Lauren Pazienza — the girl accused of shoving a beloved 87-year-old voice coach to her demise on a metropolis avenue — was tossed behind bars by a Manhattan decide on Tuesday.
Pazienza, who was out on $500,000 bail her mother posted, remained stone-faced as Justice Felicia Menin dominated she was a “severe flight threat” and must be held in jail pending trial throughout a listening to in Manhattan Supreme Courtroom.
The 26-year-old Lengthy Island native pleaded not responsible by means of her legal professionals on an indictment charging her with first-degree manslaughter and two counts of second-degree assault within the demise of Barbara Maier Gustern.
Pazienza, an occasion organizer and scion of a profitable cesspool empire, allegedly known as Gustern a “bitch” earlier than pushing her in an unprovoked assault in Chelsea on March 10, police mentioned.
The octogenarian fell and hit her head, dying from her accidents 5 days later.
Prosecutors revealed Tuesday that Pazienza allegedly flew right into a rage after being informed to depart a park, the place she’d been celebrating together with her fiancé as a result of the inexperienced area was closing.
The fiery redhead threw her meals at her betrothed, stormed out of Chelsea Park, and rushed the 4-foot-11 100-pound Gustern, Assistant District Legal professional Justin McNabney mentioned in courtroom.
Pazienza’s fiancé informed prosecutors that the bride-to-be had “a number of glasses of wine” whereas the couple was out toasting 100 days earlier than their marriage ceremony, McNabney mentioned.
The prosecutor described how the 5-foot-7 and 175 pound Pazienza cursed at and pushed the slight girl “as onerous as Ms. Gustern had ever been hit in her life.”
Gustern made the remark about how onerous she’d been shoved to a pal who got here to the scene earlier than she slipped into unconsciousness from mind swelling, McNabney mentioned.
Pazienza then “walked away, leaving Ms. Gustern inclined on the sidewalk, bleeding from the top,” McNabney alleged.
The fiancé finally discovered Pazienza, who didn’t inform him concerning the incident till they went to mattress later that evening, the prosecutor alleged.
She then grew to become “actually scared and nervous” after seeing The Put up’s protection about Gustern’s accidents the subsequent day, McNabney alleged, citing the fiancé,
When Pazienza examine Gustern dying days later, she fled the Massive Apple for her dad or mum’s home in Lengthy Island, scrubbed her social media – together with her marriage ceremony web site – stopped utilizing her cellphone and stashed the gadget at her aunt’s, the prosecutor alleged.
An nameless tip led cops to Pazienza’s dad and mom’ home. And realizing the police had been sizzling on her path, solely then did she flip herself in, McNabney alleged.
“She efficiently evaded apprehension for nearly two weeks, regardless of the extraordinary assets dedicated to discovering her,” McNabney mentioned in efficiently arguing for her to be remanded with out bail.
Pazienza’s lawyer John Esposito requested the decide to maintain the present bail situations, saying, “our shopper had no concept it was an aged girl.”
However the decide shot again, “how does that make a distinction?”
“I’m involved that Ms. Pazienza is a flight threat — and is a severe flight threat,” Menin mentioned in deciding to revoke the suspect’s bail.
“It seems that [the shove] was for a random cause. The sufferer on this case was apparently left mendacity on the sidewalk. The defendant walked away,” Menin mentioned.
“She faces vital jail time if convicted,” Menin mentioned of Pazienza. “I've severe issues it could have an effect on her need to return to courtroom.”
Gustern was a vocal coach whose purchasers included “Blondie’s” Debbie Harry.
Pazienza faces between 5 and 25 years behind bars if convicted.
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