Susan Lorincz, a 60-year-old Marion County, Florida, woman was convicted of manslaughter by a jury on Aug.16 in the shooting of Ajike (AJ) Owens while she stood outside the door of Lorincz’s home in Ocala.
The New York Times reports that the two women, who were neighbors, had an often contentious relationship that resulted in a tragic incident where Lorincz, a white woman, shot and killed Owens, a Black woman. The confrontation occurred after Owens went to Lorincz’s home to address an argument Lorincz had with Owens’ children, at which point Lorincz shot her through the door.
According to the Associated Press, the six jurors in the case, who were all-white, deliberated for approximately two hours before returning a guilty verdict.
Pamela Dias, Owens’ mother, told reporters for AP outside the courtroom that the judgment has helped lighten her heart.
“I am very pleased with the jury, the prosecution, the verdict…I find some peace with that verdict. I feel that although my daughter is gone forever, the children’s mom is gone forever, we’ve achieved some justice for Ajike. My heart is a little lighter and we’re now on the path to healing.”
The case received national attention due in large part to the delay in arresting Lorincz and her legal team’s invocation of Florida’s “stand your ground” laws in her defense. Another factor in the case’s notoriety was that the prosecution opted to charge Lorincz with manslaughter and not a higher second-degree murder charge, which the family and one of their attorneys, civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, had pushed for.
The New York Times reports that Crump and other attorneys claimed Lorincz had shouted racial slurs at Owens’ children.
An affidavit filed after Lorincz’s arrest states that she admitted to a detective that she repeatedly complained about the children and used racial slurs toward them before shooting their mother.
Bill Gladson, the state attorney for Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit, declined to charge Lorincz with murder, citing insufficient evidence to meet the higher burden of proof required for a murder charge.
“I am aware of the desire of the family, and some community members, that the defendant be charged with second-degree murder,” Gladson said in a statement in June 2023. “However, I cannot allow any decision to be influenced by public sentiment, angry phone calls or further threats of violence, as I have received in this case.”
Gladson continued, explaining that second-degree murder requires proving that the defendant was in a depraved mind when she killed Owens. “Depraved mind requires evidence of hatred, spite, ill will or evil intent toward the victim
State prosecutor Rich Buxman argued in his closing statement that Owens’ shooting was no accident.
“It wasn’t an accidental situation. It wasn’t a situation where she slipped and the gun accidentally went off and shot the door and struck Ms. Owens,” Buxman told the jurors. “That’s not what we have here. She intentionally fired it. There’s no doubt that the defendant intentionally committed an act, which caused the death of Ajike Owens.”
Buxman continued, “She pointed a loaded firearm towards a door, towards a person that she knew was there in the opposite side of the door and intentionally pulled the trigger. That shows a reckless disregard for human life.”
According to CNN, Crump said in a statement that the family is grateful for the guilty verdict.
“AJ Owens was a devoted mother whose life was tragically cut short, leaving her children, including a young son who witnessed this horrific act, to carry the burden of her loss. While nothing can erase the pain they’ve endured, today’s decision sends a clear message that senseless violence will be met with accountability.”
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