The widower of a Barnes & Noble shopper who was allegedly stabbed to death by a deranged homeless man is suing the owner and managers of the Florida shopping mall and the book giant.
Jorge Loncharich’s wife, Rita, was murdered following a “recurring pattern” of disturbing incidents at the shopping center, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed on his behalf on Tuesday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court.
The 65-year-old was reading a magazine at the Barnes & Noble while Christmas shopping when she was killed in a frenzied knife attack by a mentally ill homeless man on the evening of Dec. 22, 2025, according to officials.
Antonio Moore, who was 40 at the time of the attack, had arrived in Florida just days earlier after boarding a bus from Georgia, according to an affidavit.
The Barnes & Noble branch at the Legacy Place shopping center in Palm Beach Gardens saw more than 60 documented police incidents in less than five years, according to the lawsuit filed by Morgan & Morgan P.A. on behalf of Loncharich.
These included 16 calls coded as “Unwanted Guest,” 23 shoplifting calls, nine for “Suspicious Person,” eight welfare checks, four suspicious incidents, and 14 general police calls, according to the lawsuit, citing Palm Beach Gardens PD records.
Legacy Place and the Barnes & Noble location specifically also had a long-standing pattern of criminal activity, loitering, trespassing, and confrontations involving transient and homeless people, the complaint alleges.
“Defendants, their agents, employees, and/or servants, had actual or constructive knowledge of a history of criminal activity on and in the vicinity of the premises… and knew or should have known that there was a likelihood for criminal conduct,” the complaint states.
The suit, which seeks damages exceeding $50,000 and a trial by jury under the Florida Wrongful Death Act, names four defendants: property owner LSREF6 Legacy LLC, property manager Trademark Property Company Florida, on-site property manager Ana Torres, and store operator Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Each is accused of failing to provide adequate security, failing to address known safety risks, and failing to protect invitees from foreseeable criminal acts.
“The Defendants knew or… should have known that their failure to implement and/or enforce adequate security measures could result in serious injury or death,” the lawsuit states.
On the morning of Dec. 22, Moore was found sleeping in front of Total Wine & More at Legacy Place, and management requested his removal.
Property management called the police, and Moore left before they arrived, later returning and entering Barnes & Noble, charging his phone and making no purchase ahead of the attack.
Neither LSREF6 Legacy LLC, Trademark Property Company Florida, or Barnes & Noble responded immediately to requests for comment.
An automatic email response from Ana Torres stated that Legacy Place is now under new ownership and management and directed enquiries to the new property manager.
Moore admitted to not knowing Loncharich or having a motive for the stabbing, stating that he attacked her just because she was the closest person to him, according to court records seen by WPBF.
Loncharich managed to call her husband and tell him she’d been stabbed before she was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead that same night.
Moore was seen running off to nearby woods on the store’s surveillance cameras, and he was quickly arrested, police said.
The state will not seek the death penalty against Moore, according to court records released last month, although he faces possible life in prison if found guilty.
“I would guess that the reason why the state is not seeking the death penalty here is because the suspect’s mental health. It is unconstitutional to execute someone who is mentally disabled,” former Florida State Attorney Aronberg told WPBF at the time.
Moore is currently being held in the Palm Beach County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.
He is awaiting trial, although no date has been set.
The post Mall where deranged homeless man stabbed Barnes & Noble shopper to death had ‘pattern’ of disturbing incidents: lawsuit appeared first on New York Post.
