A jury in Central Florida on Friday convicted a white woman of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of her neighbor, a Black mother of four, amid a dispute involving children playing outside her home.
Susan Lorincz, 60, was charged in the death of 35-year-old Ajike “AJ” Owens on June 2, 2023, in Ocala, some 80 miles northwest of Orlando.
Lorincz shot Owens through the locked front door of her apartment after her neighbor pounded on the door during an argument regarding Owens’ kids.
Owens, who was unarmed, died after being shot in the chest. Her 10-year-old son was standing nearby when the shooting happened.
Lorincz told investigators she never intended to kill her neighbor, but pulled the trigger after panicking when Owens pounded on her door and allegedly threatened to kill her, saying she felt she was “in mortal danger.”
Her manslaughter trial, which got underway earlier this week, focused on whether Lorincz had shot and killed Owens in self-defense.
On Friday, after less than three hours of deliberation, a six-person, all-white jury agreed with the prosecution.
Family members in the courtroom broke down in tears and grabbed each other’s hands as the guilty verdict was read, local station WESH reported.
Speaking with reporters outside the courtroom the victim’s mother said her “heart is a little lighter” and the family is now “on the path of true healing.”
“I feel that, although my daughter is gone forever, the children’s mom is gone forever … we’ve achieved some justice for Ajike,” Pamela Dias said.
Dias’ attorney, Anthony Thomas, has called on Circuit Judge Robert Hodges to impose the maximum 30-year sentence, the Ocala Star-Banner reported.
A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
