New trial date set for woman accused of killing neighbor in Ocala

The Marion County Fifth Circuit Judicial Center

A new trial date has been set for Susan Lorincz, the woman who authorities say fatally shot her neighbor in Ocala on June 2.

Circuit Court Judge Robert Hodges decided at a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday that the case would be rescheduled for June 24, 2024. The case was originally scheduled to go to trial on Nov. 13, but Lorincz’ lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Amanda Sizemore, requested more time for the defense to review discovery and schedule depositions, according to court documents.

Lorincz, 58, has been charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of assault after fatally shooting her neighbor Ajike “AJ” Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

Authorities say Lorincz, who is white, shot through her locked front door while Owens was standing directly outside of it. Owens, who was Black, went to the house to confront Lorincz for an altercation she had with Owens’ children, who regularly played in an open space in the neighborhood, according to the arrest affidavit.

Owens and Lorincz frequently got into altercations over the course of two years, often over Owens’ children playing in a grassy common area in the Quail Run-area apartment complex, Marion County Sheriff’s Office records show. Multiple neighbors reported hearing Lorincz use racial slurs toward the family and often hearing arguments during their long-time feud, according to the arrest affidavit.

Those close to the victim and her family called for State Attorney Bill Gladson to pursue murder charges for Lorincz in connection to Owens’ death and expressed disappointment in the state attorney’s decision to charge her with manslaughter.

The Owens family is being represented by attorneys Anthony Thomas and Benjamin Crump. Crump has worked on a number of high-profile civil rights cases, and has defended the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin and Tyre Nichols.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for June 5, with jury selection scheduled to begin on June 17.

If convicted of manslaughter, Lorincz faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, according to the State Attorney’s Office.