The Perfect Neighbor is the newest documentary capturing Netflix viewers' attention. The hour and a half film details the death of Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens, who was shot and killed by her neighbor Susan Lorincz. The Perfect Neighbor uses police body camera footage and security camera footage to tell the story of how the murder came to happen, with several intense incidents between AJ and Lorincz. The documentary reignited outrage around the ever controversial "Stand Your Ground" law in Florida.
So, who really is Susan Lorincz and where is she now? Susan was neighbors with AJ, 35, in Ocala, Florida. AJ was raising her four children in the tight-knit community, next to Susan who moved into a rental house at 58. Per the documentary, Susan called 911 about a half a dozen times complaining about AJ's kids, saying that they were too loud and entering her property.
Whenever the police showed up at the premises, they often sided with AJ's children and the other neighborhood kids. "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." But, while Susan hid behind the notion that she just wanted "peace and quiet" in the neighborhood, there was something much bigger underneath her many calls to the police.
Other neighbors told deputies that Susan routinely yelled at the children and even called them slaves. Susan admitted to detectives that she even used the n-word toward the children, according to CNN.
© NetflixWhere is Susan Lorincz now?
© Courtesy of NetflixAfter months of heightened interactions between AJ and Susan, on June 2, 2023, the then 58-year-old shot and killed the 38-year-old mom-of-four. The shooting occurred after AJ's kids were playing in a nearby field. Her 10-year-old son Izzy left a tablet in the field, only for Susan to find it. And instead of returning it, Susan threw the tablet to the ground and then threw roller skates at him.
© NetflixThe interaction got more heated, resulting in Susan calling the police, saying: "Just screaming, yelling, just being absolutely obnoxious." She continued: "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." Susan pulled out her handgun and fired a single shot through her door. AJ was shot on the right side of her chest and died later that night.
© NetflixSusan was arrested four days after the shooting and charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault. Her trial began on August 13, 2024 in Marion County, Florida and lasted for only a week. Susan was found guilty of manslaughter with a firearm. In November 2024, she was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Susan is now serving her sentence at the Homestead Correctional Institution in South Florida.
