What Happened To Ajike Owens? The Disturbing True Story Behind ‘The Perfect Neighbor’

Netflix’s new true-crime documentary, The Perfect Neighbor, centers on the tragic death of a devoted mother who was killed by senseless gun violence — a case that sparked outrage worldwide, shook a small Florida community and left four children without a mother.

Told almost entirely through police body camera footage, interviews and 911 audio, the documentary explores the events leading up to and following the death of Ajike Owens, a Black mother of four living in a tight-knit community in Ocala, Florida. She was shot and killed by her White neighbor, Susan Lorincz, who was frustrated with Owens’s children playing in a field outside her home.

“This shocking crime left my family and me engulfed in grief and confusion,” director Geeta Gandbhir told Netflix’s Tudum. “Ajike’s community was tight-knit, rooted in mutual support and trust. It was heartbreaking to witness how such a close environment could unravel so catastrophically.”

What happened to Ajike Owens, and what events led up to her heartbreaking death? Here’s what to know about the case, including the fate of Lorincz, the neighbor who shot her.

Who Was Ajike Owens?

Ajike Owens was a 35-year-old devoted mother to her four children: sons Isaac, Israel, Titus, and daughter Afrika. According to People, Owens attended every sports practice, volunteered in their classrooms and made time to cook a family meal each night.

Owens was protective of her children, so when her neighbor, Susan Lorincz, began harassing them and other kids in the community, she grew alarmed. Lorincz lived alone in a rental home across the street from Owens. She called the police half a dozen times about the children, claiming they were “trespassing.”

The field where the children played was a vacant lot next to Lorincz’s home. The lot was privately owned by a man who had no issue with the children playing there, per People. Over the years, as authorities were called to the scene, officers sided with the children and their families, while Lorincz became increasingly combative.

“Susan was such an outlier in this community,” the documentary’s producer, Nikon Kwantu, told Tudum. “When there’s a conflict in any way, she’s going to call the police.”

What Happened Leading Up To Ajike Owens’s Death?

Lorincz started recording the children on her phone. She also threatened to beat the kids, and she used racial slurs when speaking with Owen’s children, according to CNN.

Former Ocala resident Sharna Mozell told A&E Crime + Investigation that it was common for the neighborhood children to play outside while the adults watched from their porches. However, the only person to have a problem with the kids playing was Lorincz.

“She was a hateful lady, always yelling and cussing at these kids, and she got mad at them all the time for making too much noise, but they’re kids,” Mozell recalled. “She would do little things to taunt the kids. She placed a camera in one of her windows, and aimed it at the street where they played basketball.”

On June 2, 2023, Owens’s oldest son told authorities that he was playing basketball in the street while his younger brother played nearby in the field, according to the affidavit. The child said his 10-year-old brother had left an iPad in the field, and Lorincz picked it up.

When the boy, later revealed to be Izzy, asked Lorincz to return the electronic device, the woman threw it to the ground and yelled at him, he told the deputy. Izzy also alleged that Lorincz threw roller skates at him.

Izzy went to tell his mother, Ajike, what was going on. He then went to Lorincz’s front door and allegedly yelled, “You want to throw something, throw it at me!” Lorincz then came out of her home and told him he was trespassing and swung an umbrella in his direction, the affidavit stated.

What Did Susan Lorincz Do?

Shortly after, Ajike approached Lorincz’s front door, yelling for Lorincz to throw something at her if she wanted to throw something, the affidavit said.

Two minutes before the shooting, Lorincz called 911, telling the dispatcher, “I’m scared.” But within those two minutes, Lorincz claimed that Ajike was shouting that she would kill her. She said she retrieved her handgun and fired a single shot through the door because she was “in fear for my life.”

The bullet struck Owens in the chest. One of Owens’ children called 911, and she was rushed to the hospital, but tragically died later that night.

The shooting also appeared to be racially motivated. On the same night, a neighbor told deputies that Lorincz came out of her home, gave the children playing in the field the middle finger, and yelled, “Get away from my house, you black slave,” according to the affidavit obtained by CNN.

“Lorincz admitted to having used the n-word toward children out of anger in the past and also calling children other derogatory terms,” the detective noted in the affidavit.

What Is Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law?

The Stand Your Ground law, adopted by half of the states in the U.S., allows individuals to “hold their ground and use deadly force to protect or defend against imminent threat of death,” according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Enacted in 2005, Florida’s law allows people to use deadly force in self-defense, even if they can retreat to safety or are outside their homes. They’re also often immune from criminal prosecution or civil liability if their actions are proved to be justified.

However, police determined that “Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable under Florida law,” the sheriff’s office said, according to The New York Times. Four days after the shooting, authorities arrested Lorincz. She was charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault.

What Was Susan Lorincz Sentenced To?

In August 2024, a jury found Lorincz guilty of manslaughter for killing Owens. While Lorincz didn’t testify during her trial, she spoke during the penalty phase, saying she wished she could go back and change things.

Lorincz claimed that she never meant to kill Owens. “I’m so sorry that I took AJ’s life,” she said to Owens’s family, according to CNN. “I never intended to kill her.”

Before the judge handed down the sentence, Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, also delivered a statement.

“I stand before you not only mourning the loss of my daughter, but also the loss of our hopes, dreams and the future that we often spoke of,” Dias said. “Our plans and promises to one another as mother and daughter will never come to light. They all died the night Susan Lorincz killed my daughter.”

Owens’ family and prosecutors asked that Lorincz receive the maximum penalty of 30 years. Ultimately, Lorincz was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Dias told reporters that the family was pleased with the sentence. ”Now we truly can forge ahead on the journey of true healing that we so often speak about,” she said at the time.

Lorincz is serving her 25-year sentence at Homestead Correctional Institution in South Florida. The Florida Department of Corrections lists her release date as April 8, 2048.

The Perfect Neighbor is streaming on Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.