Three women have been violently attacked by complete strangers in South Florida over four months, with two killed and one nearly drowned, according to law enforcement records. The attacks occurred in Palm Beach Gardens and Martin County, with each incident happening in public places where the victims had no connection to their attackers.

The first attack occurred Dec. 22, 2025, at a Palm Beach Gardens Barnes and Noble bookstore where Rita B. Loncharich, 65, was found with multiple stab wounds and later died at the hospital. The suspect, Antonio R. Moore, 40, admitted to police it was “an unmotivated attack” and told officers “it was an internal build-up that led to his fight or flight response kicking in,” with Loncharich being the closest person to him. Moore is being held without bond in Palm Beach County jail on a first-degree murder charge.

The second incident happened Feb. 12, 2026, at Tiger Shores Beach when a woman walking alone was attacked from behind, hit, grabbed around the throat and dragged into the ocean. Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said the suspect held the woman underwater as she struggled to break free, only stopping when he thought she was dead. Said Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez was arrested days later and when deputies told him the victim survived and asked if he felt remorse, he replied: “No, I don’t feel nothing.”

Hernandez Gonzalez, who was in the country illegally from Venezuela, is charged with attempted first-degree murder and held without bond in Martin County jail. Deputies said he could not explain why he attacked the victim but confirmed he only stopped the assault once he believed she was dead. The woman survived the attack with bruising on her neck and face.

The most recent attack occurred April 2, 2026, in Stuart’s Southwood neighborhood when 25-year-old Kersten Francilus stabbed a woman in her 70s a total of 16 times while she walked her dog. Multiple neighbors called 911 reporting the stabbing, and when a deputy arrived, Budensiek said Francilus was still actively stabbing the victim. “So when our deputy pulled up, he yelled for our deputy. Our deputy rounded the corner, hopped out of his car, pulled his gun out, and immediately our suspect disengaged from the female, who he was still actively stabbing when our deputy pulled up in his patrol car, and proned himself out on the ground, throwing the knife down and giving up,” Budensiek said.

Before the fatal stabbing, investigators said Francilus was knocking on multiple doors asking people where a new bank was located. When investigators asked Francilus to describe the victim, all he said was that she was Jewish, according to officials. The woman died at the hospital, and there is no known connection between Francilus and the victim.

Francilus, who lived in a nearby neighborhood with his wife, mother and child, has no criminal history according to deputies. Family members told law enforcement the steak knife used in the attack came from their home. He is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and held without bond in Martin County jail.

Security expert James Billig, a retired police officer and CEO of BLUELINE SCG, emphasized the importance of situational awareness following community concerns about the attacks. “From the potential victim’s point of view is really where we need to focus, and that comes down to your situational awareness,” he said. Billig, who is also a certified firearms instructor, recommended “walking with authority with your eyes up, never have your face buried in your cell phone when you’re walking around.”

Investigators continue searching Francilus’s home and questioning him about the motive behind the latest stabbing attack.