A 73-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in what authorities describe as a random attack outside a California mall, and the 19-year-old suspect later told investigators he had decided that day that he wanted to kill someone.

Rachell Summers, a longtime Capitola resident and manager of the Art of Santa Cruz nonprofit gallery inside Capitola Mall, was attacked on the afternoon of July 20, 2026. She had gone to the mall to pick up a check and was leaving through an exit near the food court when she was stabbed multiple times. Summers was found on Clares Street across from the Macy’s west exit and was pronounced dead at the scene despite lifesaving efforts.

The suspect, 19-year-old Tyler Leibelt of Santa Cruz, was located nearby shortly afterward and taken into custody without incident. According to court documents and police statements, Leibelt had no prior association with Summers. While in custody, he allegedly confessed that he had considered several random targets before choosing Summers and told investigators he wanted to kill someone that day.

Leibelt, a Cabrillo College student studying accounting, has been charged with first-degree murder and related enhancements. He was being held without bail. Police continue to describe the attack as a random act of violence.

Summers was remembered by friends, coworkers, and the local community as a kind and selfless presence. She had recently become a grandmother for the first time, and a GoFundMe was created to support an education fund for her grandson, reflecting one of her hopes for him. Tributes appeared near the mall in the days following her death.

The case has left the quiet beachside community of Capitola deeply shaken.

Sources

• Capitola Police Department and Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office statements
• SFGate