MARION COUNTY, Fla. – The woman accused of shooting and killing an Ocala mother of four last month entered a written not guilty plea.
Susan Lorincz, 58, who is charged with manslaughter in the June 2 shooting death of Ajike Owens, was initially set to appear in court on Tuesday, but her arraignment was waived.
“Susan has established her defense,” said Anthony D. Thomas, the attorney representing the Owens family. “She doesn’t think she is guilty for the senseless murder of Ajike Owens. It’s sad when someone doesn’t own up to the truth. She did kill her.”
Owens’ family previously voiced their hope that William Gladson, the state attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida, would upgrade the charges against Lorincz. The family, alongside a community of supporters, called out the state attorney’s office for deciding against pursuing a murder charge against Lorincz.
“I think the family has dealt with and put that disappointment behind them and they want to stay hopeful that Susan will be convicted,” Thomas said.
Deputies said Lorincz had fatally shot Owens through her door after the victim came to confront her about throwing a pair of roller skates at her children.
Reports show deputies had been called to the Ocala neighborhood a dozen times where Owens was eventually shot and killed in reference to a feud between the pair about the victim’s children dating back to January 2021.
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Body camera footage obtained by News 6 shows the mounting complaints and issues over the year that culminated in the fatal shooting. Lorincz would claim the neighborhood children were being loud and trespassing on her property, even though deputies said the children were actually playing in an open field separate from her residence.
“We’re just hopeful that all the facts are able to come out, that the jury can fully understand what Susan has done,” Thomas said. “I do believe that evidence, the body camera footage, is evidence of Susan’s depraved mind and her act of ill will and hate toward Ajike Owens and her children.”
He added that justice will look like a message sent to Lorincz, and people who are like her in their “hate for people because of the color of their skin.”
“This is not OK in our society. This is not OK in Ocala, Florida,” Thomas said. “The fear that the family has, sort of, expressed is that they would hate to see these children walk around as teenagers and see Susan on the streets. That would be the biggest slap in the face.”
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