According to a police report released on Christmas Eve, a man accused of killing a 65-year-old woman inside a Barnes & Noble store explained to investigators that an internal buildup caused a 'fight or flight' reaction to overwhelm him just before the assault.
Antonio Roderick Moore, 40, stated he arrived in Palm Beach County from Georgia by bus a week earlier and attacked Rita B. Loncharich without any reason on Dec. 22, during the holiday shopping period, as per the report.
Loncharich passed away that night following surgery at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach. Authorities have not revealed her place of residence or any connections to the Palm Beach Gardens region.
Moore is charged with first-degree murder and is detained at the county jail without bail. At a hearing on Dec. 24, Circuit Judge Donald Hafele assigned the county Public Defender's Office to his case, which does not comment on ongoing matters as policy.
Suspect Describes Random Attack at Shopping Center
The apparently unplanned incident occurred around 8 p.m. at the Legacy Place shopping center near PGA Boulevard and Interstate 95. Police found Loncharich unresponsive in the store with a knife in her back, based on Moore's arrest report.
Witnesses gave descriptions of the attacker, leading officers to locate Moore in a wooded area about 1,500 feet from the store's entrance, near Fairchild Avenue and Campus Drive, where he was taken into custody without trouble.
Moore told officers he entered the Barnes & Noble that evening with his red and blue bags and was charging his phone when he suddenly took a fixed-blade knife from his jacket pocket and stabbed Loncharich, noting she was the nearest person at the time. He indicated no previous interaction with her.
By the evening of Dec. 23, the Barnes & Noble had resumed normal operations, with customers browsing aisles. A call to the Legacy Place management office was declined for questions or further comment.
