A 26-year-old woman accused of shoving an 87-year-old Broadway vocal coach to the sidewalk and causing her death during a ‘wine rampage’ has rejected a 15-year plea deal offered by prosecuters for a second time.
Lauren Pazienza appeared in court handcuffed on Tuesday where she rejected the plea deal from woke Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s office. She also failed to have her manslaughter charge dropped, according to the New York Post. She faces up to 25 years in prison.
The New York City events planner is accused of launching an unprovoked attack on Barbara Gustern on March 10 as she was crossing the road to get a cab outside her Chelsea apartment. The events planner allegedly called the elderly woman a ‘b***h’ and shoved her to the ground. She died from her injuries five days later.
In April, she was indicted on for manslaughter and pleaded not guilty. She has been held on Rikers Island since then after a judge revoked her bail, according to the Post.
On Tuesday, Pazienza’s attorney Arthur Aidala told the Post that he was disappointed that Manhattan Superior Court Judge Felicia Mennin refused to drop the manslaughter charge.
Lauren Pazienza appeared in court handcuffed on Tuesday where she rejected the plea deal from woke Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s office. She has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter after being accused of shoving Barbara Gustern, 87, and causing her death
Pazienza is accused of launching an unprovoked attack on Barbara Gustern on March 10 as she was crossing the road to get a cab outside her Chelsea apartment. The events planner allegedly called the elderly woman a ‘b***h’ and shoved her to the ground. She died from her injuries five days later
Pazienza’s parents appeared hand in hand to court where their daughter appeared for the first time in three months
At Tuesday’s hearing, Pazienza appeared in court in handcuffs and a medical mask with her red hair tied back in a low bun. Her parents, who had walked into the courtroom hand-in-hand were there to support her.
Pazienza has been held on Rikers Island since May when Judge Mennin refused to grant Pazienza the right to bail while claiming she was a ‘risk.’
‘I’m concerned that Ms. Pazienza is a flight risk – and is a serious flight risk,’ Mennin said at the time. ‘It appears that [the shove] was for a random reason. The victim in this case was apparently left lying on the sidewalk. The defendant walked away.’
Mennin continued: ‘She faces significant prison time if convicted. Although that may not seem a reality at this time, as the case proceeds, I have serious concerns it may affect her desire to return to court.’
On the night of the attack, Pazienza was celebrating the countdown to her wedding with her fiancé, Naveen Pereira, visited several art galleries in Chelsea.
The pair had 100 days to go until the big day and were anticipated to tie the knot on June 18.
Pazienza consumed several glasses of wine from numerous galleries before the couple headed to eat at a Chelsea park. The two were enjoying their food when a park employee approached them and said they needed to leave because the park was closing soon.
‘The defendant became angry, started shouting and cursing at the park employee, threw her food onto her fiancé, and stormed out of the park,’ McNabney said.
Pazienza and her fiancé were out celebrating the 100 day countdown to their wedding scheduled for June 18 when the incident occurred. Pazienza had many classes of wine before throwing a tantrum
Pazienza and her fiancé took off in two different directions with Pereira heading towards the Astoria apartment the pair shared, he told prosecutors. Meanwhile, Pazienza walked towards West 28th Street near Eighth Avenue where she stumbled upon the vocal coach.
Meanwhile, the victim, Gustern had finished rehearsal nearby when Pazienza allegedly called her a ‘b***h’ and shoved her onto the sidewalk.
Pazienza proceeded to call her fiancé after the incident and allegedly watched as an ambulance arrived to help Gustern and carry her away, according to prosecutors. Gustern died in the hospital five days later.
Pazienza passed by Barbara Gustern, 87, when she called her a ‘b***h’ and pushed her into the cement. Pazienza proceeded to call her fiancé in rage before watching paramedics take Gustern to the hospital where she died five days later
Police were seeking Pazienza after surveillance footage nearby the scene showed her walking down the same street Gustern was pushed moments later. Pazienza fled to Long Island for 11 days before turning herself into police. She was charged with manslaughter and assault
Prosecutors say Pazienza didn’t mention anything about shoving Gustern to her fiancé.
‘Instead, she started to argue with her fiancé, accusing him of ruining her night,’ a prosecutor said. ‘Right before they went to bed that night, the defendant finally, for the first time, turned to her fiancé and told him that she had pushed someone. She said that she thought the person had fallen, and she walked away.’
Pazienza told her fiancé she pushed Gustern because she might have said something to her but she wasn’t sure.
Following the incident, Pazienza fled to her parent’s house in Long Island and deleted her social media accounts and wedding website.
She was free for 11 days after the incident before turning herself in after NYPD released photos asking the public for help in identifying her.
She was charged with assault and manslaughter and released on $500,000 bail until May, when a judge revoked her bail because she is a flight risk.