OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A judge on Friday granted $154,000 bond to a white Florida woman accused of shooting and killing a black neighbor through her front door.
Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, of Ocala, returned to Marion County Court a day after pleading not guilty to a first-degree felony charge of manslaughter with a firearm, as well as counts of culpable negligence, assault and assault.
As a condition of his bail, Circuit Court Judge Robert Hodges ordered Lorincz to wear an ankle monitor and stay away from the family of his slain neighbor, Ajike Owens, 34.
The courtroom was packed with relatives and supporters of Owens, a mother of four. One of the family’s attorneys, Anthony Thomas, told reporters after Friday’s hearing that they would continue to press for Lorincz to face a more serious charge of second-degree murder.
“We don’t think Susan had any respect for human life,” Thomas said. “It wasn’t something where she was cleaning a gun and the gun went off and it goes through the wall or the door and it accidentally hurts somebody. She wanted to pull the trigger. She wanted to point it at the door.”
Owens was killed June 2 in Ocala, about 133 miles north of Orlando. His funeral is scheduled for Monday.
After the shooting, Lorincz told investigators that she had two years of disrespect issues from neighborhood children, including Owens’ children, ages 12, 9, 7 and 3.
According to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Lorincz said she had a headache the day of the shooting and children were running and screaming outside her apartment. That night, while a few kids were playing basketball, Lorincz threw a pair of roller skates at them, hitting one on the feet.
Owens then came over and knocked on her door. Lorincz told investigators that Owens threatened to kill her and knocked on the door so hard she feared Owens would break it.
Lorincz fired a single bullet from his .380 caliber handgun, according to the sheriff’s report, which went through the closed door and fatally struck Owens.
Lorincz told investigators she had called Owens’ children racial slurs in the months leading up to the murder. Authorities had delayed his arrest for several days while they considered a possible complaint to “hold their ground”. Detectives have since said Lorincz’s actions are not justifiable under Florida law.
Sheriff Billy Woods said since January 2021, deputies have responded to at least half a dozen complaints between Owens and Lorincz in Ocala.