PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – A woman died after being stabbed at a Barnes & Noble store in South Florida this week, according to the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.
In an arrest report, police said the incident was reported shortly before 8 p.m. on Monday along Legacy Avenue.
Upon arrival, officers found the woman — identified as Rita Loncharich — with a knife embedded in her back inside the store. She was taken to the hospital, though she died later that evening during surgery.
Police said they used surveillance footage to pin the suspect as Antonio Moore, 40, who’d apparently come to Palm Beach Gardens from Georgia about a week prior via bus.
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According to investigators, Moore came to the store with red and blue bags, and he began charging his phone inside the store.
But while Moore later admitted to stabbing Loncharich and fleeing the store, he claimed to have had no prior contact with the woman or motive for the stabbing.
“Antonio stated there was an internal buildup that led to his fight or flight response kicking in, with Rita being the closest person inside the store,” the report reads. “Antonio took the fixed blade knife he had inside his jacket pocket and stabbed Rita in the back.”
Law enforcement ultimately found Moore in the woods nearby after the stabbing, and he was taken into custody, police said. He now faces a charge of first-degree murder and is held without bond.
The full arrest report can be found below.