Brittany Norwood, 29, allegedly attacked with a foot-long metal bar from a merchandise stand . Victim Jayna Murray, 30, suffered 322 injuries . Miss Murray's trousers were cut to make it appear she had been sexually assaulted by an intruder . By . Louise Boyle . Last updated at 2:16 PM on 28th October 2011 . A yoga store worker is accused of beating her colleague to death with a foot-long metal bar that formed a merchandise stand at the shop. Brittany Norwood, 29, is said to have chased 30-year-old Jayna Murray through the Bethesda store and also attacked her with a hammer, wrench, knife and peg used to hold up a mannequin. The prosecution at the high-profile trial in Maryland has said that Miss Murray was dead in 15 minutes after 'a brutal and prolonged attack' that left the victim with hundreds of injuries. Colleagues: Brittany Norwood (left) is accused of killing co-worker Jayna Murray (right) at a yoga store in Bethesda, Maryland where they both worked . State’s attorney John McCarthy told the jury at Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, Maryland that Norwood also tried to strangle Murray at Lululemon Athletica store. Mr McCarthy showed the court a bloodstained piece of rope, adding: 'And you can see the hair, Jayna’s hair, hanging on the rope.' At one point on that night, he said, . an employee at the Apple Store next door heard a woman’s voice cry . out,'Oh God, please help me'. The worker pounded on the wall but did not take further action. On the morning of March 12 this year, police discovered Miss Murray dead on the floor of the store and Norwood tied up in the bathroom. Brutal: A photograph inside the yoga shop in Maryland where Brittany Norwood is accused of bludgeoning her colleague to death before staging a robbery . The accused would later tell . detectives she had been attacked by masked men who slipped into the . store after closing time in order to rob them. Police at first considered Norwood a victim before their suspicions were aroused. The prosecution claim that Norwood staged a robbery and tossed . mops, brooms and chairs around the shop. She also cut the victim's trousers to make it appear that the young woman had been sexually assaulted. Mr McCarthy suggested that she used a pair of men’s shoes to track blood . around the store - trying to make it appear that a large man had been . there. An autopsy revealed that Miss Murray suffered 322 injuries, 107 of which were defensive wounds inflicted as she tried to . use parts of her body, including her hands and forearms, to shield . herself. Weapon: A 29-year-old women is said to have beaten her colleague over the head with a metal merchandise rack for around 15 minutes . Scene of the crime: Norwood is said to have staged a robbery at the yoga shop and tracked bloody footprints around the store to make it appear a man had been there . The medical examiner who performed the autopsy . said she had never seen so many defensive wounds, the prosecution said. Mr McCarthy said: 'On March the 11th of this year, she . savagely ended the life of Jayna Murray. 'Today we begin . the process of holding her accountable for the crime she committed... first-degree, premeditated murder.' Distraught: Phyllis Murray, mother of the murdered woman, attends Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, Maryland . The prosecution called Miss Murray an 'extraordinary . young woman' pursuing two masters' degrees from Johns Hopkins University . at the time of her death. Norwood's defence lawyer Douglas Wood . said that a 'horrific' fight broke out between the two co-workers. Mr Wood said: 'Ladies and gentlemen, Brittany Norwood lost it. There’s no doubt about that. She lost it. She lost control.' He claimed that a fight between the women got out of hand and that Norwood never intended to murder her colleague. Norwood’s defence has claimed that she lost her mind that night. Mr Wood said: 'Things that Brittany Norwood did after this were totally inept. 'They show someone, we submit, who got . involved in a nightmarish situation, a nightmare, and had this sort of . imagination, or this explanation of what happened, and it was full of . holes because there was no premeditation, deliberation and willfulness.' The families of both women, including their . parents, were present in the courtroom. The trial is expected to last around eight days. In the state of Maryland, premeditated murder carries the possible sentence of life with no chance for parole. Second-degree murder carries a maximum of 30 years in prison with a chance of release after 15 years. The trial continues.
Brittany Norwood, 29, allegedly attacked with a foot-long metal bar from a merchandise stand .
Victim Jayna Murray, 30, suffered 322 injuries .
Miss Murray's trousers were cut to make it appear she had been sexually assaulted by an intruder .
Brittany Norwood, 29, allegedly attacked with a foot-long metal bar from a merchandise stand . Victim Jayna Murray, 30, suffered 322 injuries . Miss Murray's trousers were cut to make it appear she had been sexually assaulted by an intruder . By . Louise Boyle . Last updated at 2:16 PM on 28th October 2011 . A yoga store worker is accused of beating her colleague to death with a foot-long metal bar that formed a merchandise stand at the shop. Brittany Norwood, 29, is said to have chased 30-year-old Jayna Murray through the Bethesda store and also attacked her with a hammer, wrench, knife and peg used to hold up a mannequin. The prosecution at the high-profile trial in Maryland has said that Miss Murray was dead in 15 minutes after 'a brutal and prolonged attack' that left the victim with hundreds of injuries. Colleagues: Brittany Norwood (left) is accused of killing co-worker Jayna Murray (right) at a yoga store in Bethesda, Maryland where they both worked . State’s attorney John McCarthy told the jury at Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, Maryland that Norwood also tried to strangle Murray at Lululemon Athletica store. Mr McCarthy showed the court a bloodstained piece of rope, adding: 'And you can see the hair, Jayna’s hair, hanging on the rope.' At one point on that night, he said, . an employee at the Apple Store next door heard a woman’s voice cry . out,'Oh God, please help me'. The worker pounded on the wall but did not take further action. On the morning of March 12 this year, police discovered Miss Murray dead on the floor of the store and Norwood tied up in the bathroom. Brutal: A photograph inside the yoga shop in Maryland where Brittany Norwood is accused of bludgeoning her colleague to death before staging a robbery . The accused would later tell . detectives she had been attacked by masked men who slipped into the . store after closing time in order to rob them. Police at first considered Norwood a victim before their suspicions were aroused. The prosecution claim that Norwood staged a robbery and tossed . mops, brooms and chairs around the shop. She also cut the victim's trousers to make it appear that the young woman had been sexually assaulted. Mr McCarthy suggested that she used a pair of men’s shoes to track blood . around the store - trying to make it appear that a large man had been . there. An autopsy revealed that Miss Murray suffered 322 injuries, 107 of which were defensive wounds inflicted as she tried to . use parts of her body, including her hands and forearms, to shield . herself. Weapon: A 29-year-old women is said to have beaten her colleague over the head with a metal merchandise rack for around 15 minutes . Scene of the crime: Norwood is said to have staged a robbery at the yoga shop and tracked bloody footprints around the store to make it appear a man had been there . The medical examiner who performed the autopsy . said she had never seen so many defensive wounds, the prosecution said. Mr McCarthy said: 'On March the 11th of this year, she . savagely ended the life of Jayna Murray. 'Today we begin . the process of holding her accountable for the crime she committed... first-degree, premeditated murder.' Distraught: Phyllis Murray, mother of the murdered woman, attends Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, Maryland . The prosecution called Miss Murray an 'extraordinary . young woman' pursuing two masters' degrees from Johns Hopkins University . at the time of her death. Norwood's defence lawyer Douglas Wood . said that a 'horrific' fight broke out between the two co-workers. Mr Wood said: 'Ladies and gentlemen, Brittany Norwood lost it. There’s no doubt about that. She lost it. She lost control.' He claimed that a fight between the women got out of hand and that Norwood never intended to murder her colleague. Norwood’s defence has claimed that she lost her mind that night. Mr Wood said: 'Things that Brittany Norwood did after this were totally inept. 'They show someone, we submit, who got . involved in a nightmarish situation, a nightmare, and had this sort of . imagination, or this explanation of what happened, and it was full of . holes because there was no premeditation, deliberation and willfulness.' The families of both women, including their . parents, were present in the courtroom. The trial is expected to last around eight days. In the state of Maryland, premeditated murder carries the possible sentence of life with no chance for parole. Second-degree murder carries a maximum of 30 years in prison with a chance of release after 15 years. The trial continues.
Brittany Norwood, 29, allegedly attacked with a foot-long metal bar from a merchandise stand . Victim Jayna Murray, 30, suffered 322 injuries . Miss Murray's trousers were cut to make it appear she had been sexually assaulted by an intruder .