20/20 - The Neighbor from Hell

Episode Date: April 4, 2026

A woman shoots her neighbor, killing the mother and sparking national outrage. Exclusive "20/20” interviews and body camera video document the bitter feud and its aftermath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9-1-1, where is the emergency? It's the middle of the night in a small town on the Jersey shore. Someone reports an abandoned car on a bridge. A search gets underway for the missing driver, 19-year-old Sarah Stern. Is it a missing person? Is it a suicide? At this point, nobody knows. Old friendships, buried cash, and a sinister plot that was once pitched as a movie, plays out in real life. I'm Jiu Chang.

from 2020 and ABC Audio. Listen now to Bridge of Lies, wherever you get your podcasts. It's like, I've never felt with people like this in my life. About an hour later. You know what to do? I grab my gun and I shot at the door.

Did you know her? Yeah. She's coming after me several times because of her children. Her children keep trespassing over here. They're bothering me and bothering that I won't stop. I'm going to have died.

Okay, just stay on the phone with me. Six, seventy-five. Right here, right. That's right-year, right. There's only one variant primary. Hold on. Oh, my God. They're up.

Everybody back in the street, in the street. Everybody off the property onto the roadway. There is still someone with a gun. She's inside. Where? That apartment. You're in front. Here's up.

It's going out of your hands up! This neighborhood is called Whale Run. It's very small. It's just these two streets. Very family friendly, lots of kids. It's somebody's puppy. Go. Don't follow us. That's a new puppy.

So after school, you know, homework. Kids change out of their clothes. They come out here, they play. Go in for dinner, come back out and play until it's time for bed. Almost every day, we get a knock on our door. Say, can you play? Can you play? You can you play? this. We would take walks, run around, and we used to play football. We did a lot of stuff, normal kid things.

You see the children outside playing, enjoying themselves, just being carefree. We were a close-knit neighborhood. Moms knew each other because all the kids were at the bus stop together at six, you know, something in the morning. So we all knew who's child belonged to. to who. All the children would come over to my house because my house was directly across from the field. So, you know, we were, there's a family neighborhood. The vibe in this close little community shifts after Susan Lawrence, a new neighbor moves in. Susan Lawrence was involved in her church. She sang in the choir. She worked from home. She had two cats. She was somebody who probably just wanted to be left alone. Hey, this is my apartment here. When they're all here in the front, it's really, we can hear it's loud, it's noisy, kids around.

They're kids. Yeah. She just did not enjoy having kids around. Noise, proximity, just them being in her space. There's a trespassing sign. I've told them. I'm not. I'm working.

Kids don't care. She always wanted to argue with the kids, but she never wanted to talk to none of us adults. None of us. But it was like an ongoing situation. It seemed like she. Susan's main beef was with the children of the woman across the street, Ajika Owens. By all accounts to the neighbors, she was the ideal mom. She had four children, for a beautiful, highly intelligent, very well-loved children.

Ashika was very strong-willed. She had a mind of her own always, but in a good way. And I think that kind of transcended down to her children as well. She was a manager for McDonald's for many years, and she was also being groomed to be a GM. And at what point were you aware that she had a neighbor whom she found difficult? So she would tell me that there was a neighbor

that was just basically harassing the children. My daughter told me that Susan had called the police. What's your class for? I told because the lady across the street on the phone hit me with a sign. her children were walking to a dog on the property at Louie says no trespassing

and then she just got in my face and shook the sign and through that and hit me in there. There was a run in between the two. Susan claims that AJ went over to Susan's house picked up a no trespassing sign and threw it at Susan.

Do you know of her? No. I know her children because they're always over here always screaming, yelling, playing games, students. I got us to the kids I work from home. You know, I sell insurance. I'm very quiet.

I don't bother anymore, so I don't understand the attitude. There was an initial confrontation dating back to February of 2022. And she shouldn't have removed the signing, or it's the landlord's signs. One thing about Azika is she doesn't play about her kids. So I knew that she would nip it in the bud every time. I see that's a smirk on your face. You say, you already know? Does she call the police?

Yeah. My daughter, she was actually keeping the peace because she was never the initiator. She did nothing wrong. She can't tell them. Technically, they're not in your personal, personal space that they can't walk the dog or even throw their football over.

This was a case that boiled into something that I don't think anybody thought it would. Susan was like, do you fucking see this sign? This is a no trespassing sign. Don't come over here. Get your ass off my property. I kept saying step back. This show is sponsored by Bombas.

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ABCsecret Savings.com slash 2020. Hello. Neighbor disputes in Marion County are pretty common. And frequently, it is a situation where we're responding to that same location over and over again. I said, your kids are trespassing, and then she got real old, and I said, you need to take the step back. This field here is between where Susan used to live, and just across the way is where AJ used to live. Before Susan did move here, our kids were already playing in this field. There was never a problem from anybody that's ever lived out here.

Susan believed that a portion of the field belonged to her, and she had the right to peace and quiet. I moved in first. AJ moved in maybe about a month after me, and then two, three months later, Susan moved in. First of all, before she moved there, this big open space right here, all the kids, they like to play kickball, football,

in a space she moved in. I don't want y'all pulling over to me to do this party property. So they don't plead. Light out, let's go! The kids would play over there, and her apartment is over here, and she would literally antagonize these kids. For no reason, she would come outside, move her truck from the other side,

all the way to this part right here by the tree, and just lay on her horn for like 10 minutes at a time, just to aggravate the kids. You had one neighbor who didn't really like all the noise and all the fun. Yes, no. What kinds of complaints did she make? she would come out sticking up the middle finger

I'd take the dog the other day she tells the kid tells my son I'm going to have your rest seat and you're going to jail he's eight so he's terrified one time I was walking my dog and he would always get loose somehow off the leash

he ran across the yard I ran after him she saw me and she like she had this like party horn and she honked it I got so scared Were you in her yard? No, ma'am.

We play in the field, and we made sure we didn't go in her yard. And so I go over there. This is my private property. They can't have a dog on here. I told her, first of all, it's not on your property. You don't know it. I will say that that lady is always messing with people's kids. She's always...

She's always trying to record the kids and always talking crap. But I didn't see anything, so I can't see him. Okay. It was like every other day she was coming out bothering the kids, calling the cops. It was every other day. The picture was painted that Susan was a problem in the neighborhood revolving around how she treated her neighbors,

specifically children who played in the area. I'm like, your children are trespassing. No, if someone's about it, you're trespassing. There's a trespassing sign. I've told them, I just don't come here. I'm working. Hi, hi. Kids don't care.

She went and bought a little private property sign and she's stuck in the yard. So she has a sign, and she's basically like ramming the sign in my face. So then when she went to pick it back up, I kicked the sign up, and I threw the sign. I literally picked the sign up, and as I walked up, I threw the sign. I said, and I can go and buy a sign, too. It still doesn't mean anything. At that point, I guess she's already on the phone, and she, I'm being attacked.

Someone's attacking me. I'm literally in the street now. Okay. Where is this happening? Right over here behind the mailbox. Okay. The deputies are forced to be in the middle of this neighborhood dispute over whether or not children should be allowed to play in their neighborhood. They're caught between Adjica Owens and Susan Lorenz.

How's it going? See it. It's another day. All right, well, just call me. Hey, ma'am. Yeah. Did you see anything? Yeah, she didn't touch that lady.

She just took the thing out the ground and that was it. What thing? The thing. The thing. The television. Susan was like, do you see this sign? This is a no trespassing sign. Don't come over here.

Get your ass off my, get your ass off my property. And all she did was a couple of ladies just stop yelling at her kids out. Baby yells at everybody's kids out here. Okay. Well, I mean, I wouldn't go over there anymore. Okay, so since she has a no trespass, so I'm for what do that means? I can't go over there. That's fine.

I mean, if it's herries, it's hers. But I mean... Did your daughter, AJ, ever talk about what Susan was calling the police about? She was complaining about the children just playing that in the field. Hello. Hi, is this Miss Susan? Yeah. Okay, do you want to come outside and talk to me?

Sure. Okay. When I responded to Ms. Susan's house on that day, her initial complaint was just that she was working on a paper, and she had a headache. The neighborhood kids were playing in the lot next to her apartment, and they were being loud. And I don't want the kids running back and forth here screaming and yelling when I'm trying to concentrate. We typically don't get calls about children playing.

Well, if those people aren't complaining, I can't kick them off that property. Before I even made contact with her, I was already frustrated. There wasn't a reason for us to be out there for something that seemed so silly at the time. Well, like I said, unless they're on your property, then it's not really an issue. Yeah, but those kids, you know, they shouldn't be screaming and, you know, running around either. I'd rather kids be screaming because they're out here playing and have a good time than stealing cars and robbing people. So if they're out here having a good time, they're having a good time. Miss Susan was very frustrated with me.

She was not happy with my answer. Why can't they play on? I don't know. I'm not them. I'm not their parent. Like I said, it's a big open lot. It's probably just nicer for them to use. I don't know what all you can actually hear on my body can't. I don't know how muffled it was. As I was walking away, she used some very choice words to call me. All right. Well, you have a good night. And so I looked at my partner and simultaneously was trying to turn my camera off. What a fuck. I just didn't get my camera off. And, I just didn't get my camera off. Time. After being called to that neighborhood time and time again, deputies probably were like,

here we go again. And the fact that there were no arrests irked Susan. I'm not going to what's him. Susan went out and bought two guns. One day we were playing in the yard and she had to show, it looked like a rifle out the window. Incredibly, Susan's anger toward these kids soon becomes downright hateful. She called us an N-worm. You already hurt you, Your Honor. You're okay?

Of course. She's a little blinking red light. I already did hurt myself. Body cams are great for us because they show, matter-of-fact, what happened. There is no, well, I may have perceived it this way or that way. No, you see for certain exactly how it happened. Number three, I think one or two, I'm that side. This is my body cam.

You've got your camera. And then this is like your main button to start and stop it. And then up here, there's a screen. When it's on, it'll flash red. 55-4242-24. Here's office. Hi. What's going on this evening?

Lots of children screaming their full heads all over running around. They know they're not supposed to be over here. They've been told the many times. As we started to learn more about the ongoing issues in that neighborhood. We're seeing a pattern here of issues between these two neighbors, Susan Lorenz and Ajika Owens. Listen, me, knock that, his mother comes over here.

If you treat my son like that again, I'm going to rip your ass out and go beat you up. Excuse me? I don't body one thing. And I said, see that no choice passing sign? Get off my watch. And no, I'm not going to ask you. I said, yeah, I'll call on the chef's department. I'm going to talk to these kids.

Okay. I'm Deputy Heckman. I just need to know whose mom, it was a boy. You went over there. That's Ajika there in the darkness. My kids were out here playing with them. And my oldest son, he caught me on a cell phone. He's like, Mom.

She's out here, and she's in our face, and she's yelling. And I can hear her. The deputies are caught in the middle because they're the mediator between these two neighbors who have this dispute about something so minute, something so silly. Kids just being kids. That's not the use of law enforcement. There's no serious crime happening here. I'm tired of it. It is almost every single day. So like at end of the day, somebody has to be the one to try to meet you half the way. Sure. That's what I was trying to do. And I was like, I just want to know what happened with him. He is disrespectful and he is rude and I'm a

doctor and he has no reason talk to me. Like, so. Were you the guys that this lady was mad about? Yes, and I just want to say that every time, like, even if we're not... Hold on, hold on. Let's bring it down. Okay, I'm sorry. You're okay. Every time, even if we're not on our property and we're just like being loud and playing basketball over there because we're going for basketball? I got you.

Like, she just calls us names. The tensions are practically boiling over, and the kids in the neighborhood are giving police a firsthand account of Susan's verbal attacks and threats against them. What kind of names that she calling you guys? She talked about retards. The B word. The B word. The B word. Everywhere in the book.

Like, when we were, the kids were playing right there, and it was his dad outside. And then she came out yelling, She came out yelling and she was talking about a little girl getting raped and stuff. Like, she's crazy. All of them said, like, literally approached him in like an aggressive man.

He's like this big, this big, and he's not. Right. No, I did not. He walked up to me. and get the hell off my property, and he's a little disrespectful, a little bastard. So then at that point, I'm pissed off. Sure. So I'm walking up, and I said, okay, I was trying to come over here and resolve with you,

but I tell you what, the next time you walk up with my kids, you're going to have to take it up with me. Okay. Oh, now you're threatening me. I'm calling the police. Literally. I never even got face-to-face contact with her because she never opened the door. Okay. Ajika is being harassed by this woman.

Her children are being harassed. Other children are being harassed. And Susan Lawrence is the only person that calls the police. I think that says a lot about who feels like the police are supposed to protect them. I think the deputies were tired of responding to that neighborhood. Y'all have a good evening. Thank you. You're going to go back to talk soon?

You should be like, listen, their kids are going to be kids. If you don't like it, then you should probably move. So you can even see their frustration going out over and over again. with these claims of trespassing that were simply unwarranted. 9-1-1, what is your emergency? I've got some kids who are just trespassing. This little kid is trying to put a dog in my truck. You guys chasing a dog or trying to put a dog into a car or something?

No. The Karen called. The Karen calls. Ashika said all the children would call her the Karen. And she'd flick me off. She flicked them off because this is public space. The children would be in the Bible. body cam, and they would say things to law enforcement.

Like, yeah, the lady across the street, she's always calling us bad names and she's harassing us. One time I was riding the bike in her parking lot, and she called me a slave. A slave? A slave. The neighbor said that to you? She did.

She tells us . And she called us an N-word. She used to call us the N-word with the hard R. Just his name, Sam, we're going to get raped if we'd be in her yard. Right here. Ashika would tell me that there was a neighbor that was calling them all sorts of names, racial slurs. What kind of an impact did that have on your daughter? Because as a black parent, you try to shield your children from that kind of thing.

And now to have to have that conversation with them about race. Yes. So my daughter, Azika, always wanted them to know that they're not what this person is calling them. you know, to have pride in themselves. Yeah, that's why we talk. She's coming out here. She's coming out of here. I'm going to talk to her.

She, every time I'm going, I walk past, she thinks we're trying to steal her truck or buy her truck. We're not even at all. We're 11. Okay. Hello, how are you? Good. Is Susan? Yes.

Okay, what's going on? The kids are across the street. Hannah's little buddies. They're over here. They're just stepping on the side of that stuff. He brings out a puppy. He wants to put his puppy in my truck. I don't go for that.

In the bed of your truck? Yeah. Who? This little child who posed for me because he's like he was being so bored of cute. That little child. That child she's pointing to in the photo is Aja's son, Izzy. How did it affect your mom?

How upset was she about all of this? She was over the top because coming home after a long day of work just to hear your kids complain about a lady who's bothering you. Not exactly the type who would take it easily. She's saying he was trying to put the dog in the back of the truck.

Yeah. You think he could even lift that dog? That dog is bigger than the needle. The poodle is bigger than you. Okay. Literally. Like that dog is, the dog stays this thing in talk. Oh.

But this wide around. All of us live out here. Nobody else is complaining. Nobody else, she's the only one. There are several kids out there right now and I'm hearing from my life. I'm very scared. I lock my doors. You just don't fathom that it would turn into what it turned into.

Hello? What's that? I think somebody got shot. 64-3 married. I'm 97. I have one down. I have one elderly female barricaded in the house with a signal zero. Typical day.

It was a gorgeous day to be out. The kids were in their first full week out of school, just like other kids around central Florida. They had their whole summer ahead of them. It seemed like a regular normal day that kids were playing. We were all doing what we normally did. There were kids playing in the yard, as most kids do on a summer night on a Friday.

Susan Lorenz had a problem with children being what she considered was too close to her apartment. building, she says, caused her distress. It caused her to not be able to sleep. She woke up from a nap because she says she was not feeling well. She heard the kids playing. Just us being loud, playing in the yard. Probably why she was trying to like rest or something. We were kids at the time, what kids do in a big yard that they see the playing. The kids have another encounter with Susan Lawrence. One of Adjica Owens' is children had left an iPad and needed to retrieve the iPad from Susan Lorenz and could not get it from her.

One of the little kids left his iPad, and so he went over to get it, and they said that she was throwing roller skates at him. According to the kids who were there and witnessed it, Susan's verbal attacks turned physical. So I was outside playing basketball, and I just see a pair of roller skates flying at Izzy. There was an issue with roller skates, and she says that she grabbed the roller skates and through them, told them to pick up your stuff and go home. So me and Isaac went over there, and then she came out, and with the umbrella, and started swinging it, and called us a jack, A-S-S-S. And then she had just learned us. Susan said that one of Miss Owens' children came to her apartment, and they had exchanged words to which the child told Susan that I'm going to go tell my mom.

Susan told him to go get his mother. And of course, any child who's having, you know, a problem with an adult is going to inform their parents. And so that's exactly what happened. They went back to their home and they got their mother. Her son tells her this is what happened. She took my tablet. She threw a skate at me. Susan Lawrence called 911 just before 9 o'clock,

saying that there were kids being too loud and too noisy. 911, what is the address in emergency? I am a call taker and a dispatcher for the Marion County Fire Rescue. I took Susan Lorenza's first 911 call. I didn't tell me exactly what happened. They're leaving all the toys around. They're just dreaming, knowing, just being apathy, not just. When I first answered the phone, she was talking about a noise complaint for the children.

They just got bad during me and badgering them. I'm just sick of these children. Now they're home from school, it's like, you know, craziness. And then changed it to like a trespass that they were not allowed to be at that. lot to be at that location. Yeah, several kids got there right now. I'm hearing from our life. I'm very scared.

They have no business out there. There's no trespass involved. Anytime we have a disturbance call, we have to tell them to separate themselves and to keep themselves in a safe location. All right. Do you want you to avoid that person and then keep your doors and windows locked? An officer will be dispatched as soon as possible. As soon as I had the address, the phone number, and the problem, I had the call sent

over immediately. Okay, okay. All right, bye-bye. A.J. Owens walked over to Susan's house and wanted to have a discussion, a dialogue, a conversation with Susan. From everything that we gathered during our investigation, at least one of her children was in a proximity of a few feet of their mother. And while Susan was inside of her apartment alone,

she initially heard a barrage of banging on her door. And all of a sudden, I heard what I thought was her banging on the wall. And I heard it twice. And, I mean, I swear I can see my wall shake. She got two sets of knocks in. She got one, two, three. And then she got the one, two, three, which was louder. And that's when she said, come outside, bitch.

It's now 9.01 p.m. Two minutes after Susan Lawrence's 911 call. No, I heard a cup. And people screaming. I heard it. Gosh, that's how it just ran inside. All I could be screams. The gun went off and it was over.

And that's when I told all the kids, get back, get back. Because I didn't know if the lady was still gonna be shooting or what. There is still something with a gun. On the front, in front. Jump of your hands! On the night of the incident, I was responding to Quill Run and reference a trespassing call, where of children playing in a field near the home of the caller,

which was Susan Lorenz. They have no big enough. There's no chestpacked phone. We were a few minutes out. We get a updated call advising that there had been a shooting. I heard what to me sounded like a gunshot. Somebody got shot. His mom got shot. I think somebody just got shot. Six of four of the ground. Do they know who the shooter is where they're at? Susan Lawrence fired one shot through the door.

It hit AJ through the chest under the armpit. There is terror. Children have seen their mother get shot. AJ was really upset. She wants to have a conversation. Correct. And instead she gets a bullet. One of AJ's sons was with her and saw the shooting.

A.J. walked back from Susan's house and told her son to call 911 before she I cannot imagine for Izzy to be standing there next to his mom, and a gunshot, pierces the door and hits his mom. I cannot imagine what that had to be like for him. He told me that he heard her say, call the police, call 911, I've been shot. One of her sons is then running frantically to a neighbor's home. trying to get help for his mother. So I was cooking dinner for my kids. All the kids were playing outside in the field.

And I got this big bang on my door while I was serving their plates, and it was loud. My kids looked out the window and they was like, Isaac's outside, Mom, so I opened the door and he was really frantic. He was like so frantic he couldn't breathe. I came outside and I ran across the field and she was just laying there and Oh, it was just, it was a lot. Isaac, the oldest, comes just through here, screaming, hollering. They shot my mom, they shot my mom.

I'm scrambling like this can't be true. I don't understand. He takes me by the hand and leads me to his mother's body over in the field. I was in disbelief. There's probably 14 people standing on this side of the street. And she's alone on the ground. And I just, I couldn't do anything. but try and help her.

And then I started CPR. Susan was inside her house. She did not come outside her house. But after that shooting, she had called 911 again. 911. 911. Dad, just of the emergency. Oh, my God.

This is somebody just trying to break down my door. I shot. There's a door. I didn't know what to do. I grabbed my gun. I was sitting up at Cracker Barrel and just kind of eating my dinner out in the parking lot. And I had heard them.

dispatching a shooting tossing my food in the passenger seat and heading the lights and I'm heading out at the speed of light as fast as I can to get to Quill Run which fortunately is only a few blocks away. We need to get over here and make sure whoever has the gun is secured. We don't know where the shooters are. It's like the second I won't call from Susan. Susan was very frantic. Take a deep breath on and calm down. Oh, my goodness. You said someone trying to break down your door.

Is that correct? What? The woman was screaming and yelling at you trying to break out of my door? We get to the neighborhood as we pull up right here by the mailboxes. Right here, right here. Right here. When we arrived, we've seen the victim laying on the ground, and the community had gathered around and was trying to help her.

She's got polling. She said she's got polling. Right side of the chest. Okay. There's no exit. That night, when I walked over here and I saw AJ and they were doing CPR on her. Oh, my God. I don't know. I just had this really bad feeling.

She was on the ground right here. There was a group of people around. They were worked up. They were upset. They were crying. They were trying to help her out medically however they could. As I'm responding, I'm hearing my radio. They're talking about how the shooting has occurred.

There's one female victim. who is on the ground. I need to make sure I grab my trauma bag. I need to make sure I have my gloves and I have all of my items I need to be able to assist her the best I can. She stated she's shot through the door. Okay, where is your gun now?

It's in my bedroom. So I made sure I put that in a call immediately so I can let the Debbie's know what they're going to walk into. There is still someone with a gun. She's inside. Where? Damn to be in the hands off!

You're hands up! We can't get the sheriff's off, you're inside, make you know now. Sixty-fourth three, Mary and I have one down. I have one elderly female barricaded into the house with signal zero. There is still someone with a gun. She's inside. Okay. Where?

Where she's in that house, bro? That apartment. Right here. This first apartment. I need, like a court, not a port. Baby, wake up. Baby, wake up! Baby, wake up!

And I asked, hey, where's the person with a gun? And I was directed by the group to go over here. That, hey, they're in that apartment. And if you watch the body cam back, you can see. I'm in front. I'm in front. I'd come over to the fence, and we began giving commands. Sheriff's office come outside with your hands up.

Is the Marion County Sheriff's Office come outside with your hands up? Show me your hands. Show me your hands. Turn around. Turn around. Where's your gun at? I don't know what's going on. You're going to be detained for now. Is there anybody else in the house? Somebody else in the house?

No, no, no, no, no right now. You're not under arrest. You're being detained. Okay, fine. She was calm, and she asked me, hey, can you shut the door, don't let the cats out. Wait, please, I have two cats, you said. Females detained. Needing bad X, 18. And she comes out with this confused look on her face as if she doesn't know why they wanted her to come out of her home.

Come this way, no, no, come on. Okay, we will worry about that in a minute. Right now, I got other things to worry about. Get over there and assess her. I will bring the bag over. Hey, I got to sit here. Go assess the person down. Okay, you're just sitting there.

Hey, I need someone give her aid right there. She needs medical aid over there. All right. Sit inside. I need you all the way inside. I need help, though. Okay. I need you to hurry, though, okay?

I understand you need help. She's got polo. She's got polo. Very faint. When I find Ms. Owens under the tree, she's unresponsive. She's not talking. She's got a gunshot wound to her right shoulder area. They've been doing CPR for about five minutes.

It's not. It's like no one could move fast enough. Didn't help? I think there was so much shock and horror at what had just happened. Take a step back because they're going to try to take her up. And I think we're all just praying it's not too late. How do you get worried? Isaac, my grandson called me.

He's just screaming, yelling, saying that mom's been shot, mom's been shot. The shop. I'll use the rope this off. Yeah, that's where he's grabbing tape right now. Murphy, get some tape. Hey, where's Izzy? Come here, baby. Hi, Izzy.

Come here, buddy. Hey. It's your hospital. So right now she's going to the hospital so that way they can take better care of her than what I can do right here, okay? My son's the same age. And so just hearing her baby, you know, I imagine what my son would feel like. What if that was me? What if he was crying?

for me and it hurts. You're being so strong. Very proud of you. It's okay, honey. It's okay, honey. Yeah, I didn't go, right? Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Sorry. It's okay. All right. Okay. All right, daddy here. It's right. Come happen.

It was approximately 15, 20 minutes later when we got notified that she had passed away. I'm feeling the notification to the kids during me. It was rough. The older kids, we had to break it to them, and they had their dad there at the time. Y'all love me. Y'all love mom. I got some bad news to tell you.

Mom, it's not coming back to anymore. Come, uh-huh, come, come, come, come. No, no, no. Come here. Tom, over here. Listen to me. No, no, I know. Okay.

It's okay. I know. Okay. I know I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You can't go.

You can't. I think that you hope that these kids understand that we did everything that there was that we could do on that night. I just remember myself screaming. I could hear myself now screaming. Why? I'm told over the phone that my daughter has been killed. I screamed. Because she was threatening me.

Based on the circumstances at the scene. Susan, go ahead and step out for me. I felt it was best to have Susan transported to the major crimes building where we can conduct an interview. And then you don't have to sit straight forward, you can sit sideways. My daughter was killed. Someone shot her. someone needed to be held accountable. Hello.

What's your clock for? I told because the lady across the street on the phone. It was the perfect storm brewing. Her children were welcoming to blow on the property that she called the police. Yeah. But I don't know that anyone knew that it would end. Is the Marion County Sheriff's Office come outside of your hands up? With Ajika Owen shot dead.

Take a step back because they're going to try to pick her up. On the street in her own neighborhood. Mom's not coming back yet to know. Because Susan Lorenz shot a gun. through her front door. Agica was the type of person that always showed up. No matter what she had going on, she made a way to be present. She signed us up for football, and she would be the one buying the snacks and getting

on the water, and she would even make us run if we dropped a pass or it was to tackle. When I think about her, I think about her smile. That's the first thing I think about it. She had this big smile. Her personality would just fill up the space. We would often chit-chat over the phone and talk about her different dreams and aspirations. She said, you just wait and see.

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That's what families do. Malcolm in the Middle, life still unfair. Premiers Friday, April 10th on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers. Terms apply. Ready TV 14-0. Three hours after Ajika Owen's shooting, Susan Lawrence is in the interview room at the Marion County, Florida Sheriff's Office. Hi. I'm sorry.

I'm sitting here because I was freezing. Oh, it is chilly. Susan? Yes. I'm Detective Stitt. This is Detective Peterson. Investigators take Susan Lawrence down to headquarters to question her about what had happened. Can we just get you to slide that chair back over here in just a moment?

I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long. I was the lead investigator on the Susan Lawrence, Ajika Owens, Homicide Case. So I wanted to be in the room to speak with Susan about what happened. So we're working this investigation, and at this point, you're not free to leave, so I have to make you aware of your rights, okay, before we talk. So I have to read this to you. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, Canada will be against you in a court of law.

During the first interview, Susan denied any allegations that were made by either children or witnesses on scene. There was some statements given to us that you had taken a tablet or picked up a tablet that was in the sit-ground. Absolutely not. No. And what was the deal with the rollers? Because, again, we talked to a lot of people who were outside and witnessed some of those. They keep leaving all their toys around. Oh, my guys.

You know, stop already. This is not your garbage or, you know, and the kid's got his roller skates there. And I'm like, really, take you roller skates? I threw them roller skates. I'm like, go fetch them. You know, it would just be enough because. Did you throw that at them?

Oh, God, no. Okay. We're trying to determine, is Susan embellishing the details to make it appear like she's the victim? When in reality, her anger and even fear got the best of her. So you were communicating with her through the door? Yeah, and I'm like, all right, just leave. You know, I don't want to hear it.

I'm going to kill you. I didn't think too much of it until she really started pounding that door. I'm like, oh, my God. Then I really, I get scared, like, terrified scared. I don't even actually remember picking up to that. I just remember shooting. At that point, I felt important to reveal to her

that Ms. Owens had passed away from a gunshot wound. You know, we've got to kind of get specific about this, because it's a big deal. I understand that. Someone's dead. Oh, Jesus Christ. She never seemed to consider the status of Ms. Owens until it was revealed that she had passed. It was only because she was pounding at my door, and I honest to God thought she was going to come in.

I was just fearful of my life. And I was just like, go away, go away. That's why I think was just get out of the situation, you know, just go away already. But when you fire through a door that's closed, was it locked? Yes, he was locked. In that moment, that night, that door was shut, locked, deadbolted. What we're looking at is the front door of Susan Lorenz apartment that she shot through the night that Ms. Owens was killed. The bullet hole is marked here.

I did have the deadbolt on, so I didn't know how long the door was going to hold it. And that's why I'm asking is because at first it's broken and now it's super secure with an extra long deadbolt. No, I'm just saying that we did put the, but if you look at it, Everything's crumbling. Susan indicated during our interviews that there had been prior damage to her door, and based off of that, she had the landlord install, and what she described as an extra long deadbolt. Her claim of self-defense became complicated,

particularly when we all learned that she had shot and killed Ojika Owens through a locked door. After you fired the round, what did you do? She said, Alan, I went, oh, my God, I hit her. And it just, you know, clicked, I hit her. Oh, like, Jesus Christ. And I thought I just, you know, mixed something. I never, ever. And what did, what did you, did you go out there?

No. You didn't go out there? No. Susan maintained that her intention was to scare Ms. Owens away, that she just wanted the banging to stop. Were you trying to hit her, or were you trying to scare her off? I was never intending to hit her. I just thought I hit really high, you know.

I was just like, all the thing is go, like, go away, go away. Were you aiming for the door? I just fired the gun. Because all I could think of is, it's, I felt like I was in a mortal danger. I mean, it's just how I felt. The interesting thing about the state of Florida is that we have this stand your ground. Good evening, and we begin with the growing anger. across this country over the shooting death of that unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin.

In Florida, they have a law called to stand your ground law. In most states, you're required to retreat. If someone comes after you, you don't have the right to shoot someone on the street if you feel that you're in danger. In Florida, you do have that right. Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict? That has been very controversial. It's been used successfully by a lot of people in a court of law. We, the jury, find George Zimmerman, not guilty. As things start to wrap you Just a minute Let me right.

Okay. As things start to wrap up, you get a sense that maybe now she's going to be hauled off to the Marion County Jail to be held accountable for what has happened. Susan,

I talked to the state attorney prosecutor for the state attorney's office. They are are along the same lines of what we're thinking, we're gonna continue the investigation. Knowing that there were so many things that still had unanswered questions and unresolved evidence gathering,

we made the choice to release Susan. We'll go out this door here. And in the end, she just gets to walk out of the room as though none of it had ever happened. What world are we living in? That a mother was just killed in front of her children. through a closed locked door and she's not arrested. You just have a seat in the back.

I'll turn the AC up and we'll get it out of here. All right. Thank you. Every day Susan Lorenz was allowed to roam free in that community. The outrage. Make your life easier. Are you getting me? The demand for justice.

Many people today protested. A mother has lost her life. Continue to bill. And I'm going to tell you something. and it was going to explode. All right, we're going out of this door right here on the right. Nine hours after shooting Ajika Owens, Susan Lawrence is free to go. So I spoke with Detective Stith.

I guess you've talked to him already today. He said that you're going to gather some of the things and go to a hotel. Is that correct? They handcuffed her and put her in the back of the cop car. So everybody thought she was being arrested and come to find out she wasn't arrested. Thank you. I was in disbelief.

I was. I didn't understand. I thought from the start that it was murder. There was never a question in my mind. Well, I'd be able to go in my apartment or no. I'm sorry? Well, I'd be able to go in my apartment or no because I need to pick a medication.

Yeah, I think the protective sister is going to allow you to gather some belongings. Okay. She was here getting her stuff, and that's when everything just broke out with, like, all the neighbors. All the neighbors were upset, everybody was mad. Susan relocates to a hotel after the shooting. She comes back to her apartment from time to time with police.

Most of us were home when Susan came home to get some of her belongings and things like that. Hey, Gabie. Come here. What's my mind? Days go by, and this woman who had shot and killed her neighbor isn't arrested. No, no, she isn't arrested. This neighborhood was really, really upset and up in arm. Enraged. They're screaming over there.

She's talking over. I know. I hear him. Boy, the way you treat our cat. I'm going to go talk to them. Can you all stay over there? Can you just don't talk to them? She came out here and she was getting her stuff. And I was inside and I looked and I saw her out the window

and I came outside and I was so mad. Like, I was so mad. Hey, ma'am. How you doing? So I'm just going to talk to you real quick. I know you're upset. Everybody's upset. She's going to end up in jail so it's all matter. So everybody's upset. Listen, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm here.

She shouldn't even be in the streets. She murdered this lady. Okay, listen, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm here because she called me. She's, she... Because she knows better than to be out here alone. That's why she got people with her. Because she knows. She actually came with a police escort. She was able to get done what she needed to get done, but it was difficult for other people to see.

Hey, what are you doing right now? Can you come to... Susan's house. Whole neighborhood's coming out and they're going so might be verbal. I'm good? Yeah. Watch out. That bitch.

Could have been any of us that would have went and knocked on that door that night. So everybody was upset. She literally killed this innocent woman. And the next day after she murdered her, she's walking around freely. It's not right. I was familiar with staying your ground. And at that point was afraid that there, their delay in her arrest had to do with Stand Your Ground, and I knew we needed immediate legal

support in representation. We'd like to thank every single person who's present with us today. My name is Anthony Thomas. I'm an attorney for the family. I, as well as Attorney Benjamin Crump, are working very closely with the family so that we can bring justice to the unlawful killing of a black mother, four, who was shot through the door on Friday evening. We wanted her story to be told and let people, you know, the world know what happened to her. I just want to thank everybody for coming out for my mother. Thank you. What I'm asking is for justice.

Justice for my daughter, Aja Chantrell-Owens. Justice for your family, for your children, for your loved. justice for America. Because we want to seek justice and we want to assure that we get the facts right, especially in a case to this level, we just don't take always one side because it doesn't always paint the full picture. The sheriff of Marion County actually, Billy Woods, told me that he was going to do everything within his power to investigate the situation. That's not enough. It's his job to investigate the situation.

What I wanted to hear from Billy Woods was that he was going to make an arrest. Many people today protested the lack of an arrest in the shooting of Ajika Owens. No justice! Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods has said that he cannot make an arrest while the Sheriff's Department investigates whether this meets the criteria of Florida's Daniel Ground Law. More than 75 people came to downtown Ocala to demand an arrest, marching all the way to the state attorney's office. A mother has lost her life for being a mother. Where is the justice in that?

As I've explained to the people that I've been talking to, there's evidence that's being gathered. There are things that are being looked at. There are warrants that are being executed. She's supposed to be in jail. So it's important to wait for the evidence to come back. We understand that process, sir. But why isn't she in jail?

Why this process? Because if it was us, you come up with me in jail, why y'all are doing this process. I felt that they just saw her just as another black life. And that because she was black, that maybe there wasn't the urgency to make an arrest. I felt that had the roles been reversed, in my opinion, that there would have been an immediate arrest.

The standard of the law of self-defense in Florida applies to everyone. We follow the evidence, and we take as long as it takes to get the facts right. What did that mean to you to have people come in and to advocate on your behalf? It told me that people understood the atrocity of this. It showed that people still care. People want justice. We're here to fight and show you that our life mattered and that justice needs to be serving. and will be served as long as we all have breath in our bodies.

Okay, let's just help me ask you. Susan was taken in for questioning a second time four days after the initial shooting. Have you ever heard of the term stand your ground? Yes. Susan, I think you know the reason why I'm asking that question. You're smart, okay? And the reason is... Oh, hell no. No, absolutely. I know what you're thinking.

Nice to meet you. Okay. Well, they get to my dishes. Nice. This is Detective Ryan Stith. Be attentive to make phone conversation. contact with the suspect, Susan Lawrence. Hi, this is Detective Steth with the sheriff's office.

Yes. Is this Susan? Yes, it is. My supervisors said that we have some additional questions. I was wondering if you'd be available. Susan has been walking around freely, but detectives are still investigating, talking to nearly everybody in the neighborhood, and then they want to talk to Susan again. It's four days after the shooting.

Perfect. It's just as told in here, I promise. All right. Let's just help them ask you. They eventually questioned her a second time. Susan tries to repeat the same story that she'd given them. She took the role of the victim that she was, you know, afraid for her life, the same thing. Bring me to that moment when you had the gun in your hand. What were you thinking?

I wanted her was to go away. I just, you know, I felt she was going to come through that door and kill me. I'm sorry, that's what I felt. I just felt she was going to come through the door and kill me. It was a tremendous fear. Did you feel bad for what happened? Oh, Christ, yes. This wasn't just violence.

This was racialized violence. Susan had a history of using racial epitats. What kind of things was she saying that you called her kids? I called them racial slurs, that I called them slaves, and that's never happened. I did call them retards once. because they just kept coming and coming. I said, are you retarded? You can't read the sign.

Is there any reason why anybody would have any video or anything like that of you saying, like, the N-word? I have no idea. And if I did let it go, I'm sorry. I mean, it slipped out. What context would it slip out, do you think? I mean, what would happen for you to say something like that? If they were being extraordinarily rude,

or if they were just... I was always taught the N-word meant that you were just being, unlawful, you know, dirty, just, I don't know, generally not being pleasant. Okay. I'm just trying to figure out who's sitting in front of me here. Is it over here? I've been planning this. I picked up the gun and I was waiting for her to come over because it was very quick.

It was two minutes. Or it was, I had the gun in my hand and I made a mistake. Susan Harare already made the first 911 call about the kid's trespassing. And then within two and a half minutes after she called 911 to report that she had fired through her door. You had just disconnected. Within two minutes, a shot was fired through that door. There's no way to justify that. This wasn't a long siege.

It wasn't a castle siege. It didn't last for 20, 30 minutes. It was two minutes. So you're trying to tell us that a reasonable person would shoot somebody for less than two minutes of making statements outside. That doesn't make any sense. Being afraid of Ojika and therefore feeling like she needed to purchase a gun. Now, is that a gun that you've, a gun that you've had for years or you just had it for a couple weeks? Help me understand that.

No, over a year. Okay, over a year. I used to be terrified before. Uh-huh. And then a friend said, you know, you really can't defend yourself. He said, you should think about getting a gun. Susan had two firearms by her own admission. When she went to her bedroom to retrieve a firearm, she actually had to move a second.

second firearm, a Ruger 22 handgun out of the way to retrieve her Remington 380. You said that you used the 380, right, when you fired the gun? Okay. Is there any reason why you chose that gun inside the other one? They were both loaded, right? They were both loaded. It was just the one that picked up. Making the choice to, of the two guns that she had available, to use the more powerful gun. I grabbed the gun, I was shaking like a leaf, and the more she bowed in, the more she screamed. I was like, stop, stop, stop, go away, move away, she wouldn't move away, and finally, I'm going to kill you, and that was the last time, and I just fired the bucket. Okay, was there a spot you picked or something like that?

I just kind of, there was the door, I knew she was at the door, shut up. I have not learned of her ever saying to you that she wanted, that she wanted to get into the house. It sounded more like she wanted to talk to you outside of the house. How do you want to talk to outside the house when you're banging and screaming? Yeah. That's not reasonable. One of the people said that she said, come outside. It's not, I'm sorry, it's not what?

It's not reasonable and prudent. One of the things that I recognized almost immediately as soon as she said it was some of the terms that she was using to describe the incident. You had mentioned terminology, like reasonable and prudent. Where did that come from, that terminology? Watching TV? Watching TV?

Okay. Probably just crime shows and stuff. It turns out she was very familiar with the Stainter Groundlaw. She had been researching it. Have you ever heard of the term, Stand Your Ground? Yes. Have you ever done any kind of research on that?

Yes, when it was mentioned on some guy shot, someone at a convenience store, and they said, stand your ground now. So nothing recent that would be on like your internet browser history. I look up with tons of stuff. Well, Susan, I think you know the reason why I'm asking that question. You're smart, okay? And the reason is...

Oh, hell no. No, absolutely. I know what you're thinking. Did I look up the woods so I could do something? No. This is not a situation where you set something up to, because you were, you were tired of this person? No. No. No. Okay. Sorry. No. I've told a lot of people that they're going to jail for very serious crime, but I was still kind of stunned by Susan's response. Stand up. Susan. Stand up, Susan. Don't. No. Listen.

It can go one of two ways. It can go in easy. way or going to go a really hard way. I'm sorry. Was your goal to shoot and kill her? No. What was your goal? To shoot and hopefully, you know, she'd hear the shot and dissipate. I just, I just got him having a really hard time making this jump here, that this unarmed

person on the other side of the wall is somehow going to get into your house and kill you. I'm just really having a hard time getting there. The detectives keep telling her, well, you've got to help us. understand what happened here. Why were you in fear for your life? Why did you feel threatened? Do you feel like you did something wrong here? I did what I felt. I had to. I honestly thought that she was going to kill me. I mean, it's all I felt. I just felt that terror. I mean, it was sure terror. And Susan Lawrence can't really quite articulate that outside of these allegations that Ajika Owens was making these threats toward her

through this locked front door and banging on the door. I can't get to the point where pounding on the door leads to your, leads to you being hurt or killed. I can't get that. Because I thought she was going to break the door down. Ajika Owens wasn't strong enough to knock that door down. The door was locked. She wasn't getting in there.

Many people who were questioned the night of the shooting have said, we did not hear AJ threatened Susan. No one that we've interviewed so far has made any statements about her saying that she wanted to kill you. That's what I heard. All I heard was knocking and then a gunshot. That's it. No, we're no fighting, none of that. When she's knocking on the door, did you hear anything else said other than those words? No, nothing else was said. Is it possible she never threatened you at all?

I swear to God, I thought she said, I'm going to kill you. I mean, that's why I just panicked. As soon as those words came out of her mouth, I was like, Jesus Christ, she's going to kill me. No one else in the neighborhood heard those threats that night other than Susan. And it's Susan's word against the other witnesses, and it's really a case of who do you believe more? She has four kids, and I can't let you talk to them. But I would like, it's up to you, if you would like to write them a letter or something, to kind of, you know, whatever's on your mind or in your heart. You don't have to. We're just going to leave a notepad in a pen in the room.

I am so sorry for your loss. I never meant to kill your mother. I was terrified. Your mom was going to kill me. I shot out of fear. The decision was made that Susan was going to be charged with manslaughter. Susan? All right.

We're going to have you go with this death in here. No. I'm sorry? No. No what? I can't. What's wrong? What's going on?

She's just can't. I'm sorry, I can't do this. Unfortunately, we're to that point where that's what's going to happen. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe it. She thought that, you know, everything was just going to go her way. Okay, so you're going to go with this deputy? No, I'm not.

You're going to be booked in? No, I'm not. And fingerprinted. I'm not going to move. Sorry. She, very matter-of-factly and politely declined. decline to go to jail. Susan, you, we are, we are going.

There's no change in that now. You're under arrest. In fact, we'd probably go ahead and put handcuffs on her. Let's get your handcuffed. Stand up. Stand up. Susan. Stand up, Susan.

No, don't. Listen. It can go one of two ways. You can go an easy way or can go a really hard way. I'm sorry. We don't want to go the hard way. I just can't do this. I'm sorry.

So what are you plan on sitting here in the rest of the night? I don't know what I'm going to do. probably have a die of a heart attack. Well, like I said, they have medical staff over there. We want to be able to get you over there. I had never seen or heard anything like that during an interview. Susan, this is what's going to happen.

We're going to put you in handcuffs. And if we have to forcefully bring you out there, that's what we have to do. Because we are obligated to take you to the jail now, okay? Thank you for standing up. I understand that. So change by your back, for me. Thank you, Susan. I didn't do this on purpose.

This wasn't purposeful act. did not premeditated. I didn't do anything like that. This was ridiculous. We're gonna go out this way. Four days after the shooting, Susan is finally arrested. Because the people spoke, I think that when we brought the attention to the situation, law enforcement had no other recourse but to arrest Susan at that point. Tonight was a pivotal moment.

With the arrest of the perpetrator, he shot and tragically killed my daughter. Now to Florida to the 58-year-old neighbor accused of shooting and killing a young mother of four. Tonight that suspect appearing for the judge, listed as a suicide risk, forced to wear a green vest. Now, charged with manslaughter. Good morning, man, man, what is your name? Susan Lorenz. Today, the state attorney officially charged Susan Lorenz with manslaughter, saying he must follow the law, not family sentiment. State Attorney William Gladson announced today a second-degree murder charge was considered

but felt the state couldn't prove without a reasonable doubt that Lorenz had hatred, spite, ill-will, or evil intent towards Owens. The state attorney decided not to press a murder charge but instead manslaughter. Understanding the law, I knew why. If they can't prove the higher charge, then the person may walk. They may go free. I felt that the manslaughter charge against who, Susan was a slap in the face.

I felt that it was murder. But at this point, I'm just happy that there are charges. At least there's charges. A year later, all eyes are on Ocala, Florida. Everyone was watching. Everyone was watching the outcome of the trial against Susan Lorenz. I had grave concerns. We have a jewelry, all white.

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Love Overboard. Now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers. Terms apply. Right now we're going to turn to the manslaughter trial of the Florida woman because of fatally shooting her neighbor. That we're ready to go? Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

Let's bring the jurors back, please. Oh, it was huge. The trial was huge. Of course now in session, your honor, Robert W. Hodges presiding? I don't see anything. Seeing Susan for the first time, can I just let my facial expression speak? We were extremely scared when the first time. We ended up with an all-white jury.

You know, the politics of this place are extremely conservative. Did you go into the trial concerned about whether there would be a conviction or were you hopeful? By the time the trial had started, Susan had began to age a little bit. When she shot my daughter, she was a strong, healthy woman. I was afraid that they were going to see her as this elderly, frail, white, white. woman that was afraid for her life. This morning, the trial underway for the Florida woman accused of shooting a gun through her front door, killing her neighbor. I'm Deputy Michael Stranger. Deputy Aaron Barbosa. My name is Ashton Wilfemberg, and I'm a deputy with the Marion County Sheriff's

Office. Showing to photograph 508 of States 1. This is a firearm. Did you conduct a second interview with the defendant? Yes, sir, I did. The jury gets to see, Sue's explanations, those tapes with the police, and they get to hear from the neighbors. Please get to miss yourself for the jury. My name is Franklin Lice. My name is Yvonne Costa. I heard a lot of pounding, a lot of yelling, screaming, and then I heard a gunshot. At any time, did you ever hear Isaac and Izzy's mom say, I'm going to kill you?

Yes, sir. Ms. Lawrence, have you discussed with your attorney? the decision regarding whether or not you will testify or not? Yes, I have. Can you tell us what that decision is? I am not going to testify. In her mind, in her soul, in her poor, Susan Lawrence felt she had no choice, no choice at all,

but to fire that door. It was either Susan or aging. Susan chose to defend herself. In closing arguments, the defense, lawyers give jurors a dozen reasons to find Susan Lawrence not guilty. She's not guilty. But prosecutors argue it comes down to one question. The crux of this case, ladies and gentlemen, is whether at the time she fired her gun,

at that closed, locked, dead-bolted door, did she reasonably believe that her conduct was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm against her? Ladies and gentlemen, both the state and the defense have now arrested their cases. All right. When word came back that there was a verdict, I think you sensed anxiety, tension, concern. Would this community that have been demanding justice for Oaxaca Owens finally get it in this Ocala courtroom? Jonas, my understanding you have reached a verdict in this case, is that correct? We were all clenching each other's hands.

so tightly. Verdicts account one. We, the jury, fine as account one of the charge. The defendant is guilty of manslaughter. So say we all faded the 16th day of August, 2024. Literally, I had to hold Pam. Like, she wasn't walking. She couldn't even step.

Like, I was holding her out the courtroom. And she let out this huge, like, just cry into my chest. I thought that a guilty verdict was going to make me feel better and almost had the opposite effect. It didn't make me feel good. It validated what I already knew that my daughter's life should never have been taken. Ms. Lawrence, you're going to be held in custody of the Marion County Jail without bond until that time, okay?

Thank you and good luck to you. Three months later, Susan Lawrence is back in court for sentencing. I was there the day she was sentenced because I knew how deeply important it was for this community. I never had problems with a black person in my life. This is not about race. And I actually love children. The shooting was based, I find, more on anger than fear. I think that's pretty well established in this case.

So what I'm going to do in this case is a order, is if she being adjudicated guilty of manslaughter with a firearm, order served 25 years in the Department of Corrections. The day after Susan's sentencing, I emailed her defense attorney and said, I want to do an interview with her. If you allow, there are some questions I think need to be answered. She said, I'm willing to speak with you.

I want my story out there. Walk me back through your initial reaction when they said guilty. Shock. It's just absolute shock. Knowing how badly she had treated me, she would scream at me and be extraordinarily nasty.

If you had an opportunity to speak to AJ's kids, would you be open to talk to them? Yes. I would. And say what? Just that I'm sorry, and I wish things had turned out differently, and I understand their pain.

It's horrible to lose, you know, someone you love so much. There was a conviction, but they're four children, four children who don't have their mom. How are you finding the strength to sort of keep pushing forward and doing well with everything happening? That neighborhood will forever be known as a neighborhood where Susan lived and A.J. died,

and I would probably like people to remember, too, that's also the neighborhood where AJ lived. This is a little memorial that Africa made. This is Azhika. If you see right here, it looks like watermarks, but it's actually Africa's tears. This is when Ashoka was pregnant with Isaac. He's the one that made her mom that changed her life.

Africa's first birthday friend. AJ's mom, on some level, got a sense of justice. There was a conviction. But they're four children. Is he Isaac, Africa, Titus, four children who don't have their mom? I believe every day they wake up wishing that their mom was there. Every day. You know, we still think of them.

I do. I think of them a lot. How aren't they doing right now? Time has passed, but the grief and the hurt has not passed. How do you want people to remember, A.J.? She is, she was the embodiment, the epitome of what a mother should be. Life wasn't easy for her always, but she did it with grace. How hard has it been?

It's been very hard. I just can't believe she's gone, you know. My rock and my fire since I was born. You're rocking your fire. I just gotta be the strong man she raised me to be. What are your memories of your mom? I remember this one time, we were both at home, and we were sitting on the bed,

and she started teaching me this little song. Yeah, do you remember it? I do. Would you do a little bit? Of course. What God says I am and I can be. What God says I'll be. And I can be all that God says I can be.

That's beautiful. Thank you. What a moment, David, sitting with Izzy on that porch listening to him sing. grandmother, Ajika's mom, has co-founded a foundation in her daughter's honor, which provides healing and financial support to families impacted by racial violence. And as for Susan Lawrence, she agreed to speak to 2020, but the prison would not allow her to do the interview. She's appealing her conviction. That's our program for tonight. Thank you for watching. I'm David Muir. And I'm Deborah Roberts. From all of us here at 2020 and ABC News, good night.

From 30 for 30 Podcasts. of Lyman from Miami. Gunned down. The key to this case, it's Brian. Boy! A hour before he died, he was on the phone. Arguments about this might be a hit. You want the truth. Biggest one of conviction.

We had a killer amongst us. Murder at the U. Listen now.