White neighbor convicted of manslaughter in fatal shooting of Black mother is sentenced to 25 years

(CNN) – Susan Lorincz, the White woman who fatally shot Black neighbor Ajike “AJ” Owens through the door of her central Florida apartment during a dispute over children playing near her home, was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison.Owens’ family and prosecutors asked Lorincz receive the maximum penalty of 30 years.Related Stories Judge Robert Hodges, who called the crime a “very aggravated manslaughter,” said Lorincz’s lack of a criminal record played a part in him not giving the maximum sentence. Still, he said, Lorincz was in no imminent danger.In August, a jury found Lorincz guilty of manslaughter for shooting through the front door of her apartment on June 2, 2023, and killing Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four, who had been knocking on Lorincz’s door.The trial tested the state’s Stand Your Ground law, which allows people to use deadly force in self-defense in certain situations. Lorincz told detectives she was in fear for her life during the incident.Lorincz, 60, didn’t testify at her trial, but she spoke during the penalty phase, saying she wished she could go back and change things.“I am so sorry I took AJ’s life. I never intended to kill her,” Lorincz said Monday, adding she...