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The Prolonged Island native accused of randomly shoving an 87-yr-outdated woman to her demise surrendered to cops Tuesday — as her A-listing lawyer complained that she was remaining focused for her “socioeconomic standing.”
Lauren Pazienza, 26, retained mum as she was led into Manhattan Criminal Courtroom — her flowing purple hair covering her face — to face manslaughter and assault prices in the March 10 attack that critically injured beloved previous Broadway voice mentor Barbara Maier Gustern.
Gustern, who experienced traumatic mind injuries, died 5 days later.
Prosecutors said Pazienza crossed West 28th Street and Eighth Avenue at all over 8:30 p.m. the evening of the shove and named the elderly female a “bitch” — just before pushing her to the pavement “without provocation.”
Protection legal professional Arthur Aidala claimed to the decide that “pushing somebody who’s on the sidewalk” is not the exact same as “pushing anyone in entrance of a cliff” or “pushing an individual in entrance of a transferring train” — as he accused Manhattan District Legal professional Alvin Bragg’s business office of “overcharging” his client.
“The DA goes out of their way to undercharge a scenario, and in this specific scenario they are overcharging,” Aidala claimed in court, referring to Bragg’s progressive policies.
He questioned no matter if the manslaughter charge, which carries a sentence of up to 25 decades, was because of to Pazienza’s “socioeconomic position,” “race” or the media desire in the scenario.
Gursten’s grandson AJ, nonetheless, slammed the attorney’s argument, telling The Submit: “Sounds like a sensible dude. How about pushing [someone] into a suppress?”
Psych exam pending
Decide Michael Gaffey purchased Pazienza to undergo a clinical examination and mental wellbeing evaluation just after viewing her in “pain” and “crying,” Aidala advised reporters.
The choose set Paziena’s bail at $500,000, which she is anticipated to write-up, according to her law firm.
Aidala, whose past clientele include things like disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein and previous Mayor Rudy Giuliani, stated right after the listening to that his customer and her relatives ended up traumatized by the ordeal.
Gustern — whose college students bundled Blondie singer Debbie Harry — was still left “bleeding profusely from the head” just after hitting the cement that evening, Assistant District Legal professional Justin McNabney explained in court.
Pazienza “briskly” walked off, the prosecutor said, adding that the two girls were being strangers.
The accused killer then stayed in the neighborhood for approximately 30 minutes — even viewing as ambulances and law enforcement vehicles rushed to Gustern’s assist 13 minutes immediately after the attack, McNabney claimed.
Seven minutes immediately after she allegedly pushed Gustern, cameras caught Pazienza having a “physical altercation” with a gentleman considered to be her fiancé, the ADA reported. The two then took a teach from Penn Station again to their dwelling in Astoria.
Allegedly lined tracks
Pazienza subsequently took “every effort and hard work to stay away from apprehension” — like deleting her marriage web page and getting down all her social media, McNabney claimed, noting the nuptials had been established for June.
She fled to her parents’ property in Port Jefferson, and the future working day “completely stopped applying her cellphone,” stashing it at the residence of her aunt, the prosecutor claimed.
The victim’s grandson, meanwhile, said he felt a sense of “closure” that Pazienza was billed but pressured that she was “innocent till tested guilty.”
Additional reporting by Tina Moore and Catalina Gonella