Florida woman who shot and killed her neighbor Ajike Owens was sentenced to 25 years in prison

Susan Lorincz was sentenced to 25 years in prison Monday for shooting her neighbor Ajike “AJ” Owens to death through a locked door.

The sentencing came after Lorincz was found guilty of first-degree felony manslaughter with a firearm in August. Lorincz faced up to 30 years in prison.

The incident occurred on June 2, 2023 in Ocala, Florida.

“I think the shooting was completely unnecessary,” Judge Robert Hodges said. “In this incident, Ms. Lorincz was behind the door. The door was locked. She had already called law enforcement. They were on their way. She knew they were on their way. She was in a relatively safe location. For some reason, she went into her room and found a gun.”

“He could have stayed in the room and put another locked door between himself and Ms. Owens, but he went out, positioned himself in front of the door, and by the time he fired the gun through the door, he was safe,” Hodges continued.

The judge also said: “There was no indication that he did not understand what he was doing when he said it was against the law to shoot a person.”

Owens’ family spoke outside the courtroom Monday evening following Lorincz’s sentencing.

Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, told reporters that the family was “pleased” with the 25-year sentence.

“As I stated, and as the judge stated, this shooting, this murder, the death of a mother, a daughter, a friend should never have happened, but today we got justice and now we can truly make progress on the true healing journey,” Dias said.

Lorincz, who is white, shot Owens, a black mother of four, in front of her young son. According to a June 6, 2023 statement from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Owens approached Lorincz’s door following a dispute about his children playing near Lorincz’s home.

During the sentencing hearing, Lorincz described various disagreements she had with Owens and her children before the shooting and claimed she was “terrified” of Owens. He also denied calling Owens’ children racial slurs.

In his statement to Owens’ mother and children, Lorincz said, “I am deeply sorry for taking AJ’s life. I never planned to kill him.”

“I’m very sorry. Not only a mother died, but also a daughter, a sister,” Lorincz said. “I think about the loss of your family and I know how hard it is to lose someone you love.”

When asked about Lorincz’s apology, Dias said, “Susan’s apology was a last-ditch attempt to save herself. It was insincere. She never showed remorse. As I stated before, the remorse she showed, if there was any, was contrition at best for herself.”

“This was an inadequate apology,” he added.

Dias shared her victim impact statement at Monday’s hearing and called for Lorincz to be held “fully responsible” for the fatal shooting.

“Susan’s reckless act of manslaughter left my four grandchildren motherless,” he said. “Unfortunately, Titus, Africa, Israel and Isaac must live out the rest of their lives as a motherless child.”

“Our pain and suffering did not end when we buried Ajike. Our pain and suffering did not end when Susan was convicted of manslaughter. Our pain and suffering will not end with today’s sentence. Our pain and suffering will last a lifetime,” he added.

Lorincz’s legal team, meanwhile, called a group of family and friends who testified on Lorincz’s behalf, highlighting her Christian faith, her role as her sister’s caregiver and her dedication to caring for her niece, as well as various examples Lorincz supported. his friends.

Her sister, Ellyn Lorincz, testified about the sexual and physical abuse the sisters allegedly suffered at the hands of their father, and a psychologist also testified about Lorincz’s diagnosis of “chronic PTSD.”

Lorincz’s legal team asked the judge to consider probation and said Lorincz would benefit from treatment for PTSD. The prosecution said the department of corrections offered mental health treatment and argued that “PTSD was not a driving force” in this case.

Lorincz’s attorney, Amanda Sizemore, declined to comment upon request from ABC News.

After a jury found Lorincz guilty on Aug. 16, Judge Robert Hodges said Lorincz would be held in the Marion County jail without bail until sentencing.

Ahead of Lorincz’s sentencing hearing, Owens’ family released a statement to ABC News through their attorney, calling for the judge to impose “the maximum sentence under the law.”

They said that although the guilty verdict was an “important step” they were still seeking “justice” through sentencing.

Lorincz did not accept the charges against him in court.

During the trial, his defense team argued that he should be found not guilty because he acted in self-defense. They said he feared for his life.

Meanwhile, prosecutors argued He said Lorincz should be found guilty of fatally shooting the “unarmed” Owens through a “locked” door.