Federal Realty Looking Into Safety Upgrades; Vigil for Jayna Murray Expands Across the Globe

Friday marks a week since the March 11 during which two female employees were – one fatally – inside the high-end Bethesda Row athletic retail store.

As the community mourns homicide victim Jayna Murray, 30, and prepares for a in her honor and in support of the surviving victim, the president of Bethesda Row management company Federal Realty has released a detailed statement in response to the attacks. In it, Federal Realty president Don Wood extends his sympathies to the Murray family and outlines safety upgrades Federal is considering in the wake of the homicide and assaults.

“One week after the unthinkable tragedy at lululemon last Friday night, we at Federal Realty remain angry, saddened and determined to do all in our power to see that Bethesda Row remains the standard for a safe and progressive retail, restaurant and entertainment district,” Wood said in the statement.

Wood continued, “We're understandably impatient as authorities comb through clues and progress through the long investigative process necessary to find and apprehend the perpetrators of this heinous crime.”

Wood wrote that while the growing amount of reward funds available for information about the attack – as of Thursday, it stood at $153,600 with several local businesses including Federal contributing – is “critical,” there remains more to do.

“Over the last week, we have brought all of our resources together to discuss additional measures that we can take at Bethesda Row to further reduce the opportunity for criminals,” Wood wrote.

The company is looking into options including adding surveillance cameras for the private garages and walkways, supplementing security guards with off-duty police officers, adding a “Blue Light” emergency call system, and self-defense training. “We are responding swiftly,” Wood wrote. “Of course, the streets and sidewalks are public property and it certainly takes all of us to make our community safer.”

In downtown Bethesda, a pubic safety seminar for the community is in the works as well. Police are continuing to comb through forensic and other evidence, and had received 53 tips and suggestions through the anonymous CrimeSolvers tip line as of Friday morning.

Meanwhile, a community gathering and candlelight vigil for Jayna Murray planned for this evening in Bethesda is rapidly being replicated by Murray’s friends across the country and the globe. Confirmed vigils will also take place Friday evening in Union Square, New York City and at the Lululemon location in Walnut Creek, California. Another was being planned for Los Angeles.

On a Facebook page for the “Jayna T. Murray Candelight Vigil,” friends of Murray were vowing to light candles Friday evening in locations including Toronto,  Slovenia, Minneapolis, London, Pheonix, Germany, Istanbul, Jamaica, Madrid, Poland, the Phillipines,  and China.

Murray’s far-flung friends indicate her love of travel and adventure, according to friends.  “She had a very worldly air about her, which was funny because the other side of Jayna is almost childlike in its playfulness and optimism,” Murray’s childhood friend, Danni Springfield, told Patch. “There was no vegging on the couch in Jayna’s life. She was always on the go, wanting to challenge herself and do new things and have new experiences.”

This evening’s vigil is planned for 8p.m. at the Mindfulness Center, 4963 Elm St. in Bethesda.

“Personally, I couldn’t be more appalled by the blatant disregard for fellow human beings that occurred in this case. It won't be forgotten for a very long time, if ever,” Wrote wood in the statement. “The healing process cannot even begin in earnest without the perpetrators caught and held accountable. But if ever there were a community that could simultaneously grieve and mourn its losses but also rise up to make Bethesda Row an even stronger, safer and more dynamic place going forward, this one can. Thank you for your amazing support. Ms. Murray and her colleague fought courageously for their lives and for their dignity. May God bless their family and friends as they struggle to cope and to heal from this senseless loss that we all share and feel in our hearts.”

If you have any information about the attacks, You can also to the Bethesda Avenue Reward Fund.