A Maryland judge sentenced 29-year-old Brittany Norwood to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday for the brutal stabbing murder of co-worker Jayna Murray at a Bethesda Lululemon store last March.
According to investigators, a confrontation between Norwood and 30-year-old Murray over stolen store merchandise may have ultimately led to Murray's death.
Midway into Judge Robert A. Greenberg's angry sentencing speech, he found cause to harshly criticize Bethesda Row Apple store employees who heard the victim's cries next door but did nothing.
“The callous indifference of those Apple store employees,” Greenberg said. “They did not do a blessed thing.”
According to court testimony, Apple store manager Jana Svrzo, admitted that she heard “high-pitched squealing,”—then heard “screaming and yelling” about 10:10 p.m. through the shared wall between the stores.
She later testified hearing a voice say, “God help me. Please help me.” However testimony revealed, that no Apple employees intervened or alerted police.
Judge Robert A. Greenberg "delivered one of the angriest sentencing speeches I can recall hearing," said Washington Post journalist Michael S. Rosenwald.
“Greenberg’s rage from the bench reflected a community’s rage, a community that still has not come to terms with how a young woman could be so brutally murdered while people nearby heard what was happening but did not so much as dial 911 from one of the dozens of iPhones sitting right in front of them.” wrote Rosenwald. — Source: The Washington Post
According to investigators—immediately after killing Murray, Brittany Norwood staged the scene by making large bloody footprints in the store, inflicted wounds upon her own body, then bound herself with a zip tie and told police that two men had robbed the store and killed Murray.
“We were raised always to do something to help those in need,” said the victims brother Hugh Murray. “I still can’t understand why they didn’t do anything, but it further bothers me that we still haven’t gotten even a sympathy card from them, Apple corporation—anything.”
Jana Svrzo has declined to comment on the incident, nor has Apple addressed the inaction of its employees.
The murder of Jayna Murray, also known as the Lululemon Murder, occurred at a Lululemon store in Bethesda, Maryland on March 11, 2011. [True Crime]
They've been ignoring Foxconn employees' cries for mercy and help for years. Turning a deaf ear isn't an Apple bug, it's a feature long demanded by Tim Cook.
Posted by: Robert Dobbs | January 31, 2012 at 11:50 AM
To be fair now, she was asking for Gods help.
Posted by: Smith | January 30, 2012 at 11:30 AM
I would say that the Apple employees have been trained to such a 'well oiled machine' degree, that they have effectively been 'brainwashed' to ignore anything negative while at work. The Apple employees need a slap in the face and a good kick up the arse. Maybe that will wake them up. Hellooooo!!!
Posted by: thestudios | January 30, 2012 at 06:11 AM