The shooting death of Ajike “AJ” Owens was covered extensively by BOSSIP in 2023 as the story weighed heavily on the hearts and minds of millions of people as news of the killing spread across the internet and eventually into the mainstream media.
Fifty-eight-year-old Susan Lorincz was a known and admitted racist, who frequently called Black children in the Ocala, Florida, neighborhood the n-word, and harassed them for doing what children do—play games and frolic. After one such incident of racist harassment, Owens knocked on Lorincz door to address the way she had been treating her children. Instead of an adult conversation, Owens was met with gunfire before Lorincz even opened the door. Ultimately, Owens died from the gunshot wounds she suffered as two of her children looked on at her bleeding body.
Frustratingly, Lorincz was not arrested for weeks after the incident because Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods believed that Florida’s “stand your ground” laws were applicable to this case. Here is what he said at the time, according to NBC News:
That law has specific instructions for us and law enforcement, and any time that we think or perceive or believe that…might come into play, we cannot make an arrest,” Woods said. “The law specifically says that, and what we have to rule out is whether the deadly force was justified or not before we can even make the arrest.”
Netflix recently released a true crime documentary called The Perfect Neighbor about this case, and it is receiving serious Oscar buzz according to Glamour.
In a statement released by Netflix, director Geeta Gandbhir says:
“The Perfect Neighbor is a deeply personal project, created to transform grief into purpose and honor the lasting legacy of Ajike Owens and her family,” Gandbhir said. “My team at Message Pictures, along with our incredible partners at SO’B Productions [Soledad O’Brien’s production company] and Park Pictures, are thrilled the film will be available on Netflix, offering audiences worldwide the chance to experience this urgent and powerful story.”
Lorincz was eventually arrested, convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to 25 years in prison. She recently gave an interview from behind bars.
The Perfect Neighbor is now streaming on Netflix. Will you be watching?
