OCALA, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida woman convicted in the fatal shooting of her neighbor has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
In August, a jury found Susan Lorincz guilty of manslaughter in the June 2023 death of Ajike Owens, who Lorincz shot and killed from behind her locked front door.
(L) Susan Lorincz (Marion County Jail), (R) Ajike Owens (Anthony D. Thomas via AP, File)
Owen’s mother, Pamela Dias, testified at Lorincz’s sentencing hearing about a “lifetime of scars and trauma” that she and her daughter’s four children will endure because of Lorincz’s actions. Dias said Lorincz had tormented her daughter and grandchildren for years before the fatal shooting.
“I see the pain in their eyes even when they seem like they’re happy. I recognize it because I carry that same pain. Our true essence and being is gone forever,” Dias said.
On the day of the shooting, Lorincz was observed arguing with children who were playing in a field close to her home. During that argument, Lorincz allegedly threw a roller skate at one of Owens’ children.
“After learning of this, the victim, accompanied by her 10-year-old son, approached Lorincz’s home. The victim then knocked on Lorincz’s door multiple times and demanded that Lorincz come outside. Lorincz then fired one shot through the door, striking (the victim) in her upper chest. (The victim) died from the gunshot wound,” stated an arrest affidavit.
The affidavit also stated Lorincz called 911 when Owens approached her door:
“During the call…Lorincz advised that three juveniles who live across the street were outside her door, yelling at her. After being advised that deputies were en route to the location, that call ended.”
Minutes later, deputies in route received multiple calls reporting shots heard in the area. Lorincz also called 911 again and “advised a female tried to break down her door while yelling and that she shot through the door.”
Lorincz addressed the court at her sentencing, stating that Owens had terrorized her and that Owens’ children lied about Lorincz allegedly calling them racist slurs. She then segued into a tearful apology to the Owens family. She said she “never intended to kill,” feels terrible for her actions, and would “trade” her life so Owens could be here if she could.
Judge Robert Hodges denied Lorincz’s request for a downward departure of probation, saying the “tremendous harm” Lorincz caused Owens’ family – mainly her four young children – outweighed evidence that Lorincz had PTSD caused by childhood sexual abuse. Hodges added the shooting was “completely unnecessary” and motivated by anger more than fear.
DAILY TRIAL UPDATES
DAY 4 – 8/16/24
- Assistant State Attorney Richard Buxman argued that Lorincz had no good reason to fear AJ Owens would hurt her because Owens had never resorted to violence in their prior confrontations, even when she thought Lorincz had used racial slurs toward her children. Banging on Lorincz’s door was not a crime and nothing she was doing suggested she intended to break into the house or attack Owens, Buxman said.
- Defense lawyer Amanda Sizemore said the law called for jurors to view the circumstances of the deadly encounter as Lorincz perceived them, even if the threat wasn’t real or actual. Sizemore said the law also did not require Lorincz to wait for Owens to breach her home before defending herself because Owens was already trespassing by being on the patio. Lorincz genuinely feared for her life when Owens started banging on the door, causing the apartment to shake, while screaming threats to kill Lorincz, and she opened fire when she heard the door start cracking.
- The 6-person Marion County jury deliberated for less than 3 hours before convicting Susan Lorincz of manslaughter with a firearm, rejecting her claim that she acted in self-defense and feared for her life when she shot Ajike AJ Owens through her closed, locked apartment door.
- The jury had two requests during deliberations:
- Granted – Rehear Lorincz’s 911 calls on the night in question, before (to complain about kids) and after the shooting.
- Denied — Clarification on when Lorincz’s doorframe was damaged, how it was damaged, and by whom.
DAY 3 – 8/15/24
- Susan Lorincz decides not to testify in her own defense.
- WATCH: Jury Sees 3D Images of Crime Scene in Knocking Neighbor Shooting Trial
DAY 2 – 8/14/24
- In a letter to victim AJ Owens’ children that the lead detective read to the jury, Susan Lorincz wrote, “I’m so, so sorry for your loss. I never meant to kill your mother. I was terrified your mom was going to kill me. I shot out of fear.”
- The jury heard two profanity-laced interviews Susan Lorincz gave to Marion County Sheriff’s detectives on 6/3/23 and 6/6/23. The feed took hits throughout, but the audio was clear when you could hear/see it and there are lots of usable moments.
- Throughout both interviews, Lorincz repeatedly insisted that AJ Owens made her fear for her life by threatening to kill her as she pounded on Lorincz’s door with such force that her apartment shook. Lorincz said that she felt she was in “imminent danger” and insisted she told the 911 operator about Owens’ death threats even though she is not heard mentioning the threats on the 911 call.
- Lorincz gave mixed statements on whether she intended to kill Owens, saying at one point she did not intend to kill her and that her goal was simply to scare Owens away by firing the pistol, but also saying, “I did what I felt I had do do” when asked if she would do it again or “take it back.”
- When detectives asked Lorincz what she thought might happen, she said she thought Owens would bang down the door and beat her to death. When detectives told Lorincz that no witnesses reported hearing Owens threaten Lorincz, Lorincz said, “I swear to God, I heard ‘I’m gonna kill you.'”
- Lorincz described prior clashes with Owens that she said contributed to her fear of Owens, including an instance when Owens accused Lorincz of calling Owens’ children racist slurs. Lorincz denied using racial slurs toward the children but said she apologized anyway, after which Owens followed her down the street, scaring Lorincz.
- The jury watched 11 short videos Lorincz filmed on her phone of neighborhood children — including Owens’ — playing in the field next to her property over the course of 90 minutes before Lorincz called 911 for the first time.
- The last video was filmed at 8:53 pm, less than a minute before Lorincz called 911 to report the kids trespassing. THe 911 call ended at 8:59 pm. About two minutes later, Lorincz called 911 to report she shot Owens. The timecodes contradict Lorincz’ account that about 10 minutes passed between her first 911 call and Owens showing up at her door and that Owens was pounding at her door for two to five minutes
- WATCH: ‘I Really Feared for My Life’: Jury Sees Lorincz Police Interview
- The state rested.
- The defense called its first witness, neighbor Rosalie Smith, who said she could hear screaming at Lorincz’s home from her home a football field’s length away.
- In a witness proffer outside the jury’s presence, the judge forbade Smith from using the word “hood” to describe the neighborhood, ruling the word has a “racial connotation” that could be prejudicial because it suggests the neighborhood is “bad because African-Americans live there.”
DAY 1 – 8/13/24
- In the state opening, Assistant State Attorney Adam Smith said Susan Lorincz shot an unarmed AJ Owens through a locked door, and the case would come down to whether the shooting was justified. Lorincz herself allegedly told police she never intended to hit Owens, Smith said.
- Lorincz’s conduct and statements after the shooting suggest Lorincz wasn’t as scared of Owens as she now claims she was, and that Lorincz was more concerned about her cat than Owens. Lorincz had called 911 on the children before Owens showed up at her door and deputies were on the way. The two had issues in the past but “everyone went their separate ways.”
- WATCH: Knocking Neighbor Shooting Trial: Prosecution Opening Statement
- In defense opening, lawyer Morris Carranza said the case comes down to Lorincz’s “perception and state of mind.” Lorincz – in her “mind … soul … and core” — “felt she was in mortal danger” and “chose to defend herself.” Lorincz, in her frail, infirm state, felt outmatched against Owens, who was younger and taller and had allegedly confronted Lorincz at her home months earlier, banging on Lorincz’s door so hard she damaged the door.
- Carranza played Lorincz’s tearful 911 call reporting the shooting, saying it showed that Lorincz was terrified. Owens was “mad as hell” on the night in question. She made her anger known by pounding so hard on Lorincz’s door that it shook the walls in her apartment and in the neighboring apartment and by yelling at Lorincz, “I’m going to f—ing kill you.”
- WATCH: Knocking Neighbor Shooting Trial: Defense Opening Statement
- The jury heard testimony from multiple neighbors.
- Officers who responded to the scene testified. The jury was shown bodycam footage.
