A woman in her late 50s shot and killed her neighbour through the front door of her Florida home following a years-long feud over her children playing.
In June 2023, Susan Lorincz opened fire at mother-of-four Ajike 'AJ' Owens, who had gone to confront her after she allegedly threw a roller skate at her 10-year-old son.
When the 35-year-old knocked on and demanded an explanation, Lorincz fired a single shot through the door, striking Owens in the chest and killing her instantly.
Owens was unarmed while her son was standing beside her at the time.
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Lorincz told police she felt 'threatened' and believed she was acting in self-defence. Her account initially delayed her arrest under Florida’s 'stand your ground' law, which allows deadly force if a person reasonably believes they are in danger. However, after an investigation revealed a history of racial harassment toward local children and repeated police calls involving the two women, authorities determined the shooting was unjustified.
Lorincz's arrest
Lorincz was arrested on 7 June 2023 and charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery, and two counts of assault.
The case has been revisited in Netflix’s new documentary The Perfect Neighbor, which includes security footage of various incidents in the lead-up to the shooting.
There are body-cam scenes from around the time of the confrontation, the 911 calls placed by Lorincz and the arrival of police to the crime scene.
“Everybody in this neighbourhood has feuded with this lady over our children,” one local resident, Phyllis Wills, told NBC News.
Where is Lorincz now?
Lorincz is currently serving her 25-year sentence at the Homestead Correctional Institution in South Florida.
When she was sentenced, the judge said: "I find that the shooting was completely unnecessary.
"In this case, Ms. Lorincz was behind the door. The door was locked. She had already called law enforcement. They were en route. She knew they were en route."
"She was in a relatively safe position. For some reason, she went into her room and found a gun.
"She could have stayed in the room and put another locked door between her and Ms. Owens, but she came back out, put herself in front of the door, and at the time she fired the gun through the door, she was safe."
In a September 2025 interview conducted from behind bars, Lorincz alleged to WCJB that Owens and her children had threatened to kill her.
“I was terrified,” she said. When asked if she was capable of shooting and killing someone, Lorincz replied: “No. It just makes me sick.”
“I just never, ever thought in a million years this would happen, and it just, it breaks my heart.
“I can’t take it back. I can’t replace her.”
Topics: US News, Netflix, Crime, True Crime
Anish Vij