Police identify victim, suspect in fatal Capitola Mall stabbing

Capitola police and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office have identified the victim in Monday’s fatal stabbing outside the Capitola Mall as Rachell Summers, 73, of Capitola. On Tuesday, the law enforcement agencies also identified the suspect as Tyler Leibelt, 19, of Santa Cruz, who remains in custody.

According to Capitola Police Chief Sarah Ryan, the woman was stabbed multiple times on the north side of the mall. The department said that based on its investigation to date, detectives believe it was a “random act of violence” and “there is no indication that the suspect and victim knew one another prior to the attack.”

Leibelt was arrested on two charges, first-degree murder and commission of a felony while on bail or release.

Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Capitola Police Department, Watsonville Police Department, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol were all on scene Monday afternoon. Clares Street was sealed off with police tape from the stoplight near Bay Federal Credit Union to the entrance of the Target parking lot, with at least 10 law enforcement vehicles and one ambulance on site. A CHP vehicle was stationed near the Target parking lot entrance with additional traffic cones blocking off the lot. In another taped-off area, the victim’s body was covered in a black tarp on a grassy median not far from the Macy’s entrance.

Diamond Rocha, a Claire’s employee, was on her way to the mall when she found her car sandwiched between police vehicles as she arrived.

“I parked to get out of their way, and when I got out, I was going to clock into work, they both followed me into the mall,” she told Lookout.

Rocha said she and her manager were trying to figure out what was happening, and several minutes later, an officer told them they needed to evacuate, but didn’t give a reason.

“My adrenaline was rushing, like I was shaking,” she said.

“Nobody was running or anything, so we didn’t see any urgency until we were told to evacuate. And then everybody hustled out,” said Rocha’s coworker, Carina Williams. 

Rocha said it’s far from a normal occurrence. “Sometimes we’ll see cops walking around, but I think that’s for normal theft going on.”

Ryan told Lookout on Tuesday that the mall’s manager has increased security for the time being, and Capitola Police Department will have more patrols in the area to support the community. She acknowledges how scary the situation was for many.

“Because we have no reason to believe that our suspect had any knowledge of who the victim was, there’s that sense of insecurity behind the fact it was so random,” she said, adding that she’s grateful for the coordinated response between multiple agencies. “It’s the time to wrap the community up and say ‘that was scary, but we are here.'”

Ryan said she was thinking of the community when she went to bed at the end of the day, and while she understands people may still feel afraid or unsafe, she emphasized that it was a very uncommon situation.

“I think it’s important to remind people, because these things, of course, put an imprint in our mind,” she said. “This is standing out for you because you’re not desensitized to it, because it doesn’t happen often. This is not normal, and let’s not accept it as being normal.”

The Capitola Police Department is asking anyone with information to contact the agency at 831-475-4242.

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