Woman Whose Shove Caused Death of 87 Y.O. Broadway Vocal Coach in Chelsea Pleads Guilty
Lauren Pazienza, 27, described in tabloids as the “cesspool socialite,” pleaded guilty to fatally shoving an 87 year old Broadway vocal coach to her death outside the woman’s Chelsea apartment near 28th St. and Tenth Ave. in March 2022. Pazienza was given an eight year sentence under the plea deal and will return for final sentencing on Sept. 29.
| 28 Aug 2023 | 11:10
Lauren Pazienza has pleaded guilty to shoving an 87 year old woman in Chelsea, which caused the victim to suffer a massive brain hemmorage, killing her back in March 2022. In a plea deal, Pazienza will serve eight years in state prison. Photo: CBS/You tube
Debbie Harry, lead singer of Blondie, was one of the many stars and aspiring stars that the late Broadway vocal coach Barbara Maeir Gustern had helped in their careers before her violent shoving death at the hands of a then 26 year old Long Island socialite. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (
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Lauren Pazienza, daughter of a well-to-do Long Island family, was given an eight year sentence after pleading guilty to shoving a beloved 87 year old Broadway vocal coach and performer causing her to hit her head and die after lingering in a comma for four days.
The woman who was struck, Barbara Gustern, had once been the vocal coach of Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry. Police said that at the time of the incident in March 2022, Pazienza had been hanging out having dinner in Chelsea Park with her then fiance when she was told she would have to leave because the part was closed.
She became enraged, threw her food at her lover and then ran across the street around 28th St. and Tenth Ave., called the 4’ 11” Gustern a “bitch” around 8:30 p.m on March 10.
Prosecutors said that Gustern fell in arc directly on her head, causing a massive hemorrhage to the left side of her brain. Pazienza, who is about 5’ 7” spent the next 20 minutes at the scene and watched as bystanders called 911 and EMTs transported the victim to an area hospital, where she became unconscious and died five days later.
At the time of the incident, police released a clear video of Pazienza, who has fiery red hair that was clearly visible. She fled first to luxury Shore Tower Condonium in Astoria she shared with her then fiancé and then to her parents home in Port Jefferson, where her father runs Dan Pazienza Cesspool Service & Installation. Pazienza’s mother, who was reportedly sobbing in the court on Aug. 23 when the plea was announced, had posted the $500,000 cash bond last year.
Prosecutors said that Pazienza made no mention of the assault on March 10 until much later in the night of the attack when she disclosed to her fiancé that “she had shoved someone.”
The New York Post and the Daily Mail, due to Pazienza’s father’s position as head of a cesspool company once ranked as the top in its field in Suffolk County had dubbed the daughter the “cesspool socialite.”
It took two weeks for Pazienza to turn herself into cops., who said they received an anonymous tip after the crimestoppers photo showing the victims flowing red hair, was released. When she surrendered, she was represented by attorney Arthur Aidala, who bills himself as a “legal advocate for A-listers” whose past clients have reportedly included Harvey Weinstein and Rudy Giuliani.
The victim’s grandson, A. J. Maier Gustern, was present on August 23rd when the plea deal was revealed.
“Notice how she didn’t go after some 6-foot-tall, 200-pound guy–she went after my 80-pound grandmother,” he was quoted telling reporters following the hearing.
“I have little to no forgiveness or sympathy for Lauren or her family,” he added. “This is what happens when you don’t raise a child right and you let them get away with whatever they want their entire lives.”
Paziena pleaded guilty to one caught of manslaughter in the first degree. Under terms of the plea deal, she must serve eight years in state prison followed by five years of post release supervision. She is scheduled to be sentenced on September 29.