The Devastating True Story Behind The Perfect Neighbor

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On June 2, 2023, a fatal shooting rocked a close-knit Florida community.

The shooting deeply saddened many neighbors who knew both Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four, and Susan Lorincz, the woman who shot her, though some admitted they weren’t entirely shocked by the incident.

Days later, Phyllis Wills told WESH that when she went outside, she found the victim’s son struggling to breathe and saying his mother had been shot by their neighbor. “I instantly knew who did it,” Wills said.

Lorincz is currently in prison for 25 years for manslaughter, and the events surrounding the crime are detailed in the Netflix documentary The Perfect Neighbor. Unlike most true crime stories, this documentary is told almost entirely through raw footage from police body cameras, emergency calls, cell phone videos, doorbell cameras, and sheriff’s office security cameras.

Honestly, when Geeta Gandbhir told the Los Angeles Times there weren’t any reporters actually there, it just blew my mind! No one shaping the narrative, no one telling the police what to ask… just raw footage of what was really happening. She said that’s what made it so powerful, and I totally agree. It felt so real, so undeniable. It’s like, finally, we were seeing the truth, unfiltered. I’ve watched it a million times and it still gives me chills!

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office had a lot of body cam footage because Lorincz repeatedly complained about neighborhood kids trespassing on her property, being too loud, or generally causing disturbances in the year leading up to the shooting of Owens.

Lorincz told sheriff’s deputies that Owens’ children would often run up to her and yell nonsensically. She explained that she had finally reached her breaking point about six months before the shooting. She admitted to calling the children a derogatory slur, which prompted Owens to become enraged and threaten to have Lorincz placed in a care facility.

Lorincz explained that she keeps to herself. “I live alone and work from home, so I’m quiet and don’t bother anyone,” she said. “I’m the ideal neighbor – you hardly even know I’m here.”

Here is what to know about the story behind The Perfect Neighbor:

Ajike Owens, known as AJ, was 35 years old and lived in Ocala, Florida, with her four children: Isaac, Israel, Africa, and Titus. When she passed away, her children ranged in age from 3 to 12 years old.

Ajike, my daughter, was a wonderfully energetic and loving mother to her four children,” Pam Dias told CNN in October 2025. “She always went above and beyond for them – coaching at their football games, working tirelessly to make sure they had everything they needed, and just being an incredible mom.

Owens worked as a manager at McDonald’s. As shown in the Netflix documentary The Perfect Neighbor, a neighbor shared that Owens made significant sacrifices – like paying for private school and extracurricular activities such as dance and gymnastics – so her children could participate.

Susan Louise Lorincz lived across the street from Owens in Ocala.

According to body camera footage from the sheriff’s office featured in the documentary The Perfect Neighbor, the 61-year-old woman stated she lived alone and worked from her home.

During the 2024 trial, Lorincz’s sister, Ellen Lorincz, testified that their family struggled with mental health problems and that their father had been physically, emotionally, and sexually abusive to all of them.

Crystal Maksou, a friend, shared that Lorincz was a dedicated worker, but also actively involved in their community, regularly singing at church and generously baking and cooking for them over many years.

Asked if Lorincz was “violent or aggressive,” Maksou’s answer was no. 

Maksou explained to the court that this behavior was completely unlike the woman he knew. He described her as someone who was always generous and kind, and said he had learned a lot about how to interact with others through their friendship.

Following the death of Owens, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods stated in a press conference that his office had received between six and eight reports concerning interactions between the victim and Lorincz.

As detailed in the book The Perfect Neighbor, police officers encountered Owens while visiting Lorincz’s home at 1662 Southwest 107th Lane, following Lorincz’s claim that Owens had thrown a yard sign at her.

Owens explained to the deputies that Lorincz seemed to intentionally push a sign towards her face. When Lorincz tried to retrieve the sign, Owens said she grabbed it and threw it, admitting she intentionally tossed it.

Several neighbors told deputies that Owens didn’t throw the sign at Lorincz. One neighbor, as shown in the video footage, stated that Lorincz frequently harasses children, often trying to record them and making rude comments.

Lorincz, a renter on the block like Owens, explained to a deputy that everyone has the legal right to peacefully enjoy their property, and the children’s loud and disruptive behavior was a violation of that right.

After Owens died, detectives questioned Lorincz about whether anyone might have video evidence of him using a racial slur.

She said she didn’t know anything about it, and if she had accidentally revealed something, she apologized. She added that it might have just slipped out in conversation.

On the night of June 2, 2023, Lorincz shot and killed Owens by firing a single bullet through her front door, striking her in the chest. She was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Earlier that night, Lorincz had called 911, reporting that some children were on her property, making noise, and that she was afraid for her safety.

I was really worried when I heard what happened, and the caller – Lorincz – explained to the dispatcher that the other person’s mom was planning to go outside and try to meet the officer. She was going to claim I’d threatened her children, which is completely false. It’s just a desperate attempt to make me look bad.

According to body camera footage from the documentary The Perfect Neighbor, witnesses told deputies they heard Owens knocking on Lorincz’s door. One witness, a young boy, reported hearing a woman scream, “Why did you take my son’s tablet?”

Another boy told the deputies he saw roller skates being thrown toward Izzy, Owen’s son. He said Izzy had been holding a tablet, and a woman took it from him. The boy then explained that Lorincz came outside with an umbrella and began swinging it while yelling insults at them. After that, he heard Izzy shout for his mother.

Owens then headed across the street and, by all accounts, starting knocking on Lorincz’s door.

One witness told deputies, “Literally two knocks.”

Lorincz was arrested in handcuffs. According to interview footage from the documentary The Perfect Neighbor, she told detectives on June 3rd that approximately ten minutes passed between her 911 call and when Owens arrived at her home.

Lorincz said the woman began pounding so forcefully that everything shook. He told her she needed to leave, but she responded by threatening to kill him.

Honestly, I was terrified. I had no idea if the police would even come, and I just completely panicked, thinking she was finally going to hurt me badly. It all happened so fast – I don’t even remember consciously deciding to grab the gun, just… firing it. It’s like my body just reacted without me thinking.

 

According to interview footage from June 6th, detectives told Lorincz that she called 911 again to report someone banging on her door just two minutes after her first five-minute call ended at 8:59 p.m.

According to a detective, she arrived on the scene within two minutes and confirmed the sequence of events: you fired the gun, and then immediately called 911 on your phone.

Lorincz stated that the event felt significantly longer than it actually was. She also maintained that she didn’t plan anything beforehand, explaining she was simply overwhelmed with fear at the time.

Left alone with a notepad and pen to write a message for Owens’ children, Lorincz penned a note that, according to the detective, read: “I am so sorry for your loss. I didn’t intend to kill your mother. I was afraid she was going to kill me, and I shot her out of fear.”

She was arrested shortly after the incident and faces several charges, including manslaughter with a firearm, negligence, battery, and two counts of assault.

Lorincz entered a plea of not guilty, but on August 16, 2024, a jury found her guilty of manslaughter. She received a 25-year prison sentence on November 25th.

Judge Robert Hodges stated in court that the shooting was not justified. He explained that the woman, Ms. Lorincz, was located behind a locked door at the time of the incident.

According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Lorincz is incarcerated at Homestead Correctional Institution in Florida City and is scheduled to be released on April 8, 2048.

At her sentencing, Lorincz expressed deep remorse, saying, “I am truly sorry for taking AJ’s life. I never meant to kill her, and I am heartbroken by what happened. It’s not just the loss of a mother, but also a daughter and a sister, and I keep thinking about how much your family is suffering.”

She insists she believed her life was in danger that night. In a September 2025 interview with WCJB, while incarcerated, she said, “I didn’t even see the gunshot. I was just completely terrified, shaking and crying. It was a horrible experience.”

Asked if she was capable of manslaughter, she said no.

“I’m just devastated by what happened,” Lorincz said. “I honestly never imagined this could happen, and it’s really heartbreaking. I wish there was something I could do to make things different.”

In court during the sentencing, Owens’ mother, Dias, shared her grief, stating she mourned not just her daughter’s death, but also the loss of all the plans and dreams they had shared for the future. She expressed how difficult it was to accept that her daughter was gone, describing the pain of knowing her ‘baby girl’ was buried and no longer breathing.

Acknowledging the many family moments Owens would be absent for, Dias stated, “The grief and hardship didn’t stop when Susan was convicted, and it won’t end with today’s sentence. We will feel this loss for the rest of our lives.”

Dias has been caring for her grandchildren since her daughter’s death.

The children have been through a lot—losing their mother at such a young age is something no child should experience,” Dias shared with CNN in October 2025. “But despite everything, they’ve demonstrated incredible strength and have been remarkably resilient, which continues to impress me.

Dias explained that she saw her daughter’s positive qualities reflected in others. “Her compassion, affection, and beliefs live on in them, and they’ll always carry a part of her with them.”

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2025-10-22 21:48