A woman was stabbed to death in what appears to have been a random attack while she was looking through books at a Barnes & Noble store in Florida. Rita Loncharich, 65, was found unresponsive inside the Barnes & Noble in Palm Beach Gardens on Monday night, with a knife lodged in her back, police told the Daily Mail.
Officers rushed to help her at the scene and immediately took her to a nearby hospital. However, she later died from her injuries. The man accused of killing her was later identified as 40-year-old Antonio Moore, who was seen fleeing the bookstore moments after the violent attack, according to surveillance footage.
Killed Mercilessly
Police arrested Moore a short time later in a wooded area near the store. He has since been charged with first-degree premeditated murder. Moore allegedly confessed to stabbing Loncharich with a fixed-blade knife. He told investigators that he heard her say, "he stabbed me," before he ran away, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by ABC News.
Moore reportedly told police that Loncharich was not specifically targeted, saying she was simply the closest person to him inside the store at the time.
Strange Reason Behind Murder
Moore also told police that he had arrived in Palm Beach Gardens by bus from Georgia about a week before the attack. He said he went into the bookstore to charge his phone, but then felt what he described as an "internal buildup" that triggered a fight-or-flight response.
Investigators say he then attacked Loncharich without any clear motive.
Moore appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday and is being held without bond, according to online records. He is scheduled to return to court next month.
Palm Beach Gardens police told the Daily Mail that the investigation into the stabbing is still ongoing.
