Throughout The Perfect Neighbor, Lorincz is portrayed as a woman who has long expressed irritation about neighborhood children.
Witnesses and prosecutors described her as “hostile” and “verbally abusive,” often using racial slurs. She was later convicted of manslaughter, bringing some closure but not peace to Owens’ grieving family.
For more details on the case, see The Mirror’s coverage.
“The Perfect Neighbor” and the Mystery of “Dr. Lorincz”
One of the most talked-about moments in the film comes early on, when Lorincz insists to police officers, “Listen, my name is Dr. Lorincz. Don’t tell me to shut up.” Viewers were stunned to learn that Susan Lorincz was not, in fact, a doctor.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Pastor Shannon Lynn Harris of Anthony United Methodist Church testified that Lorincz helped church members with insurance issues because she “worked in the insurance industry.” Although she had medical field experience as an EMT paramedic in her twenties, she never earned a doctorate or practiced as a physician.
