White woman convicted of shooting black neighbor during protracted argument over children

(AP) – A white Florida woman who fatally shot a black neighbor through her front door during an ongoing argument over the neighbor’s rowdy children was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison for her conviction for manslaughter.

Susan Lorincz, 60, was convicted in August of killing Ajike “AJ” Owens, 35, by firing a single shot from her .380-caliber handgun in June 2023. She faced a maximum sentence 30 years in prison. Circuit Judge Robert Hodges opted for a slightly lower sentence amid evidence that Lorincz was abused as a child and suffered from mental health issues.

“The shooting was completely unnecessary in this case,” Hodges said during an afternoon hearing. “I think the shooting was motivated more by anger than fear.”

Defendant Susan Lorincz, left, who fatally shot a Black neighbor through her front door during an ongoing dispute, listens to proceedings during her sentencing hearing, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. (Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP, Pool)(PA)

The shooting was the culmination of a long-running argument between the two neighbors over Owens’ children playing in a grassy area near their two homes in Ocala, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Orlando.

Prosecutors said Owens came to Lorincz’s home after her children complained that she had thrown roller skates and an umbrella at them, which Lorincz denied. Trial testimony showed that Owens, a mother of four young children, was banging on Lorincz’s door and screaming, leading Lorincz to pretend to defend herself by shooting her neighbor.

Lorincz told detectives in a videotaped interview that she feared for her life. She also said she was harassed for most of the three years she lived in the neighborhood. Jurors who heard testimony at trial did not agree that the shooting was an act of self-defense.

In a statement to the judge, Lorincz apologized to Owens’ family but said she was “literally terrified” of Owens the night of the shooting.

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

Owens’ family pushed for the maximum prison sentence after Lorincz was convicted by an all-white jury. Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, told the court Monday that she was now the sole caregiver of her daughter’s four children and that they were deeply traumatized by the killing.

“We are suffering from a pain that will never, ever go away,” Dias said. “There is a hole in our hearts that will never be repaired. Susan destroyed our family.

Pamela Dias, mother of Ajike “AJ” Owens, cries during the sentencing hearing for Susan Lorincz, who fatally shot Owens through her front door during a running argument, Monday November 25, 2024, in Ocala, Florida (Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner via AP, Pool)(PA)

Lorincz’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Amanda Sizemore, asked for a more lenient sentence, an unspecified sentence less than the 11.5 years in prison that is the lowest for his crime under state guidelines. Sizemore said in court documents that there were several reasons for a downward departure, including mental illness and claims that Owens was the aggressor and was under “extreme duress” during the confrontation.

The judge said such a departure was not justified, especially given the impact of their mother’s violent death on her children.

“They will live their entire lives without their mother, which I think is a very significant harm inflicted by Ms. Lorincz,” Hodges said.

There were protests in Ocala’s black community when prosecutors took weeks to charge Lorincz with manslaughter, a lesser charge than second-degree murder, which carries a sentence of life in prison. . Marion County, which includes Ocala, has a black population of about 12 percent, according to census figures.