A Florida woman convicted of fatally shooting her Black neighbor through her front door last year has filed a motion seeking a light sentence, claiming she opened fire under extreme duress and that the victim was the aggressor in the incident.
Susan Louise Lorincz, 60, was convicted in August of manslaughter by use of a firearm in the death of her neighbor, 35-year-old Ajike “A.J.” Owens on June 2, 2023.
Police said Owens had done nothing more than knock on Lorincz’s door when a single bullet struck her from inside, leaving the mother of four mortally wounded on the front porch.
Following the verdict, the public defender, Amanda Sizemore, filed a motion asking Fifth Judicial Circuit Judge Robert W. Hodges to consider a downward departure from the minimum sentence of 11½ years, arguing that Lorincz was under significant stress at the time, and that the victim had instigated the deadly clash.
Under court guidelines, Lorincz could face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison when the sentence is handed down on Nov. 25.
It was not clear from the filing how much of a reduced sentence the defense would ask the judge to impose.
The filing also states that the defendant, who was 58 at the time of the shooting, requires specialized treatment for a mental disorder, which is unrelated to substance abuse or addiction, and that she is receptive to undergoing treatment.
“The capacity of the defendant to appreciate the criminal nature of the conduct or to conform that conduct to the requirements of the law was substantially impaired,” the motion states. “The victim was an initiator, willing participant, aggressor, or provoker of the incident.”
The filing also states that the defendant fired the shots “under the domination of another person,” then expressed regret for killing her neighbor.
“The offense was committed in an unsophisticated manner and was an isolated incident for which the defendant has shown remorse,” the motion states.
On the night of the shooting, Marion County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a trespassing call at an apartment in Ocala.
Shortly after, they received another call reporting a shooting at the same address.
Upon arrival, deputies found Owens wounded in the chest.
An ambulance transported her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Through interviews, surveillance footage, and previous 911 calls, investigators learned that Lorincz had grown increasingly frustrated with Owens’ children playing near her home.
Prior to the shooting, a neighbor reported hearing an argument between Lorincz and Owens’ kids. During the dispute, Lorincz allegedly threw a roller skate at Owens’ 10-year-old son, injuring his toe. When the boy and his 12-year-old brother approached Lorincz to address the situation, she allegedly swung an umbrella at them, police said.
Upon hearing what happened, Owens walked to Lorincz’s house and knocked on the door several times, demanding that Lorincz come outside. That’s when Lorincz fired one shot through the door, striking Owens in the chest as her 10-year-old son stood next to her, witnessing his mother’s final moments, police said.
When interviewed, Lorincz asserted she had acted in self-defense, claiming that Owens had tried to break down her front door, adding that she was afraid due to past encounters where Owens allegedly attacked her.
Previously, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said the shooting stemmed from a two-and-a-half-year feud between Lorincz and Owens. Deputies reported being called to the neighborhood at least a half-dozen times since January 2021, with Lorincz constantly up in arms about Owens’ children.
However, there was no hard evidence that indicated Owens had acted aggressively before she was shot.
Ultimately, detectives concluded the shooting was unjustified, leading to manslaughter charges and Lorincz’s arrest on June 6, 2023. At the time, she was also faced counts of culpable negligence, battery, and two assault charges.
Bill Gladson, the State Attorney for Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit, poignantly emphasized that four young children had been orphaned by gun violence.
“The defendant’s choices have left four young children without their mother, a loss that will be felt for the rest of their lives,” he said. “While today’s verdict can’t bring AJ back, we hope it brings some measure of justice and peace to her family and friends.”
The case raised questions about Florida’s infamous “stand your ground” law, which Sheriff Woods previously noted was a factor for why deputies did not immediately arrest Lorincz until they proved that she did not act in self-defense. Woods later said that the law did not apply to this case.
“Personally, I think it’s a great law designed to help Floridians to defend themselves and keep themselves safe. However, it does not apply in all situations. And this situation is a prime example of when it was not justified. It was simply a killing.”
Owens’ family was represented by civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
The case recalls a similar episode of violence in North Carolina earlier this year when Jadyn McNeill, a 23-year-old Black man, was shot multiple times through the front door of his 72-year-old white neighbor, who claims he opened fire because he thought he was trying to break into his home. However, McNeill said he only knocked on William Griffin’s front door to share a religious prayer.
