On Video, Norwood's Story Falls Apart

In a video of a March 18 interview played for the court during her murder trial Tuesday, Brittany Norwood grows increasingly upset and defensive as police detectives point out the holes in her crumbling story.

The video came during the testimony of detective James Drewry, a key investigator in the Lululemon homicide case. Norwood stands accused of killing her co-worker Jayna Murray at the downtown Bethesda yoga shop March 11, and prosecutors say she and lied to police to cover up the crime.

Norwood initially told police she and Murray had been attacked by two masked men. But when evidence at the crime scene didn't match her tale, police became suspicious. March 18 -- the day of her arrest -- Norwood came to police headquarters after her family called and requested the interview, Drewry testified.

During the interview, Norwood told police something she hadn't mentioned in her -- that the alleged attackers had forced her to move Murray's car. By that day, police knew that there was forensic evidence linking her to the vehicle, though she had previously denied having been inside it.

"They made me move the car," Norwood says on the video. "I know where her car is, and they seemed to know where it was parked."

Drewry asks her to repeat the story.

"Do I have to?" Norwood asks.

"Yeah, because you left out some things," Drewry said.

"I know, and that's the only thing," Norwood said.

Norwood said the alleged attackers forced her to search through Murray's coat to find her car keys. On video, Norwood tells detectives the alleged attackers told her to move Jayna's car and to return or "consider herself dead."

She said Murray's car was parked along Bethesda Avenue -- she said she used a remote button on Murray's keys to see which car chirped in order to identify it.

"I was scared for my life," Norwood says. "They said one of them would be watching the entire time."

Norwood describes leaving the shop, moving the car to a parking lot east of Wisconsin Avenue, and walking back to the shop to again face her alleged attackers. She tries to explain to police why she hadn't told them the information before, saying she thought the attackers knew where she lived.

"I understand I didn't tell you everything. I understand. I am also not safe," Norwood said, upset and crying. "I know you say people don't come back, but I don't want to take that chance."

On the video, Drewry asks Norwood whether she passed anyone on the street. Norwood says she passed a couple and a police officer, but says she was "too scared to even flag him down."

"Did they say why they wanted you to move the car? It doesn't make sense," Drewry asks Norwood.

He asks her on the video if she was in Jayna's car, why she didn't just keep driving -- or ask for help. Later, he asks her about walking on the street and passing the couple. "Did they look at you funny? 'Whoa, what's she doing all bloody?'

"I don't know if they saw," Norwood replies.

Drewry presses Norwood for a more detailed description of the assailants. "I'm sure ...you got a pretty good look at them. I think you probably had more interaction with them than you first told us," Drewry said.

Earlier in Tuesday's testimony, the jury heard a video recording of one of Norwood's previous interviews with Drewry -- on March 16, when Norwood came to police headquarters to give hair samples and "elimination" fingerprints.

During that interview, Norwood describes her relationship with Murray. Norwood said that she was closest with but says, "I did talk to Jayna, I did get to know her."

Norwood, a native of the Tacoma, Washington area, tells detectives Murray had been planning to move to Washington state to live with her boyfriend in May or June. "Her boyfriend lives in Seattle, he's getting his MBA, he's at the University of Washington," she says. "That's how we bonded right away, like, 'Oh, ok, I'm from Seattle."

Following Drewry's testimony, Murray's mother, Phyllis, took the stand briefly to identify pictures of her daughter, along with her coat, Blackberry and car. Phyllis Murray said her daughter had been athletic -- she took gymnastics, danced tap, jazz and ballet, played volleyball and threw the discus.

She would have turned 31 on Nov. 22, Murray said.

Murray's brief testimony closed the day Tuesday, and the prosecution's final witness -- a medical examiner -- is expected to be called to the stand tomorrow. Closing arguments may begin as soon as Wednesday.