Florida Woman Who Fatally Shot Black Neighbor Gets 25 Years in Prison

A white woman in Florida who fatally shot a Black neighbor who confronted her amid a longstanding dispute over the neighbor’s children was sentenced on Monday to 25 years in prison.

In a case that prompted national outrage and reignited debate around “stand your ground” laws, Susan Lorincz, 60, shot Ajike (A.J.) Owens as Ms. Owens, 35, stood outside the door of Ms. Lorincz’s home in Ocala, a city about 80 miles northwest of Orlando, last June.

Ms. Lorincz, who was convicted of manslaughter by an all-white jury in August, had faced a maximum sentence of 30 years.

At the sentencing hearing on Monday, in Ocala, Fla., the victim’s mother, Pamela Dias, spoke of her four grandchildren. “Susan took away their vibrant, young mother,” she said, reading from an impact statement.

“Susan Lorincz shot their mother through a locked metal door.”

Ms. Lorincz, who had not testified during her trial, stood after several witnesses spoke in her defense. Wearing a yellow jail jumpsuit, she spoke at length of her health issues, including a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder linked to childhood sex abuse.

Then she apologized to Ms. Owens’s family.

“I am so sorry I took A.J.’s life. I never intended to kill her,” she said. “I could not understand why she was so angry.”