NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Lauren Pazienza, the 27-year-old woman who fatally shoved a beloved 87-year-old voice coach on a Chelsea street last year, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison Friday after she took a plea deal last month from the Manhattan D.A.
Pazienza was expected to be sentenced to eight years in state prison for the March 10, 2022, killing of Barbara Gustern, a respected teacher known for her vocal work with Blondie singer Debbie Harry and others.
Pazienza pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in August in a plea deal that includes the prison sentence and five years of post-release supervision. She had faced up to 25 years in prison.
Pazienza’s lawyer had said in June that the defense and prosecutors were discussing a plea bargain with a “very long” sentence. “Lauren agrees she needs to be punished,” attorney Arthur Aidala said at the time. “She understands there is a punishment and a price to pay… She is seriously considering taking some sort of a disposition that puts her in jail for a very long time.”
Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg said last month that the conviction “holds Pazienza accountable for her deadly actions.”
“Lauren Pazienza aggressively shoved Barbara Gustern to the ground and walked away as the beloved New Yorker lay there bleeding,” Bragg said. “We continue to mourn the loss of Barbara Gustern, a talented musical theater performer and vocal coach who touched so many in New York City and beyond.”
According to prosecutors, Pazienza had been arguing with her fiancé and had consumed several glasses of wine when she walked up to Gustern at West 28th Street and Eighth Avenue around 8:30 p.m., called her a "b****" and shoved her to the sidewalk.
The two women didn't know each other or have any prior interaction.
Gustern fell back head-first onto the pavement, causing massive hemorrhage to the left side of her brain. She was removed from life support five days later.
Pazienza lingered near the scene of the attack for 20 minutes but didn’t try to help and ultimately took the subway back to the Astoria apartment she shared with her fiancé, according to court documents. She soon deleted her social media accounts, took down her wedding website and fled to her native Long Island to stay with her family before cops arrested her on March 22. She has been held at Rikers Island ever since.