Officers say a 40-year-old man was arrested hours after the attack and booked on a first-degree murder charge.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL — A 65-year-old woman died after being stabbed inside a Barnes & Noble on Monday evening, police said, prompting a rapid search that ended with a suspect located and taken into custody early Tuesday.
Police identified the victim as Rita B. Loncharich. Investigators said the stabbing happened shortly before 8 p.m. Monday at the bookstore on Legacy Avenue, a shopping corridor near PGA Boulevard. Officers and Fire Rescue crews provided aid and took Loncharich to a local hospital, where she died. By midmorning Tuesday, a 40-year-old suspect, identified by police as Antonio Moore, had been booked into jail on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder and held without bond. Detectives said the motive remains under review, and they are still piecing together what led to the fatal encounter inside the store as holiday-week shoppers browsed nearby.
Officers were dispatched at about 7:53 p.m. after 911 callers reported a stabbing inside the Barnes & Noble at 11380 Legacy Ave. Responding units entered the store, found Loncharich wounded and began lifesaving measures, according to a department summary. Shoppers were escorted outside as officers secured the scene and canvassed for witnesses. Police said the assailant ran from the store on foot. Witness descriptions circulated to patrol units and nearby agencies. Investigators said Moore was located a short time later and taken into custody around daybreak Tuesday. “This investigation is active and ongoing,” the department said, adding that additional evidence, including store surveillance and physical items collected at the scene, will be reviewed.
Authorities identified Moore, 40, as the man arrested in the case and said online jail records show he is being held without bond on a count of first-degree premeditated murder. Booking information lists his arrest shortly after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday. Police have not said whether the victim and suspect knew each other. Investigators said the sequence inside the store remains under analysis, including how the stabbing unfolded and whether any prior confrontation occurred. Detectives are interviewing witnesses who were in the aisles Monday night and are cataloging camera footage from inside the bookstore and nearby businesses across the Legacy Place shopping area. The agency said a motive has not been determined.
Monday’s killing occurred at the height of the evening rush in a retail district that includes restaurants, a movie theater and big-box shops. Barnes & Noble said its press office does not comment on ongoing police investigations. The store at Legacy Avenue has served the area for years and frequently hosts author events and book clubs. Local residents described the area as typically busy but calm during the holidays. While Palm Beach Gardens reports lower violent-crime totals than many South Florida cities, the city has seen high-profile investigations in the past decade that drew regional attention. Police on Tuesday emphasized that the Barnes & Noble case appears isolated to the store and that there is no broader threat identified at this time.
Investigators said evidence technicians completed an overnight examination of the scene, collecting items for processing by the crime lab. Detectives planned additional interviews and follow-up canvasses Tuesday afternoon. Moore is expected to make an initial court appearance as early as Wednesday, where a judge will review the arrest and bond status. Police said they will release further updates when the medical examiner finalizes the cause and manner of death and when additional records are available. No additional charges had been announced as of midday Tuesday. Any future charging documents from prosecutors would outline the state’s case and the timeline police say they can prove.
Outside the store Tuesday, customers arrived to find squad cars and tape still in place. A woman who works nearby said she saw cruisers racing into the plaza just after sunset and watched shoppers stream from the doors. Another man who frequents the bookstore said he was stunned by the violence in a place he visits weekly. “It’s heartbreaking for the family and for this community,” he said. A police spokesperson thanked store patrons who stayed to give statements, saying those first accounts help establish the minute-by-minute record of what happened.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Moore remained jailed without bond and detectives continued to process interviews and video. The next expected milestone is the suspect’s first appearance hearing and any subsequent release of charging paperwork later this week.
Author note: Last updated December 23, 2025.