Already out on bail in another felony case, a 19-year-old murder suspect who prosecutors say admitted to harboring homicidal fantasies allegedly stalked and slaughtered beloved artist and writer Rachell Summers, 73, in a random California attack.
Tyler Leibelt is accused of fatally stabbing Summers outside the Capitola Mall on Monday as she walked to the bank after picking up her paycheck, according to court documents filed by the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office seeking to keep him behind bars without bail.
Leibelt’s arraignment was delayed until July 29 after his attorneys requested a continuance. He remains jailed without bail.
The killing has devastated the local arts community, where Summers spent seven years as gallery manager of Art of Santa Cruz.
“I’m the president [of the gallery], but she was my right hand person for sure, and got things very organized and under control,” Heather Richman, president of Art of Santa Cruz and Summers’ friend and manager, told The California Post.
According to prosecutors, Leibelt had been living in a sober living environmentand took an Uber to Cabrillo College, where he is an accounting student, on Monday.
While sitting in the college cafeteria, court documents say Leibelt felt a long-standing “desire to kill someone.”
The documents say Leibelt told investigators it was a “done deal” that he was going to kill someone once he turned off his cellphone because he did not want to be interrupted.
Prosecutors allege Leibelt then boarded a METRO bus to the Capitola Mall, where he was actively looking for a victim before entering a Big 5 Sporting Goods store and purchasing two switchblade knives.
According to the court documents, Leibelt told detectives he bought two knives because he wanted to hold one in each hand while killing someone.
Investigators said he demonstrated stabbing motions with both hands during questioning.
Court documents say Leibelt had previously disclosed homicidal “fantasies” and that he “kept getting let out” of custody.
The suspect was already free on bail awaiting trial in another felony case when Summers was killed, a detail that has intensified criticism from those who argue California’s criminal justice system is too lenient on dangerous offenders.
Before encountering Summers, Leibelt allegedly walked with an elderly Asian man across the street and considered attacking him but decided against it because there were too many cars nearby and he believed the man might put up too much of a fight, KSBW reported.
Prosecutors say Leibelt then spotted Summers near the Capitola Mall driveway as she walked toward Trader Joe’s on Clares Street.
He allegedly moved closer, walked in a semicircle around Summers with a concealed knife and allowed her to get ahead so she would not realize she was being followed.
Court documents say he removed the knife from its packaging, chased Summers at full speed and stabbed her in the back.
Summers suffered more than 11 stab wounds, including injuries to her back, defensive wounds to her forearms and wounds to the center of her chest.
Prosecutors say Leibelt told investigators he heard Summers cry out, “Help me.”
Richman said the alleged randomness of the attack has been especially difficult for those who knew Summers.
“I understand that it was just a kid who just bought a knife and decided he wanted to kill somebody, and he picked somebody at random.”
Summers was more than just a victim to the Capitola community.
She was a beloved artist and writer, a mother and grandmother, and a longtime fixture at Art of Santa Cruz.
She is survived by a daughter who lives in the area and a grandson.
She also shared her Capitola home with her beloved cat, Ivy.
Even as artists mourned Summers, Richman said they immediately stepped forward to help with care for Ivy.
“We have several artists who have called me and said, ‘Hey, you know, if there’s any any problem with the cat, that they would take the cat.’”
The gallery plans to notify its artists about memorial arrangements Saturday.
“We have about 60 artists, and I imagine most of them will want to attend this.”
The killing unfolded in Santa Cruz County, which ranks among the wealthiest 3% nationwide and stands as one of California’s most heavily Democratic counties, according to state voter registration data. While the county’s unincorporated areas rank well below national averages for crime, its tourist-heavy city centers see property crime spikes above the baseline.
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