Racial slurs, 911 call in focus during Susan Lorincz's final hearing before AJ Owens manslaughter trial

MARION COUNTY, Fla. - Susan Lorincz, the woman accused of shooting and killing her neighbor Ajike "AJ" Owens last year, appeared in Marion County court on Friday morning where a judge prepared both sides for trial by determining what's relevant and what's not relevant in case documents that a jury might hear. 

Lorincz was arrested in Marion County after allegedly killing Owens, a mother of four, during a confrontation on June 2, 2023. She's facing charges of manslaughter with a firearm and assault. 

Owens went to Lorincz's home to confront her following a dispute with her children, police said. At some point, Lorincz allegedly fired a gun through the front door after Owens addressed her about taking her child's tablet and using derogatory language toward them. Owens' son was watching nearby. 

Owens later died. 

AJ Owens update: Children remember Ocala mom year after shooting death  

Here's a rundown of what happened during Friday morning's hearing. 

Motion 1: Should an expert be allowed to testify at trial?

Lorincz's lawyers and prosecutors went back and forth trying to determine if the testimony of a psychology expert should be allowed during trial.

The expert has a doctorate in educational psychology and is knowledgeable in the science behind decision-making in humans, the defense said. 

Prosecutors want the expert to testify because he can speak to how people make decisions in stressful situations and how the brain works when it's in fear, but prosecutors are concerned that it wouldn't be relevant since the doctor hasn't personally evaluated Lorincz. He's only seen and read her interviews with law enforcement. 

The judge ultimately decided that the expert's testimony would be allowed during trial, but he must stick to the science behind making decisions and cannot speak to the mind of Lorincz's on the day of the incident. 

Motion 2: What racial slurs can be redacted from discovery?

The other issue at hand during Friday's hearing was determining what portions of Lorincz's interviews with law enforcement and other discovery can be excluded from being used at trial since they contain reported statements made by Lorincz that appear to have been racially charged. 

The defense, prosecutors and judge went through dozens of pages of documents during the hearing and picked apart instances in interviews and depositions that should or should not be included during trial. 

One of the state's biggest concerns was the context of some of those interactions Lorincz reportedly had with Owens leading up to the alleged shooting. A prosecutor said:

"It's a very big issue in this case why the victim went to the defendant's door the day of the shooting and all of these interactions are relevant to why the victim went to the defendant's door on the day of the shooting and to just take out the prompts of why the victim may have responded a certain way in the past, then we're left with just the defendant's perception of these threats – ‘the victim’s gonna kill me in these streets' – but no explanation of the entire context, so it paints a misrepresentation…"

"The victim's gonna kill me in these streets" is one of the utterances Lorincz reportedly made about Owens. The documents that the state and defense were combing through on Friday morning alluded to other previous interactions that include Lorincz reportedly calling Owens' children by racial, intellectual and homophobic slurs. 

Some of these statements were included in Lorincz's arrest affidavit, obtained by FOX 35 shortly after she was taken into custody. Here's what the affidavit said:

"Detective Pinder and I discussed with Lorincz the allegations of making racial slurs towards children in the neighborhood and Lorincz admitted to having used the n-word toward children out of anger in the past and also to calling children other derogatory terms." 

The defense maintained that what's relevant to the case is what happened on the day of the incident and Lorincz's alleged use of racial slurs isn't. According to an arrest affidavit, Lorincz allegedly swung an umbrella at one of Owens' children and threw one of their tablets on the ground. 

"Saying that she may have called Ms. Owens' kids the n-word or racial slurs some time in the past is not relevant to any element of the offense for manslaughter by use of a firearm for what she did to AJ Owens on that night," the defense said, referencing case law that requires the state to prove racial slurs were part of some element of the offense. "Obviously, this is clearly prejudicial. It's turning the case into a race issue and so any probative value that she might have called this woman's kids the n-word in the past is clearly outweighed by its prejudicial effect."

The state, however, said if the facts are presented without context, it'll mislead the jury. 

The judge previously ruled that incidents that happened several months before the shooting might not be relevant, but big picture, the buildup of why Owens walked up to Lorincz's door on the day of the shooting is relevant. 

"The buildup to this day is relevant," he said, adding later on that "her mindset at the time of the shooting is gonna be relevant. 

Both sides went through and agreed on which statements to redact and which could remain. At some points throughout the hearing, Lorincz was seen shaking her head or smiling while the state or defense go back and forth about what to redact. 

Motion 3: Can bodycam video be redacted?

Another issue at hand was a moment in bodycam video from deputies with the Marion County Sheriff's Office from the night of the shooting. The video, which was played in court, showed the aftermath of the shooting, with several people on the scene screaming for help. 

Early on in the video, someone is heard saying, "She did it on purpose."

The judge granted the defense's motion to have this utterance redacted from the video. 

"I think the rest of it is relevant," the judge added. "It's the aftermath of a homicide."

New video shows interrogation of Susan Lorincz after allegedly shooting, killing neighbor  

Motion 4: Can 911 call be redacted?

A fourth motion was filed by the defense with regard to a 911 call they deem to be irrelevant to the case. 

In one part of the 911 call, Lorincz says the following: 

"Yes ma'am, she's come after me several times because of her children. Her children keep trespassing over here, they're bothering and bothering me. They won't f****** stop."

The judge said this was relevant to the case, as it "explains exactly why she shot when she shot."

State drops misdemeanor assault charge

Lorincz's was originally charged for both manslaughter with a firearm and misdemeanor assault, but the assault charge has since been dropped. The judge said that since she's already served more than the typical 60-day sentence for that, it's a "moot point."

When is Susan Lorincz's trial?

Jury selection is slated for Monday, Aug. 11. 

Lorincz's trial is set to begin Tuesday, Aug. 12. 

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