A woman from Queens, New York randomly shoved an 87-year-old woman resulting in her death last year.
Lauren Pazienda, 27, pleaded guilty to manslaughter this week in exchange for a shorter sentence.
Pazienda will only serve 8 years behind bars after she shoved an elderly woman to the ground and walked away.
NEW YORK — A plea deal was announced Wednesday in the case of a Queens woman who randomly pushed a beloved 87-year-old vocal coach to the ground, killing her.
Lauren Pazienza pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter in exchange for a shorter sentence.
Pazienza, 27, walked into the courtroom teary eyed, handcuffed and wearing bright lipstick. She withdrew her not guilty plea.
“Are you pleading guilty because you are in fact guilty?” the judge asked.
“Yes,” Pazienza said, in exchange for a sentence of eight years in state prison and five years post-release supervision. Had it gone to trial, she was facing up to 25 years.
The victim was 87 year old Barbara Gustern, who was a vocal coach.
CBS New York:
In March 2022, Pazienza, who police said had been drinking heavily with her fiancé, left Chelsea Park angry and crossed the street toward 87-year-old Barbara Gustern at West 29th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues.
Pazienza called Gustern, who was a stranger to her, an expletive then pushed her to the ground. Gustern hit her head on the pavement before losing consciousness told the friend she was with she had never been hit that hard in her life.
Pazienza walked away and left her there. Gustern later died at the hospital.
She attempted to cover up the crime by deleting social media accounts, keeping her cell phone in a different location, and quitting her job. Considering the crime, her sentence was light compared with what she could have received if she had plead not guilty.
Watch: