A 65-year-old woman was tragically stabbed to death in what seemed to be a sudden and unexplained assault while out shopping for Christmas.
Police found the victim, identified as Rita Loncharich, unconscious with a knife in her back, laying in a pool of blood on the floor of the Barnes and Noble store in Palm Beach Gardens just before 8 p.m. EST on Monday. Despite immediate medical attention, she succumbed to her injuries during surgery at St. Mary’s Medical Centre, as reported by the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department and local news outlet CBS12.
The perpetrator reportedly fled the scene on foot immediately after the attack. Law enforcement utilized store surveillance footage and eyewitness descriptions of the assailant to apprehend the suspect.
According to authorities, the suspect, identified as 40-year-old Antonio Moore, was located shortly thereafter in a wooded area near the store, dressed in attire matching the witness accounts and video evidence. Moore was taken into custody and confessed to the crime, the police stated, citing the probable cause affidavit.
The following day, Moore was held without bond after being charged with first-degree premeditated murder, based on police and court records. He informed law enforcement that he had arrived in the area about a week before the incident, having traveled by bus from Georgia. Moore initially claimed he was at the store to charge his phone but later admitted to the attack, as per the affidavit detailed in reports by The Mirror US.
Moore allegedly explained to authorities that the assault was triggered by internal stress leading to a fight-or-flight response, with Rita being the unfortunate target in the store. He made his first court appearance on Wednesday and is scheduled to return in January, according to local news outlet CBS12.
Barnes and Noble’s press office declined to comment on the ongoing police investigation following the tragic incident.
Local customers at the bookstore chain expressed shock over the incident to CBS12. One shopper mentioned, “It’s disheartening that anyone can’t feel safe walking into a regular store without the fear of violence,” while another added, “My thoughts are with the affected family and the community; I never imagined such a situation could occur.”
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