Ocala woman accused of killing Ajike Owens charged with manslaughter, not murder
The state attorney for Marion County announced he formally filed a manslaughter charge against a woman accused of killing Ajike Owens, weeks after the shooting sparked protests amid raised racial tensions in Ocala.
Susan Lorincz, Owens’ white 58-year-old neighbor, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter and another charge of assault for shooting Owens, who is Black.
The June 2 shooting happened after Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four, went to Lorincz’s home to confront her about Lorincz shouting and throwing a roller skate at Owens’ children. Lorincz opened fire at Owens from behind the front door.
It took four days for Lorincz to be arrested as Marion County deputy sheriffs weighed her claim of self-defense against Florida’s “stand your ground” law. She was arrested after public outrage over the initial decision to let Lorincz go, including Owens’ family retaining famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Lorincz was kept in the Marion County Jail on the manslaughter charge for weeks as the shooting continued to be investigated. Monday’s filing comes as State Attorney Bill Gladson faced criticism for not charging Lorincz with second-degree murder, which he said in a statement required “evidence of hatred, spite, ill will or evil intent” against Owens.
According to an arrest affidavit, Lorincz had a long-standing feud with Owens and her children, and she admitted to law enforcement that she would call them racial slurs in anger. The June 2 confrontation came when Owens’ 10-year-old son said Lorincz threw a skate at him. She was shot after banging on the front door and demanding the woman come outside.
In a statement announcing the charges, Gladson said there is “insufficient evidence” to charge Lorincz with murder.
“Understandably, emotions run high, particularly with senseless, violent crimes,” Gladson said. “However, I cannot allow any decision to be influenced by public sentiment, angry phone calls or further threats of violence, as I have received in this case. To allow that to happen would also be improper and a violation of my oath as a prosecutor and as a lawyer.”
“My office will do all it can to seek justice for Ms. Owens and her family,” he added.
Other previously filed charges, among them a battery charge for throwing the roller skate, were dropped.
Anthony Thomas, a lawyer representing Owens’ family, criticized the decision to arrest Lorincz for manslaughter at her June 9 bail hearing, saying the shooting wasn’t an accident.
“She meant to point that gun at the door, she knew who was standing on the [other] side of that door and she also knew that she didn’t have any sort of threat on her life when she pulled that trigger,” he said at the time.
Owens’ attorneys have not responded to the filed charges. Lorincz is in the Marion County Jail on a $151,000 bond.