On Monday, a white Florida lady was given a 25-year prison sentence for the “completely unnecessary” shooting death of her Black neighbor through a locked door.
Susan Louise Lorincz, 60, caused “significant harm” to the victim and her family, according to Marion County Circuit Court Judge Robert Hodges.
“I find that the shooting was completely unnecessary,” the judge stated. “In this case, Ms. Lorincz was behind the door. The door was locked.”
Three months ago, Lorincz was found guilty of manslaughter for the murder of Ajike “AJ” Owens last year. According to the locals, Lorincz had a history of hurling racial epithets and harassing children.
She might have spent up to 30 years behind bars. Her defense attorney, however, argued the court that she had a mental illness and was under “extreme duress” during the fatal altercation, thus she should receive a sentence shorter than the minimum of 11.5 years.
The court stated that he was unable to see how he could grant the defense’s request to release her on probation.
“She’s a victim of child sex abuse was a significant mitigating factor, and she has no criminal record, which is also a significant factor,” according to the judge said. “However, we also have a tremendous harm inflicted upon this family and the victim’s family.”
On June 2, 2023, in Ocala, some 70 miles north of Walt Disney World, Owens knocked on Lorincz’s door shortly after Lorincz had argued with the victim’s kids who were playing close by.
Owens, a mother of four, was standing on the opposite side of a locked door when Lorincz shot her once with a.380-caliber revolver, according to authorities.
According to the victim’s mother, Pamela Dias, the murder has affected every part of her life.
“I stand before you not only mourning the loss of my daughter, but also the loss of our hopes, dreams and the future that we often spoke of,” Dias stated to the court.
“I‘m still trying to grasp and cope with the fact that my daughter, my baby girl, is lying six feet underground, breathless, lifeless.”
When their mother was murdered, Owens’ four children ranged in age from three to twelve.
“She won’t be present for the baptisms, the prom, graduations, their first love, their first breakups, engagements, marriages, children, all the (pivotal moments), all the important moments that a parent and a child, share together,” Dias stated.
“Our pain and suffering didn’t end when Susan was found guilty of manslaughter. Our pain and suffering won’t end with today’s sentencing. Our pain and suffering will last a lifetime.”
After only two and a half hours of deliberation, the all-white, six-member jury convicted Lorincz of manslaughter.
Lorincz claimed she regrets firing the gun when appearing in court on Monday while wearing a yellow jail jumpsuit. According to testimony from Lorincz’s pastor and two of her friends, the shooting was completely inconsistent with Lorincz’s personality. According to her sister’s testimony, their father horribly abused them both physically and sexually.
The psychologist for the defense team claimed Monday that Lorincz’s PTSD caused her to make a fatally poor decision when Owens knocked on her door.
Following the incident, Owens’ family protested that Lorincz wasn’t taken into custody right away.
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According to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, his detectives required that time to thoroughly assess Lorincz’s assertion that she was reasonably afraid when she fired.
Although he supports Florida’s “stand your ground” law, the sheriff stated that he came to the conclusion that it did not apply in this particular situation.
When there is a “reasonable” fear of “imminent death or great bodily harm,” Florida law permits the use of deadly force.
