Lauren Pazienza Bio – Lauren Pazienza Wiki
Lauren Pazienza, 26, was ordered to be held without bail pending trial because she was considered a flight risk. She pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault before the judge revoked her bail and remanded her.
AGE:
Lauren Pazienza is 26 years old.
DETAIL OF INCIDENCE:
A judge has denied bail for the New York woman allegedly responsible for fatally shoving an 87-year-old vocal coach in a seemingly unprovoked attack.
According to WABC-TV, 26-year-old Lauren Pazienza will remain in custody pending her trial in the shoving death of Barbara Gustern on March 10.
Five days after the alleged attack, police said Gustern succumbed to the severe head injury she sustained after hitting her head on a New York City sidewalk, at the hands of Pazienza. Gustern died at the hospital.
That same day, Pazienza turned herself into the police, where she was charged with manslaughter and assault, according to the station. She initially posted bail.
Pazienza allegedly told detectives that she had several glasses of wine and had just gotten into a fight with her fiancé before she reportedly shoved Gustern, who had just wrapped up a rehearsal.
“This was a senseless and unprovoked attack,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, according to WABC. “Barbara Gustern was a beloved vocal coach who lived a vibrant and active life at the age of 87, and her loss was felt deeply by many throughout the city. After allegedly walking away from Ms. Gustern as she laid on the ground bleeding, Lauren Pazienza went to great lengths to avoid accountability for her actions.”
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Following the incident and citing surveillance footage, the outlet reports Pazienza stayed in the area for approximately 20 minutes more. During that time, she allegedly engaged in a physical altercation with her fiancé and watched the ambulance arrive for Gustern.
Authorities said she then fled to her parents’ Long Island home, WABC reports.
One of Gustern’s students, Morgan Jenness, who was in the courtroom for the judge’s ruling, told the outlet she agreed with the decision to deny the suspect bail.
“She ran across the street to push an elderly woman for no reason, because she was having a temper tantrum, and pushed her so hard that she hit her head and bled out and died,” Jenness said. “And I’m sorry for her. I’m sorry for her parents. But what she did needs to have consequences.”
On the day of her death, Guston wrote on Facebook that she was looking forward to performing on stage at Don’t Tell Mama’s piano bar in New York City that coming weekend.
“I went through a period of feeling detached. I couldn’t remember the lyrics. I felt like my voice had totally abandoned me. The thought of doing a show was like sentencing me to be tortured,” Gustern wrote. “But as of today all that is reversed. I feel full of creativity, and joy at working on a beautiful show with people I adore and totally respect. I feel like a singer again for the first time in forever.”
Pazienza has retained attorney Arthur Aidala, who alleges to people that the evidence as to what happened is unclear, adding, “there clearly was no intent to do serious harm to anyone.”
“We disagree with the judge’s decision on bail today and we are planning our next steps,” Aidala says.
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