Crime
A white Florida woman says she fatally shot her black neighbor while fearing for her life.
A white Florida woman told investigators she fired through her door at her black neighbor because she panicked when the opposite woman was banging on her door and threatening her over an ongoing dispute over the neighbor’s children, in line with a video played in court Wednesday.
The mother of the fatally shot woman denied those claims, telling reporters at a news conference that Susan Lorincz didn’t fear for her life but intended to harm Ajike “AJ” Owens on June 2, 2023 in Ocala, Florida.
Lorincz is on trial for murder in a shooting.
“She set out to do harm. She set out to kill. That’s exactly what she did,” said Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias. “She has no respect for any form of human life. Certainly not for my family.”
An all-white, six-person jury with two alternates was seated Monday to listen to the evidence, in line with the Marion County Clerk of the Court. Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday afternoon, and the court adjourned for the day after defense attorneys called one temporary witness. The trial will resume Thursday with more defense witnesses.
In a taped interview with Marion County detectives the day of the shooting, Lorincz repeatedly said she feared for her life because Owens — who weighed about 290 kilos (130 kilograms), in line with an autopsy — was banging on her door and yelling at her. The confrontation occurred after Lorincz allegedly threw skates and an umbrella at Owens’ children while they were playing outside. Lorincz has denied throwing anything at the kids.
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She said she fired a single shot from a .380-caliber handgun through the door, hitting Owens within the chest. Lorincz said she didn’t see who was behind the door but was simply attempting to get Owens to “go away.” Owens, 35, was not armed.
“I never intended to kill. I was shaking. I was just so shaken at that moment,” Lorincz said in an interview. “I felt like I was in mortal danger.”
The shooting was the most recent in a dispute between Owens, her children and Lorincz over playing in a grassy area near their homes. In a video statement, Lorincz said she felt harassed by the kids for a lot of the three years she lived there.
“Every time they see me, they gather and scream,” Lorincz said, denying accusations that she used racial slurs towards children.
Lorincz, 60, faces as much as 30 years in prison if convicted of murder. She said frequent confrontations with Owens and her children caused her to place a chair against the door at night to guard herself.
State’s Attorney William Gladson said his office considered filing second-degree murder charges, but prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence to indicate Lorincz had “hatred, malice, ill will or ill intent” toward Owens. Lorincz was not immediately charged within the case, resulting in protests on the courthouse.
Ocala is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Orlando in central Florida.