Netflix's The Perfect Neighbor creator thinks this is why Susan Lorincz killed Ajike Owens
Susan Lorincz killed Ajike Owens by shooting her after the former complained numerous times to police over a two-year period about local children playing near her property
The creator of Netflix's The Perfect Neighbor has revealed why she believes Susan Lorincz killed Ajike Owens.
Susan Lorincz fatally shot her neighbor in 2023, after the former had complained to the police for years about the local children playing near her house in Florida.
On the night of Ajike's death, Susan had taken the 35-year-old's son's tablet. Ajike then went over to Susan's house to get it back, but was shot through the now-60-year-old's front door. Ajike was transported to the hospital but could not be saved. She leaves behind four children, with a number of them seeing the incident unfold.
There have been numerous theories as to why Susan killed Ajike, with the killer claiming it was due to fear. However, the documentary's creator has different thoughts.
In an interview with Film Comment, Geeta Gandbhir said that she believes Susan "took matters into her own hands" and shot Ajike because, in her eyes, the police weren't doing enough.
Susan called the Ocala Police Department many times in the months before the killing of Ajike to complain about her kids leaving items near her property. However, the police said the dispute was minor and said there was nothing they could do as it wasn't Susan's land.
"My opinion is that the police had dismissed Susan as a nuisance, and so she took matters into her own hands. I think she thought that she would walk, you know?" Geeta remarked.
Adding, "Again, these are really dangerous laws that embolden people. It’s not just in Florida; there are other states where castle doctrines exist and are part of the legal framework. It's mostly used by white people against Black and brown folks. I believe that's what happened here."
Here, Geeta referred to the stand-your-ground law, which allows people to use deadly force if they believe their life is under threat. This is the defense Susan used in her interviews with police, but it was found that she didn't act out of fear.
"The only person who ever called the police into that community was Susan," Geeta said. "This is a community that has experienced systemic racism and the bias in policing; this is a community that never called the cops. It would not be their choice.
"Ajike tried several times to do what neighbors do to resolve disputes and talk directly with Susan, and she was greeted with hostility every time."
Susan was convicted of manslaughter for the killing of Ajike Owens, with a judge sentencing her to 25 years in prison. saying her motive was anger, not fear.