A white woman in Florida who was convicted of shooting her Black neighbor through a locked door is seeking a sentence less than the statutory minimum, claiming in a new court filing that she was under extreme duress during the shooting and that the victim was the aggressor.
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Susan Louise Lorincz, 60, argued for a downward departure following her August conviction for manslaughter by firearm in the death of her neighbor, Ajike “A.J.” Owens, 35. Lorincz killed the Black mother of four on June 2, 2023, by firing a gun through her locked front door as the victim stood on the porch knocking.
Amanda Sizemore, the defendant’s public defender, has filed a motion requesting that Fifth Judicial Circuit Judge Robert W. Hodges reduce the minimum potential sentence from 138 months to 11 ½ years.
The maximum sentence is 30 years in prison. The filing did not specify how much downward departure would be requested at sentencing.
According to the document, the defendant requires specialized treatment for a mental disorder unrelated to substance abuse or addiction and is willing to undergo treatment.
“The capacity of the defendant to appreciate the criminal nature of the conduct or to conform that conduct to the requirements of the law was substantially impaired,” according to the motion. “The victim was an initiator, willing participant, aggressor, or provoker of the incident.”
“The defendant acted under extreme duress or under the domination of another person,” the filing stated.
According to the motion, Lorincz expressed regret for the shooting.
“The offense was committed in an unsophisticated manner and was an isolated incident for which the defendant has shown remorse,” according to the paperwork.
Deputies responded to a trespassing call in the 1600 block of SW 107th Lane in Ocala, about 80 miles northwest of Orlando, around 9:00 p.m., when another call was received about a shooting at the same location, according to authorities.
When deputies arrived, they discovered Owens in front of Lorincz’s apartment with a gunshot wound. Deputies assisted her until Marion County Fire Rescue arrived and transported her to the hospital, where she died, officials said.
Detectives discovered through interviews, surveillance footage, prior incidents, and calls for service involving Lorincz and Owens that Lorincz had grown angry over time at Owens’ children, who were playing in a field near her home, deputies said.
According to authorities, a series of incidents preceded the bloodshed on that particular day. A neighbor apparently heard Lorincz yelling at the children, and during the argument, Lorincz threw a roller skate at Owens’ 10-year-old son, hitting him in the toe, according to authorities.
When the boy and his 12-year-old brother approached Lorincz, she opened the door and swung an umbrella at them.
After the children told their mother what had happened, Owens went to Lorincz’s house, knocked on the door several times, and demanded that he come outside. Lorincz fired one shot through the door, striking Owens in the chest while her 10-year-old son stood beside her, according to authorities.
Lorincz claimed self-defense during the interview, claiming Owens had attempted to break down her door. She also claimed Owens had previously targeted her and attacked her.
However, detectives ultimately determined that Lorincz’s actions “were not justifiable under Florida law,” and he was arrested on June 6, 2023.
Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney, stated in a news release following the conviction that the case is a tragic reminder of the devastation caused by gun violence.
“The defendant’s choices have left four young children without their mother, a loss that will be felt for the rest of their lives,” she said. “While today’s verdict can’t bring AJ back, we hope it brings some measure of justice and peace to her family and friends.”
Lorincz is scheduled to be sentenced on November 25, according to the online court docket.
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