OCALA, Fla. – Formal charges have been filed against the woman accused of shooting and killing an Ocala neighbor earlier this month, and she will not face murder charges in the woman’s death.
William Gladson, the state attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida, filed manslaughter charges against Susan Lorincz, 58, in the death of Ajike Owens, officials announced Monday.
Owens’ family and attorneys had wanted Gladson to upgrade the charges against Lorincz to murder. Lorincz was also formally charged with assault.
Gladson, in his statement, said in order to upgrade the charge to second-degree murder, his office would have had to prove beyond and to the exclusion of every reasonable doubt that there was “the existence of a depraved mind toward the victim at the time of the killing.”
“Depraved mind requires evidence of hatred, spite, ill will, or evil intent toward the victim at the time of the killing. As deplorable as the defendant’s actions were in this case, there is insufficient evidence to prove this specific and required element of second-degree murder,” Gladson’s office said in a statement.
Lorincz is accused of shooting Owens through the locked door of her home on June 2. Police say Owens was knocking on the door because Lorincz had gotten into a confrontation with some of Owens’ children, who were playing in the community land in front of Lorincz’s home. According to witnesses, Lorincz picked up a tablet belonging to one of the children, yelled at them and threw a skate at them.
Owens’ family attorney, Anthony Thomas, said in a statement, “We are deeply disappointed by this decision. All the evidence unequivocally supports the elevation of this charge to second-degree murder. We firmly believe that justice demands nothing less. The failure of the prosecutor to charge Susan with what truly reflected her wanton, reckless behavior undermines our ability to even get real accountability. Nevertheless, our resolve remains unwavering, and we will continue to fight.”
Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, said the family was devastated at the manslaughter charge.
“How do I explain to AJ’s children, my young grandbabies, that the loss of their mother’s life is still not being taken seriously? Only a living breathing AJ would be true justice, and today’s charge could not be further from that,” Dias said in a statement.
The shooting was the culmination of many months of incidents between Lorincz and Owens’ family, as well as others in the neighborhood. Witnesses told police that Lorincz would hurl obscenities and racial slurs at children, and film them at play while giving them the middle finger. Police say Lorincz also would file reports claiming the children were trespassing on her property, when they were really just staying in the community area.
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Lorincz told police she shot her gun at Owens through the door because she was in fear of her life and she wanted Owens to go away. Police say she used specific language that showed she had looked up stand-your-ground and self-defense laws prior to and after the shooting.
Police say Lorincz also claimed she bought the gun used in the shooting after an incident with Owens, but then later told police while the two were not friendly, there was never any indication of violence from Owens to Lorincz.
Lorincz remains jailed in Marion County.
If convicted of manslaughter, she faces up to 30 years in prison.
lorincz Press Release by Christie Zizo on Scribd
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