How police footage in The Perfect Neighbor captured the timeline of AJ Owens’ murder

Ajike “AJ” Owens She was a black, single mother of four while trying her best to raise her children in Ocala, Florida She was fatally shot by her white neighbor Susan Lorincz in June 2023.

while his murder time made national newsInterest in the case has reignited thanks to Netflix’s new, award-winning documentary, perfect neighborGeeta from Gandbheer,

Released on October 17, the harrowing film is an edited compilation of mostly extensive police footage, captured during his extensive visits to the cul-de-sac, in response to Loring’s complaints against neighborhood children.

Here is a timeline of how tensions escalated between Lorincz and Owens, ultimately leading to Owens’ tragic death.

2021 – 2023: Two years of increasing tension in the neighborhood

In 2021, less than a year after Lorincz moved into her rental property located across the street from Owens’ home, she began calling the police to complain about neighborhood children, claiming they were encroaching on her property, playing too loudly, and taunting her.

During a police visit, Lorincz claimed he caught Owens’ son, Israel – who was about seven years old at the time – trying to put his dog in the bed of his parked truck. When pressed for details about the incident, he told officers that he was wearing a red shirt and that his dog was small.

Officers then went to speak to an adult witness, a neighbor, who was out with the children at the time. The man laughed at Lorincz’s accusations, denying the credibility of his story, saying that Israel’s dog was a large breed and it would have been impossible for him to pick it up.

In addition to multiple 911 calls, Lorincz also allegedly approached the children herself, harassed them, and yelled racial slurs at them. In his 2023 arrest affidavit, he admitted to using the N-word towards children and calling them other derogatory terms in anger.

She became known as the neighborhood bully and was often seen filming or taking photographs of children to document their alleged behavior.

At the 2023 press conference, per the new York TimesMarion County Sheriff Billy Woods revealed that his deputies responded to “six to eight” reports between 2021 and 2023 regarding Lorincz’s ongoing feud with Owens.

In footage of Lorincz’s visit to a police station, where she sought to file a report, the officer asked if she wanted to see the children go to jail or seek some form of recourse. “Yes of course,” she replied, with the officer telling her honestly that he was only able to write an official police document because he had no video evidence of her claims.

2023: Neighborhood feud reaches deadly peak

On June 2, 2023, Lorincz got into an altercation with Israel, in which he allegedly took her tablet and threw a pair of roller skates at her. Shortly afterward, she called 911. In the recording of the call, Lorincz claimed, “We found the kids trespassing, they were standing there, leaving all the toys around, just yelling, screaming, just absolutely obnoxious,” admitting that she “went and threw the roller skates on the other side.”

He further alleged that Israel threatened to “beat up” [her] Up” to throw roller skates.

When asked if he was still there, Lorincz claimed, “Yes, there are many children there at the moment, and I fear for my life. I am very scared.”

According to the Times, Owens’ children were between the ages of three and 12 at the time of the shooting. Ocala Gazette,

While Lorincz told the dispatcher that no weapons were involved in the altercation, he alleged that the children had threatened him to “provoke him to kill someone else.”

“This is absolutely ridiculous,” he said. “They just keep calling me names and calling me names. I’m fed up with these kids.”

The operator told him to “avoid” Israel and “keep your doors and windows closed” and that an officer would be dispatched as soon as possible.

According to several neighbor accounts, Owens angrily went to her and banged on Lorincz’s door, ready to talk to her about her son’s shooting.

“While the beatings were going on, a woman was screaming loudly,” a man told detectives. “And then bang.”

Lorincz fired a shot through his front door, hitting Owens in the upper chest. In footage from the neighbor’s front door, Owens’ oldest child, Isaac, runs wild, pleading with the neighbor to call 911. “Please! He shot my mother,” he screams.

In a separate phone call to police, Lorincz was heard crying, saying, “Oh God, this woman tried to break down my door. I shot in the door. Oh God!”

She adds, “I didn’t know what to do. I picked up my gun and shot at the door. I thought she was going to kill me.”

When paramedics arrived at the scene, they cared for Owens’s wounds before taking him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Where is Lorinze now?

Lorincz was initially taken in for questioning on the night of Owens’ death, but was released a few hours later while detectives investigated. His release was condemned by Owens’ family and other community members, who demanded that Lorincz be arrested and prosecuted.

Citing the state’s controversial Stand Your Ground law, Lorincz said he shot at his door in self-defense out of fear that Owens would break down the door and kill him first. Laws recognized in several states, including Alabama, Iowa, and Texas, allow the use of deadly force when a person reasonably believes it necessary to defend himself against certain violent crimes.

Lorincz, now 60, was eventually arrested and formally charged with Owens’ murder four days later. He was tried, and found guilty of murder, with the judge ruling that Lorincz was motivated to shoot Owens “more out of anger than fear” and that “at the moment he fired the gun through the door, she was safe.”

She was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and is currently serving her sentence at Homestead Correctional Institution in South Florida.

perfect neighbor Available to stream on Netflix.