Police Evaluating Tips in Lululemon Attacks as Community Heightens Safety Precautions

The growing tribute of flowers, cards and well-wishes outside the Lululemon store has become a solemn gathering spot for the Bethesda community.  Those who knew — the 30-year-old woman who was killed in there — others who were frequent customers of the store, and still more who are simply shocked and saddened that the brutal crime happened in the midst of their community have all stopped at the makeshift memorial and taken a moment to pause.

“I just decided to walk by and say a little prayer,” Janice Waters, a Bethesda resident, said near the memorial Thursday.

Murray, a Lululemon employee, was inside the store. A second employee, 27, was beaten, sexually assaulted and bound. She survived, and is recovering. Police said that two masked men followed them into the store through an unlocked door around 10:05p.m.

Now nearly a week since the attack, police are — including a large amount of forensic material that could lead to DNA clues — and surveillance footage from the area. And the reward for information in the attack continues to grow. As of Thursday, it stood at $145,500 with seven local businesses contributing, according to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce.

According to police, over 40 anonymous tips have been received in relation to the crime through Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, the group that would administer the reward. Only those who tip anonymously through Crime Solvers would be eligible for a reward, according to Lucille Baur, a spokeswoman for Montgomery County police, should the information lead to an arrest. The value of the tips are still being evaluated, Baur said. The number of tips doesn’t include those who have called the police directly, Baur said.

Meanwhile, the community is anxious for the capture of the perpetrators.

"I just hope they catch whoever did this, as a precaution for all the other young ladies. I want them to pay, I really do,” Waters said.

Residents are also taking precautions when it comes to their own personal safety.

Before the attack, “I would have parked at any parking garage and walked in the dark to meet my girlfriends for dinner,” said Bethesda resident Kim Gorman. On a recent evening, rather than walk, she said she valet parked.

Waters said she was considering buying pepper spray.

According to the chamber, the business community is concerned about safety as well. The chamber is directing businesses to a safety tip sheet on their website. “They are just common sense things that most businesses already know, but that they need to be reminded of,” said Ginanne Italiano, chamber president.

"People are scared," Italiano said. "But it's a wake-up call — this could happen anywhere, even in downtown Bethesda."

A safety seminar is in the works for the community.

Gorman stopped by the memorial to take a picture of a flower left there by her ten-year-old daughter. Both Gorman and her daughter were frequent shoppers at the store, and she said her daughter would ask her every holiday for a Lululemon gift certificate.

Gorman said she hoped the store would re-open soon. “They were great girls. Really incredible people. Really upbeat and special, every single one of them,” Gorman said. “There wasn’t anybody who wasn’t incredibly warm and welcoming. It’s just tragic.”

If you have any information about the crime, Businesses and individuals can also to the Bethesda Avenue Reward Fund.

A in remembrance of Jayna Murray and in support of the surviving victim is planned for this Friday at the Mindfulness Center.