The Susan Lorincz Case: How a Neighborhood Dispute Ended in a 25-Year Prison Sentence

The Verdict and Sentencing

Susan Lorincz is now serving a 25-year prison sentence at Homestead Correctional Institution in South Florida following her conviction for manslaughter with a firearm. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, her projected release date is April 8, 2048. The conviction stemmed from the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Ajike Owens in June 2023, a case that has been documented in Netflix’s documentary The Perfect Neighbor and continues to spark discussions about gun violence, racial conflict, and Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law.

Judge Robert Hodges characterized the killing as “completely unnecessary” during the sentencing hearing in November 2024. He pointed out that Lorincz had been secured behind a locked door when she fired through it, that law enforcement was already en route, and that she had multiple safer options available to her. Despite these circumstances, Lorincz maintained limited remorse throughout the proceedings. When asked if she believed she was capable of manslaughter, she responded, “No. It just makes me sick.”

The Conflict Escalates: Events Leading to the Tragedy

The tension between Susan Lorincz and her neighbors had been building long before the fatal incident. After relocating to a rental property in Ocala, Florida, Lorincz became preoccupied with complaints about neighborhood children. Over the course of several months, she contacted emergency services approximately six times to report noise disturbances and alleged trespassing, claiming that local kids were creating excessive commotion near her residence.

Law enforcement who responded to these calls typically found nothing amiss. The children were simply engaging in normal outdoor play—the kind of behavior typical in tight-knit residential communities. As noted by the documentary’s producer, Nikon Kwantu, Lorincz stood out as an extreme outlier. “When there’s a conflict in any way, she’s going to call the police,” Kwantu explained to Tudum.

However, underneath the noise complaints lay something far darker. Neighbors reported that Lorincz frequently hurled insults at the children, and according to CNN, she later admitted to detectives that she had used racial slurs, including the n-word, and called them derogatory names on multiple occasions.

The Day Everything Changed: June 2, 2023

The fatal confrontation began when Lorincz became enraged at Ajike Owens’s children, who were playing in a nearby field. According to court documents obtained by CNN, when 10-year-old Izzy left an electronic tablet in the field, Lorincz retrieved it and refused to return it. When the child asked for it back, she hurled the tablet to the ground. She then threw roller skates at him, striking his toe, and swung an umbrella in his direction.

That evening, a neighbor witnessed Lorincz exit her home, make an obscene gesture toward the children, and shout a racial slur at them. Meanwhile, from inside her house, Lorincz dialed 911 to report the children’s presence. On the emergency call, captured by People, she described them as “screaming, yelling, just being absolutely obnoxious” and claimed she felt threatened, stating, “I’m fearing for my life. I’m very scared.”

When Ajike Owens learned what had happened, she went to Lorincz’s home and demanded to speak with her at the door. According to The New York Times, Owens knocked multiple times. Barely two minutes after her initial 911 call, Lorincz made a second emergency call, this time claiming that Owens was shouting threats to kill her. Lorincz then retrieved a .380-caliber handgun and fired a single shot through the closed, locked door. The bullet struck Owens in the right side of her chest. She was transported to the hospital but died that night, leaving her four children motherless.

Understanding Ajike Owens: A Mother’s Legacy

Ajike Owens had been a pillar of her community. She worked tirelessly to provide her children with educational and extracurricular opportunities, enrolling them in private school and coaching youth sports. Her mother, Pamela Dias, told People: “She was the football mom and a cheer team mom too. How she did it, I don’t know, but she was very hands-on.” Owens represented the kind of dedicated parent who sacrificed personal comfort for her children’s future.

The Investigation and Charges

Four days after the shooting, authorities arrested Susan Lorincz. She was charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery, and two counts of assault. Notably, despite pleas from Owens’s family for a second-degree murder charge, prosecutors proceeded with the lesser manslaughter charge, citing insufficient evidence to support the more serious accusation.

Sheriff Billy Wood of Marion County stated in a statement that Florida’s Stand Your Ground law “does not apply in all situations” and “was not justified” in this case, calling it “simply a killing.”

The Trial and Conviction

Susan Lorincz’s trial commenced on August 13, 2024, in Marion County. Prosecutors emphasized that Lorincz’s door had been locked and that Owens was unarmed—crucial facts that undermined any claim of imminent threat. The defense maintained that Lorincz feared for her safety, but after a week of testimony and two hours of jury deliberation, the panel returned a guilty verdict on the manslaughter with a firearm charge, which carried a maximum possible sentence of 30 years.

Bill Gladson, the state attorney for Florida’s fifth judicial district, released a statement following the conviction: “This case is undoubtedly a tragic reminder of the devastating consequences of 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.”

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Owens’s family, called the guilty verdict “a critical step in securing justice,” stating, “We are profoundly grateful that the jury has delivered a guilty verdict in this heartbreaking case. Today’s decision sends a clear message that senseless violence will be met with accountability.”

The Apology and Continued Controversy

At her sentencing hearing, Lorincz offered an apology: “I’m so sorry that I took AJ’s life. I never intended to kill her. I am just profoundly sad. Not only did a mother die, but a daughter, a sister.” However, Pamela Dias rejected the sincerity of this expression, telling reporters that “Susan’s apology was a last-ditch attempt to save herself. It wasn’t sincere. She never showed remorse.”

Complicating matters further, in September 2025, Lorincz granted an interview to Robert Bradfield on local ABC affiliate WCJB, during which she alleged that Owens’ children had threatened to kill her. In response, the Florida state attorney’s office issued a statement defending the children, emphasizing that they were not called as witnesses at trial and that the focus should remain on the children who lost their mother and the victim, not the defendant’s post-trial claims.

The Broader Impact

The Susan Lorincz case has reignited national conversations about Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, gun violence, and racial tensions in residential communities. Netflix’s documentary The Perfect Neighbor, which reconstructs the events primarily through police body camera footage, provides viewers with an intimate look at how a neighborhood dispute escalated into tragedy. For Ajike Owens’s family, the 25-year prison sentence represents a measure of justice, though it cannot restore the mother, daughter, and friend they lost.