homicide | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published November 7, 2011 at 8:34AM

Mailer Blasts GOP State Senate Candidate — A mysterious last-minute political mailer has been sent to voters in the 32nd state Senate District. The mailer attacks GOP state Senate candidate Patrick Forrest for being “openly homosexual,” supporting “illegal immigration reform” and for supposedly working for President Obama’s transition team. Forrest’s opponent, incumbent state Sen. Janet Howell, spoke out against the mailers, calling them “disgusting and despicable.” The mailing’s return address comes back to a parking lot, and the organization it purports to come from does not exist. [Blue Virginia]

Arlington Man Charged With Murder — A 27-year-old Arlington man has been charged with second degree murder in Hawaii. Christopher Deedy, a special agent with the State Department, allegedly shot a man during a late-night argument at a McDonald’s in Waikiki. [KHON 2]

Around Town

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 3, 2011 at 9:21AM

Norwood Found Guilty of Murder — A Montgomery County jury has found Brittany Norwood guilty of the brutal murder of Rosslyn resident Jayna Murray. Murray was found beaten and stabbed to death in a Bethesda Lululemon yoga store in March. [ABC 7]

Cain Accused of Sexual Harassment in Crystal City — Republican presidential frontrunner Herman Cain has been facing accusations that he sexually harassed female employees while serving as head of the National Restaurant Association. The latest accuser alleges that one incident of harassment happened at an (unnamed) restaurant in Crystal City. [Politico]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published October 24, 2011 at 8:23AM | Updated October 24, 2011 at 8:53AM

Teacher Diversity Lags in Arlington — While 28 percent of Arlington public school students are Hispanic, only 7 percent of APS teachers are Hispanic. The school system has been actively working to diversify its teacher pool, however. Over the past year, 14 percent of new teachers hired have been Hispanic. [Sun Gazette]

Jury Selection for Lululemon Murder Trial — Jury selection is beginning today in Maryland in the trial of Brittany Norwood, the woman charged in the murder of Rosslyn resident Jayna Murray. Murray was found bludgeoned to death inside a Lululemon Athletica store in Bethesda in March. [WJLA]

News

Preliminary Hearing for Diener Murder Suspect

By ARLnow.com

Published September 8, 2011 at 9:42AM

The court found probable cause and ordered the Clark held pending an indictment by a grand jury. If an indictment is handed down, a court date is expected to be set on Sept. 22.

Prosecutors say that a trial in the case would likely take place early next year.

News

Arrests Are a Relief For Friends of Carl Diener

By ARLnow.com

Published June 14, 2011 at 12:54PM | Updated June 14, 2011 at 4:54PM

When employees at one of those facilities — the YMCA Arlington Tennis & Squash Center at 3400 N. 13th Street — first heard yesterday that two men had finally been arrested for Carl’s 2009 murder, at least one woman burst into tears.

“We’ve all been sort of waiting around and hoping [police] find who did it,” said Audrey Giberman, who works at the Tennis Center and who formed a close bond with Carl through the years. “He’s always been on our mind. It was a horrible, horrible tragedy.”

News

BREAKING NEWS — Arrests Made in 2009 Murder

By ARLnow.com

Published June 13, 2011 at 2:20PM | Updated June 13, 2011 at 4:17PM

Diener, a 57-year-old Lyon Village resident, was found lying dead on a Clarendon street early on the morning of Dec. 29, 2009. Late last year, friends and family held a vigil to mark the one year anniversary of Diener’s death, and to draw public attention to the police department’s continued effort to find clues about the case. With today’s announcement, those efforts seem to have paid off.

The two men arrested are both in their early 20s. One was arrested in Montgomery County, Md. and the other was arrested in the District, according to police.

News

Arlington Rapist Charged with 2009 Murder

By ARLnow.com

Published May 27, 2011 at 8:44AM

Jorge Avila Torrez, pictured in 2010 (photo via Arlington Sheriff's Office)

Federal prosecutors say Torrez is responsible for the 2009 death of Amanda Snell, a 20-year-old Navy intelligence specialist who was found dead in her Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall barracks two years ago.

Torrez is currently serving five consecutive life sentences for the abduction of two Arlington women and the abduction and brutal rape of another in February 2010. Arlington prosecutor Theo Stamos called Torrez a “predator” during his sentencing. Now he’s being charged with first degree murder in Snell’s death.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 16, 2011 at 8:13AM

Westover Decision Delayed Until Tuesday — The County Board voted on Saturday to delay a decision on live entertainment for the Westover Market’s beer garden until Tuesday, giving county staff three days to come up with permit conditions that would be more acceptable to concerned neighbors. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Police Seek Tips in 1997 Cold Case — ACPD’s cold case unit is asking for the public’s help in solving the case of 17-year-old Vu Huynh, who was murdered outside Hi-Cue Billiards on Columbia Pike in March 1997. [Washington Examiner]

News

Arrest Made in Murder of Rosslyn Resident

By ARLnow.com

Published March 21, 2011 at 8:30AM | Updated March 22, 2011 at 7:38AM

Charging documents say Murray’s Lululemon store coworker, 28-year-old Brittany Norwood, stabbed and beat her to death, then tried to cover up the crime. Norwood, who was found tied up in a bathroom, initially told detectives that two men wearing gloves and masks forced their way into the store and assaulted them. Norwood was arrested on Friday and charged with first degree murder after police found evidence that allegedly conflicted with Norwood’s story.

Norwood was a standout soccer player at Decatur High School, near Seattle, and at Stony Brook University in New York. The Washington Post reports that Montgomery County authorities are investigating whether Murray may have been killed after Norwood was accused of stealing merchandise.

News

Rosslyn Resident Killed in Bethesda

By ARLnow.com

Published March 14, 2011 at 8:56AM | Updated March 14, 2011 at 11:54AM

Jayna T. Murray, a store employee, was found dead and a co-worker was found injured inside the upscale Bethesda Row store Saturday morning. Police say they were attacked by two men wearing masks and gloves around 10:00 p.m., after closing the store for the night.

In addition to her work at the Lululemon, Murray was close to completing an MBA with a concentration in marketing at John Hopkins’ Carey Business School, according to her Linkedin page.

News

Friends Remember Carl Diener As Police Seek Tips

By ARLnow.com

Published December 30, 2010 at 9:22AM

What Diener was not was a likely crime victim. After all, he lived within the safe confines of Lyon Village and, if worse came to worse, he was one of the fastest runners of all his sporty friends.

Nonetheless, early in the morning on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009, Diener was beaten and stabbed to death near the intersection of 13th and Irving Streets in Arlington. The shocking crime has remained Arlington’s only unsolved murder since 2006.

Events

Vigil Planned for Slain Arlington Man

By ARLnow.com

Published December 28, 2010 at 8:36AM

The vigil is being organized in conjunction with a drive by police to gather more tips in the case. Police are planning on distributing fliers Wednesday night in the area of 13th and Irving Streets in Clarendon, where Diener was found beaten and stabbed early in the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009.

Diener, a 57-year-old retired government employee, was on his way to work at the Arlington Sport & Health Club at the time of his death. A $25,000 reward is offered for information that helps to solve the case.