A 65-year-old woman was tragically stabbed to death in what seemed to be a random attack while she was out Christmas shopping. Rita Loncharich, the victim, was found unconscious with a knife in her back, lying in a pool of blood on the floor of a Barnes and Noble store in Palm Beach Gardens just before 8 pm EST on Monday. Despite immediate assistance, she passed away during surgery at St. Mary’s Medical Centre.
The assailant fled the scene on foot after the attack, but law enforcement authorities were able to identify and locate the suspect using store surveillance footage and eyewitness descriptions. The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Antonio Moore, was apprehended in a nearby wooded area wearing clothing matching the witnesses’ descriptions and seen in the video footage. Moore confessed to the crime upon being detained.
Following his arrest, Moore was held without bail on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder. He disclosed to the police that he had arrived in the area a week prior to the incident and was in the store charging his phone before the attack occurred. Moore claimed that the assault was triggered by an internal buildup that prompted his fight-or-flight response, with Rita being the closest person to him at the time.
At his initial court appearance, Moore was remanded into custody and is scheduled for another court date in January. Barnes and Noble’s press office declined to comment on the ongoing police investigation surrounding the tragic incident.
Local customers at the bookstore expressed shock and sorrow over the incident, highlighting concerns about safety in public spaces. One customer remarked to a news outlet, “It’s terrible that anybody can’t walk into a regular store without being fearful of being stabbed.” Another customer echoed similar sentiments, saying, “My heart goes out to the family affected and the community. I never imagined this kind of situation happening here.”
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