A 26-year-old New York woman accused of pushing a popular voice coach to her death in an unprovoked NYC has been officially indicted.
Lauren Pazienza is facing manslaughter and assault charges in the death of Barbara Maier Gustern, 87. She turned herself in on March 22 after weeks of hiding out at her parents’ Long Island estate and deleting her internet presence.
According to the criminal complaint, Pazienza called the victim a “b****” before forcibly shoving her, Fox News reports. Before losing consciousness, Gustern told a friend that she had been shoved “as hard as she had ever been hit in her life.” She passed away on March 15 from injuries sustained during the attack.
Pazienza, an events organizer, reportedly remained nearby and watched as an ambulance took Gustern to a hospital.
Her lawyer, Arthur Aidala, argued that no evidence exists that Pazienza watched Gustern lying in the street, adding that security footage showing someone watching the scene “could have been anyone,” NBC News reports.
“Whether it was a push, whether it was a shove, whether it was a kick or whether someone tripped — the evidence is not very solid on that at all,” Aidala said.
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Police came to the Pazienzas’ Port Jefferson home on March 21 looking for her, but her father, cesspool magnate Dan Pazienza, reportedly told them she wasn’t there.
The following day, after police had publicly identified her and released photographs of her leaving the scene, Lauren Pazienza, accompanied by her attorney, turned herself in.
Three days later, her mother, Caroline Pazienza, wrote a $500,000 check to get her daughter out of jail, New York Post reported.
Panzienza’s next court date is scheduled for May. If convicted, she faces up to 25 years in prison.
Last month, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig called the incident “disgusting,” pointing out the “disgraceful offense committed against a vulnerable, elderly female who was doing nothing but walking down the streets of New York City.”
So far, no motive for the attack is known.
Check back for updates.
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[Featured image via NYPD]
