The Perfect Neighbor On Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
Netflix’s gripping new documentary The Perfect Neighbor takes viewers inside the tragic June 2023 shooting of Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old Black mother of four, who was shot and killed by her hostile White neighbor, Susan Lorincz. The case sparked outrage and reignited debates around Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law.
The Perfect Neighbor is told almost entirely through police body camera footage, which captures the events leading up to and the day of Owens’s death. She was raising her four children in a tight-knit community in Ocala, Florida, where they and the other neighborhood kids would frequently play together outside.
In the documentary, Owens is described as someone who sacrificed everything so her children could attend private school and participate in extracurricular activities. “She was the football mom and a cheer team mom too,” Owens’s mother, Pamela Dias, told People about her late daughter’s dedication toward her children. “How she did it, I don’t know, but she was very hands-on.”
After Susan Lorincz moved into a rental house in the neighborhood, she called 911 about a half a dozen times to complain about the kids, claiming that they were too loud and trespassing on her property. When authorities came to check out Lorincz’s claims, they usually sided with the children and their families, as they were acting how typical kids would, per USA Today.
“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.”
However, the motivation behind Lorincz’s hatred toward the neighborhood kids ran much deeper — and far more disturbing. Neighbors later told deputies that she often yelled at the children, hurling insults and even calling them slaves. According to CNN, Lorincz later admitted to detectives that she had used the n-word toward the children out of anger and called them other derogatory names in the past.
What Did Susan Lorincz Do?
The Perfect Neighbor On Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
On June 2, 2023, Lorincz became angry at Owens’s children, who were playing in a field near her home. According to an affidavit obtained by CNN, 10-year-old Izzy had left an electronic tablet in the field, which Lorincz picked up. When Izzy asked her to return it, she threw the device to the ground. Then, she threw roller skates at him, hitting him in the toe, he told the deputy. She also allegedly swung an umbrella at him.
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,” per the affidavit.
Meanwhile, inside her home, Lorincz dialed 911 and complained about the kids. “Just screaming, yelling, just being absolutely obnoxious,” she said about the children, according to the 911 tape obtained by People. “I went and threw the roller skate over to the other side, the kid says he’s going to beat me up for that, and he’s mouthing off to me. I feel threatened in my own home.”
When she was asked if the 10-year-old boy was still out there, Lorincz answered, “There are several kids out there right now,” she said. “I’m fearing for my life. I’m very scared.”
The children then went to get their mother and inform her of what had happened. Owens went to Lorincz’s home and knocked on the door multiple times, demanding that she come outside, according to The New York Times.
Only two minutes after her first call, Lorincz dialed 911 again and claimed that Ajike was shouting threats to kill her. She retrieved her .380-caliber handgun and fired a single shot through the door.
The bullet struck Owens in the right side of her chest. One of Owens’ children called 911, and she was rushed to the hospital. She passed away later that night.
Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law allows residents to use “deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that using or threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself.” However, Billy Wood, Sherrif of Marion County, Fl said in a statement the law “does not apply in all situations” and “was not justified” in this case, adding, “It was simply a killing.”
Four days after the fatal shooting, Lorincz was arrested and charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault. Despite pleas from Owens’s family, she was not charged with second-degree murder due to “insufficient evidence.”
What Happened At Susan Lorincz’s Trial?
Susan Lorincz The Perfect Neighbor
Courtesy of Netflix
Susan Lorincz’s trial began on Aug. 13, 2024, in Marion County, Fla. In opening statements, prosecutors told jurors that Lorincz’s door was locked and Owens was not armed. Meanwhile, the defense argued that Lorincz was fearful that Owens would harm her, The Associated Press reported at the time.
After a week-long trial and two hours of deliberation, jurors found Lorincz guilty of manslaughter with a firearm, according to the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. The charge carried a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
“This case is undoubtedly a tragic reminder of the devastating consequences of gun violence. The defendant’s choices have left four young children without their mother, a loss that will be felt for the rest of their lives,” said Bill Gladson, the state attorney for Florida’s fifth judicial district, whose assistant attorneys prosecuted the case. “While today’s verdict can’t bring AJ back, we hope it brings some measure of justice and peace to her family and friends.”
In a separate statement, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented Owens’s family in the case, said Lorincz’s conviction was “a critical step in securing justice.”
“We are profoundly grateful that the jury has delivered a guilty verdict in this heartbreaking case. AJ Owens was a devoted mother whose life was tragically cut short, leaving her children, including a young son who witnessed this horrific act, to carry the burden of her loss,” Crump’s statement said.
He continued, “While nothing can erase the pain they’ve endured, today’s decision sends a clear message that senseless violence will be met with accountability. We will continue to stand by AJ’s family as they heal and fight for a future where no family has to experience such devastating loss.”
What Was Susan Lorincz Sentenced To?
The Perfect Neighbor. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
In November 2024, Lorincz was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing Owens. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Robert Hodges called the crime “completely unnecessary,” according to ABC News. “In this case, Ms. Lorincz was behind the door. The door was locked. She had already called law enforcement. They were en route. She knew they were en route.”
Hodges continued, “She could have stayed in the room and put another locked door between her and Ms. Owens, but she came back out, put herself in front of the door, and at the time she fired the gun through the door, she was safe.”
Meanwhile, Owens’ mother told reporters that the family was “pleased” with the sentence.
“As I stated, and as the judge stated, this shooting — this killing, this death of a mother, a daughter, a friend — should have never happened, but we got justice today and now we truly can forge ahead on the journey of true healing,” Dias said.
During her sentencing hearing, Lorincz apologized for killing the mother of four.
“I’m so sorry that I took AJ’s life. I never intended to kill her,” Lorincz said in a statement, per ABC News. “I am just profoundly sad. Not only did a mother die, but a daughter, a sister,” Lorincz said. “I think of your family’s loss and know how hard it is to lose someone you love.”
When asked about Lorincz’s apology, Dias responded, “Susan’s apology was a last-ditch attempt to save herself. It wasn’t sincere. She never showed remorse. As I stated before, her remorse that she showed, if any, at best, was for herself.”
Where Is Susan Lorincz Now?
Susan Lorincz The Perfect Neighbor
Courtesy of Netflix
Susan Lorincz is currently serving her 25-year sentence at Homestead Correctional Institution in South Florida. The Florida Department of Corrections’ website lists her release date as April 8, 2048.
In September 2025, Lorincz gave an interview with Robert Bradfield on local ABC affiliate WCJB to discuss her conviction. In the interview, she alleged that Owens’ children threatened to kill her and said, “If I can’t kill you, I’m going to find someone to kill you.”
In response to Lorincz’s interview, Florida’s state attorney’s office released a statement defending the children.
“We didn’t call the children as witnesses at trial or introduce any of the children’s deposition testimony as evidence at trial,” the statement said. ”The focus should be on the children who lost their mother and the victim, not the defendant’s claims regarding the outcome of the trial.”
When Lorincz was asked if she was capable of manslaughter, she responded, “No. It just makes me sick. I just never, ever thought in a million years this would happen, and it just, it breaks my heart. I can’t take it back. I can’t replace her.”
The Perfect Neighbor is streaming on Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.
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