this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2023
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Woman who shoved Broadway vocal coach to her death in New York City is sentenced to 8 years (www.nbcnews.com)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by MicroWave@lemm.ee to c/news@lemmy.world
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A woman who killed an 87-year-old Broadway vocal coach by pushing her to the ground in New York City pleaded guilty Wednesday and will be sentenced to eight years in prison, the district attorney said.

Lauren Pazienza, now 28, shoved Barbara Maier Gustern to the ground from behind in the Chelsea neighborhood on March 10, 2022, officials said at the time.

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[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 66 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Who is Lauren Pazienza

Lauren Pazienza is a 28-year-old Long Island resident who was accused of fatally shoving 87-year-old vocal coach Barbara Gustern in Chelsea, New York City in March 2022[1].

Pazienza pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and assault in the death of Gustern and was described by prosecutors as having a tantrum before pushing the voice coach[2]. In August 2023, Pazienza pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 8 years in prison[3][4][5].

Pazienza grew up in an idyllic part of Long Island, where her dad Daniel runs a successful business in Holtsville that has previously been ranked the No. 1 cesspool company in Suffolk County for service and price[1]. She attended Ward Melville High School in nearby Setauket with her future fiancé, now a Microsoft employee[1].

Pazienza was seen gallivanting around town, attending swanky clubs and art gallery openings, but neighbors at the upscale Astoria condo where she lived with her boyfriend said she wasn’t all smiles at home[1]. Law enforcement sources say that Pazienza was a known nuisance in the Shore Towers, and had previously called the cops on her neighbors[1][6].

Citations: [1] Who is Lauren Pazienza, accused of fatally shoving Barbara Gustern in NYC? - NY Post https://nypost.com/2022/03/23/who-is-lauren-pazienza-accused-of-fatally-shoving-barbara-gustern-in-nyc/

[2] Prosecutors Describe Lauren Pazienza's Tantrum Before Pushing Voice Coach - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/nyregion/lauren-pazienza-vocal-coach-barbara-gustern-bail.html

[3] Lauren Pazienza to serve 8 years for killing beloved vocal coach - NY Post https://nypost.com/2023/08/23/lauren-pazienza-to-serve-8-years-for-killing-beloved-vocal-coach/

[4] Lauren Pazienza pleads guilty to killing 87-year-old vocal coach, will be sentenced to 8 years in prison - CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lauren-pazienza-guilty-manslaughter-barbara-gustern-vocal-coach-sentence-8-years-prison/

[5] Who is Lauren Pazienza? Long-Island event planner pleads guilty in shoving beloved NYC voice coach | MEAWW https://meaww.com/who-is-lauren-pazienza-long-island-event-planner-pleads-guilty-in-shoving-beloved-nyc-voice-coach

[6] Who Is Lauren Pazienza, Suspect in Singing Coach's Death? - Curbed https://www.curbed.com/2022/03/lauren-pazienza-suspect-singing-coach-death.html

[–] Keineanung@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago

Thanks for that great summary.

[–] ZombieTheZombieCat@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

What does calling the cops on neighbors have to do with a manslaughter trial though. There can be people who have a legitimate reason to do that, and then there's those people who are calling the cops every other day, but it doesn't specify. It's just kind of comical that that would be used to somehow legitimate a completely unrelated manslaughter conviction.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago (3 children)

What the fuck is wrong with people? According to this article it was unprovoke. What was the woman's rational for doing this? The article doesn't say.

[–] MsPenguinette@lemmy.blahaj.zone 82 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I looked up some other articles

Pazienza’s fatal shove of the respected coach came during a drunken rampage on a night of celebrating her upcoming nuptials with her fiancé at West 28th Street, prosecutors have said.

The 5-foot-7 Pazienza encountered the 4-foot-11 Gustern after becoming enraged by a Parks Department worker kicking her and her beau out of Chelsea Park — where the pair had been eating dinner — because the green space was closing, according to the DA’s office.

After throwing her food at her lover, Pazienza crossed the street and randomly attacked Gustern — and then coldly walked away as the elderly woman bled from her head, officials said.

“Notice how she didn’t go after some 6-foot-tall, 200-pound guy – she went after my 80-pound grandmother,” Gustern’s grandson said after Wednesday’s hearing.

She sounds like a real piece of shit. https://nypost.com/2023/08/23/lauren-pazienza-to-serve-8-years-for-killing-beloved-vocal-coach/ (I know NYP can be a shitty source but can be a good source for getting sorid details)

Following the attack, Pazienza took the subway back to her Astoria home, where she finally disclosed to her fiancé that she had shoved someone hours later. \ After seeing on the news that the beloved vocal coach had died – and spotting herself in surveillance images released by police – Pazienza deleted all of her social media accounts, removed her wedding website and fled to Long Island to stay with family, the DA’s office said. ... But Pazienza’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, has claimed that Pazienza was so bombed off of a cocktail of wine, weed and prescription drugs that she could not have possibly known what she was doing, or had the required “intent” for the manslaughter charge to stick.

[–] Faulty@lemm.ee 63 points 1 year ago

"No your honor, your don't understand. I was just really wasted."

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Drugs and alcohol everytime. Where was her finance during this rampage? Thank you for the Details she going have pay for her consequences. Hopefully she sobers up and cleans up. That lady should have never died that way.

[–] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 18 points 1 year ago

Spoiled bitch basically

[–] Ryan213@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

"it was a prank, bro!"

[–] pigup@lemmy.world 30 points 1 year ago (21 children)

Are we allowed to schadenfreude this wealthy convict? Or is that too gauche for my fellow lemmies?

[–] dingleberry@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

8 years for murder is a slap on the wrist.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 33 points 1 year ago

She didn't get 8 years for murder because she wasn't tried for murder.

[–] kameecoding@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

if she was drunk driving and hit her, she would have gotten less

[–] Soulg@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Good thing it was manslaughter and not murder.

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[–] Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This fucking sub-human murdered an innocent woman at random because she was having a temper tantrum after being kicked out of a city park. And she only gets 8 fucking years?

So, if I understand this right, it's mostly OK to kill people at random in NYC? That's the message this extremely light sentence conveys.

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 44 points 1 year ago

It wasn't murder, because it wasn't pre-meditated and she likely didn't intend to kill when she did it. Manslaugher and assault seem the correct charges. I'm not making excuses for her, she deserves jail over this. But all those mitigating factors matter when you compare this case with murder cases that get 20+ years.

It must suck to be a judge, and have to decide that taking some lives are worth more or less than taking others.

[–] SheeEttin@lemmy.world 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Eight years in state prison is an extremely light sentence? I'd hate to know what would be considered severe in your world.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 9 points 1 year ago (6 children)

She gets to have a life after those 8 years. The woman she killed doesnt. Her family never gets to see her again. She's GONE because of this bitch and there's no bringing her back.

[–] SheeEttin@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And imprisoning someone else for any length of time won't change that.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It will prevent her from ever doing anything like that again and from having a good life like the one she denied the victim and her loved ones.

[–] SheeEttin@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So your solution to suffering is to... cause more suffering?

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It doesn't solve anything, nothing will un-kill her victim. All we can do to balance things is make sure she suffers as well.

[–] SheeEttin@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't see how that is a positive for society.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It probably makes a lot of the victims feel better.

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[–] gamer@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

She gets to have a life after those 8 years. The woman she killed doesnt.

Not to defend the crazy spoiled lady, but I don't think it's a safe bet that the 87 year old would've lived for 8 more years.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 2 points 1 year ago

We'll never know thanks to the cunt that killed her.

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[–] curiousaur@reddthat.com 6 points 1 year ago

Should the headline not describe her more accurately as "murderer" instead of "woman". Like, why does her gender even matter? The fact that she killed another human being matters a lot more. It should read "A murderer..."

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

killed an 87-year-old Broadway vocal coach by pushing her to the ground

Damn I was hoping for something more dramatic, like a subway or tall building

[–] dorkian_gray@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-19-2018/cLuawL.gif

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