A white woman in Florida was found guilty of manslaughter after shooting and killing her black neighbor

A woman in Florida could be sentenced for manslaughter after shooting and killing her Black neighbor through her front door.

A White woman in Florida shot and killed her Black neighbor through her front door during a fight over loud kids. She will be sentenced on Monday for manslaughter.

In August, Susan Lorincz, 60, was found guilty of shooting and killing Ajike “A.J.” Owens, 35, in June 2023. A 380-caliber pistol was used by Lorincz to kill Owens with a single shot. Because he used a gun, Lorincz could spend up to 30 years in jail.

Neighbors of Owens had been fighting for a while because Owens’ kids were playing in the grassy area between their two homes in Ocala, which is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Orlando. Prosecutors said Owens went to Lorincz’s house after her kids said she threw roller skates and an umbrella at them, which Lorincz disputed.

The trial showed that Owens, a mother of four, was yelling and banging on Lorincz’s door when the killing happened. In her defense, Lorincz said she acted because she was afraid for her life.

Lorincz told police in a videotaped interview, “I thought I was in immediate danger.” She also said that she had felt harassed for most of the three years she had lived in the area.

But the jury didn’t believe her self-defense claim.

The family of Owens has asked the court to give Lorincz the harshest possible term.

In an email statement sent before the sentencing, Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, said, “While it hurts to lose Ajike, we are hopeful that justice will prevail and that the court will give Susan Lorincz the maximum sentence for her actions.” “Her children will carry on Ajike’s work, and we will keep fighting for justice.”

Amanda Sizemore, who is Lorincz’s lawyer and Assistant Public Defender, has pushed for a lighter sentence than the 11.5 years that the state rules say she should get.

Sizemore used reasons like a mental illness to say Owens was the one who attacked, implying that Lorincz was under “extreme duress” during the fight.

The case caused protests in Ocala’s Black community when Lorincz wasn’t charged for weeks. She was finally charged with manslaughter, which is not as serious as second-degree murder and could lead to a life term. According to census figures, about 12% of the people living in Marion County, which includes Ocala, are Black.