White neighbor convicted of manslaughter in fatal shooting of Black mother is sentenced to 25 years
By Chris Boyette and Steve Almasy, CNN
(CNN) — Susan Lorincz, the White woman who fatally shot Black neighbor Ajike “AJ” Owens through the door of her central Florida apartment during a dispute over children playing near her home, was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison.
Owens’ family and prosecutors asked Lorincz receive the maximum penalty of 30 years.
Judge Robert Hodges, who called the crime a “very aggravated manslaughter,” said Lorincz’s lack of a criminal record played a part in him not giving the maximum sentence. Still, he said, Lorincz was in no imminent danger.
In August, a jury found Lorincz guilty of manslaughter for shooting through the front door of her apartment on June 2, 2023, and killing Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four, who had been knocking on Lorincz’s door.
The trial tested the state’s Stand Your Ground law, which allows people to use deadly force in self-defense in certain situations. Lorincz told detectives she was in fear for her life during the incident.
Lorincz, 60, didn’t testify at her trial, but she spoke during the penalty phase, saying she wished she could go back and change things.
“I am so sorry I took AJ’s life. I never intended to kill her,” Lorincz said Monday, adding she felt confused the night of the shooting because Owens was screaming.
After giving her apology, Lorincz returned to her seat, and at one point put her face in her hands and appeared to cry.
Before the judge handed down the sentence, Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, delivered a statement.
“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 said. “Our plans and promises to one another as mother and daughter will never come to light. They all died the night Susan Lorincz killed my daughter.”
The defense Monday called one expert in psychological trauma and four character witnesses to testify on Lorincz’ behalf, including members of her church who expressed shock she was involved in the shooting and described her as a good friend and devout Christian who took care of friends and family.
Her sister testified she and Lorincz suffered abuse as children and were brought up in a family with a history of addiction and mental illness.
Dr. Yenys Castillo testified Lorincz suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from years of sexual and other abuse. “She is going to be impaired in a sense” during the 2023 fatal encounter, Castillo testified.
Hodges said any abuse Lorincz suffered years ago was not a mitigating factor here.
Lorincz told police after her arrest that she had previously argued with Owens because several neighborhood children, including Owens’ children, were playing loudly and leaving their toys outside her home. She said she confronted the children that day and threw their roller skates.
She told detectives she was in fear for her life when Owens started banging on her door that night and yelling “I’m gonna kill you,” interrogation video released by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office showed.
The defense argued Lorincz had “no choice” but to shoot.
The judge found Lorincz had called 911 and knew law enforcement was on their way and that she could have stayed in a bedroom where she kept her firearms. And, he said, Owens showed no effort to enter the residence.
“The shooting was completely unnecessary in this case,” said Hodges.
After the judge’s decision, public defender Amanda Sizemore told CNN in an email she had no comment.
Dias later said she was pleased with the sentence, even if it wasn’t the maximum.
”Now we truly can forge ahead on the journey of true healing that we so often speak about,” she told reporters outside the courthouse in Ocala.
Asked about Lorincz’s courtroom apology, Dias said it wasn’t sincere and was a last-ditch attempt to save herself. “She never showed remorse.”
The-CNN-Wire
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