Slaying suspect Anne Norris was among top teen athletes a decade ago

The woman accused of first-degree murder in relation to a grisly homicide in downtown St. John's was a star athlete who was selected to representNewfoundland and Labradorat the national level a decade ago.

Former teammates and classmates who knew Anne Norris back then say they were shocked to see her on the news this weekend, wearing a white jumpsuit and flanked by sheriff's officers.

• Anne Norris charged with 1st degree murder of Marcel Reardon
• Marcel Reardon, 46, named as victim of Brazil Street homicide

Norris, 28, appeared at provincial court on Saturday morning for her alleged role in the slaying of Marcel Reardon.

On the morning of May 9, a resident of Harbour View Apartments on Brazil Street in St. John's discovered Reardon's lifeless body outside the complex.

In court documents filed with the murder charge, Norris is listed as living on the third floor of that same apartment building.

That address is 10 kilometres and a world away from the Mount Pearl school where her athletic accomplishments first put her in the news more than a decade ago.

Competed in karate,basketball

In 2002, at age 14, Norris was one of four local athletes set to compete for spots on the Canadian team that would wear the Maple Leaf at the World Karate Association championships later that year in Italy.

According to media reports at the time, those tryouts in Ottawa marked her first appearance on the national stage.

Just over two years later, Norris hit the sports pages again, this time for basketball, as she scored 20 points and paced herHuskies squad to a 70-52 win over city rival O'Donel.

After that, there was a spot on the roster of Newfoundland and Labrador's under-19 provincial basketballteam for the national championships in Quebec.

She also earned a place on the province's Canada Games basketballsquad.

And in the fall of 2005, it was on to Prince Edward Island, where she attended UPEI.

Officials at the university in Charlottetown told CBC News she was listed as an eligible player for the 2005-2006 basketballseason, but noted that she doesn't actually appear on any team roster.

That likely means she never dressed for a game.

2015 arrest for assaults, uttering threats

There is little on the public record related to Norris for the decade after that.

Just over a year ago, she hit the news again, although those reports did not name her at the time.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary issued a press release on May 16, 2015.

The release noted that officers had received a complaint at 8 p.m. the night earlier from a staff member at a St. John's health-care facility, saying she had been assaulted by a patient.

According to police, the health-care worker was not injured. The woman accused of committing the assault was charged and brought to the city lockup.

The woman arrested was Anne Norris. Court documents list the same police file number found on the press release.

Norris was ultimately charged with assaulting an RNC officer, assaulting a correctional officer, assaulting a health-care worker, as well as uttering threats to harm or kill the children of another health-care worker.

Last month, Norris was accused of breaching undertakings related to those charges. She was due to appear in court next month.

Discharged days before homicide

CBC News reported on Monday that Norris suffers from bipolar disorder, and hadjust been discharged from the Waterford Hospital when she moved into the Harbour View Apartmentson May 6.

Reardon's body was found three days later.

Norris is due back in court on May 24 for a status update on the murder charge filed against her.