A 65-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in a random, unprovoked attack inside a Barnes & Noble in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, prompting a police investigation.
Police said the attack occurred at 7:54 p.m. Monday at the Barnes & Noble at Legacy Place. Officers responded within minutes to reports of a stabbing, finding the victim, identified as Rita Loncharich, unresponsive inside the store with a knife lodged in her back, according to a probable cause affidavit released by the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.
Officers “immediately rendered aid” to Loncharich at the scene before she was transported to a local hospital, police said. Despite emergency medical efforts, she died from her injuries a short time later.
Investigators said the suspect fled the store immediately after the stabbing. Witnesses inside the bookstore, along with store surveillance footage, provided officers with a detailed description of the attacker, enabling them to begin searching the surrounding area immediately.
A short time later, officers located the suspect in a wooded area near the store. Police identified him as a 40-year-old Antonio Moore. Authorities said Moore was wearing clothing that matched what had been observed in the surveillance footage and was taken into custody without incident.
According to the affidavit, Moore admitted to stabbing Loncharich and said the attack was not motivated by any dispute or prior interaction.
Moore allegedly told detectives that “an internal build-up that led to his fight or flight response kicking in” overtook him while he was inside the store, adding that Loncharich was “the closest person inside the store” at the time of the attack, according to the affidavit.
Moore told police he heard the victim exclaim, “he stabbed me,” before fleeing into the nearby woods, where officers later found him.
Investigators said Moore arrived in Palm Beach Gardens about a week earlier after taking a bus from Georgia. On the night of the attack, he told police he was in the bookstore charging his phone.
Authorities emphasized that the investigation found no evidence suggesting provocation or interaction between Moore and Loncharich before the stabbing. Police said the attack appeared to be random and sudden.
Moore was booked Tuesday morning on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder, according to online jail records. During his initial court appearance on Wednesday, a judge determined that probable cause existed to support the charge and ordered that Moore remain in custody without bond. Court records show he is scheduled to return to court next month.
Barnes & Noble declined to comment, saying it does not discuss ongoing investigations.
The killing has shaken Palm Beach Gardens, where violent crime in retail spaces is rare. Police say the investigation is ongoing as detectives review evidence and witness statements before future court proceedings.
