Murray, asserting that Norwood simply lost it. Had jurors accepted this argument, Nolward could be found guilty of a lesser charge of murder, which carries a reduced sentence. However, jurors were unconvinced after hearing days of extensive forensic testimony, including evidence about Murray's blood spattered throughout the store and bloody shoe prints recovered from the floor. Prosecutors emphasized the length of time the attack took and the numerous weapons involved. Under Maryland law, premeditation can form in an instant. So in closing arguments, uh the prosecutor argued that the forensic evidence clearly demonstrated that Norwood carried out a premeditated killing. The jury deliberated for only an hour before delivering the verdict, guilty of first degree. Brittany Norwood was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on January 27, 2012. Moments before receiving her life sentence without the possibility of parole, Brittany uh tearfully apologized to the family of the woman she was convicted of killing. She had she says, quote, I hope for the Murray family, someday you'll be able to find forgiveness in your heart. I am truly sorry. But the judge, Robert A. Greenberg, uh, he denies um Norwell's request for a sentence that would have made her eligible for parole, a plea that Brittany said would leave her some hope. And so the judge goes on to say, I'm exceedingly reluctant to grant you even the slightest chance of doing this to another member of the community. And as the judge delivered the sentence, members of the Murray family applauded and exhaled in relief. Um, so the judge was on to the judge is disgusted with Britney. He goes on to say, on several different levels, this case exemplified the worst of human behavior, Greenberg said, citing both the cold-blooded, calculated manner in which Norwood carried out the crime and the callous indifference at the Apple store employees who heard the incident unfold and didn't do a blessed thing. Most of us can only shake our heads in amazement, wonderment, and disgust, he added. A person who can commit such a crime stands very little chance of being rehabilitated. Andre Norwood, who's Brittany's brother, described the enduring love and support his family had for his sister and said the trial portrayed her as undeserving of sympathy. And he says, quote, I know a different person than the one presented in court. In his remarks, Andre urged the judge to allow his sister the possibility of parole. She deserves to face the consequences of her conviction. Brittany understands that, and so do I. Still, he argued that the sentence shouldn't should recognize that Britney is someone worthy of compassion, capable of rehabilitation, and perhaps one day redemption. After the sentencing, Montgomery County State's attorney McCarthy addressed reporters, describing Greenberg's ruling as fair, just, and appropriate. With this sentence, Mr. No Miss Norward will spend the rest of her life in prison. So a lot of people have been talking about the Apple employees, and how could they have heard this and not done anything?

SPEAKER_00 46:26

Um, that was my question. Yes. But then then they they say what they heard. I'm like, that's more than.

SPEAKER_01 46:35

So uh the Apple employees who were who were working that night, they actually testified for the prosecution. Um, and the shocking testimony reveals that the Apple store employees next to the Lululemon store heard Murray's desperate cries for her life as they locked up, but did nothing or called and did not call for help. So there's two actually really good books about this murder. Um there's one called the Yoga Store Murder, The Shocking True Account of the Lululemon Athletica Killing by Dan Morris. And he actually, I just want to read you aspirin, because he talks about what, like actually what the Lululemon, what was happening at the Lululemon store at the Apple store during the attack. So this is it from his book. So Jaina heard the noises as she crossed the sales floor of the Apple store, which are closed for the night. The sounds were a mix of high-pitched yelps and squeals, interspersed with low grunts, thuds, and the dragging of something heavy. Jana guessed they might be coming from a room near the back exit or from the upstairs area where technicians were still working. She called over security guard to help search. Jana and the security guard split up, regrouping two minutes later upstairs, where they met another young manager, Ricardo Rios. Screaming, the guard said, it sounded like some woman was screaming. They checked the technician's room. Nothing. Returning to the sales floor, more yelling reached their ears. It's coming from next door, Jana said, referring to Lululem Athletica, the upscale yoga store that shares a wall with Apple. So they share a wall, so they had like you can hear very like easily what's going on. Jana and Ricardo moved closer to the wall, and she can now hear someone pleading. Talk to me, don't do this to me. Talk to me, what's going on? Then Jana heard what seemed like a different voice, perhaps the same one that had been screaming earlier, but now the voice is quieter saying, God help me, God help me. Maybe I should maybe I should just call the cops, Jana says. That's up to you, Ricardo replied. He suggested it sounded like one person had just received bad news and the other was trying to get her to talk. I think it's just drama, he said. Ricardo went back upstairs. It was 10 19 PM, eight minutes after Jana had first heard the noises. Meanwhile, Wilbur Hawkins, a second security guard, had been watching the commotion. He assumed the crashing sounds could be a fallen merchandise display, and that the yelling was likely just horseplay. Jana, Ricardo, and Hawkins all shared the same conclusion, and there was probably a simple explanation for the noises. Um, so that's like expert from the book that kind of explains, goes into detail like what they what the Lululemons, I mean what the Apple people heard that night, and they still didn't do anything. They thought it was horseplay when someone's yelling like, God help me. So I guess that's kind of the horseplay they do, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 49:05

Um so wait, so Jana is someone from the Apple store?

SPEAKER_01 49:09

Yeah, no, it's a so Jana. Jana, I know, I was trying to make sure I said Jana. So it's Jana Murray's the one that got killed, and then there's Jana from the Apple store.

SPEAKER_00 49:17

Oh, okay. Because you said Jana, and I was like, I was like, is she actually saying?

SPEAKER_01 49:20

No, and I'm like, I'd make sure I say Jana. Yeah, so it's Jana, Jana. Okay. So that's kind of like the expert from the book when talks about the because a lot of people with this case can't get over the Apple store employees hearing something. So uh David Murray, who is Jaina's father, expressed a desire to turn his daughter's murder into something that could help others with early non-specific hopes of creating a law in her honor. So Murray shared that they plan to begin advocating soon for a member of Congress to support what he calls what we have now have the Good Samaritan Law. The proposed law aimed to address the culture of silence and encourage bystanders to intervene or report crimes without fear of repercussions. So we have the Good Samaritan Law now. I but I wait, it wasn't invented um because of this crime. It's just, we know it now, like Good Samaritan law, you caught if someone's overdosing or something. I think that's what it was. Like if someone's overdosing, you can't get in trouble if you have it on you. So that's what we know, that's what I know of the Good Samaritan Law. But anyway, so Jaina had moved to Maryland to pursue her passion for health and fitness. So to honor her memory, her family established the Jaina Murray Foundation, which awards scholarships to students who share her dedication to healthy living. The foundation held its first 5K benefit run in September of 2011. And according to event organizers, the race attracted about 600 people, consisting of mostly Maryland, Virginia, and DC residents. Runners also came from places as far as California and Japan, and organizers and participants range from age 8 to 83. So officials estimate that the event raised around$20,000 and all proceeds benefited the Jane M. Murray Foundation. After her 2012 conviction, Brittany Nolward filed it filed an appeal, contending that a police interrogation during what she first claimed to be a victim was improper because officers did not advise her of her of her Miranda rights. In 2015, however, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals upheld the conviction, concluding that she spoke with investigation investigators voluntarily, appeared to control the exchange, and was not legally considered in custody during the initial interviews. So, I mean, she wasn't considered a suspect, so why would they read her Miranda rights? So that's what she's saying, but the judge's like, nah, you're an idiot. That's not happening. Um, so so that's kind of where it ended. So 2015, they they denied her appeal and she's serving life in prison. So um this the story became known as the yoga store murder, and it's a tragic reminder of how deceit, jealousy, and violence can lurk in the most unexpected places. So, like I said, this case to me is very um, it just stuck with me because it's I um the I almost find these cases more interesting than the serial killer cases because you have someone who I mean, she had a shady past, but she came from a normal family, um, all like such a good family. There was no trauma, no abuse or anything, and she just someone just killed someone over a pair of yoga pants. Like it's just what makes someone kill someone. What was wrong with her? It's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 52:21

I always find it so interesting if somebody's crazy to me. Somebody commits a worse crime to cover up a small one. Like, she was gonna get in trouble for stealing, but I'm gonna murder someone just to cover that up. Like that does not help. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:32

I don't I it's almost more interesting to me than the serial killer cases because you have someone who only murdered once, had no history. It's just crazy. So it's kind so this also brings up, you know, the nature versus nurture debate, like I said. It raises questions about whether individuals are born with tendencies towards harmful behavior or whether their environment, upbringing, and experiences shape those tendencies. So it's you know, it brings up the question are some people just born evil, no matter or are or are they bred that way? What do you guys think?

SPEAKER_02 53:01

Well, was she a sociopath? Like, do they actually look at that? She does not empathize with anybody. She's like it's very selfish, everything's about her.

SPEAKER_01 53:07

I don't know. If you look at her picture, I think it's her mugshot, her eyes look, she looks evil. Like, she but like Yeah, I was looking that up. I she's evil. Her eyes, like, you know, I do believe that some people are born evil. I I do I do believe that. Um because it's like, you know, it she had a family of eight and she's the only one that had those tendencies. Why?

SPEAKER_00 53:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 53:34

Because you're a sociopath. That's not necessarily evil, but that like you can definitely go down the evil road if you're already don't have to be conscious, right?

SPEAKER_00 53:43

But I always wonder, like, can so I guess someone can be born a sociopath or you become that.

SPEAKER_01 53:48

I that's the debate, right? And I've always believed you'll some people are born. I mean, obviously nurture if you have a messed up environment too, that so that's for some people that kind of but some people you also hear the stories of eight-year-old kids who shoot kill their parents, you know, at eight. Like, I uh I don't know. It's just it's just crazy to me. So the I just there's some points to consider. So it says certain personality traits or predispositions like impulsivity, aggression, or difficulty with empathy can have biological roots, and these may take someone more prone to violent behavior, um the um, but they don't guarantee it. And then there's the nurture, which is childhood experiences, family dynamics, exposure to violence, neglect, or other traumatic events can profoundly shape behavior. But most psychologists today agree it's rarely one or the other. It's usually an interplay of both. Genetics might might set certain tendencies, but environmental factors often determine whether those tendencies are expressed. So in a case like Britney's, people often wonder, you know, was it something innate about her personality, or did life circumstances push her towards that tragic outcome? You know, so that's like that's the question about this case. Like, why? What made her over a pair of yoga pants? It's just so crazy to me. Like she she was just evil and got a scholarship, she was voted most valuable player and won like a poly of the month. She there was no I mean, she was stealing secretly angels. But like she was she everything, every job she got, she got promoted. She got scholarships, she got um athlete of the year, you know what I mean? Like she had it, she came from a great family. All her family was super overachievers. Everyone loved her parents, great people, and she does this. It's just so interesting to me.

SPEAKER_00 55:32

Yeah, I find it weird because like what would what's the worst that would have happened if she got caught stealing?

SPEAKER_01 55:36

She would have got fired, but like how is that worse than people say, oh, because she had that dream job interview lined up, so she probably thought, Oh, if I got caught for stealing, but like I can't get that reference, just use a different reference. Just lie, get a fake reference. I mean, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 55:51

Like they could have like pressed charges of like theft too. So she could have had a criminal record and then then Yeah, but it wouldn't have been like life in prison. No, I know. But she's probably thinking, like, I'm not gonna get that new job if I am like charged with stealing.

SPEAKER_01 56:04

You but you go to that extreme. That's what's so crazy. And the fact that she was she was studying, she wanted to be a social worker, and she was studying to be a social, and she wanted she was studying psychology and sociology, which is fascinating to me. Like, I don't know. This case is just I mean, like like you said, it's it's not a mystery. It was solved within a week. She's in jail, the body, like we you know, it's all tied up very quickly, but it's like, why? Why?

SPEAKER_00 56:31

Well, that's crazy. I don't know. I just find it so weird that someone would just snap like that. Like how maybe it's just also a little bit of like maybe part of it too is like a little bit of arrogance, like just assuming, oh, I won't get caught. Like, I can tell this story, I can make it look good, and like I'll just get away with it. Which is so crazy that someone would like resort to that over pants.

SPEAKER_01 56:51

Yeah. And it's interesting though, too. Like, like she said two masked men came in wearing all black, and then two masked men wearing black walked by the store right after the attack. It's like, and then you had that homeless guy that, like, see at first that certain things were gonna line up. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:07

She got lucky. Like, it was it a coincidence that those men were there, or did she like see them maybe and be like, oh, I'm gonna bring that into my story?

SPEAKER_01 57:13

Like, I don't know. She didn't, she was in the store for a bit and then she left out the front to get take Jaina's car, and then she laid there for the rest of the night. I don't know how she would I don't know, like they were just rushing past going to work. I don't know how she would have.

SPEAKER_02 57:29

It's it's crazy that she like laid there in the bathroom for that those so many hours, like just thinking about like did she fall asleep? Was she thinking about this the whole time? Like she didn't like change her mind, like crazy that she like went that into the she lay there until somebody found her.

SPEAKER_01 57:44

Yeah. Yeah. And so it's just like it's just crazy to me. I don't know. This case has stuck with me. Like I said, it's not nor like the normal ones. Like it's not a mystery or anything. It's but the mystery, I guess, is like how, why, like make it make sense, you know? But that's why I really do believe people are I I believe people are born evil. Some people are just bad seeds.

SPEAKER_02 58:07

Yeah. Well, it definitely is. I think it's arrogance and and like just selfishness. Like my reputation is worth more than your life, so I'm gonna kill you.

SPEAKER_01 58:15

Like yoga pants. I'm gonna kill you with a pair of yoga pants, you know?

SPEAKER_00 58:17

Like narcissism.

SPEAKER_02 58:19

Yeah, yeah, exactly. You see that with like, yeah, like you were saying, like kid kids kill their parents over like because they got their tablet taken away or something. Like that's like I've heard stories of that, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 58:30

Although it's not even an option to weigh, though, like I would never think that is an option. Like, you know, when you're in the moment and something's happening, you're I could either do this or this. It's like who would think, well, I could murder this person? Like, no one would, no normal person would ever think that. It's it's more so like I well, I could admit to it or I could lie. Not like, oh, I could just murder this person. Like that's that's wild.

SPEAKER_01 58:50

I don't think she would have gotten charged. I mean, you know, I've worked retail for years and there's been people we've caught staff stealing. We never press charges. I mean, we just fire them. But I don't think.

SPEAKER_00 58:59

I don't think it's not worth the effort, like to press charges and all that.

SPEAKER_02 59:02

It's probably just like it all depends on how much. I've worked at in stores too where with I've caught people stealing and they the police like escort them out. So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 59:12

Embarrassing. And like, yeah, it definitely but but it's just crazy to me, like, yeah, someone would think like it's more like being caught and like escorted out by police or something, or like being exposed as a stealer is worse than this alternate option. It's just so crazy. It's just crazy.

SPEAKER_02 59:27

Yeah, like you think you like you didn't get away with the theft. You think you're getting away with this like elaborate murder? Like it's it's like a delusion. It's definitely delusional as well.

SPEAKER_01 59:37

And it's like the way the the the anger towards Jaina, like 331 stab, and she was that mad because she stole? Like she mad at Jaina because you stole. It's like a psycho, it's like I don't know, it's like how dare you say that about me.

SPEAKER_02 59:51

Like again, it's the arrogance, right?

SPEAKER_00 59:53

Yeah, it's like narcissism, like entitlement, yeah, delusion.

SPEAKER_01 59:58

Is this crazy? It's crazy to me. And when I first heard this case, like the way when I first heard it, when it was told to me, it made it seem like like I was like the punchline like at the very end was that J but Britney did it, but I was so shocked, like, and then I could not stop thinking about this case forever, even though it's not it's not a mystery at all. It's just like why?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:17

I don't know. Yeah, it is a crazy one.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:20

Oh, the pair of yoga pants, like that's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:23

It's silly, but yeah, it's like everything it it probably wasn't just about that one pair of yoga pants, like everything was building up, like she'd been caught before, and like that those kinds of things, and that was like finally this was like the last straw and she took it out on Jaina, unfortunately. But yeah, it is crazy.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:40

Wasn't really necessarily something about Jaina specifically, more so like it would have been anyone.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:44

Yeah, they were in Jaina's place. Yeah. You work at stores and the like I work I'm like the tourist I worked at, you know, everyone has to you go about looking at everyone's bag under the camera before you leave. That's just store procedure. But I mean, if you know that's the seizure, hide the hide the pans under something in your purse, you know? Like why would you keep it? Yeah, do a better job. You know, you know Jaina's gonna be checking. That's what's for procedure. Why have playing open with like the tag weight and playing side for everyone to see? Like, you know what I mean? Like you take the tag off or one thing. But like, why would you do that in your bag? Like, and it's just I don't know. It's it's all of this could have been she could have gotten away with with stealing much easier. Yeah. You didn't have it in your bag for the world to see.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:26

I I'm thinking like she was like doing stuff to try to get away with the murder. It's like it would have been a lot easier to get away with the whipping.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:33

Yeah, maybe try to maybe just maybe try to hide the painting.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:36

Try to get away with the stealing first, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:38

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:39

Fucking crazy.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:40

It's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:41

But yeah, so sad.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:43

Like Jaina was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like it was her that was working that shift. Like, it couldn't be like Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:47

And it was supposed to be she was covering someone's shift. She wasn't even supposed to be working that shift. And also, it's supposed to be three people working that night, one person called it sick.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:54

So, like, what was the purpose of calling her back to the store? Was it like, was it to make it look like they had yeah, but but why did she just do it while they were both there? It was it to make it look like they both had left. She had left already. I don't know. Like, why call her back?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:08

It was probably like like they left, and then she started thinking about it. Like, oh, this is gonna ruin my reputation. Like, started to freak out, and then I guess, yeah. Which is crazy to me that you would even think that. But then it's like, I need to get her back here, like I'm gonna do it, which is crazy.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:23

And I she probably saw the schedule. Like the owner and management, Rachel, is working the next day. So she's probably like, oh my god, like she's this is gonna be notified right away. I'm gonna get yeah, she probably had time to think about it. And it's like, no, I have to, I have to kill her. I have to bring her back to that store. I had to kill her tonight. My parents are gonna find out, the school, like, like my job's gonna find out, everyone's gonna find out, I'm gonna lose this interview at this gym.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:44

That probably helped her to get convicted for first degree by like luring her back there, was like the whole plan. Yeah. So that probably like sealed it right there.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:52

Yeah, and that was the thing, like it was that like the the I only talked about the court case a little bit, but it was like it was dead set, like it was second degree, you know, it's first, or second is first. And the judge only they only deliberated for like an hour, and that j and then like Britt's saying, I'm sorry for killing him, and I like, but please have some mercy, like I deserve to get out. It's just like, hell no, I'm sentenced to life without parole.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:15

Like, I like how the judge you had zero mercy, like thro over three wounds, like yeah, that's a little bit crazy.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:20

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:21

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:22

Like and you showed no no empathy or apology until the very last moment. And like even her defense team knew, like, there's no getting out of this. We have to like admit that she did it, but like put a spin on it. Because even they knew there's no way to say she didn't.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:37

They were shocked in the open statements when he actually said, you know, my client did kill Jaina, but it was second degree. Like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:45

Also, why are there no CCTV footage in the store?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:48

I know, but that's very that's very strange to me that there was no security cameras. Um I bet you there is now, but there was no security cameras there inside.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:56

But sometimes this is that long ago. It was what, like 2007 or 8?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:00

Like 2011.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:02

Oh, eleven. Oh, 2011, like it's not that long ago.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:05

You'd think they would have I know security cameras. Especially like a higher end place, you know. I was shocked. There was no seat there was no cameras inside at all.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:13

The craziest thing about it all too is like someone like her, like she would have killed eventually if it wasn't her in that moment. Like it someone like that who can do that in an instant, like it would have been someone else. Like, whether it was like a year or a couple years down the line, like there would have been another time in her life where she would have been like faced with some type of like something where she was gonna deal with consequences and yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:36

Like anytime she has to do con she has to face up to what she didn't get punished.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:41

That's the crazy thing. Like it would have been she could have killed again, like it could have been a multi-gotta if she didn't get caught. Like just someone like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:47

But it's like there's no she she got kicked out of university because she did steal. She had other instances of stealing and she didn't kill then. It's just like she just I don't know, it's just like what she just ha snapped.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:00

So that does it for this week's episode of Crime Family. If you are a fan of the show and you want to follow us and interact with us, you can follow us at Crime Family Podcast on all the social media. So Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, also on YouTube. Just type in Crime Family Podcast on YouTube. You can watch the video versions of the episodes on there, um, subscribe, comment, interact with us. And um also you can find the video versions of the episodes on Spotify every week as well. Um, Apple Podcasts and everywhere else, it's just audio. Um, but if you want video, that's Spotify or YouTube. Make sure you give us a review on your podcast app of choice as well. And if you have any case suggestions or feedback on the show or theories on any of the cases that we've covered, um then you can email us, crimefamilypodcast at gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you guys. So, yeah, that's it for this week. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode and case. And until then, take care. Bye.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:55

Bye. Bye.