ORLANDO, Fla. — A lawyer said that with the facts, he would’ve brought the case to a grand jury and had them decide between aggravated battery with a firearm or murder.
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A state attorney said Monday that he could not charge Susan Lorincz with the murder of a Marion County woman who was shot and killed earlier this month.
But, Ajike “AJ” Owens’ family had hoped for a murder charge.
‘I don’t feel like AJ has been given equal protection under the law,’ family representative Takema Robinson said.
Read: Ocala vigil pays tribute to, seeks justice for AJ Owens
Representatives for Ajike Owens family and the community that knew her were disappointed by the state attorney’s decision not to pursue a murder charge.
‘We feel that the facts presented in the case -- particularly Ms. Lorincz’s own statements speak to a depraved mind and she hatred towards AJ and her children,” Robinson said.
State Attorney William Gladson said he considered charging Lorincz with second-degree murder but that the state could not prove without a reasonable doubt that Lorincz had evil intent towards Owens.
Even Self, a trial criminal and defense attorney with no connection to the case, said the Lorincz’s charges could’ve been different.
‘I find it disingenuous when the state attorney in Marion County says they don’t think they can go forward or get a criminal conviction on second-degree murder when all that requires some depravity-- some reckless regard for human life,” Self said.
He also mentioned he’s seen second-degree murder charges brought on lesser facts throughout Central Florida.
“The fact that she researched the law,” Robinson said.”The facts are clear; the facts are in her own words-- the correct charge is murder.”
Owens’ family attorney Ben Crump said he wants justice in this case.
" All of America is watching Ocala right now, especially in the Black community,” he said. “What we want to see is equal justice.”
Crump said that Ajuke Owen’s children are in a protected area, and the case has created an unsafe environment for them.
Read: Why isn’t accused Marion County shooter Susan Lorincz facing murder charges?
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