Ajike “A.J.” Owens was shot and killed while knocking on the door of the woman engaged in a dispute with her children. PHOTO COURTESY OF GOFUNDME.COM

 

By David L. Snelling

Miami – An Ocala white woman was sentenced to 25 years in prison after she was convicted of manslaughter for shooting a Black mother of four through her door over an ongoing dispute over her neighbor’s children.

Susan Lorincz, 60, claimed self-defense in the 2023 shooting death of A.J. Owens. Lorincz said Owens confronted her at her home after her children said Lorincz threw roller skates and other objects at them while playing in a grassy area nearby.

Lorincz was convicted in August by an all-white jury after her attorneys claimed self-defense, arguing Owens, 25, was the aggressor and their client feared for her life.

Lorincz claimed Owens repeatedly pounded on her door and even attempted to break into her home.

But the jury didn’t buy her story. Protests broke out in the Black community after Owens’ death to pressure law enforcement officials to charge Lorincz with murder.

It took weeks for prosecutors to charge Lorincz with manslaughter; Ownes’ family had pushed for second degree murder.

Owens’ family pushed for the maximum penalty of 30 years in prison while Lorincz’s attorneys asked the judge for leniency, saying she was suffering from stress and a mental disorder stemming from childhood abuse.

They asked for a prison sentence of under 9 years which is the lowest threshold for manslaughter in Florida.

“While the pain of losing Ajike, we are hopeful that justice will prevail and that the court will give Susan Lorincz the maximum penalty for her actions,”

Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, said in an email before sentencing, “Ajike’s legacy will live on through her children, and we will continue to fight for justice.”

After the verdict, Owens said: “Although my daughter is gone forever, the children’s mom is gone forever, we’ve achieved some justice for Ajike.”

During the sentencing phase of the trial, Fifth Circuit Judge Robert Hodges opted for a slightly lesser term than the maximum of 30 years.

“The shooting was completely unnecessary in this case,” Hodges said during an afternoon hearing. “The shooting, I find, was based more in anger than in fear.”

Lorincz read a statement in court that included an apology to the victim’s family, something they said was merely a last-ditch attempt to save herself.

“I so wish I could go back and change things, so she is still here,” Lorincz said. “I never intended to kill anyone.”

According to reports, on June 2, 2023, Lorincz called the police to complain about Owens’ kids playing in the grassy field.

Witnesses testified they saw Lorincz throw roller skates and other objects at them; she told a 911 dispatcher the kids had threatened her.

One of Owens’ children told her what happened, and witnesses said she repeatedly banged on Lorincz’s door.

Lorincz told police Owens was attempting to break into the home when she grabbed her gun from her bedroom and shot her through the door.

Owens succumbed to her injuries.

Dias said her grandchildren are still in disbelief that their mother is dead and seeking counseling to help them cope with her death.

“The children are left with a lifetime of scars. Not 10, 20, 30 years,” said Dias. “A lifetime of scars and trauma.