Susan Lorincz: Where is the Killer Now?

On June 2, 2023, the entire neighborhood of Quail Run in Ocala, Florida, was left baffled as 35-year-old Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens was fatally shot. As explored in Netflix’s ‘The Perfect Neighbor,’ this situation arose after seemingly minor disputes in the area over a year and a half continued to escalate, resulting in a mess no one could have imagined. That’s because the mother of four was killed at the hands of her 58-year-old neighbor, Susan Louise Lorincz.

Susan Louise Lorincz Had Contacted the Authorities Several Times Since 2021

According to the documentary, Susan Louise Lorincz was born on July 23, 1964, into a reportedly toxic home that was far from comfortable or stable. She reportedly expressed that she had always struggled with issues related to trust and safety. Her sister claimed they were not only raised in a family with a long history of addiction and mental illness, but also allegedly endured years of domestic and sexual abuse. According to records, she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, which seemingly caused her anxiety and paranoia in any situation involving people being near her space.

Therefore, not long after Susan moved into the predominantly family-based neighborhood of Quail Run in Ocala, Florida, she started having a lot of trouble with neighbors. Deputies responded to more than half a dozen calls from her since January 2021, in which she often claimed that the area kids were trespassing on her property or being antagonizing. A couple of times, she reportedly even called the cops on the neighbor residing across from her, Ajike Owens, claiming her problems with the children had allegedly led the mother of 4 to grow aggressive.

According to the aforementioned documentary and witness statements, Susan often exaggerated or misinterpreted actions and allegedly used slurs/foul language while the kids were just being kids. While some witnesses alleged that Susan used racial and derogatory slurs, including the “n-word” and other expletives, others claimed she took photos/videos of them while they were playing. According to reports, almost every witness backed the narrative of Ajike and the neighborhood children, with many telling officials that Susan had overreacted to ordinary neighborhood activity. Yet, officials remained neutral, as it was always a she-said-they-said situation due to the lack of security cameras in the area.

The Neighborhood Feud Turned Fatal When Susan Fired Her Weapon at Ajike Owens

At 8:54 pm on June 2, 2023, Susan dialed 911 to report another alleged trespassing incident on her property, cutting the call after five minutes of intense discussion upon being told that officers had been dispatched. Around 2 minutes later, at 9:01 pm, she called 911 again to assert she had shot a woman who had been banging on her door, following which other calls about the shooting also started coming in. When officials arrived moments later, they found Ajike gravely injured yet still breathing while surrounded by loved ones, so they treated her as best as they could before rushing her to a nearby hospital. But alas, it was sadly already too late – she was pronounced dead not long after.

According to official records, on that fateful evening, Susan had taken the tablet of one of Ajike’s sons’ after he forgot it near her rented property, and then she allegedly also threw roller skates at them. That’s when the annoyed mother of 4 decided to confront the 58-year-old, resulting in her reportedly rushing over to the latter’s home and banging on the door while asking her to come out. As per witness statements, Ajike banged only a few times, yet Susan believed it was continuous and over an extended period, like 5 or 10 minutes, making her fear for her life.

Thus, Susan claims she grabbed her weapon in a hurry, and upon hearing something along the lines of “I’m going to kill you,” she fired a single shot through her front door. The 58-year-old later told officials her aim was to scare Ajike into going away as she was panicking owing to her past as well as continued mental health issues, meaning her intention wasn’t to kill. Nevertheless, due to the history of their neighborhood feud, her opening fire despite knowing officers had already been dispatched, and the escalation only taking 2 minutes, she was ultimately arrested.

Susan Louise Lorincz is Currently Incarcerated in a State Prison

While Susan was detained on the night of the incident, she was released in the morning, as investigations continued, and advised to stay in a hotel/with relatives for a short while. She agreed, but things changed within 4 days as she was called in for another round of questioning on June 6, at the end of which she was formally arrested for first-degree felony manslaughter. She ultimately stood trial in 2024 on the charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery, and two counts of assault, at the end of which she was found guilty of manslaughter.

During Susan’s sentencing hearing in November 2024, the presiding judge stated she had no reason to pull the trigger, not even under the stand-your-ground laws. “In this case, Ms. Lorincz was behind the door,” he said. “The door was locked. She had already called law enforcement. They were en route. She knew they were en route… For some reason, she went into her room and found a gun.” In other words, he did not believe she was in any imminent danger from Ajike. Susan also gave a statement, expressing remorse by asserting, “I am so sorry I took AJ’s life. I never intended to kill her.” Nevertheless, she was still handed 25 years in prison, so today, at the age of 61, she remains incarcerated at the Homestead Correctional Institution, where she is expected to remain until at least April 8, 2048.

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