NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Lauren Pazienza, a 26-year-old Long Island native charged with manslaughter and assault in the death of a beloved 87-year-old New York City vocal coach and grandmother earlier this month, was bailed out of Rikers Island on Friday.
Meanwhile, a graphic depiction of the woman has surfaced in the days since her arrest. Here's 5 things to know about case so far:
1. Pazienza could face charges for evading cops, deleting social media.
After allegedly calling Barbara Maier Gustern a b**** and shoving her to the ground in Chelsea on March 10, Pazienza allegedly fled to her parents' family's home in Port Jefferson, Long Island, hiding her phone at her aunt's house and deleting her social media before turning herself in on Tuesday, according to prosecutors.
Danny Cevallos, an NBC News and MSNBC legal analyst, said her actions might help prosecutors show her "consciousness of guilt."
"Any time a suspect flees, you can expect that prosecutors may try to introduce that as what’s called 'consciousness of guilt,'" he added.
Cevallos said Pazienza could have turned herself in right away, "the moment she found out that this was a news story," "but she didn't."
2. Pazienza's parents could be in legal jeopardy for their help
Prosecutors claim that when police arrived at the home of her father, Daniel Pazienza, the owner of Dan Pazienza Cesspool Service, and her mother Caroline's home, "her father answered the door, but refused to allow detectives to enter the premises, and claimed that his daughter was not at home."
Columbia law professor and CNN legal analyst Jennifer Rodgers told The Sun that the defendant's parents could be liable "if it could be shown that they knew she was wanted by the police and voluntarily assisted her."
3. She's allegedly not very neighborly.
Pazienza had previously called the police on her neighbors at the ritzy Shore Towers Condominium she lives in with her fiancé in Astoria, sources told The New York Post. A neighbor told the outlet she "wasn't surprised" about the incident.
"There was always an issue with her and someone in the building," the neighbor continued. "It's like always something with that lady. I feel for her fiancé because he's a nice guy and he didn't sign up for this."
4. Ex-college classmates describe her as "pure trouble."
Former classmates of the Long Island native told The Daily Mail that, despite claims by her attorney that Pazienza is a "moral, right, just person," Pazienza is really the "poster child for white privilege."
"What angered me most was seeing that her lawyer said she's overcharged and is a good and moral person. She's not," a former-classmate at the Fashion Institute of Technology told the outlet. "I knew her very well at school, and she was pure trouble."
She added, "She never faced any consequences in her life. She was enabled by her parents, who got her out of everything, but she called them stupid and basic."
5. Pazienza allegedly mocked deaf people.
In a clip obtained by The Daily Mail, Pazienza is allegedly seen poking fun at deaf people, speaking in a distorted voice while contorting her face.
According to the ex-classmate, the defendant was quick to make disparaging comments about people, including "fat people and deaf people."
SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE BELOW:
Pazienza's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, told reporters outside Manhattan criminal court earlier on Friday that her parents had posted her bail and that "she will be released sometime today."
"We look forward to getting the evidence and the discovery material from the attorney’s office so my client will now be able to come to our office and discuss the case with her partners and I to determine what the next steps are," he said.
Pazienza faces up to 25 years on the manslaughter charge. She was held in Rikers after her first court appearance on Wednesday, when a judge set her bail at $500,000 cash, $1 million bond.
She will be due back in court for her arraignment on April 25.
Gustern, who died five days after the attack, will be laid to rest on Saturday afternoon at the Church of the Holy Apostles in Chelsea.
Friends told the New York Times that Gustern had just left her apartment to catch a student’s performance after hosting a rehearsal for a cabaret show in her apartment.
Gustern had been known in the theater world for decades. She worked with singers ranging from the cast members of the 2019 Broadway revival of the musical “Oklahoma!” to experimental theater artist and 2017 MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Taylor Mac, who told the Times she was “one of the great humans that I’ve encountered.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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