MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Opening statements began Monday in the trial of a woman accused of shooting and killing her neighbor during a dispute in Marion County last year.
Susan Lorincz, 60, is accused of shooting through a locked door and killing her neighbor, 35-year-old AJ Owens, last June.
After going through a pool of about 70 people, six jurors were selected Monday, and most of them are women and all of them are white. The make-up of the jury is notable because the victim’s family has accused Lorincz of using racial slurs in the past. Both sides argued last week over redacting those statements.
The judge has made plans for the trial to last throughout the week.
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According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Owens, a mother of four, was shot through Lorincz’s front door after she approached the home to confront Lorincz over throwing a pair of roller skates at her kids. Owens’ children, all under the age of 13 at the time of the shooting, were at the scene when deputies arrived.
Defense attorneys say Lorincz was in fear of her life when she fired her gun.
“In her soul, in her heart, in everything that she was, she felt that she was in mortal danger,” said attorney Morris Carranza.
But prosecutors say evidence shows Lorincz was not where she claimed to be in her house when she fired her gun. She had told investigators she was in her kitchen, and did it to scare Owens.
“Pictures from the sheriff’s office, lasers, trajectory rods, to help you determine where the defendant actually was,” said Assistant State Attorney Michael Adam Smith.
The mother of AJ Owens said Monday was a difficult day for her grandchildren as they were heading to their first day of school while a jury was selected in the trial of their mother’s accused killer.
“I had to rush here to pursue and fight for justice for my daughter,” she said.
The Owens family attorney, Anthony Thomas, said they plan to have Owens’ children testify.
“They miss their mother,” Thomas said. “You know they would much rather have their mother here today than to be in a situation like this. But yes, the children are testifying. They were the eyewitnesses to their mother’s murder and so that is certainly key evidence in this case to help prosecute Susan.”
While the state will prosecute Susan Lorincz, Thomas will be present in the courtroom with the family guiding them through the process.
Lorincz is claiming self-defense in this case, saying she was in fear for her life.
“We are locked in solidarity and staying positive that this is going to be an outcome where as we get a conviction of guilty,” Thomas said.
The trial could last until Friday.
If convicted, Lorincz faces up to 30 years in prison.
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