Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Netflix, True crime, Florida, US News
Ellie Kemp
Netflix's latest true crime documentary touches on a controversial law that's thought to kill 30 people a month.
The Perfect Neighbor released on Friday (October 17) and explores the killing of Floridian mom Ajike 'AJ' Owens at the hands of her neighbor, Susan Lorincz.
It's already stormed the Netflix movie charts and has been praised for telling the harrowing story via bodycam footage, 911 calls and police interviews.
In June 2023, mother-of-four Owens was shot once in the chest by Lorincz, who opened fire from behind her locked front door.
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One of Owens' young sons was stood beside her when it happened. She was pronounced dead in hospital later that evening.
The neighbors’ feud had simmered for nearly two years, with Lorincz often complaining about Owens' children playing outside and hurling racial slurs at them.
The documentary traces how prejudice and gun culture collide with Florida’s controversial 'Stand Your Ground' self defense law.
One aspect that enraged viewers was that it took four days for Lorincz to be arrested following the shooting.
She was charged with manslaughter, then eventually convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison last November.
But the delay in her arrest was partly down to the Stand Your Ground Law.
Florida introduced the Stand Your Ground law in 2005, changing how self-defence works in the state. Over half of US states have adopted some form of the law.
At its core, the law removes the duty to retreat - meaning if you’re somewhere you have a legal right to be and you genuinely believe you’re in immediate danger of being killed or seriously hurt, you can use force, even deadly force, to protect yourself.
Before this, US self-defence laws generally expected people to try to walk away or escape first, if possible. Stand Your Ground changed that by saying you don’t have to back down.
The law also extends these protections beyond your home, sometimes called the 'castle doctrine', to any location where you’re lawfully present.
Additionally, Florida’s statutes say that if someone forcibly breaks into your home or car, the law presumes you have reason to fear for your safety and gives you the right to defend yourself, even with deadly force.
A 2017 study found more than 30 people a month were killed as a result of Stand Your Ground laws, as well as an uptick in reported firearm-related injuries.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods previously said the law was a factor in Lorincz not being immediately arrested - it had to be proven that she was not acting in self defense when shooting Owens. That wasn't difficult for Owens' legal team to prove.
While Lorincz claimed to be acting in self defense, evidence and witness testimony found otherwise.
"Personally, I think it’s a great law designed to help Floridians to defend themselves and keep themselves safe," Sheriff Woods said, as per the Atlanta Black Star.
"However, it does not apply in all situations. And this situation [Lorincz's] is a prime example of when it was not justified. It was simply a killing."
The Perfect Neighbor is streaming now on Netflix.