United States, Florida: A man fatally stabs a Barnes & Noble bookstore shopper, claims 'no cause' to police

Friday, December 26, 2025  

On Monday, shortly before 8pm, a 65-year-old woman, was stabbed badly with a pocketknife inside a Barnes & Noble bookstore within the Legacy Place shopping center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Police said it was an unprovoked attack.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but died from her injuries during surgery shortly after, at around 9:22 p.m. Monday evening.

The suspect, a 40-year-old man ran into the woods but was caught about 500 meters from the bookstore and brought into custody on first-degree murder. Barnes & Noble declined to comment on the active case.

According to the police, the suspect reportedly stated that there was no cause for the attack, and the victim was simply the nearest person when "fight or flight response" was caused by "internal buildup". According to police, the suspect has no history of violent crime and was homeless after arriving from Georgia by bus a week ago.

The suspect made his first appearance in court on Wednesday, in which he was refused bail and was scheduled to appear in the court again in January.

• Samantha Roesler , Kayla McDermott. Police: Suspect claims no motive in deadly stabbing inside Barnes & Noble — WPTV, December 25, 2025
• Meredith Deliso. Woman fatally stabbed at Barnes & Noble store in Florida in apparently unprovoked attack: Police — ABC News, December 24, 2025