Home / Crime and Justice / Artist Stabbed to Death in Random Mall Attack
Artist Stabbed to Death in Random Mall Attack
22 Jul
Summary
- Rachell Summers, 73, was fatally stabbed in a shopping mall parking lot.
- Suspect Tyler Leibelt, 19, faces murder and violent felony charges.
- Police described the attack as random with no prior connection between suspect and victim.
Seventy-three-year-old local artist Rachell Summers was fatally stabbed in the parking lot of the Capitola Mall on Monday afternoon. The attack occurred just before 1 p.m. outside the mall's food court.
Police have arrested 19-year-old Tyler Leibelt in connection with the stabbing. He faces charges including murder and a violent felony allegation under California Penal Code 667.5.
Investigators believe the incident was a random act of violence, stating there is no evidence that Leibelt knew Summers prior to the attack.
Summers was the manager of the Art of Santa Cruz gallery, which has closed for the week. The Capitola Police Department expressed their condolences to Summers' family and friends, calling the act tragic and senseless.
