Third day of Susan Lorincz's trial begins in Marion County mother's death

MARION COUNTY, Florida. – On Thursday, the state is scheduled to reopen its case in the manslaughter trial of Ajike “AJ” Owens, who was shot and killed last year by 60-year-old Susan Lorincz.

The jury will decide whether Lorincz's actions were justified when she fired through her locked front door on June 2, 2023, killing Owens during an ongoing dispute over neighborhood children. The shooting occurred after Owens confronted Lorincz, who allegedly yelled at two of Owens' children and threw a roller skate.

Just before court broke for lunch on Wednesday, the jury saw detectives questioning Lorincz about the shooting to find out why she fired the gun.

Opening arguments were held Tuesday and the jury was presented with evidence including a gun that prosecutors say was used to kill Owens and information about what was found in and around Owens' neighbor's home.

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Jurors saw measurements taken inside Lorincz's home, which prosecutors say proves she wasn't in her kitchen when she pulled the trigger.

The defense also played her 911 call, saying it showed how much she feared for her life. The state pointed to later statements made by Lorincz during questioning after the shooting.

“Was your goal to shoot and kill her?” asked a detective.

“No,” she replied.

“What was your goal?”

“To shoot, and hopefully she hears the shot and dissolves,” she said.

Owens' children were originally expected to testify, including one of her sons who was standing next to her when she died.

However, the defense chose not to call their children to the witness stand.

News 6 also reached out to the representative of one of the families to ask if they expected the trial to go before a jury on Thursday. The representative responded that it was possible and that they expected a verdict by Friday.

This story will be updated to reflect the latest information.

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