Third day of Susan Lorincz trial: State rests in trial of woman accused of shooting her neighbor through the door

OCALA, Florida. – The defense has officially concluded its arguments in the trial over whether Susan Lorincz should go to prison for the manslaughter of Ajike “AJ” Owens.

On the third day of the trial, the jury heard only experts who commented on what the situation looked like for Lorincz at the moment. However, the state questioned the credibility of these experts.

Prosecutors argued that while Susan Lorincz may have been frightened when she heard AJ Owens banging on her door in June 2023, she was never under any real threat and the use of deadly force was not justified.

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The defense called Roy Bedard, a law enforcement instructor, to the witness stand.

“Fear is not necessarily caused by the threat, but by the way you appraise the threat,” Bedard said. “It depends on what you think your coping mechanisms are.”

The State pointed out that the expert had no medical or psychological training.

A ballistics expert, also in court Thursday, mapped where Lorincz might have been standing when she fired her gun and shot Owens, according to her lawyers. The state's rebuttal noted that Lorincz did not attempt to seek further protection from what she perceived as a threat.

“Would you agree that the defendant did not shoot from behind that kitchen counter,” asked Assistant District Attorney Adam Smith.

“I would agree with that,” replied forensic ballistics expert Joshua Wright.

The defense used the model to argue that Lorincz's account of the shooting was accurate.

“Does the visualization we just saw match the evidence and everything you have reviewed in this case?” asked Assistant Chief Public Defender Amanda Sizemore.

“Yes,” replied 3D forensic scientist Toby Terpstra.

In other words, if she was right on that point, it stands to reason she was right on other details as well. This statement came in response to the video shown Wednesday in which investigators told Lorincz that her story did not match what they had heard from every witness they interviewed.

“Is your memory of this incident impaired in any way?” investigators asked Lorincz during their interrogation after the shooting.

The State had only the following to say to this witness:

“You were paid $14,000 to create a computer animation in which you took some artistic liberties.”

The judge asked Lorincz if she wanted to testify on her own behalf. She declined.

Closing arguments from both sides will be made Friday morning. The judge will then give his jury instructions and deliberations are expected to begin around noon. The jury could return its verdict as early as Friday afternoon.