Murray Family: Tribute To Slain Daughter 'Means Everything'

The family of slain Lululemon employee Jayna Murray visited the newly renovated Lululemon store in downtown Bethesda Friday morning as it re-opened its doors to the Bethesda community.

Murray, 30, was killed inside the shop March 11, and her co-worker Brittany Norwood, 28, has been in the slaying.

The store re-opened with a newly-installed stained glass window piece that bears the word, “Love,” a tribute to Marray. Her father, David, mother, Phyllis, and sister-in-law, Kate, spoke to the media beneath the sign. The store has been shrouded in white fabric bearing the same word in the months following Murray's death.

“Jayna was one of the most loved and the most loving people I know, so there is no better way to honor her than this,” Kate Murray said.

She continued, “Today, she is here in spirit.”

Just before the store opened around 10a.m., store employees gathered in a circle to perform the sun salutation, a yoga sequence. The family was given a memory book filled with photos and messages from Jayna’s friends and co-workers, David Murray said. Shortly after 10a.m., customers began to stop in.

“It was a little emotional,” said Bethesda resident Alexandra Taylor after leaving the shop. “There was someone in there who was crying.”

Murray’s father, David, said the experience of walking into the store where his daughter was killed was an emotional experience, but the support of Murray’s friends was a comfort. “Walking into the store was difficult,” David Murray said. “But it felt like Jayna was right there with me.”

David Murray said he supported Lululemon’s decision to re-open the store. The tribute to his daughter, he said, “means everything.”

 “She loved the people of Bethesda, and I know today is an honor for her,” said Phyllis Murray. Her daughter, she said, would be “turning cartwheels.”

Lululemon is organizing a on Bethesda Avenue Saturday morning to mark the re-opening of the store and to honor Murray's memory. Bethesda Avenue will be closed for the practice, which will take place between 8:30 and 9:30a.m. Saturday.

The practice will be set to live music.