Trial Of White Woman, 60, Who Fatally Shot Black Neighbor Because Her Kids Played Outside Begins
A Florida jury will determine if a white woman is guilty of manslaughter after she shot and killed her Black neighbor amid a dispute about her kids playing outdoors.
Susan Lorincz, a 60-year-old white woman, fatally shot Ajike "AJ" Owens through her front door in their central Florida apartment complex.
She admitted to shooting the mother who knocked on her door after an argument about Owens' kids, according to authorities, on June 2, 2023. Cops had been called to the area at least six times before, deputies say, per 'WESH 2.'
Lorincz told detectives she previously argued with Owens, according to 'CNN,' about her children leaving toys and playing loudly outside of her home.
According to the Marion County Sheriff's Office, a confrontation between Lorincz and Owen's children prompted her to go to Lorincz's door. She was killed shortly after. Lorincz was arrested and charged with manslaughter, although Owens' family pushed for a murder charge.
During Lorincz's trial, which started on Tuesday, prosecutors argued that 35-year-old Owens was unarmed and did not threaten Lorincz when the white woman killed her. The defense argues Lorincz was in fear for her life.
On Friday morning, closing arguments concluded, leading to a deliberating jury. Depending on the length of deliberation, it's possible to have a verdict back today.
The jury will determine whether Lorincz was justified under Florida's controversial self-defense laws. The "stand your ground" laws allow "people to respond to threats or force without fear of criminal prosecution in any place where a person has the right to be," 'CNN' reports.
The law, adopted in Florida in 2005, allows people to use deadly force in self-defense in certain situations and also protects people who use deadly force as a first resort, even if it means shooting and killing someone in public.
"I am so, so sorry for your loss," Lorincz wrote in a letter to Owens' four children, read by Marion County Sheriff's Detective Ryan Stith in court. "I never meant to kill your mother. I was terrified your mom was going to kill me. I shot out of fear."
