Source: Marion County Sheriff’s Office
UPDATED: 3:32 p.m. ET, Aug. 16
T he white woman in Florida who killed her Black neighbor in a vigilante shooting involving race has been found guilty of manslaughter after a brief deliberation by an all-white jury.
Susan Lorincz admitted to killing Ajike “AJ” Owens last year in Ocala in a shooting, WESH reported .
The result was a swift conviction after a week-long trial.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Owens’ family, said Friday’s verdict was only part of the process of getting justice for the preventable shooting.
“We are profoundly grateful that the jury has delivered 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, to carry the burden of her loss,” Crump said in a statement sent to NewsOne. “This verdict is a critical step in securing justice for AJ and her family. While nothing can erase the pain they’ve endured, today’s decision sends a clear message that senseless violence will be met with accountability. We will continue to stand by AJ’s family as they heal and fight for a future where no family has to experience such devastating loss.”
Lorincz faces 30 years in prison.
It was not immediately clear when her sentencing date would be.
This is a developing story that will be updated as additional information is available.
The verdict came one day after Lorincz decided against taking the stand in her defense on Thursday following consultation with her attorneys.
According to AP, Susan Lorincz opted out of testifying, telling the court she was not coerced into the decision.
“I am not going to testify,” Lorincz told the judge.
“You’ve made that decision freely and voluntarily?” the judge responded.
“Yes I have,” she replied.
After calling three expert witnesses on ballistics and crime scenes, the defense team rested their case.
Attorneys on both sides are expected to give closing arguments Friday morning, then the all-white jury will begin deliberations.
Prosecutors finished presenting their case on Wednesday in the trial of Susan Lorincz, the woman who shot and killed Ajike “AJ” Owens through her front door in 2023.
During their presentation, witnesses took the stand, testifying about the incident that ended in the tragic death of Owens.
During testimony from Marion County Sheriff’s Office Detective Ryan Stith, prosecutors showed one of Susan Lorincz’s interviews with detectives to the jury, according to WCJB . In the video of the interview, Lorincz claimed that when Owens began to pound on the door, she feared for her life.
“[Owens] bangs so hard it looks like my door is going to come off and I panicked, and I was like oh my god she’s really going to kill me this time. So, I don’t remember actually picking up the gun. I just remember shooting,” Lorincz told the detective during her interrogation.
Prosecutors pushed back with testimony from Michael Stringer, a patrol deputy with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. When he was asked if he observed any weapons on Owens or near Owens, he said, “no,” according to ABC News .
One of the more interesting moments of the trial came when prosecutors brought Lorincz’s entire front door into the courtroom while questioning one of the detectives. The door, which had been partially repaired since the shooting, had a visible indentation where the bullet went through.
The letter Lorincz wrote to Owens’ children was also read aloud in court, in which she stated she was sorry for their loss.
During a press conference outside of the trial, Ajike Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, pushed back saying that Lorincz had no regard for human life.
“[Lorincz] did kill my daughter; that in itself, is hurtful,” she said. “But also the fact that one of [my grandchildren] could have been injured or killed as well is beyond any emotion or feeling that can truly be expressed,” Dias added. “She has no regard for any form of human life, certainly not my family.”
She also feared her grandchildren would have to testify saying she wishes they, “did not have to testify, but if this is what it takes to get justice, and this is what we have to do.”
The defense has begun presenting witnesses, which could include two of Owens’ sons who witnessed the shooting.
The manslaughter trial for the 60-year-old woman who killed Ajike “A.J.” Owens began earlier this week, but some activists are concerned that the all-white jury selected may lead to her acquittal.
Opening statements for the trial of Susan Lorincz began Tuesday, as jurors listened to prosecutors paint the picture of the day Lorincz shot and killed Owens, according to AP.
During opening statements, prosecutors claimed Lorincz was upset at children running and yelling outside her apartment. She went to confront them, picking up skates from the ground and throwing them at the children.
Upset at how Lorincz handled her children, Owens, who lived across the street, confronted Lorincz through her metal front door.
Defense attorneys tried to portray Ajike Owens as angry, setting up self-defense claims of why Lorincz pulled the trigger.
“A.J. was pounding, and she was cursing,” defense attorney Morris Carranza told jurors during opening statements. He said that Owens had threatened his client, and she feared the woman would break the door down.
Prosecutors pushed back, saying the door was locked and that Owens never had a weapon.
Source: Marion County Sheriff’s Office / marion county sheriff’s office
After opening statements, Yvonne Costa, the next-door neighbor of Lorincz, testified that she heard loud voices right before the shooting, but couldn’t make out what was being said.
Costa then said she heard loud pounding, which scared her.
“The wall in between our two apartments started shaking,” Costa told jurors. “It was very loud. And it scared me.”
When Costa heard the loud pop of gunfire, followed by screaming, she immediately ran to her bedroom to call 911.
Susan Lorincz, who is a white woman, was charged with manslaughter and could face up to 30 years in prison if the all-white jury decides to convict her.
According to WFTV , four women and two men were chosen from a 40-person pool. The jury includes three gun owners and three people with ties to law enforcement. Two women will also serve as alternates in case a juror is dismissed. Neither of the alternates is Black.
“We had hoped that there would be jurors selected that would have shared the life experiences and the culture of AJ,” Attorney Benjamin Crump told WFTV after the court was dismissed for the day.
What happened to Ajike Owens?
Owens was killed after Lorincz shot through her own front door while being confronted over an iPad that was taken from Owens’ children, officials said.
Crump has maintained in allegations to the media that Owens’ children were playing when Lorincz told them to get off her property in the city of Ocala. When the children left, they also left behind the iPad. After going home to tell their mother, Owens went to Lorincz’s home, knocked on the door and was promptly shot through Lorincz’s door. Owens was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
During her funeral, Al Sharpton delivered a damning condemnation of Florida’s governor while eulogizing Ajike Owen s. Amid calls for justice and accountability for Owens’ death, Sharpton also made sure to remind those who were assembled at Meadowbrook Church that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — a Republican presidential candidate who has had plenty to say in favor of restricting African American history from being taught in schools — has failed to express any “outrage” over the shooting.
In June 2023, a Florida prosecutor declined to upgrade the manslaughter charges to murder charges.
There was “insufficient evidence” that Ajike Owens was the victim of a murder, State Attorney William Gladson said while explaining that he and his office cannot prove Susan Lorincz had “a depraved mind toward the victim at the time of the killing,” WCJB reported .
SEE ALSO:
Justice For Sonya Massey: Sheriff Pushes Back After Illinois Governor Calls For His Immediate Resignation
Outrage After Charges Against White Woman Who Killed Ajike Owens Aren’t Upgraded To Murder
The post Guilty! Susan Lorincz Convicted Of Manslaughter For Killing Ajike Owens In Florida Vigilante Shooting appeared first on NewsOne .
Local News
