Woman who shoved Broadway vocal coach to her death in New York City is sentenced to 8 years
nbcnews.com
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.
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
Thanks for that great summary.
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.
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.
I looked up some other articles
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)
"No your honor, your don't understand. I was just really wasted."
I belive they said she was having a temper tantrum when she did it. A fucking temper tantrum?
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.
She absolutely sounds like a total piece of shit, but careful citing the NY Post as credible journalism
Spoiled bitch basically
"it was a prank, bro!"
Are we allowed to schadenfreude this wealthy convict? Or is that too gauche for my fellow lemmies?
8 years for murder is a slap on the wrist.
She didn't get 8 years for murder because she wasn't tried for murder.
if she was drunk driving and hit her, she would have gotten less
Good thing it was manslaughter and not murder.
What makes you think she’s wealthy? She’s a 27 year old party planner.
She was known as a socialite around NYC, and grew up well-off in Long Island as the daughter of, believe it or not, the owner of the #1 cesspool company. So yes, the killer is fairly affluent.
I read that as "fairly effluent" and I was like "I see what you did there."
You were wrong.
Reminds me of the most accurate definition of "what is wealthy" I ever heard.
PersonA: "What does being wealthy even mean?"
PersonB: "It usually means someone has more money than me"
It might be “this person has more financial resources than 98% of the population”.
No, that's very specific and you can put an exact number on someone who is in the top 2%
I'm referring to statements in this thread, where we don't know shit about this ladies finances, other than her dad has a "successful" business. People making assumptions about her wealth. What does being a "socialite" even mean? She likes going to art galleries and events? Spoiler alert - anyone can do that, don't assume these are things that cost money (other than what it costs to catch a train/cab/Uber to get there, and possibly price of admission, which might not even be a lot either).
She's going to prison for a few years, she clearly ain't got the resources many people here assume she does.
I’m not sure why you insist on arguing that point. I don’t agree with your logic that she “ain’t” got resources simply because she’s going to prison for murdering someone. Avoiding prison for murder is more of a top .1% kind of thing and nobody has suggested that.
My problem is with people assuming she is wealthy and what does that even mean, it's such a relative term. She just looks like a nobody to me who did something bad and will pay the consequences, like most other people. I just don't understand why people are throwing her into the top 2% of this country based on this headline
What does anything even mean? WHAT EVEN ARE WORDS?
Relativism is a stupid argument.
Damn I was hoping for something more dramatic, like a subway or tall building
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..."
And people have the goddamn gall to argue when I state that our society, and the justice system in particular, heavily favor women. Any guy that did this exact same crime would have gotten 2x the sentence.
Earlier this very week there was that other wacko girl that killed her boyfriend and a friend when she intentionally slammed her SUV into a house at 100 MPH. She murdered 2 people and only got about 15 years in prison.
We put pussy on a pedestal in this society.
Rapist* Brock Allen Turner anyone?
Edited to add important details
You might want to edit that again. The rapist Brock Allen Turner goes by just his middle name now. The rapist Allen Turner has been seen partying in Ohio bars and clubs recently. Stay safe ladies of Ohio.
Done, thank you
It's not that simple. Women get life in jail like anyone else in a lot of cases.
The consistent factor you're missing here is not one of sex, but one of privilege and wealth.
Simply put rich people can afford better lawyers, and in rarer cases are more connected on the inside of the justice system itself.
Have you ever heard of Brock Turner, or maybe Johnny Depp? Good luck getting any women to go near you though.
Besides, these sentences are insane in general and modern first world societies (meaning not the US) do not focus on punishing people like we do. They focus on rehabilitation because it's a service to society, because they actually give a shit about their societies. So the fact that anyone can think that fifteen years of being locked in a cage getting angrier and angrier with no psych help and shit for healthcare "isn't enough," really says something about the people who endorse that.
You aren't wrong. I mean, it's about the only area you get preferential treatment as a woman in the country though....