Rekubit Exchange:White woman convicted of manslaughter in fatal shooting of Black neighbor

OCALA,Rekubit Exchange Fla. – A white woman who fatally shot her Black neighbor through a locked door amid an ongoing neighborhood feud was convicted by a jury of manslaughter Friday in Florida.

The jury took less than three hours to find 60-year-old Susan Lorincz guilty in the death of Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens, a 35-year-old single mother who was shot once in the right side of her chest with a .380-caliber handgun while standing outside Lorincz's front door in June 2023. Owens' death drew national attention and put a new spotlight on race, gun violence and Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law.

The defense team offered no comment after the verdict, saying it was out of respect for the victim's family. In a news conference outside the courthouse, Anthony Thomas, an attorney representing Owens' family, called on Circuit Judge Robert Hodges to impose the maximum sentence: 30 years in prison.

"We are pleased with their decision and believe that, while nothing can bring AJ Owens back, this verdict holds her killer accountable," State Attorney Bill Gladson said in a statement. "We hope that this verdict brings some measure of closure to her family, who has had to endure the unimaginable loss of a loved one."

What happened during the shooting?

The shooting occurred on June 2, 2023, after Lorincz scolded Owens' children for making too much noise and playing in what Lorincz said was an unauthorized area of their neighborhood. The landlord and owner of a portion of the complex where Lorincz and Owens lived testified Tuesday that he could not tell the children not to play on the vacant property because he wasn't the owner, but Lorincz asked him to put up "no trespass" and "keep off the grass" signs close to her land, which he did.

Lorincz has been accused of using racial slurs when addressing Owens' children, though she has denied this. Owens, whose four children were 4 to 13, later came over to Lorincz's home. Lorincz told investigators that on the day of the confrontation, Owens banged on her front door and threatened to kill her, so she panicked, went for her firearm, and fired a shot through the door.

Lorincz called 911 twice, the first time after the confrontation with the children and again after she shot Owens.

The women had had conflicts in the past. A 12-year-old girl told the jury Tuesday she had seen Owens and Lorincz arguing on a previous occasion and she saw Owens toss a "no trespassing" sign at Lorincz.

Lorincz said she'd shot her neighbor in self-defense and was not initially arrested by sheriff's detectives investigating the shooting. Lorincz was taken into custody on June 7.

The shooting prompted rallies and protests, where people called on prosecutors upgrade the charge to second-degree murder. Officials from the State Attorney's Office said manslaughter was the appropriate charge. Prosecutors also declined to pursue several other charges, including battery.

Prosecution says Owens posed no imminent threat

In his closing argument, Assistant State Attorney Rich Buxman said the important question was this: Was it reasonable for Lorincz to fire her weapon through a closed, locked door with a metal deadbolt at someone screaming and yelling outside who went to the home to talk to her about how she treated her children and posed no imminent threat?

The answer was no, he said. Lorincz should not have fired the shot that fatally wounded Owens.

Buxman said while the law allows Lorincz to be in her home and allows her to defend herself, there was no evidence that Owens had entered the residence and was going to attack Lorincz. Therefore, Buxman said, it was unreasonable for Lorincz to fire the shot that killed Owens.

Buxman said that although Lorincz told detectives that Owens threatened to kill her, minutes before the shooting no one heard Owens making threats. Buxman added that although Owens was banging on the door that night, she wasn't striking it hard enough to break it. He said Owens never tried to open the door or attempted to enter Lorincz's residence.

"There was no imminent danger," Buxman said. He also noted that Owens didn't have any weapons.

Defense: Lorincz had the right to protect herself

For the defense, Assistant Public Defender Amanda Sizemore told the court and the jury that the case was about perception. She said Lorincz had the right to protect herself that night, and the law was on her side.

The defense attorney said Lorincz was a 59-year-old with medical issues who lived alone in a troubled neighborhood. At the time of the shooting, it was night and Lorincz was startled when she heard banging on her front door and profanities. The cement walls were shaking, Sizemore said.

Sizemore said Owens was screaming. Lorincz thought she was going to break down the door. She said the door was cracked and it was moving. She said Lorincz heard Owens threatening to kill her.

Sizemore said Lorincz wasn't going anywhere near that door because Owens was bigger, younger and "very, very angry." If Owens had entered the residence, anything could've happened, the attorney said: Lorincz had a gun, but it could have jammed, Lorincz might have tripped and fallen, Owens could have caused great bodily harm to Lorincz.

Sizemore said there were three "no trespassing" signs either on or near Lorincz's property and accused Owens of trespassing. Sizemore said Owens had the intent to harm Lorincz.

She said Lorincz felt "terrified" and noted that "she had a right to stand her ground." Sizemore said Lorincz didn't have any reason to retreat and didn't have to wait for law enforcement to arrive, because by the time they did it would have been too late.

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Owens' mother 'very pleased' with the verdict

Pamela Dias, Owens' mother; one of the family's lawyers, Anthony Thomas; and Kimberly Robinson-Jones, a friend of Owens', among others, were fixtures in the courtroom since jury selection. Lorincz's sister has also attended the trial.

When the verdict was read Dias said, through tears, "Oh God. Thank you. Thank you." She told reporters outside the courthouse that she was "very pleased with the jury, the prosecution, the verdict of guilty."

"I find some peace with that verdict," Dias said.

Contributing: Jim Ross, Ocala Star-Banner, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY