On Friday, a white woman with a history of abusing children and using racial insults was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of a Black neighbor in Ocala, Florida.
Florida Woman Found Guilty of Manslaughter in Fatal Shooting:
On June 2, 2023, Susan Louise Lorincz, 60, killed Ajike “AJ” Owens with a single shot from a.380-caliber revolver when he knocked on her apartment door.
What do the Officials Say?
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office stated at the time that Lorincz and Owens had a long-standing “feud” over Owens’ children playing. Lorincz, 60, was convicted guilty of manslaughter by an all-white, six-person jury, despite her claim that her acts were in self-defense. Lorincz, who demonstrated no emotion, faces up to 30 years in prison. Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, cried throughout the trial. A family member shouted out, “Oh my God. “Thank you, Jesus,” Lorincz said after being convicted and brought into detention. At a post-trial press conference with attorney Anthony D. Thomas, Dias stated that it “has been a long journey to get to this day, to get to this verdict,” adding that she has found “some peace” with the verdict and believes “some justice” has been served. “My heart is a little lighter, and we’re now on the path of true healing,” says Dias. Thomas stated that Owens’ “children are coping the best that they can.”
“Certainly the loss of their mom lingers every single day,” according to Thomas. “But, as I’ve already stated, and the State’s Attorney’s Office agrees, we must still sentence Susan Lorincz. The next stage is the sentence phase.”
Owens, a mother of four, went over to confront Lorincz after she allegedly threw skates and an umbrella at her children while they were playing outside. Owens was shot through the door while the women argued and his children were present. Lorincz’s police interview, in which she stated that she feared for her life, was shown to the jury during the trial. She stated that she was afraid and wanted Owens to “go away.” “I never intended to kill. I was shaking. “I was just so distraught at the time,” Lorincz explained in the interview. “I felt like I was in mortal danger.”
Owens was unarmed, and the door to Lorincz’s apartment was locked, according to prosecutors. Lorincz denied throwing anything at Owens’ children and stated in the interview that she was harassed by the children while living at the house. Morris Carranza, the defense attorney, stated in his opening statement before the jury that Lorincz believed “in her core that she had no choice” but to shoot.