The Netflix documentary The Perfect Neighbor has once again brought the contentious debate surrounding "Stand Your Ground" laws to the forefront of national discussion. Released in October 2025, the film meticulously details the tragic events that culminated in the murder of Ajike "AJ" Owens.
The documentary provides a harrowing account of the relationship between Owens and her neighbor, Susan Lorincz, in Ocala, Florida. Utilizing body camera footage and extensive 911 audio, The Perfect Neighbor chronicles years of conflict, often initiated by Lorincz’s frequent police calls about Owens’ four children playing in their yard adjacent to Lorincz’s property. Owens was a mother to sons Isaac, Israel, and Titus, and her daughter Afrika.
A pivotal confrontation occurred in June 2023 when one of Owens’ sons went to retrieve his tablet from the yard. Lorincz reportedly threw the device to the ground, hurled skates at the child’s foot, and flung an umbrella at another minor. Upon learning of the incident, Owens confronted Lorincz.
With her son by her side, Owens repeatedly knocked on Lorincz’s door, requesting to speak with her. Lorincz subsequently called 911, claiming she felt threatened. Moments later, Lorincz fired a weapon through her front door, fatally wounding Owens in the chest.
Lorincz immediately claimed self-defense. However, she was arrested days later and charged with involuntary manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery, and two counts of assault. After pleading not guilty, a jury found Lorincz guilty of involuntary manslaughter in August 2024, leading to a sentence of 25 years in prison. Investigations following the shooting found no evidence to support Lorincz’s assertions that Owens attempted to enter her home or posed any imminent threat.
At the heart of this case, and the broader discussion spurred by the documentary, are "Stand Your Ground" laws. These statutes grant individuals the right to use lethal force in self-defense when they reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent certain violent crimes. Unlike traditional self-defense laws, "Stand Your Ground" eliminates the "duty to retreat," which typically requires a person to safely withdraw from a potentially dangerous situation before resorting to deadly force.
Florida was the first state to enact a "Stand Your Ground" law in 2005. The state’s version not only removed the duty to retreat but also expanded the traditional "castle doctrine." The castle doctrine typically allows for self-defense, including lethal force, within one’s home. Florida’s "Stand Your Ground" legislation extended this right to public spaces.
Today, a significant number of U.S. states have adopted similar legislation. These include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming, alongside Florida.
The concept of "Stand Your Ground" has been at the center of national controversies before. While cases like the 2007 Joe Horn shooting invoked the castle doctrine, "Stand Your Ground" gained widespread national attention during the 2012 trial of George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was tried for the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager in Sanford, Florida.
Zimmerman faced charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. He asserted self-defense, citing Florida’s "Stand Your Ground" law. The jury ultimately acquitted Zimmerman.
More recently, Georgia’s "Stand Your Ground" law became nationally relevant in 2020 following the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. Gregory and Travis McMichael shot and killed Arbery while he was jogging through a neighborhood, with William "Roddie" Bryan filming the encounter. Police initially deemed the actions legal, but widespread outrage after the video’s release led to their arrests and charges of felony murder.
A jury subsequently convicted Gregory, Travis, and Bryan of intentional murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. Travis McMichael was also found guilty of felony murder. Gregory and Travis received life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 20 years, while Bryan was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
The renewed focus on Florida’s "Stand Your Ground" law through the lens of The Perfect Neighbor underscores its ongoing societal impact. The documentary forces viewers to re-examine the legal boundaries of self-defense and the real-world implications when those boundaries are tested, particularly in community disputes.