UPDATE As anticipated, Lauren Pazienza, the lady accused of fatally shoving Broadway vocal coach Barbara Maier Gustern to the pavement in Manhattan, can be launched from custody at Rikers Island at this time, her dad and mom having posted bail this morning.
Pazienza’s lawyer Arthur Aidala addressed reporters at this time exterior Manhattan prison courtroom, confirming the bail posting. Pazienza didn’t attend the listening to.
Pazienza, a 26-year-old former occasions coordinator from Lengthy Island most just lately residing in Queens, turned herself in to police Tuesday after practically two weeks of making an attempt to elude seize, in accordance with an account detailed in courtroom by an assistant district lawyer. Pazienza was arrested on fees of manslaughter and assault.
In accordance with The New York Publish, Aidala instructed reporters at this time, “No person doubts that it is a tragedy,” and added that his crew will “unravel what actually occurred that day after we now have all of the proof that’s in possession of the prosecutors….”
Pazienza is anticipated again in courtroom on April 25 for arraignment.
PREVIOUS, March 23 Lauren Pazienza, the lady accused of fatally shoving Broadway vocal coach Barbara Maier Gustern, remained in custody as of this morning after a $500,000 money bail was set at an arraignment listening to Tuesday in Manhattan.
Arthur Aidala, the suspect’s lawyer who organized for her give up to police, stated in the course of the courtroom listening to that the DA had overcharged his consumer, telling the choose that “pushing somebody who’s on the sidewalk” will not be the identical as “pushing somebody in entrance of a shifting prepare.”
Addressing reporters, Aidala — whose shoppers have included Harvey Weinstein, Rudolph Giuliani and Roger Ailes — stated, “Whether or not it was a push or whether or not it was a shove or whether or not it was a kick or whether or not somebody tripped … the proof will not be very strong on that in any respect.”
In an interview Wednesday with native NBC affiliate WNBC, Aidala stated Pazienza’s authorized crew is awaiting proof discovery from the DA’s workplace, and that he expects Pazienza to be launched on bail within the coming days. The bail was set at $500,000 money or a $1 million bond.
Particulars concerning the March 10 incident and the aftermath emerged on the listening to Tuesday, with the DA’s workplace presenting a common timeline of what it believes transpired. In accordance with the prosecutors, the 87-year-old Gustern had simply left her condo constructing within the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan at round 8:30 p.m. when the ladies they establish as Pazienza crossed the road, yelled “Bitch” and pushed Gustern to the bottom. Gustern’s head hit the pavement, and he or she started bleeding profusely, at which level Pazienza, the DA says, continued “briskly” strolling away.
A passing bicyclist helped Gustern again to her condo constructing, the place she remained acutely aware simply lengthy sufficient to explain her attacker. Gustern was transported by EMS to Bellevue Hospital, the place she died 5 days later whereas nonetheless in a coma.
In accordance with prosecutors, Pazienza remained within the neighborhood of the assault for about 20 to half-hour, observing the arrival of the ambulance. They stated she additionally was noticed having a bodily altercation with a person they consider is her fiancé. The couple, based mostly on surveillance footage, subsequent went to Manhattan’s Penn Station, the place they boarded a subway prepare to their rental in Astoria, Queens.
Over the following two weeks, as police and pals of Gustern broadly circulated surveillance video and pictures of the suspect on social media, Pazienza made “each effort to keep away from apprehension,” prosecutors stated. They stated she scrubbed her social media pages, left her mobile phone with an aunt and moved again to her dad and mom’ dwelling in Port Jefferson, Lengthy Island. When police, appearing on not less than one nameless tip, questioned Pazienza’s father on the dwelling on Monday, he allegedly denied his daughter was dwelling and refused them entry.
Pazienza, accompanied by Aidala, turned herself in on the NYPD’s Chelsea district home Tuesday morning, and was arraigned later that afternoon. She is anticipated again in courtroom for a listening to on Friday.
