Five reasons The Perfect Neighbor’s Susan Lorincz thought she should get a lower sentence

Netflix’s new documentary The Perfect Neighbor has captivated the world, a sad story about a mother who was killed by her neighbour. Susan Lorincz is now in jail, but she pleaded for a lower sentence under five conditions.

The Perfect Neighbor follows the story from start to finish, when a seemingly minor dispute over kids trespassing on Susan’s property in the small neighbourhood of Ocala, Florida, escalates into her shooting Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens in 2023. She claimed she thought AJ was “going to kill her”.

Lorincz was found guilty of manslaughter on 16th August 2024 and sentencing was scheduled for three months later. Three weeks before sentencing, the 58-year-olds defence team filed a motion asking the court to reduce the sentence.

She was facing a minimum of 11.5 years in prison (and a maximum of 30 years), but the lawyers asked for a punishment that is below state sentencing guidelines in Florida (under 11.5 years).

Credit: Netflix

As reported by the Ocala StarBanner, they listed five reasons why they thought Lorincz should get a lower sentence:

1. Lorincz “requires specialized treatment for a mental disorder that is unrelated to substance abuse or addiction, or for a physical disability”.
2. Lorincz is “amenable (easily persuaded) to treatment”.
3. “The victim was an initiator, willing participant, aggressor, or provoker of the incident.”
4. Lorincz “acted under extreme duress (against her will) or under the domination of another person”.
5. “The capacity of the defendant to appreciate the criminal nature of the conduct or to conform that conduct to the requirements of the law was substantially impaired.”

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Despite this, Susan was sentenced to 25 years behind bars on 25th November, 2024. The sentencing judge spoke about the “indiscriminate nature” of her actions and the trauma she inflicted on Owens children, who tragically witnessed the aftermath of their mother’s death. 

The 58-year-old is now serving her sentence at the Homestead Correctional Institution in Homestead, Florida.

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Featured image by: Netflix