A 65-year-old woman was stabbed to death inside a Barnes & Noble in Palm Beach Gardens just days before Christmas, and police arrested a 40-year-old man they say attacked her without warning before running from the store.
The killing rattled shoppers and workers at a busy retail center and quickly became a major public safety case for local police. Investigators say the victim, Rita Loncharich, was browsing inside the bookstore when she was stabbed in the back. The suspect, Antonio Moore, was found a short distance away and was booked on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder. Officials have said they are still working to pin down a motive and to reconstruct Moore’s movements in the hours before the stabbing.
Police and rescue crews were sent to the bookstore at Legacy Place shortly before 8 p.m. Mon., Dec. 22, after a 911 call reporting a stabbing, officials said. Responding officers went inside and found Loncharich with a knife still lodged in her back, according to an arrest report described by local media. Officers and medics rushed her to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where she later died. Customers and employees who witnessed the moments after the attack described confusion and fear as people tried to understand what had happened and as staff cleared areas of the store for first responders. Investigators said the scene was treated as a homicide from the start, with detectives interviewing witnesses and collecting video.
Moore was located and taken into custody about 1,500 feet from the store entrance after witnesses provided descriptions of the suspect and his direction of travel, authorities said. Police said Moore had recently arrived in the area from Georgia and had been in Palm Beach Gardens for about a week. In interviews summarized in court records cited by media outlets, investigators said Moore admitted to stabbing Loncharich with a fixed-blade knife and told detectives there was no prior interaction with her. He described an internal buildup and said she was the closest person inside the store when he acted, according to the account of the probable cause affidavit. Authorities have not publicly detailed whether Moore and Loncharich crossed paths earlier in the store or how long he had been inside before the stabbing.
Police have described the attack as unprovoked, a characterization that has fueled concern among residents and holiday shoppers who were already packing stores in the final days before Dec. 25. Detectives have leaned on security footage from inside the bookstore and nearby businesses in the shopping center to build a timeline and to corroborate witness statements, officials said. Investigators have also worked to identify everyone who was close enough to see the stabbing, the suspect’s path out of the store, and the moments before police arrived. Authorities have not released details about where Loncharich was standing or what she was doing just before she was stabbed, beyond accounts that she was inside the store and did not appear to know her attacker. The medical examiner’s findings are expected to provide more detail about the wounds and the official cause of death.
Moore was charged with first-degree premeditated murder and was held without bond, jail records and police statements said. Public reports also indicated investigators filed additional allegations tied to the knife, including weapons-related counts, though police have focused their public remarks on the murder charge. It was not immediately clear which court dates would be scheduled first, but the case was expected to move quickly into early hearings where a judge could address detention, counsel and the handling of evidence. In Florida, prosecutors typically present homicide cases to a grand jury as they prepare for possible indictment and pretrial motions. Investigators have said the inquiry remains active, including a review of video and interviews to test the suspect’s statements against what witnesses and cameras captured.
For many shoppers, the killing was especially jarring because it unfolded in a familiar setting, a bookstore where families often linger and browse. Witnesses described people stepping back and turning toward exits as employees called for help. Loncharich’s husband told local media that his wife managed to call him after the stabbing to say she had been attacked, a detail that investigators have not disputed as they piece together her final minutes. Barnes & Noble did not immediately provide a public statement in the early days of the investigation, and police have not said whether the store’s staff had any direct contact with the suspect before the attack. Authorities have also not said whether anyone attempted to intervene during the stabbing itself.
By the end of the week, detectives had not released a detailed narrative of what led Moore into the store, why he selected the victim, or whether he had been to the shopping center before that night. Police said they planned to continue interviewing witnesses and reviewing recordings from the store and surrounding businesses as they prepare to turn evidence over to prosecutors. The next major milestone is expected to be Moore’s first court proceedings on the murder charge, where attorneys will begin arguing about detention and the pace of the case.
Author note: Last updated Dec. 26, 2025.