The Perfect Neighbor victim's mother shares 'heartbreaking' reaction to watching Netflix doc
Netflix subscribers have been devastated by the tragic real-life murder of Ajike ‘AJ’ Owens, depicted in the harrowing new documentary The Perfect Neighbor
The mother of The Perfect Neighbor’s heartbreaking subject Ajike ‘AJ’ Owens has shared her powerful reaction to seeing the Netflix documentary for the first time.
Now available on the streaming service from Friday, 17th October, the film by Geeta Gandbhir recounts Owens’ murder by her neighbour Susan Lorincz through intense, close-up police bodycam footage.
Viewers who have already tuned in over the weekend have been left crushed by the real-life tragedy, which took place just two years ago in Ocala, Florida.
Mum of four Owens was just 35 when she was shot and killed by Lorincz after their history of feuds, which included racial slurs directed at Owens’ children.
The release of the film has been made possible by Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, who gave permission for the distressing footage of her daughter’s death to be shown to the public.
Filmmaker Gandbhir has since relayed Dias’ response to the finished film in a recent interview with The Guardian.
“I showed Pam the film when it was completed and I said, ‘Is this what you want?’” she said.
“She said, ‘Yes, the world needs to know what happened to my baby’.”
The Perfect Neighbor has received an incredible 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with its critical acclaim partly attributed to Gandbhir’s decision to use the raw police camera footage to let the tragic story speak for itself.
Explaining her decision to format the documentary this way, she said: “For people of colour like myself, for Black and brown folks, oftentimes [bodycam footage is] seen as a violent tool.
“The police come into our communities and, afterwards, they use body camera footage to criminalise and dehumanise us, to justify violence they may perpetrate against the community.
“I wanted to take this footage and flip it on its head.”
Lorincz received a prison sentence of 25 years after being charged with one count of manslaughter with a firearm and one count of assault.
Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.
This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like House of Guinness.
However, she has denied the attack was racially motivated and issued an apology to Owens’ family.
After receiving her sentence, Lorincz said in court: “I am so sorry that I took AJ's life. I never intended to kill her.
“The night I shot that gun I was confused as to why she was screaming and pounding on my door. Please accept my humble and sincere apology for this tragedy.”
The Perfect Neighbor is available to stream on Netflix.