MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A woman who shot and killed her Ocala neighbor through her front door during a dispute last year is set to be sentenced.
Susan Lorincz, of Ocala, who was arrested in the June 2023 shooting death of 35-year-old Ajike “A.J.” Owens was found guilty of manslaughter in August. She now faces up to 30 years in prison.
[RELATED: Who is Ajike Owens, mother of 4 killed amid dispute with Florida neighbor?]
Prosecutors said Owens had come to Lorincz’s home after her children complained that she had thrown roller skates and an umbrella at them, which Lorincz denied. Trial testimony showed Owens, a mother of four young children, was pounding on Lorincz’s door and yelling, leading Lorincz to claim self-defense in shooting her neighbor.
Lorincz told detectives in a videotaped interview that she feared for her life. She also said she had been harassed for most of the three years she lived in the neighborhood.
[RELATED: ‘I find some peace with the verdict:’ Susan Lorincz found guilty of killing neighbor]
Lawyers for Lorincz sent the judge a list of factors they claim warrants a lesser sentence. Her lawyers say she was under extreme duress and that Owens was the aggressor when Lorincz shot and killed her last year.
The family of Owens released a statement ahead of the sentencing:
As we approach the sentencing of Susan Lorincz, our family remains focused on justice for Ajike. The jury’s guilty verdict of manslaughter with a weapon was an important step, but we now look to the court to follow that decision with the maximum penalty under the law. We believe that standing on the right side of history requires holding those who commit racial violence fully accountable for their actions.
[WATCH: Bodycam video shows chaotic scene following shooting of Ocala mother Ajike Owens]
Lorincz’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Amanda Sizemore, sought a more lenient sentence, an unspecified term below the 11.5 years in prison that is the lowest for her crime under state guidelines. Sizemore said in court documents that there are several reasons to justify a downward departure, including a mental disorder and claims that Owens was the aggressor and under “extreme duress” during the confrontation.
Monday’s sentencing hearing begins at 1:30 p.m. Watch it live at the top of this story when it begins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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