A woman was upset by her neighbour's noisy children. Then things took a sinister turn.

In the three years since Susan Lorincz moved to her Florida home, her neighbour's children had gotten on her nerves. 

She didn't like the noise. And she certainly didn't like their boisterous play, often in the shared grassy area near both homes. 

At one point, Lorincz called 911 to tell them: "I'm just sick of these children."

But on June 2, 2023, the dispute turned fatal. 

Watch the official trailer for Netflix's new true crime doco. Article continues below.

A Florida court heard the 60-year-old white woman had allegedly thrown roller skates and an umbrella at the children, who are Black, in apparent frustration with their noisiness. 

When the children told their mother, 35-year-old Ajike "AJ" Owens, she walked over to Lorincz's house to talk to her about the dispute. 

But rather than ignoring or speaking to Owens, as she yelled and banged on the door, Lorincz fire a single shot — using a .380-calibre handgun — through her front door, killing the young mother. 

Lorincz told police she believed she was in imminent danger, as Owens was larger and younger than she was, and claimed she'd been "harassed for years". 

State Attorney William Gladson, whose office prosecuted the case, said it was "a tragic reminder" of the consequences of gun violence.

"The defendant's choices have left four young children without their mother, a loss that will be felt for the rest of their lives," Gladson said in a statement. 

During closing arguments, prosecutor Rich Buxman had said it was not a crime to bang on somebody's door. 

"It's not a crime to yell," Buxman told jurors.

"There was no imminent danger whatsoever when she fired that gun. She was not in fear. She was angry."

AJ Owens was only 35. Image: Supplied/Facebook.

Lorincz's lawyer claimed the defendant was legally justified in firing her gun under Florida's "stand your ground" law. 

"She can defend herself," said Amanda Sizemore, an assistant public defender. "She had a split second to make a decision whether or not to fire her weapon."

Following Owens' death, the Black community held protests in relation to the length of time taken to charge Lorincz, and for the decision to charge her with manslaughter, rather than second degree murder. Manslaughter is a lesser count and doesn't carry a potential life prison sentence.

Owens' family has expressed surprise no Black jurors were selected for the trial given the racially sensitive nature of the case.

The jury found Lorincz guilty after two and a half hours of deliberation. She showed no reaction or emotion when the verdict was announced. 

She now faces up to 30 years in prison. 

Owens' mother, Pamela Dias, said outside the courthouse: "We've achieved some justice for Ajike. My heart is a little lighter. This has been a long journey to get to this stage, to get to this verdict. I find some peace with that verdict."

Feature Image: Supplied/Facebook.