Murder in the Yoga Store

by Peter Ross Range

MURDER IN THE YOGA STORE is the true story of the brutal killing of a beautiful young woman at a chic Lululemon yoga-wear shop. The grisly murder was committed on a pleasant Friday night in upscale Bethesda, Maryland, a leafy suburb of Washington, D.C. In this riveting narrative by veteran journalist Peter Ross Range, the author for the first time brings together the tale of what really happened in the yoga store murder. He portrays the personalities of both victim and murderer, along with the strange and convoluted circumstances of the crime and its cover-up. Range meticulously exposes layer upon layer of deceit and confusion. His account builds the tension of the police investigation until the real story, so odd and creepy, takes your breath away. The drama of the murder trial is a moving emotional roller coaster built around the prosecutors, the detectives and the family of the victim.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery, Ebooks, True Story

88 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Peter Range · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tight, compelling, page-turner, couldn't put it down, just the right length. Of course, I also wrote it. But that's what reader reveiews are saying on amazon.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a much better book on this crime. You can even type in murder at the yoga store at that’s what pops up,not this.

[Alyson Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ I had not heard of this case, so after a little research, I dived In. This is a very sad case of a life too short ended unnecessarily. In this example, the author honestly & faithfully documented the facts in a respectful manner. But I do not feel that true crime is a genre the author feels comfortable in?

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this true-crime audiobook via BorrowBox (which my local library uses!)

3.5 stars!

The crime is real-life, brutal, shocking, just really made my blood boil. I also recommend not to play it at high volume since there are major descriptions of the crime scene and the victim's injuries. In a LuluLemon store in the USA, a member of staff is brutally murdered in one of the back rooms. Another staff member that was with her is heavily injured and reveals that two masked men stormed the store and attacked them. This follows the aftermath of the crime with lots of shocking plot twists along the way. It was a good listen for a rainy day, it will leave you frustrated though!

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

More reviews at Li'l Kit’s Reviews.

Writing: ★★★★★
Story: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★

Overall rating: 4.6

I'm a fan of true crime, but I don't get a lot of time or opportunity to read it. I needed a book for a reading challenge that called for non-fiction and I stumbled on to this little gem.

It's short and quick and it lead me to look further into this true story even after I'd finished to find out what happened further down the road.

This book was troubling and very sad and I really felt for the victim and her family. The author does a great job of sticking to the facts and writing in such a way as to not sensationalize this tragedy.

[F.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can true crime ever be life-affirming?

The narrative in ‘The Yoga Store Murder’ does contort itself into some incredible positions to get us to see the intrinsic brilliance of the poor young woman who was murdered. It tells us again and again how much Jayna Murray touched people around her, how inspiring she was, how her passion to live was contagious. And yet what I took away from this story was not positivity, it was repulsion of the terrible things that happened in and around this young woman’s death. It wasn’t just the horrible crime the murderer committed; it was the racist panic which broke out when the initial reports that “two men dressed in black” were responsible, got changed in the public’s mind to “two black men”; but – perhaps most shocking – it was the employees of the Apple store next door to the crime scene who heard the murder take place, but did nothing to stop it and just carried on counting their takings. (There might be a particularly horrible message in that last one: that there are people in West who won’t life a finger to help anyone if it stops them making money). In short, despite the author’s best intentions (in what is a well-written and compulsive tale), I didn’t come away from this inspired, but instead saddened. But then surely that’s normal, isn’t it? After all, one doesn’t go to true crime seeking the best in humanity.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an account of the vicious murder in the Bethesda Lululemon store. What appeared to be an horrific attack and robbery of two employees in this upscale neighborhood, turned out instead to be even more inexplicable lies of a coworker caught stealing and the extraordinary lengths she went to staging a fake attack on herself as well. I remember hearing about the crime when it happened and then the horror at hearing that a woman would go to such unbelievable lengths to try and get away with murder (over 331 wounds to the victim). I was impressed with the way the author told the story and would like to see more true crime books from him,.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this story struck a good balance between bare bones and getting bogged down, unlike other reviewers I didn't want more back story on the murderer nor the victim (nor Lululemon as a company either).

Recommended for those who like True Crime and could use a shorter piece on their devices to fill time; I read it in two sittings.

[Kadi Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idk but to have a true crime novel published in 2013 using the term “blood-splatter analysis” feels like an easy way to tell people you didn’t actually do any research.

Overall, felt like a cash-grab for a sensational case. Jayna Murray deserved better.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stranger than Fiction

3.5 stars - propulsive and engaging, but too short in places. This is a harrowing look at a terrible tragedy and the chaos that followed.

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I happened to come across this book in the Amazon page. Its title is very catchy.

This book describes the murder which happened in the Lululemon store located in the posh Bethesda area. It starts with the discovery of the murder, the initial evidence collection by the police and slowly starts to bring the character of the murderer and the victim, eventually leading to the identity of the murderer and the court proceedings after that.

Never google on this as you might hit spoilers.

While reading, this incident gives the impression that it just cannot be a true story. So much brutality, no remorse and an unleashed animal comes to one's mind, that you cannot and do not want it to be true. Credit to the writer for penning these events so well.

The criticism of the nearby Apple store employees who heard all that happened and did not choose to do anything about it, is well deserved. They could have saved a life!

A good 88 page read which you can finish in about 2 hours over an evening. The story leaves us with sadness and the mystery of why did the murderer kill? Some things are inexplicable.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

This work has interesting bones--exploring the murder of a young yoga store employee in suburban Maryland, and the subsequent investigation--but ultimately falls short in execution.

For one, the author holds Apple employees in the store next door culpable for the murder, because they heard jostling next door and did not respond to it, even though there are plenty of benign explanations for strange noises. Sure, it would have been great if they had looked into it, but I don't think contempt, or especially blame is justified, and certainly not the author's cheap shot that they "shirked simple civic responsibility, turned their backs and returned to counting Apple's money." The author's contempt for Lululemon also didn't seem justified based on the facts presented.

I would have liked to have seen more exploration of the murderer's past, and how she got to that night, rather than the broad stereotypes and judgements that generally characterize this book.

[Briana Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder In The Yoga Store by Peter Ross Range
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🧘‍♀️Overview: True story of the brutal killing of a 30 year old Lululemon female worker on the premises in 2011.

🙂Likes: I knew nothing about this story so I was shocked and gripped from start to finish. It is a horrendous story, told really well in this audiobook. Short and intriguing, the story unfolds well.

😟Dislikes: The description of this woman’s rape and murder is horrendous, so beware of some very hard listening/reading.

🎧Format: Audio via Audible

🧘‍♀️Recommend For: Any true crime lovers will like this. As a lover of both yoga and Lululemon, I’m still so surprised I had never come across this before!

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a gruesome crime committed at the Lululemon store in Bethesda, Maryland in 2011. Brittany Norwood murdered her coworker Jayna Murray, because Murray caught her stealing a pair of (overpriced) leggings. I won't spoil this short story with all the details, but Norwood really worked Murray over. That was a massive amount of injury for one body. Norwood's attempt to cover up what she did was eye-widening. Crime scene photos are available on Google if you are into that, but they are pretty bloody.

I prefer my true crime books to be an unbiased, factual account of the case. This one leaned a lot toward the victim's side. While understandable, it wasn't on par with the hard hitting true crime investigative books that I generally read. This book was free to listen to on Audible Plus, so no harm done as far as spending money for something that wasn't the best. I think it was just over a three hour listen, so worth the time spent. I did learn about this case, which I had not heard of previously, so it was worth checking out for that reason alone.

[Julie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder if this is a true story- it felt very true. I’m just so shook by the awfulness some people have. It was a short book - maybe could be classified as a short story or novella. Interesting. But also awful

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a very good overview of the case in under 100 pages. The definitive version remains THE YOGA STORE MURDER by Dan Morse.

[Jaclyn Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jayna Murray’s murder in the Bethesda Lululemon store in 2011 is certainly one of the most bizarre and brutal events to come out of the greater DC area in the past few years. Murray, a sales associate at Lululemon, was discovered by the manager the morning after her death in the back room of the store. Another sales associate, Brittany Norwood, was found with her hands bound and her body bloodied in the restroom—but she was still alive.

This Kindle Single is basically a long-form news article about the murder and is short enough to read in the space of an evening. (I read it in about an hour last night.) It’s free to lend for Prime users on Amazon or $1.99 for purchase on Kindle.

Murray’s death was both tragic and brutal and made even more bizarre by the location in which it happened. Of all the places for this to occur, it happened in the retail store of a brand devoted to conveying spirituality, peace and well-being. If you’re familiar with the case, you’ll know that the location of the murder may still be one of the least bizarre things about it. The story reads like something from a movie and unfolds quickly (and unrelentingly) in this book. Details of the murder that were mentioned in passing by news media are sketched out thoroughly here. (For example, Murray had over 300 separate stab wounds or blunt force trauma wounds on her body. The book describes several of the worst.)

The book is a sobering reminder that we rarely see the worst of humanity and when and if we do remains an unpredictable question mark. Yet, despite the graphic nature of the crime and the descriptions of it here, the book still devotes a significant number of pages to fleshing out Murray as a person, as a beloved family member and friend and someone who should not be defined by the crime that ended her life. Not all true crime articles or books achieve this level of compassion for victims and I appreciated it here.

One last note: the book fairly eviscerates employees at the Apple store located next to Lululemon. The employees there admitted to hearing an argument and an altercation and even said they heard “labored breathing” through the walls. They were captured on security cameras listening and reacting to the noise and then simply went back to work on store closing procedures without contacting authorities or going to investigate themselves. It’s hard to know what anyone might do in such a situation but they caught a large amount of blame in local media for what they did (or more to the point, what they did not do). I think the important takeaway is that no matter how silly you might feel if something turns out to be nothing, calling 911 when you hear a fight happening and can hear someone struggling for breath or begging for their life and having it be nothing is better than hearing all of that and continuing to close down the cash wrap.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew of this murder before reaching for this book but it's one of those ones that has so many details too, its fascinating and horrible.

The book is all information you could find in articles if you bothered and searched enough, but it's all nicely organised and presented in this book.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

This feels like the bare facts. I'd love to read a more extensive account that would dig a little deeper into the culture of Lululemon, the role of faith in these women's lives (they all seem vaguely Christian, but it's never clear what that means in practical terms), and the irony of this murder getting so much attention so close to DC, where lots of, I guess, boring murders happen every year. These "Lulu Girls" are all college-educated and working retail for peanuts, apparently thrilled to be there? They mystify me. Still, it's a great airport read. I've used my Amazon Prime lending privileges on books that were far less engaging, and it's unfair for me to expect my interest in yoga culture and woman on woman violence to be fully sated by a Kindle single. This account is pretty straightforward, portraying the police, who were must have been very open with the writer, in an incredibly favorable light. Considering the investigation only took six days, I see no reason to be particularly critical of the Bethesda PD, though it might have been worth pointing out how many murders go unsolved each year in nearby DC. Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy justice, as it did in Jayna Murray's case.

[Jason Kirk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amazon.com Review: True crime tales have titillated since at least the 1820s. As an often formulaic tributary of horror writing that ripped sordid, domestic, it-could-happen-to-you scenarios straight from the news, it continues to captivate clear across class lines to this day. Scene: March 11, 2011; Lululemon's Athletica; Bethesda, Maryland--a city of sixty thousand where fully half the population holds graduate degrees. Cue the body: an overachieving young woman, deeply loved, left dead with hundreds of wounds--slice, stab, bludgeon, and beyond--wrought with an array of weapons you count with two hands. Note a final text message, honeyed with irony. Cut to the employees next door, who, despite the raucous bustle of the iPad2 release, overheard the murder but "shirked civic responsibility, turned their backs and returned to counting Apple's money." Peter Ross Range tells all at a torrid clip, and if you aren't familiar with the case, then the discovery of the murderer in the yoga store will defy your best guess. "We want the pieces--even the ugly ones--to fit together," he writes. And, true to form, they don't. --Jason Kirk

[Nenette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would normally finish a Kindle Single in one sitting, but these days, a TV series is getting in the way of my reading.

This true story of a crime of murder affirms that fiction, no matter how unbelievable, reflects reality. When hearing a colorful or an eventful life story, I often think that it is so apt for TV or that it can be made into a movie. That is the kind of story you have in this book.

The author presented his narrative in titled chapters that are like scenes on TV, or acts in a play. I like that because it lends order and organization.

The case was solved based on circumstantial evidences and the indirect admission of guilt by the defendant. However, the author wrote that there still remains the big question - what must be the goings-on in this educated, promising young woman that would compel her to commit a gruesome murder? If I may add, why would she do it over a pair of yoga pants?

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a true crime story which is disturbing and tragic. I enjoy the Kindle short format for stories like this, making a quick read without endless details and "stuffing". It was well written. The story about Jayna Murray will sadden even the most hardened among us. The world lost an amazing dynamo who had much to contribute. I would only wish that there could have been more digging into the psychiatric state of the killer. It is hard for me to believe that there weren't evaluations pre-trial. Untreated manic/depressive? Psychopath? Take home lesson: we continue to wait too long to rein in those with mental disturbances until it is too late. When will we learn to act on the warning signs earlier? When will we quit giving these people fourth and fifth chances? When will we quit waiting until after the explosion to act?

[Gini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very suspenseful and gruesome. Well written, though I wasn't as in love with Jayna as everyone else featured in the book talking about her was. I wish he'd spent more time trying to get into her head, imagining what she was thinking. The author was excellent at the Big Reveal, holding onto information until the perfect moment. Some good work here with that.
Prob would have liked it more if I was more into Lululemon.
Would feel bad about counting this 88 page book as "book" in my year goal of reading 50 books, but since whether book is 50 pages or 500 I tend to finish it in a day no matter what, I think it averages out.

[Michael Flanagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can you not read a book with a title like that? What we get is a short story that is a to the point investigation into a shocking murder that rocked the quite suburb of Bethesda. That's right I learned that Bethesda is more than the studio behind the popular Fallout games.

But on a serious note this book follows the shocking murder of young 20 something female in an upmarket Yoga clothes store. The brutality of the murder defies belief. We follow the investigation as it progresses through to the shocking finding that solves the crime. This book takes the reader on a short ride into depravity an highlights the short comings of modern society.

[Kent Winward · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is sad that crime writing makes murder mundane. From a purely legal perspective, many of the allegations about why certain items were omitted from the trial didn't make sense. The author gave them a glossy "oh well, this fact wasn't presented", but I ended up feeling like I was not being told the entire story. The book provides the evidence for motive and pre-meditation, but then says it was all excluded as not relevant. Either the prosecutors were incompetent, the defense attorney amazing, the judge unlike any judge I've ever seen or there is a big part of this story that wasn't included in the book.

[Saloni · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this title seems wild, the (very true) story is even wilder: one late night in 2011, a murder took place in the Lululemon store of a cushy Washington D.C. suburb. The victim was an employee at the store, and the perpetrator…comes as a complete shock.

Naturally, this book comes with multiple trigger warnings, but if you are interested in reading it, don’t research the real story before picking it up. Just dive right in and uncover all the shocking details of the investigation — complete with twists, turns, and jaw drops. An unputdownable and immersive reading experience thanks to Range’s smart, sharp prose. 4.5*

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually hadn't heard of the incident previously, so I wasn't aware of the events beforehand.
Likely this made it more enjoyable to not know what had actually happened.

I appreciated the pacing of this story, and the way it was laid out and walked through by the narration. The alibi by the second victim sounded believable at first, and quickly began to morph and evolve until it was something absurd, and seeing it play out was appalling as the story progressed.

It's a short read, so easily finished within a few hours if you want something light (though quite heavy - in terms of plot)

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was interesting as I had not heard it when it was in the news. But I listened to it and the narrator was awful. His style was distracting with odd phrasing, unnecessary pauses and a nasal quality. Skip the listen and read if you are interested in the true life account of the murder in the yoga store.

[Ashlee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audible book. It was interesting (and horrifying), but the narrators voice got on my nerves and you could have learned everything the book said from a magazine article about two pages long.

[AnnieM · Rating 2 out of 5]

It reads like a crime report. It has lots of shock but very little back story.

It is gory and horrific as one might expect.

It isn't particularly well written, and the narrator does a so so job at best.