Susan Lorincz has been found guilty of killing Ajike “AJ” Owens by a jury of her peers in Ocala, Florida. On June 2, 2023, Lorincz shot and killed Owens through her locked front door. The trial concluded after two days of testimony and the verdict was delivered before 3 p.m. on August 16, 2024. Lorincz is currently being held in Marion County Jail without bond until her sentencing later this year. The prosecution is pushing for the maximum prison time of 30 years.
Before Shots Were Fired
Ajike Owens was a Black 35-year-old mother of four. On the day of Owen’s murder, Lorincz called 911 to report kids trespassing outside her home. On the call, she claimed she was “just sick of these children.” Owens approached Lorincz’s front door and began banging on it, asking for her to come outside. Lorincz claimed that she feared for her life while she was standing on the other side of the deadbolted door. The defense also claims that Owens threatened Lorincz that she was going to kill her, so Lorincz grabbed her handgun and shot right through the front door, hitting Owens.
The Day of Lorincz’s Arrest
Lorincz was arrested on June 6, 2023, four days after the fatal shooting. During a two-hour interrogation by local detectives, Lorincz claimed she shot Ajike Owens in self-defense. Though she claimed Owens was threatening to kill her, no other witnesses stated that they heard that threat. During the interrogation, Lorincz stated that she felt justified in and showed no remorse for her actions against Owens.
After her interrogation, Lorincz was given the opportunity to write Owens’ children a letter. In that letter, she wrote: “I am so sorry for your loss. I never meant to kill your mother. I was terrified your mom was going to kill me. I shot out of fear.” On June 10, 2023, she was charged with first-degree felony manslaughter and placed in jail with a $150,000 bond. Her trial began on August 12, 2024.
The Trial
During the trial, the prosecution argued for Susan Lorincz to be found guilty of manslaughter against an unarmed woman, while the defense stated that Lorincz acted in self-defense out of fear for her life. The prosecution called for many to testify at Lorincz’s trial, including neighbors, two of Owens’ children, deputies, the 911 dispatcher, investigators, and forensic experts. Witnesses claimed that law enforcement was dispatched immediately to the area, but only minutes before Owens was shot. When deputies arrived, they found Owens unarmed, lying on the ground.
Both the initial jury pool and the chosen jury for the trial were composed entirely of White jurors. Owens’ family was surprised to learn the prosecution selected no black jurors given the race-related issues surrounding the trial. The Black community in Ocala protested after Owens’ death since it took the police over a week to arrest Lorincz; in the trial, the jury took two-and-a-half hours to deliberate before delivering a guilty verdict. Upon hearing the verdict, Lorincz shrugged her shoulders. She is facing potentially 30 years in prison for the murder of Owens.
Final Thoughts
The murder of Ajike Owens is nothing short of a tragedy; four children lost their mother that day. While Owens’ family is still grieving the loss of a loved one, they feel a sense of justice in Susan Lorincz’s verdict. Pamela Dias, Owens’ mother, expressed her feelings to the media about Owens’ murder and Lorincz’s trial, saying “she has no regard for any form of human life, certainly not my family.” Lorincz’s sentencing is expected to happen sometime this year before November.
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