A white Florida woman was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison for fatally shooting her black neighbor, a mother of four, over a long-running dispute over children playing outside her home. .
Susan Lorintz, 60, claimed she acted in self-defense when she shot and killed Ajike “AJ” Owens, 35, but a judge and an all-white jury in Ocala, Florida, ruled against her. convicted. Her excuse was not accepted.
“The shooting was completely unnecessary in this case,” Circuit Judge Robert Hodges said during an afternoon hearing. “I think the shooting was based more on anger than fear.”
Lorincz was found guilty in August of manslaughter in the shooting death of Owens after he shot her through his front door on June 2, 2023.
The two had been arguing for years over Owens' children playing on the grassy field near both their homes.
On the day of the shooting, Owens was screaming and banging on Lorincz's door after the children said a woman had thrown an umbrella and roller skates at them, which Lorincz denied.
Lorincz told police he feared for his life after shooting Owens once through the door with a .389 handgun.
However, jurors differed as the trial presented evidence of at least three years of conflict between the neighbors.
During a 911 call about an earlier dispute, Lorincz told the operator, “I'm tired of these kids.” And officers had responded to at least a dozen calls related to ongoing conflicts since January 2021.
Other neighbors said they heard Lorincz say “terrible things” to the children, and that Lorincz was always angry about the children playing on the field near his home. .
The jury took less than three hours to convict Lorincz. She faced up to 30 years in prison, but Hodge was granted some leniency because of evidence that the 60-year-old had mental health issues and was abused as a child. showed.
In a statement to the judge, Lorincz apologized to Owens' family, but defended herself, saying she was “literally afraid” of his mother.
“I wish I could have gone back and changed things so she could still be here,” Lorincz said. “I didn't mean to kill anyone.”
Some of Owens' children witnessed their mother's horrific murder and are now cared for alone by their grandmother, Pamela Diaz, who all remain traumatized. That's what it means.
“We are in pain that will never, ever go away,” Diaz said. “There is a hole in our hearts that will never heal, Susan. [Lorincz] Destroyed our family. ”
The judge also noted the impact of Lorincz's deadly actions on his four siblings.
“They're going to spend the rest of their lives without their mother. I think this is a very serious harm that Ms. Lorincz has done,” Hodges said.
The case sparked anger and protests among the black community of Ocala, about 130 miles northwest of Orlando, after prosecutors took weeks to charge Lorincz.
