A white Florida woman on trial for manslaughter in the fatal shooting of her Black neighbor after a lengthy feud said Thursday she will not take the witness stand in her own defense as testimony wrapped up.
“I am not going to testify,” Lorincz said.
Lorincz, 60, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted in the June 2023 shooting 35-year-old Ajike “A.J.” Owens, her neighbor in Ocala, Florida.
Owens’ family has expressed surprise no Black jurors were selected given the racially sensitive nature of the case.
The case gained national attention when protests erupted in the Black community while prosecutors debated over several weeks whether to charge Lorincz with second-degree murder or manslaughter.
The trial of a white Florida woman accused of manslaughter in the shooting death of her Black neighbor following a protracted dispute concluded on Thursday. The woman announced that she would not be testifying on her own behalf.
Marion County Circuit Judge Robert W. was informed by Susan Lorincz. After speaking with her attorneys, Hodges said she made the decision not to testify and that she was not forced to do so.
Lorincz declared, “I’m not going to testify.”.
The judge questioned, “You’ve made that decision freely and voluntarily?”.
“I have, indeed,” she answered.
The defense then took a break after calling three ballistics and crime scene experts. On Wednesday, the prosecution concluded their case. If found guilty in June 2023 of shooting 35-year-old Ajike “A,” Lorincz, 60, could spend up to 30 years behind bars. A. J. Owens, her Ocala, Florida, neighbor.
The two had a long-standing argument about Owens’ four children playing rough around Lorincz’s house. According to testimony, the night Owens was shot, she had been yelling loudly and beating on Lorincz’s door after Lorincz had allegedly thrown an umbrella and roller skates at the children. Lorincz killed Owens by firing one round through the door with her .380 handgun, striking her in the chest.
The judge will instruct the jury after the prosecution and defense teams conclude their closing arguments on Friday morning. The six white jurors will then start deliberating.
Hodges informed the jurors, “You will have as much time as you want to deliberate the case.”.
Given the delicate nature of the case, Owens’ family has expressed surprise that no Black jurors were chosen. Out of the 70 individuals in the initial jury pool, eight Black people were listed in an email sent on Thursday by the county court clerk’s office. On the other hand, according to data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, 49 people were identified as white, 10 as Hispanic, two as Asian, and one as “other,” according to the clerk’s office.
Lorincz did not testify, but the prosecution played taped interviews with her during which she stated she fired the gun in self-defense because she was afraid for her life. That has been refuted by Owens’ family and legal representatives, who maintain that Lorincz always had bad intentions toward Owens.
Prosecutors were debating whether to charge Lorincz with second-degree murder or manslaughter for several weeks when protests broke out in the Black community, which brought the case to the attention of the country. choosing in the end the less serious transgression.
In central Florida, Ocala is located about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Orlando.
