What to Know
- 26-year-old Lauren Pazienza has been arrested on manslaughter and assault charges in the March 10 street shove attack of Manhattan's Barbara Gustern. The 87-year-old voice coach died five days later
- The sidewalk attack left Gustern bleeding profusely, and a witness helped her into the lobby of her building where she told police the push was "as hard as she had ever been hit in her life" before blacking out
- Pazienza surrendered to police Tuesday. Security video showed that she spent more than 20 minutes in and around the area after the alleged incident occurred, according to prosecutors
A jarring narrative of the deadly Manhattan street attack on a beloved 87-year-old voice coach, and its aftermath, is beginning to emerge -- while a lawyer for the 26-year-old woman arrested in the widely watched case urges no rush to judgment.
Lawyer Arthur Aidala, who is representing Lauren Pazienza in what authorities have described as a random, "unprovoked and senseless" attack that turned deadly says he expects her to be released in the coming days as his team "anxiously awaits" discovery from the Manhattan district attorney's office.
Aidala also said her family "joins the rest of the city" in grieving the loss of Barbara Gustern. Pazienza surrendered to authorities and was arrested a day ago on manslaughter and assault charges in the death of Gustern, a beloved 87-year-old singing coach who was shoved from behind on a Manhattan sidewalk on March 10.
She was still in custody as of Wednesday morning but could be out by week's end. She surrendered to authorities a day ago, Aidala by her side, after eluding police for nearly two weeks as they tried to identify the woman seen on surveillance.
Prosecutors say Pazienza deleted her entire online presence — including her wedding website, despite being slated to get married in June -- in the aftermath of the sidewalk attack near West 28th Street and Eighth Avenue in Chelsea.
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She allegedly fled to her parents' home in Port Jefferson, on Long Island, and stopped using her cellphone, which she stashed at an aunt's house so as to avoid being found by police, prosecutors said.
An anonymous tip on March 19 identifying Pazienza as the suspect in the attack led the NYPD to her parents' door two days later. Her father answered, telling police his daughter wasn't home and that they were not allowed in, according to prosecutors.
Her surrender was arranged soon after. And a jarring narrative began to emerge.
Gustern was just steps away from her home, around 8:30 p.m. the night of the attack, when prosecutors allege Pazienza crossed the street and cursed at her before violently shoving her to the ground. Gustern's head hit the sidewalk.
The attacker appeared to briskly walk off afterward.
Gustern was left bleeding profusely, and a witness helped her into the lobby of her building where she recalled what happened, telling police the push was "as hard as she had ever been hit in her life." She later lost consciousness at the hospital.
Five days later, she died.
Surveillance video from the corner of West 28th Street and Ninth Avenue minutes after the attack showed a woman matching Pazienza's description walking in the same direction a witness told police the attacker went.
Additional surveillance footage tracked Pazienza to Penn Station, where police were able to get a clearer image of her, prosecutors said, and two people who know Pazienza identified her as the woman seen there.
Other security video showed Pazienza in and around the area for almost a half-hour after the attack, according to prosecutors. About seven minutes after the shove, she was seen in a physical altercation with a man believed to be her fiancé, prosecutors said. They also allege Pazienza was later seen watching the ambulance as it arrived at the scene to take Gustern to the hospital.
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She and her fiancé were later seen at Penn Station, where both swiped his MetroCard. Detectives were able to track the pair back to their home in Astoria, as video from about an hour and a half after the attack showed Pazienza and her fiancé enter their building, according to prosecutors.
She was wearing the same clothes as the woman who was seen crossing Ninth Avenue immediately following the attack, they added.
Pazienza's attorney told reporters after her arrest that the charges were overblown, and his team would investigate what happened. Aidala also implied that the evidence was unclear, saying the push could have been accidental.
"Whether it was a push, whether it was a shove, whether it was a kick or whether someone tripped — the evidence is not very solid on that at all," he said.
Aidala also said there's no evidence his client watched the victim lying on the street, and that video could show anyone watching.
Pazienza did not answer any questions as she was walked from the stationhouse in handcuffs, her face hidden by her hair, and her parents did not comment as they left court. She faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Friday is her next court date.
Gustern suffered traumatic brain damage from which she would not recover even if she survived, authorities and the woman's grandson, AJ Gustern, said.
Her grandson AJ Gustern, who visited her in the hospital while she was unconscious, said he was pleased with Pazienza's arrest and that it gave "a sense of closure," but stressed that in his mind, the woman is innocent until proven guilty. He also said his grandmother's funeral is Saturday at a church in Chelsea.
"She was a force of nature. I called her a little star. Tiny ball of energy building community everywhere she went," AJ Gustern said. "To whoever did do this I’m still praying for you and the karmic wave that you’ve taken on is incredible. So God help you."
According to The New York Times, Gustern was an acclaimed singing coach who once helped train rock singer Debbie Harry and the cast of the 2019 Broadway revival of the musical "Oklahoma!" A neighbor said that Gustern used to perform on Broadway herself, along with her late husband.
Stephen Shanaghan, who owns Manhattan restaurant and theater Pangea, called Gustern a "sharp, clever seasoned New York person." Shanaghan said that Gustern had recently performed there, and that she had hoped to premiere a new cabaret show there.
"They sing and they tell stories, it's very heartwarming. And they've done several different shows here," Shanaghan said.
Pazienza is said to be a former event planner. A former employer, French high-end furniture and home accessory designer and retailer Roche Bobois, said the woman resigned from her role in December. It said it had no further comments at this time.
