Susan Lorincz Fatally Shot AJ Owens, Then Called Herself the ‘Perfect Neighbor.’ Inside the Shocking Case Featured in Netflix Doc

Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens’ life ended tragically on June 2, 2023, when she was shot and killed by her neighbor, Susan Lorincz.

More than two years later, the events leading up to that devastating moment are being reexamined in Netflix’s new documentary The Perfect Neighbor, which premiered on Oct. 17. The film uses police bodycam footage from the aftermath of the shooting between Lorincz, who is white, and Owens, who was Black.

“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,” director Geeta Gandbhir said in a statement.

Lorincz was convicted of manslaughter on Aug. 16, 2024. But for Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, true justice still feels out of reach.

“Justice would be this never happening from the get-go,” she said at a memorial event marking one year since her daughter’s death, per Central Florida Public Media. “Justice would be eradicating racism. Justice would be proper gun-reform laws.”

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Who Was AJ Owens?

Owens was a 35-year-old mother of four — Isaac, Afrika, Titus and Israel.

“To say she loved her children unconditionally is an understatement,” a GoFundMe organized by her mother read. “She was a single mother whose life centered around her children.”

According to the fundraiser, Owens volunteered as “Team Mom” for her kids’ sports teams and worked as a restaurant manager.

Gandbhir, who was a family friend, described Owens as ambitious and full of hope. “She wanted to be an entrepreneur and she used to always talk about how the whole world one day will know my name,” the filmmaker said while accepting the U.S. Documentary Directing Albie Award. “It feels a bit like what we are doing now — fulfilling her dream.”

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What Happened to AJ Owens?

Owens was killed by Lorincz on June 2, 2023, after an escalating dispute involving Owens’ children.

According to Dias, her grandchildren were playing in a nearby public field when Lorincz began hurling racist slurs. “[She] said, ‘This is not the Underground Railroad, you slaves,’ ” Dias recalled on The View in June 2023. A detective later said in an affidavit that Lorincz admitted to using racial slurs toward the children.

CNN reported that when Owens’ children accidentally left behind a tablet, Lorincz allegedly picked it up — something she denied. Dias said the device was damaged after Lorincz threw a roller skate that hit one of the boys, and another affidavit claimed she swung an umbrella at one of the kids.

Attorney Ben Crump told NBC News the skate was thrown “indirectly,” but it still struck the child.

When Owens approached Lorincz’s home to confront her, the confrontation turned deadly. “[Owens] … knocked on Lorincz’s door multiple times and demanded that Lorincz come outside,” the arrest affidavit stated. “Lorincz then fired one shot through the door, striking Owens in her upper chest.”

Witnesses said Owens stumbled from the porch, calling for help before collapsing. “[Police] found a victim suffering from a gunshot wound and immediately rendered aid until medics could arrive, but unfortunately, Miss Owens passed,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said at a press conference.

At least two of Owens’ children reportedly witnessed the shooting.

Dias later said on The View that Lorincz had told Owens’ son to bring his mother to the door. “She created this situation; she wanted it to happen,” she alleged. “Owens was met with a bullet through a locked metal door with her 9-year-old son standing next to her.”

“The 9-year-old feels as if he hadn’t left his tablet, his mother would still be here,” Dias added.

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What Did Susan Lorincz Say About the Shooting?

In the two years before the killing, Lorincz had frequently complained about Owens’ children and called 911 on them. On June 2, she again told dispatchers she felt “threatened.”

In a 2025 interview from prison, Lorincz claimed she became fearful after one of Owens’ sons allegedly threatened her life. “I had fallen over a skate, and I said, ‘Guys pick up your skates,’ and they’re like, ‘No,’ ” she said. “Then one of them said, ‘I’m going to kill you. If I can’t kill you, I’m going to find someone to kill you.’ ”

On her 911 call that day, Lorincz told the operator, “I feel threatened in my own home. There are several kids out there right now. I’m fearing for my life.”

In a second call, she admitted to firing the weapon. “I shot through the door,” she said, per CNN. “The woman was screaming and yelling at me … I didn’t know what to do. I grabbed my gun and shot at the door because I thought she was going to kill me.”

Lorincz also told deputies that Owens had verbally threatened her. Woods said Lorincz had reported Owens’ children to authorities multiple times since January 2021 — as many as “six to eight” incidents.

Neighbors later told police Lorincz often made “false reports.” The affidavit stated she was “known to harass the children by video recording them with her phone” and that she believed the public field “belonged to her.”

Lorincz admitted to using the n-word toward children in anger and to calling them other derogatory terms.

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What Happened to Susan Lorincz After the Shooting?

Lorincz was convicted of manslaughter on Aug. 16, 2024.

“Through their investigation — including obtaining the statements of eyewitnesses — detectives were able to establish that Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable under Florida law,” the sheriff’s office said before the trial.

Judge Robert Hodges sentenced her to 25 years in prison, calling the killing “completely unnecessary.”

“In this case, Ms. Lorincz was behind the door. The door was locked. She had already called law enforcement. They were en route,” the judge said, per ABC. “She was in a relatively safe position. For some reason, she went into her room and found a gun.”

During the trial, Lorincz said, “I am so sorry I took AJ’s life. I never intended to kill her.”

Dias rejected the apology. “Susan’s apology was a last-ditch attempt to save herself,” she said. “It wasn’t sincere; she never showed remorse.”