The Perfect Neighbor: Cherished From Birth

Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens was a 35-year-old Black mother of four from Ocala, Florida. The name Ajike, of Yoruba origin, means “one who is pampered from birth”—a reminder of how deeply she was meant to be loved and protected. Yet her death at the hands of her neighbor in 2023 revealed how fragile that protection can be when prejudice replaces empathy. The film The Perfect Neighbor echoes that same unease: how people who live only feet apart can still exist in entirely different worlds of fear, misunderstanding, and hidden hostility.

Being born and raised in Ocala, Florida, it is hard to come home. Old stomping grounds once filled with laughter are now bookmarks of trauma. The Paddock Mall shooting. The Forest High School shooting. The story of Ajike Owens. Each tragedy carved into the heart of our town—and into mine. Ocala will never be the same.

The Perfect Neighbor, directed by Geeta Gandbhir, shows the familiar streets of Marion County where a tragedy took place—a tragedy that could have been avoided. An empty lot filled with playing, laughing children is something that would fill a passerby’s heart with joy—in theory. However, an empty lot filled with playing, laughing children filled Susan Lorincz’s heart with something more sinister.

From early 2021 to June 2023, Lorincz had repeated, escalating conflicts with children in the neighborhood (including AJ’s children) in the Quail Run area of Ocala, Florida. She called 911 multiple times, complaining of trespassing, skateboards, noise, and alleged property issues. During this period, allegations include Lorincz verbally harassing the children (including using racial slurs) and aggressively confronting them for playing in a shared open space. The tension between Lorincz and the children and their families built over time, with repeated police responses capturing that build-up.

On the evening of June 2, 2023, AJ walked over to Lorincz’s house after a dispute involving one of her children and Lorincz, during which Lorincz threw a roller skate at a child. According to reports, AJ knocked on Lorincz’s locked front door. At that moment, Lorincz shot her through the door, and she died from the gunshot wound.

The Marion County Police Department is at fault, and they failed AJ, her children, and that neighborhood. Lorincz could have been held liable for misuse of emergency services or harassment, which might have prevented the tragic end of this story. However, the police department wanted to play “devil’s advocate” and even stated to children, “I want to make you guys look like the good guys.” How do you make children look like the good guys… they are children! This line, spoken by a male police officer, underscores the central theme of the documentary: the manipulation of perception. Lorincz repeatedly portrayed herself as a victim in her interactions with law enforcement, claiming that children were trespassing and threatening her. These claims often went uncorroborated, essentially because she was the only one in the neighborhood making these persistent complaints—even after the owner of the lot gave his permission for the children to play.

The Marion County Police Department failed when Lorincz wasn’t immediately arrested, stating that they needed to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. As if the roles were reversed, AJ would have been in custody during this “investigation.” On the day of the shooting, Lorincz was taken into custody, then released and allowed to go to her residence—where she killed a woman. The disregard for community safety and feelings was deafening, and the way the police department coddled this woman was disgusting. Lorincz was repeatedly treated with grace and dignity—from the time she rammed into a gate to when she took another’s life. The disparity of treatment in Marion County concerning fair-skinned residents versus darker-skinned residents is apparent. The same grace and dignity she was granted would have been nonexistent if the perpetrator looked like me.

Lorincz was manipulative and calculating, yet foolish. In my opinion, if she hadn’t left evidence in her cell showing research of the Stand Your Ground law, she likely would have been let off with a slap on the wrist. I’m not an expert, but…

"Stand Your Ground laws have been linked to an 8% to 11% increase in homicide rates, or roughly 700 additional deaths each year. Research has found huge racial disparities, with White Americans much more likely to find success—particularly when they kill Black people."

Lorincz was arrested on June 7, 2023, and charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery, and two counts of assault. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the killing of AJ. I did believe that 25 years was too short a time for this caliber of a crime. However, after seeing the deteriorating, decrepit, withering old hag of a woman that appeared in court, I believe she received her just due.

Lorincz showed no remorse or contrition for her actions, which was further proven when asked to write a letter to AJ’s children. She took a mother from this world who can never be replaced. There are certain things that a child should not have to say. To hear Isaac answer the question of whether he was hurt with, “No, but my heart is broken,” is something that weighs heavily on the soul.

The name Ajike is used to describe a cherished and adored person, loved and pampered from the very moment they wake. The light and laughter the children brought into the neighborhood were unforgettable and undeniable. I hope that Isaac, Israel, Afrika, and Titus continue to carry that same joy with them, always remembering the one they cherish so deeply.