Murder In The Yoga Store: The True Story of the Lululemon Killing Paperback – June 26, 2013

Updated November 20, 2013, some changes made due to comments by JerseyJ who I thank for her comments.I like reading even-handed true crime books. This is not one of those. This is a highly sensationalized report of a true crime, a murder, and it reads as if it had been commissioned by the murder victim's family.On the plus side, it is an interesting read. I finished the whole book in one sitting and I was not bored.On the minus side, the uneven-handedness in the book was annoying. I was disgusted with myself for having bought and read it when I finished it.The police investigators are treated fairly. However, I suspected Brittany immediately as soon as I read the description of how she was found: there were obvious suspicious aspects in the description of her bound hands and I have no police experience just common sense on my part. I wondered why it took so long for the police to focus on those aspects. <new> I now have figured out that the police probably suspected the murderer all along since she was found with the victim. Because of her story of also being a victim, they had to investigate her allegations first.Lululemon and Jayna are treated as if they are candidates for beatification in the Roman Catholic Church.I am sure Jayna was a nice person but her handling of Brittany on discovering the stealing was not intelligent and was lacking in common sense. I do not see why the author states that it was a motive-less crime: the motive is obvious. It is not at all unknown in the police world for people caught stealing to end up hurting or killing the person who catches them. In fact, the NRA uses this known fact as one of their justifications for no limits being placed on purchasing and carrying any and all types of guns. Brittany obviously also had untreated anger management problems and Jayna exacerbated the situation by her own actions: one of the biggest insults one can make to another person psychologically is to ignore or shun them. <new> Although I said before that Jayna should have been old enough and worldly enough to know this, I realize now that she was sweet and a little naive for her age. Regarding the "wallet left in the store" lie told by Brittany, <new> although Jayna knows by that point that Brittany is a thief and liar, she lets Brittany back in the store because again, she is a sweet person and does not suspect how overwrought and psycho Brittany is. I have deleted my comment about what Jayna told store manager Rachel when reporting the discovered theft. The problem with hearsay evidence is that its not always accurate.<new>I feel very strongly still about the following paragraph.Lululemon's handling of Brittany was at fault. One, Lululemon, already suspecting and have a strong feeling that Brittany was stealing, should not have transferred her from one store to another (this reminds me of the priest scandal -- transferring pedophile priests from parish to parish rather than handling them in a more responsible manner). Two, Lululemon should not have let her work nights with only one other employee present; that was inadequate supervision for an employee suspected of crime. Lululemon's store security was also inadequate in this day and age compared to the average retail store security (actually it seems it was non-existent). <new> Because Jayna loved working at Lululemon, her family is reluctant to take the company to task for its bad security policies. Really, companies can let employees go without stating a reason. That is what Lululemon should had done once they suspected her of stealing from her first Lululemon store. Don't blackball her but let her go.I still believe the treatment of this book of the Apple store employees and the Apple corporation is unfair. Just as has been discovered recently that the neighbors of Kitty Genovesee (who was murdered decades ago in the greater New York City area) were turned into scapegoats by collusion between a member of the press and management members of the police to cover up their own inept handling of calls from the neighbors (yes, they did call the police!), so too are Apple and its employees being scapegoated by the author. <new> I learned from JerseyJ that much more coverage of this murder appeared in local are newspapers. Those newspaper articles said that there were more that two employees left working in the Apple store and they heard more than the author of this book says they did. I believe Jayna's family and friends are going through the anger stage of grief for her death. This is the stage that wants to find people to blame for the death of their beloved young lady. So the Apple employees hearing something but wavering about whether to call 911 and the police is a very bitter sort point for both them and people like JerseyJ. The problem with this is that the belief that a call to 911 would have made any difference, would have saved Jayna's life is doubtful. Look at how long the Florida police took to respond to George Zimmermann's report of a suspicious person in a hoodie down in Florida. They don't arrive until after someone living in the complex reports hearing gunshots (and not very fast after that either) and when they arrived, the scene had been completely compromised, the body moved, and George had the neighbors who came out taking photographs of him. So, though I am sure that law enforcement is better in Bethesda than in Florida, its response time is probably just as slow. I believe that only if Jayna had been able to call 911 herself to say she was being attacked, would the police arrived maybe, just maybe, in time to save her life. I just don't believe a call from the Apple store employees would have gotten the rapid response required to save her. JerseyJ tells me the Murrays are not going to sue Apple for which I am glad. It would only prolong their grief and anger and with high power lawyers that big corps like Apple hire and it would have been fruitless. I do think the most positive thing the Murrays could do would be to urge Lululemon to modify their employee policies and upgrade to more impersonal security, the kind that had it existed would not have put Jayna's life at risk.<new> The reported statements made by Jayna's family at the trial were ferociously vindictive but of course they were in the anger stage of grief and are understandable in the circumstances. I have reconsider my opinion that I detected some slightly racist attitudes. It was just plain anger at the murderer of their daughter, nothing more.<new>There are some sentences in the book that show a vindictiveness not just to Brittany, but also to her family. That offended me because only Brittany is responsible for what she did. Brittany has not only ruined Jayna's life and her own life, but society being the way it is, Brittany's family is going to suffer too. They probably still love her but hate what she has done.Lastly, an even handed true crime report would have included pictures of other people involved in the case instead of just one picture of Jayna (new--rest of sentence deleted). A picture of the store, a picture of Brittany, and pictures of the detectives who solved the case would have been more than appropriate and made the book more interesting.I don't want people to say I am blaming Jayna for her own death...she was killed by Brittany. But at the same time, this book is not a case of good crime reporting. The number of favorable reviews are misleading about the overall quality of this book and its lack of responsible journalism. I felt like I was reading something from a supermarket tabloid which explains the two stars.Amendments added a day later: I missed one obvious thing in this review regarding motive. I sensed that there was intense dislike for the other person on the part of both the victim and the murderer.For a person with normal ethics, it seems like a senseless and irrational murder but most murders seemed that way to me. <new> I would file this in the category of Brittany "going postal." Poor Jayna, being of normal ethics didn't have a chance when Brittany took a case of stealing and choosing the nuclear option (as far too many people do nowadays) and tried to use murder to cover up minor stealing. Really unethical and really stupid.<new>It was a stupid crime and the only reason it is getting the coverage it has gotten is the Lululemon and Apple connections. May Jayna rest in peace. May the head honchos at Lululemon hire a security consultant for their stores to protect their employees, their merchandise, their customers. May Apple train its retail employees to call 911 at the drop of a hat (regardless of perhaps looking stupid and annoying the busy police); that way they will gain a better reputation than being a company that cares more about technology and less about actual people.I also see that someone already dislikes/disagrees with my review. I expected that because I am putting myself out there on a limb with this review but felt that at least one rational dissenting review was needed as a warning for other readers like me that this is a stilted true crime report.<new>I hate writing negative reviews. In past years, if I disliked something, I said nothing. I am going back to that policy. I going to let other people pay money to discover whether they like something on their own. No more warnings from me if I feel something is than competent or reliable.

Reads like a quick but thorough long magazine article. That's a good thing, given the nature of the senseless, vicious slaughter of Jayna Murray, who by all accounts was one of those unique, accomplished, lovely and well-loved friend to all.What a senseless horror Murray endured, helpless to fend off the 300+ blows and savage slashing death with a variety of weapons Brittany Norwood used for no other reason than Murray caught her stealing again. What a shame corporate Lululemon felt racial pressure to rehire the long time thief turned torture killer after Brittany Norwood had been fired for cause, failing to protect the other young women employees who were forced to handle her on their own. There were not even any security cameras in the store. Otherwise, Jayna Murray would not have been alone to close the store at night with that vicious sociopath employee. Norwood, a serial thief since at least college and given every opportunity in life would steal from anyone in any setting with not a shred of remorse or stoppage. It was a matter of time till that sense of entitlement leveled up to physical violence. The rotted psychopath apple doesn't fall far from the tree.An apt comparison by the author is the tale of two families: What a lousy family Norwood came from, despite being educated and middle class, with her older also deviant brother caught coaching her in the police station how to get away with the murder by baldfaced lying to cops - like he had his entire life.What a heartbreaking nightmare for Jayna Murray's tight-knit normal loving family that was held hostage to the Norwood clan's failures, how in a moment two worlds collide and the good one loses to the bad. One gives thanks to savvy law enforcement cracking open Norwood's wild story early on and a judge finally handing down a just sentence, as well as excoriating the Apple employees next door who heard the attack, the screams, the murder as it was being committed over 15 minutes...and did nothing. Too bad the author felt the need to slag the residents and city of Bethesda as educated, successful, and in a "bubble". Anyone who has lived in or around Washington, DC (downtown Bethesda is just one block over the District border) knows there is no safe space bubble from the Brittany Norwoods of the metro area.

Oddly, I knew nothing of this heinous and disturbing murder previous to coming across this account. It is odd given the extent to which I absorb news and given how news, especially this type, is reported. The story intrigues on many levels; motive, victim, assailant, theories, and social commentary, yet with so much going on, the author still manages a tight and engrossing account.A Lululemon Athletica store seems the least likely scene of an extremely violent crime. This place that sells "clothing that makes you feel righteous just walking around" is meant to convey serenity and self improvement. I was amazed to find that many of its employees are driven women possessing impressive post graduate degrees. Thirty year old Jayna was about to obtain two Masters degrees in administration and communications. Incredibly, she had written a paper on how to respond to a crisis for Lululemon as part of her studies. Jayna hoped to make a career with the company and move to Vancouver. Her life is juxtaposed with a fellow employee whose life appeared similar but was much darker.The story includes a shadowy indictment of both Lululemon and Apple. It hints at a false idolatry paid to these two businesses by consumers who buy into their promises of enriched lives. Lululemon is criticized for vacuousness and Apple is accused of lacking social responsibility while two of their employees get a worse treatment. It is amazing that a pair of yoga pants, one woman's bluntness and another's rage produced such a horrible event. This was a fine read but could have been longer to deal with such complex issues. Another book is due out this fall on the murder.

It was an OK murder mystery. Sociopath at the clothing store.

When I downloaded this book to my kindle, I had read the reviews and was aware of the content. However by the time I came to read it a little while later, some of the detail had been forgotten, so I began to read, thinking it was fiction. As such, I was enjoying getting into it. I thought it was well paced and very credible. I began to realise, as the story developed, that it must be true. I then started from the beginning again, reading with greater awareness of its reality.The narrative was well paced and while there was some occasional repetition (which other reviewers have mentioned), it was necessary as evidence was uncovered and the investigation progressed, which meant the new detail gave a different perspective. It gave the impression therefore, that the story as it was already "known" would need to change because of new evidence, so it wasn't at all irritating and actually added to the dramatic description.I don't normally go for "singles" but this was a very good book. The author describes accurately (but not gruesomely) the murder of a high achieving and successful young lady and the subsequent investigation and trial, all to great effect. Recommended reading.

As an enormous fan of detective/crime fiction, this was a bit of an unusual buy for me, but certainly not one that I regret.In this very well written account of an infamous 2011 murder that shocked and horrified the world, Peter Ross takes the reader through the events from start to finish. I particularly liked his style of writing - matter of fact and not too melodramatic.The subject matter is unpleasant in that it relates to the brutal murder of a young woman, but I felt that the author handled that in a sympathetic manner.Would recommend to anyone interested in real life murder cases.

This story is frightening and mind-boggling. I heard about the murder and wanted to get a better understanding of what led to the tragic events in Lululemon shop. Interesting read and definitely gave an informative account on the murder and the trial.

A journalistic account of a horrendous murder case. However the style is very repetitive and goes over the facts too many times. I was bored and looked up the case online to find out the sentencing.

I enjoyed reading this book. The author had done his research well. The story was based on fact which made for interesting reading. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in crime stories.