Suspicion in Death of Broadway Vocal Coach Barbara Gustern Pleads Not Guilty, Bail Lifted – Update

Update 2, May 10: Lauren Pazienza, the woman who was shot dead by Broadway voice coach Barbara Gastern on the New York sidewalk in March, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and was held without bail.

As part of a New York State Supreme Court hearing on two counts of first degree murder and second degree assault, a judge sentenced Pacienza to life in prison after paying her $ 500,000 bail and discovering that she was in danger of being killed.

Prosecutors said on March 10 that Gastern, 87, had just left his apartment building in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood around 8:30 p.m. Gastern ashore. Gustern hit his head on the sidewalk and started bleeding profusely, at which point Patience, prosecutors said, continued to move “fast”.

A passing cyclist helped Gastern put his helmet back on, where he lay awake for so long that he described himself as an assailant. Gastern was taken by EMS to Bellevue Hospital, where he died five days later while still in a coma.

According to the Associated Press Report, Assistant District Attorney Justin McNabney said in court today that Pazienza was upset that night after she and her boyfriend were told to leave Chelsea Park, where they drank wine as part of a 100 day celebration. McNabney told McNabney, Patience crashed into Gurstern as she walked and lay on the ground.

Updated March 25: Unsurprisingly, Lauren Pazienza, the woman who was fatally dragged onto the Manhattan sidewalk by Broadway vocal coach Barbara Meyer Guster, will be released today on Rickers Island, with her parents posting the bail this morning.

The solitaire’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, addressed reporters outside the Manhattan Criminal Court and confirmed the bail. The patient did not show up for the hearing.

Pazienza, a 26-year-old former Long Island events coordinator who recently lived in Queens, turned himself in to police Tuesday after trying to avoid arrest, according to a detailed statement from the assistant district attorney. Pazienza was arrested on charges of premeditated murder and assault.

According to the New York Post, Aidala told reporters today, “No one doubts this is a tragedy,” adding that her team “will find out what really happened that day, once we have all the evidence that prosecutors have. “. “

Pazienza will return to court on April 25 to appeal the charges.

previous, March 23 Lauren Pazienza, a woman accused of the deadly pursuit of Broadway voice coach Barbara Meyer Gastern, has been in custody since this morning after being placed on $ 500,000 bail in Manhattan on Tuesday.

Arthur Aidala, the suspect’s attorney, who arranged his surrender to the police, told the court that the prosecutor had accused his client too much and told the judge that “pushing a person to the sidewalk” was not the same thing. than “push a person”. someone later “. train in motion”.

Addressing reporters, Aidala, whose clients included Harvey Weinstein, Rudolf Julian and Roger Ayles, said: That’s it. “

In an interview with the local branch of NBC WNBC on Wednesday, Aidala said Patienza’s legal team is awaiting evidence from the prosecutor’s office and expects Patienza to be released on bail in the coming days. The bail was set at $ 500,000 in cash or a $ 1 million bail.

Details of the March 10 incident and its aftermath emerged during a hearing on Tuesday, in which the prosecutor’s office provided general timelines for what it claimed to have happened. Prosecutors say Gastern, 87, had just left a residential building in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood at around 8:30 am when women calling Patience crossed the street yelling “Beach” and pushing Gastern. . on site. Guster’s head hit the sidewalk and began to bleed profusely, at which point Pazienza, according to the prosecutor, continued to walk “fast”.

A passing cyclist helped Gastern put his helmet back on, where he lay awake for so long that he described himself as an assailant. Gastern was taken by EMS to Bellevue Hospital, where he died five days later while still in a coma.

Prosecutors said Patienza remained in the vicinity of the attack for about 20 to 30 minutes, awaiting the arrival of an ambulance. They said it was also discovered that she had a physical altercation with a man they thought was her boyfriend. The couple, according to surveillance footage, then traveled to Manhattan’s Penn Station, where they were picked up by a subway train at their apartment in Astoria, Queens.

Over the next two weeks, as police and Guster’s friends released surveillance videos and photos of the suspect extensively on social media, Patienza “did everything possible to avoid arrest,” prosecutors said. They said he cleaned up his social media pages, left his cell phone with his aunt, and returned to his parents’ home in Port Jefferson, Long Island. When on Monday the police, on the basis of at least one anonymous report, questioned Pazienza’s father at his home, he denied entry to his daughter’s home and refused to let them in.

Pazienza, accompanied by Aidala, was delivered to the NYPD’s Chelsea District House on Tuesday morning and taken to court in the afternoon. You’re expected to go back to court on Friday for a hearing.