Jury selected and sworn in; trial begins Tuesday

MARION COUNTY, Florida. – Jury selection began Monday in the trial of Susan Lorincz, who is accused of shooting and killing an Ocala mother named Ajike “AJ” Owens.

Lorincz is charged with manslaughter with a firearm, a first-degree felony, meaning prosecutors believe Lorincz is responsible for Owens' death regardless of whether she intended to kill her.

The state, the defense, and the judge tried to figure out who would be qualified to take on the case. They tried to eliminate any bias by starting with a large group and then narrowing it down.

Also in court on Monday was Owens' mother, Pamela Dias.

“I want to seek and fight for justice for my daughter,” she said.

She said she is now taking care of her daughter's four children.

“As you all know, today is the very first day of school for the children. It was a very emotional day,” Dias added.

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Monday was devoted to the search for the six jurors and two alternates who will decide whether Lorincz is guilty of manslaughter.

The judge told jurors that Owens went to confront Lorincz about her treatment of Owens' children. Lorincz is accused of firing a shot through her door that struck and killed Owens.

“I tell you, this case has attracted some attention in the past before trial,” Judge Robert Hodges warned. “Put aside everything you have heard so that you can try this case fairly and without any kind of undue influence.”

The reasoning is that a person's opinion about the defendant's guilt could be influenced if he or she knows things in the case in advance.

For example, there were reports of racist comments and racist insults that Lorincz allegedly made towards Owens' children. The judge excluded some of these comments from the trial.

The judge also asked each person whether they had a preconceived opinion about the case based on what they had already heard about it.

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“You don’t shoot your gun if you can’t see what you’re shooting at,” one potential juror responded.

“It seemed unnecessary,” said another juror. “A mother is killed for something that could have been avoided. My first thought was, 'Why don't they call the police?'”

The lawyers and the judge had to carefully comb through the cases to find people they thought could be objective.

This group will decide whether Lorincz, who just turned 59, will be sent to prison – possibly until she is 90 years old.

The day ended with jury selection and alternates. The judge said opening arguments would begin Tuesday.