26-year-old woman charged with manslaughter in fatal shoving of 87-year-old Broadway vocal coach
By Kiely Westhoff, CNN
(CNN) -- A 26-year-old woman was arraigned Tuesday on charges of assault and first-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of an 87-year-old woman who was fatally shoved in New York City earlier this month, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
The defendant, Lauren Pazienza, has an address in Port Jefferson, New York, the NYPD said.
The charges stem from the death of Barbara Maier Gustern, a Broadway vocal coach who police said was pushed from behind by a woman on the night of March 10 as she stood outside her apartment in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood.
Gustern fell and hit her head and had to be hospitalized; the suspect ran away, police said. Gustern's grandson, AJ Gustern, announced in a Facebook post last Tuesday that she had died from her injuries.
"We have lost one of the brightest little flames to ever grace this world," he wrote. "Bobbob, I love you, you are and always will be my heart."
Pazienza's defense attorney Arthur Aidala said she surrendered to police on Tuesday morning. He had no comment on the recommended charges against her.
Last week, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig asked the public for help in "solving this disgusting, disgraceful offense committed against a vulnerable, elderly female who was doing nothing but walking down the streets of New York City."
The-CNN-Wire
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