(Newser) – A woman who police say brutally killed a co-worker at an upscale yoga shop in Bethesda, then claimed that both women had been violently raped, is being held without bail after her first hearing today. "Her cunning and her ability to lie is almost unparalleled," a Maryland state's attorney told the judge of Brittany Norwood. Jayna Murray was found with a severed spinal cord and wounds "too numerous to count" on the morning of March 12; Norwood was bound by her side.

Investigators began searching for the two men Norwood said attacked them after Murray let her in the Lululemon shop after hours to retrieve her wallet. Authorities determined neither woman has sustained sexual assault, reports the AP, and now say that Norwood killed Murray because she suspected Norwood of stealing from the store. Norwood was charged Friday. Click for more background on the story. (Read more yoga stories.)

