White Florida woman to be sentenced Monday for shooting his neighbor to deatha black mother of four, in a case that sparked outrage and a new national reckoning on gun violence and racism.
A jury convicted Susan Lorincz60 years old, of manslaughter in August for kill Ajike Owens outside her home in Ocala on June 2, 2023. Owens, who went by the name AJ, was 35 when she died. Ocala is a small city located about 80 miles northwest of Orlando.
Lorincz faced a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for the charges initially filed against her after the shooting – one count of manslaughter with a firearm and one count of assault – Bill Gladson, the district attorney for the Fifth Judicial District of Florida, announced later in June that year. In Florida, the lead prosecutor for each district is called the state’s attorney.
Authorities and prosecutors involved have faced increased scrutiny in the wake of Owens’ death, in part because of the choice to charge Lorincz with manslaughter rather than second-degree murder, as well as because Lorincz was not immediately taken into custody when the crime took place. .
that of Florida “stand your ground” lawa controversial doctrine adopted in several US states that allows individuals to use force in self-defense scenarios, played a role in these decisions. The law has been cited in similar cases in Missouri and elsewhere in recent years, after first entering mainstream consciousness following the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, a black teenager, near Miami in 2012.
Courtesy of Ben Crump
“In making the decision to dismiss this case, my office carefully considered the viability of second-degree murder and manslaughter with a firearm, both first-degree felonies,” Gladson’s office said in a statement once Lorincz’s accusations came to light. A second-degree murder charge required “evidence of hatred, malice, ill will or evil intent toward the victim at the time of the killing,” which the Marion County sheriff’s criminal investigation did not find enough, according to the state’s attorney.
“As deplorable as the actions of the defendant in this case are, there is insufficient evidence to prove this specific and required element of second degree murder,” the statement continued. He noted that the charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter with a firearm are both first-degree felonies.
Lorincz shot Owens during an ongoing argument between them over neighborhood children, including Owens’ children, apparently playing in the vicinity of Lorincz’s residence, according to trial testimony and the affidavit of Owens’ arrest.
Authorities said Owens approached the door of Lorincz’s home the day of the shooting to confront her, after learning that the older woman had argued with the children outside, yelled and threw a roller skate at one of them.
Owens’ 10-year-old son accompanied her to Lorincz’s residence, where she knocked on Lorincz’s door and asked him to come out. Lorincz then fired a .380 caliber handgun through the door, striking Owens in the upper chest. Owens was unresponsive by the time authorities arrived on scene and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The door to Lorincz’s home was locked when she fired and Owens was unarmed.
Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, told “CBS Mornings” The week after her death, her grandson witnessed the shooting and felt guilty for not being able to save his mother. It was the 10-year-old child hit by the roller skate.
“I still can’t believe this happened,” Dias said. “When does a person get shot for knocking on a door?”
Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP, pool
Lorincz’s lawyers argued throughout her trial that the woman fired her gun in self-defense, the same stance she took in interviews with law enforcement following the death of Owens. Lorincz told authorities she feared for her life when Owens approached her home and simply “fired the gun” because she felt she was in “mortal danger,” according to the arrest affidavit.
She also said an earlier altercation with Owens was the reason she purchased the handgun, which Lorincz said he had used only a handful of times at a shooting range, the previous year. Witnesses told law enforcement investigating the shooting that Lorincz was known to harass and call neighborhood children, including Owens’ children, horrible racist insults. Lorincz admitted to some of the allegations in conversations with detectives, but denied intentionally throwing a roller skate at a child before the shooting.
After a weeklong trial, an all-white jury, according to the Associated Press, found Lorincz guilty of manslaughter with a firearm on August 16.
“This case is undoubtedly a tragic reminder of the devastating consequences of gun violence. The defendant’s choices left four young children without their mother, a loss that will be felt for the rest of their lives,” Gladson said, whose assistant attorneys prosecuted the case. case, in a declaration. “Even though today’s verdict cannot bring AJ back to life, we hope it will bring some justice and peace to his family and friends.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and others in high-profile litigation regarding racial violence, also represented Owens’ family in the case. Crump called Lorincz’s conviction “a crucial step in achieving justice” for Owens and his family in a separate statement after the verdict was handed down.
“We are deeply grateful that the jury has returned a guilty verdict in this heartbreaking case. AJ Owens was a devoted mother whose life was tragically cut short, leaving her children, including a young son who witnessed this horrific act, bear the burden of his loss,” his statement said. “While nothing can erase the pain they endured, today’s decision sends a clear message that senseless violence will result in prosecution. We will continue to support AJ’s family as they heal and is fighting for a future where no family will have to experience such devastating loss.”
