Current:Home > reviewsJury begins deliberations in trial of white Florida woman in fatal shooting of Black neighbor -SummitInvest
Jury begins deliberations in trial of white Florida woman in fatal shooting of Black neighbor
View
Date:2025-04-14 19:35:15
A Florida jury began deliberations Friday in the manslaughter trial of a white woman accused of manslaughter in the shooting death of a Black neighbor amid an ongoing feud over the neighbor’s children.
Susan Lorincz, 60, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted in the June 2023 killing of 35-year-old Ajike “A.J.” Owens, a mother of four, in Ocala, Florida. Lorincz claimed she fired her .380-caliber handgun through her locked, metal front door in self-defense because Owens was pounding on the door and yelling loudly.
Prosecutor Rich Buxman said in a closing argument there was no evidence that Owens posed an imminent physical threat to Lorincz but came to the defendant’s house after her children complained Lorincz had allegedly thrown roller skates and an umbrella at them amid a long-running annoyance at their boisterous play outside.
“It’s not a crime to bang on somebody’s door. It’s not a crime to yell,” Buxman told jurors. “There was no imminent danger whatsoever when she fired that gun.”
A lawyer for Lorincz countered that she was frightened by Owens’ aggressive actions and was legally justified in firing her gun under Florida’s “stand your ground” law. An autopsy found Owens weighed about 290 pounds ((130 kilograms), making her much larger as well as younger than Lorincz, and the two had previous confrontations.
“She can defend herself,” said Amanda Sizemore, an assistant public defender. “She had a split second to make a decision whether or not to fire her weapon.”
Lorincz did not testify in her own defense but said in an interview with detectives that was played for jurors that she never intended to harm Owens. Still, in one 911 call, Lorincz told a dispatcher, “I’m just sick of these children.”
“She was not in fear. She was angry,” Buxman said.
The six-person jury is all white and Owens’ family has expressed surprise no Black jurors were selected given the racially sensitive nature of the case. There were protests in the Black community when prosecutors took weeks to charge Lorincz with manslaughter, a lesser count than second-degree murder which carries a potential life prison sentence.
The county court clerk’s office said in an email that eight Black people were among the 70 in the initial jury pool. In contrast, 49 were white and 10 were listed as Hispanic, two as Asian and one as “other,” the clerk’s office said, based on records provided by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Ocala is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Orlando in central Florida. Marion County’s Black population is about 12%, according to census figures.
veryGood! (98141)
Related
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Why Ballerina Farm Influencer Hannah Neeleman Rejects Tradwife Label
- 270 flights canceled in Frankfurt as environmental activists target airports across Europe
- Canada soccer's use of drones could go back years, include men's national team
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Texas woman’s lawsuit after being jailed on murder charge over abortion can proceed, judge rules
- Exfoliate Your Whole Body: Must-Have Products To Reveal Brighter, Softer Skin
- MLB trade deadline: Six deals that make sense for contenders
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Rebuilding Rome, the upstate New York city that is looking forward after a destructive tornado
Ranking
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Man charged with starting massive wildfire in California as blazes burn across the West
- Homeless people say they will likely return to sites if California clears them under Newsom’s order
- Northern Wyoming plane crash causes fatalities, sparks wildfire
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Sheriff's office knew about Sean Grayson's DUIs. Were there any other red flags?
- ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and son of ‘El Chapo’ arrested in US
- 'Bridgerton' star visits 'Doctor Who' Christmas special; new spinoff coming
Recommendation
Trump's 'stop
Where RHOC's Gina Kirschenheiter Stands With Boyfriend Travis Mullen After He Moved Out of Her House
Georgia woman charged with murder after unsupervised 4-year-old boy climbs into car, dies
More Red Lobsters have closed. Here's the status of every US location
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
US coastal communities get $575M to guard against floods, other climate disasters
Video shows escape through flames and smoke as wildfire begins burning the outskirts of Idaho town
Exfoliate Your Whole Body: Must-Have Products To Reveal Brighter, Softer Skin