White Woman Who Killed Ajike Owens Gets All-White Jury, As Manslaughter Trial Begins

Source: Marion County Sheriff’s Office / marion county sheriff’s office

The manslaughter trial for the 60-year-old woman who killed Ajike “A.J.” Owens began this week, but some activists are concerned that the all-white jury selected may lead to her acquittal.

Opening statements trial of Susan Lorincz began Tuesday, as jurors listened to prosecutors paint the picture of the day Lorincz shot and killed Owens, according to AP.

During opening statements, prosecutors claimed Lorincz was upset at children running and yelling outside her apartment. She went to confront them, picking up skates from the ground and throwing them at the children.

Upset at how Lorincz handled her children, Owens, who lived across the street, confronted Lorincz through her metal front door.

Defense attorneys tried to portray Ajike Owens as angry, setting up self-defense claims of why Lorincz pulled the trigger.

“A.J. was pounding, and she was cursing,” defense attorney Morris Carranza told jurors during opening statements. He said that Owens had threatened his client, and she feared the woman would break the door down.

Prosecutors pushed back, saying the door was locked and that Owens never had a weapon.

Source: Ben Crump / Ben Crump

After opening statements, Yvonne Costa, the next-door neighbor of Lorincz, testified that she heard loud voices right before the shooting, but couldn’t make out what was being said.

Costa then said she heard loud pounding, which scared her.

“The wall in between our two apartments started shaking,” Costa told jurors. “It was very loud. And it scared me.”

When Costa heard the loud pop of gunfire, followed by screaming, she immediately ran to her bedroom to call 911.

Susan Lorincz, who is a white woman, was charged with manslaughter and could face up to 30 years in prison if the all-white jury decides to convict her.

According to WFTV, four women and two men were chosen from a 40-person pool. The jury includes three gun owners and three people with ties to law enforcement. Two women will also serve as alternates in case a juror is dismissed. Neither of the alternates is Black.

“We had hoped that there would be jurors selected that would have shared the life experiences and the culture of AJ,” Attorney Benjamin Crump told WFTV after the court was dismissed for the day.

Today begins the manslaughter trial of Susan Lorincz — the white woman accused of fatally shooting Ajike Owens through a locked metal door in Ocala (FL). An all-white jury has been selected. We will keep you updated as the trial progresses & continue to fight for #JusticeForAJ! pic.twitter.com/FqSW0JakZS

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 13, 2024

What happened to Ajike Owens?

Owens was killed after Lorincz shot through her own front door while being confronted over an iPad that was taken from Owens’ children, officials said.

Crump has maintained in allegations to the media that Owens’ children were playing when Lorincz told them to get off her property in the city of Ocala. When the children left, they also left behind the iPad. After going home to tell their mother, Owens went to Lorincz’s home, knocked on the door and was promptly shot through Lorincz’s door. Owens was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

During her funeral,  Al Sharpton delivered a damning condemnation of Florida’s governor while eulogizing Ajike Owens. Amid calls for justice and accountability for Owens’ death, Sharpton also made sure to remind those who were assembled at Meadowbrook Church that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — a Republican presidential candidate who has had plenty to say in favor of restricting African American history from being taught in schools — has failed to express any “outrage” over the shooting.

In June 2023, a Florida prosecutor declined to upgrade the manslaughter charges to murder charges.

There was “insufficient evidence” that Ajike Owens was the victim of a murder, State Attorney William Gladson said while explaining that he and his office cannot prove Susan Lorincz had “a depraved mind toward the victim at the time of the killing,” WCJB reported.

SEE ALSO:

Justice For Sonya Massey: Sheriff Pushes Back After Illinois Governor Calls For His Immediate Resignation

Outrage After Charges Against White Woman Who Killed Ajike Owens Aren’t Upgraded To Murder

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