No Bond for Former SBU Soccer Player Accused in Maryland Homicide

A district judge has ordered Brittany Norwood after a Maryland prosecutor argued the fatal injuries she allegedly inflicted on Jayna Murray showed she is a threat to public safety.

A public defender is representing Norwood, 28, the former Stony Brook women's soccer standout accused of killing Murray, 30, on March 11 at Lululemon, the Bethesda, Md., retail store where they both worked.

Norwood has claimed two masked men attempted to rob the store and then attacked and sexually assaulted them both. But she allegedly gave police multiple accounts of the supposed attack, as she was interviewed by police, which led them to believe she had killed Murray and then inflicted her own wounds and tied herself up to stage the cover-up. She was and charged with first-degree murder.

More details emerged following Norwood's arrest, including the discovery of blood on a pair of shoes belonging to the store's inventory and a rip in Murray's pants to make it appear that she had been sexually assaulted.

“The nature of the crime is shocking in the level of violence directed during the attack,” John McCarthy, Montgomery County state attorney, said Monday.

Norwood is due back in court April 15 for a preliminary hearing, but McCarthy said the case may be presented to a grand jury for a potential indictment prior to that date.

The crime has , inspiring as a reward for information leading to an arrest and to increase safety in the area.

Norwood was a key defensive player for the Seawolves between 2001 and 2003, earning conference and regional honors and helping her team to its first appearance in a conference championship game. Stony Brook's women's soccer spokesman has not commented on the case, citing student privacy laws.

Stay tuned to Patch for updates on this story as it develops.

This story was compiled based on reporting by Bethesda Patch editor Erin Donaghue and contributing reporters. It was written by Three Village Patch editor Christine Sampson.