Lauren Kanarek case: Did social media cause Olympic horseman Michael Barisone to shoot his own student?

Earlier this 12 months, 58-year-old former Olympic equestrian Michael Barisone stood trial in a Morristown, New Jersey, courtroom for the tried homicide of his own driving scholar, Lauren Kanarek. Barisone’s authorized staff of Ed Bilinkas and Christopher Deininger would gamble on an uncommon protection. They claimed that on the time of the taking pictures Barisone was insane, and never legally answerable for his actions. Insanity pleas are unusual and infrequently profitable. Barisone’s protection could be that Lauren Kanarek had pushed him over the sting, largely by her use of social media.

Michael Barisone speaks out in his first tv interview because the finish of his trial in “The Shooting of Lauren Kanarek,” the thirty fifth season premiere of “48 Hours” airing Saturday, September 17, at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

It was as nice a fall from grace as his elite equestrian sport had ever seen. Barisone excelled at dressage — coaching horses to seemingly dance. He was thought-about the most effective coaches on this planet, educating fellow Olympians like Boyd Martin and Allison Brock, and representing Team USA in Beijing.

Barisone owned two magnificent horse farms, one exterior Palm Beach, the opposite in prime New Jersey horse nation. He referred to as it Hawthorne Hill. It was in March 2018 that Lauren Kanarek started coaching there with Barisone. Kanarek had her own equestrian desires, and was quickly paying $5,000 a month to practice, board her horses there, and dwell in a farmhouse on Barisone’s property. For an newbie like Kanarek, it appeared like the final word association, a driving scholar being educated by one of many masters within the sport.

But by summer season 2019 the association had turned dangerous and would quickly grow to be explosive. Staff members at Hawthorne Hill informed “48 Hours” contributor Nikki Battiste the connection between Barisone and Kanarek started to bitter over Kanarek’s expectations about her coaching. She wished extra teaching straight from Barisone, not his assistant trainers.    

Kanarek, an energetic consumer of social media, started posting her dramatic complaints on Facebook. And over the summer season of 2019 they escalated. On July 25, 2019, Kanarek posted, “It’s about time to possibly go to war. Anyone who repeatedly kicks a resting beast will eventually wake her up!” In one other submit she describes Barisone as “racist, homophobic,” and “antisemitic” — allegations Barisone passionately denies.

“There were things coming out on social media that were horrific,” Barisone informed Battiste in an unique interview. Barisone says he was frightened and unnerved by Lauren’s postings. “I remember complete and total panic,” stated Barisone. “Everybody says I was unglued. I was unglued.” Barisone’s supporters say her postings have been unfairly damaging his popularity, and he fearful it will damage his enterprise.

Barisone claims he requested Kanarek and her boyfriend Rob Goodwin to go away his property. But he says they refused. Barisone referred to as 911 4 occasions, asking for help, and telling native cops that he was “in fear for our lives.” But police might have seen it as nothing greater than a landlord-tenant dispute.

Tensions at Hawthorne Hill reached a boiling level on August 7, 2019. Michael Barisone took a gun from the secure in his workplace and drove his truck down the lengthy gravel driveway to the farmhouse the place Kanarek and Goodwin have been dwelling.

What occurred subsequent stays unclear, however at 2:13 p.m., Lauren Kanarek managed to name 911 whereas bleeding closely from two gunshot wounds. During the cellphone name, Rob Goodwin may be heard wrestling and subduing Michael Barisone. When police arrived, they discovered Goodwin on prime of a badly crushed Barisone. The 9 mm handgun was by Barisone’s hand. Lauren was mendacity flat on her again in crucial situation. She was transported to a hospital for emergency surgical procedure. The subsequent day Barisone was charged with two counts of tried homicide. He was dealing with 80 years in jail.

He was jailed for over two years, till spring 2022 when his trial lastly started. The sensational trial went on for nearly three weeks.

Lauren Kanarek was requested throughout her testimony if she had a plan to destroy Michael Barisone. Kanarek replied, “At some point, yes.” She was fast to make sure that the jury understood that she was the sufferer — having spent weeks in a hospital, within the ICU with a tube down her throat.

Michael Barisone informed “48 Hours” that he remembers coming into his workplace however doesn’t bear in mind grabbing the gun or taking pictures Kanarek. The protection staff employed psychological well being consultants to bolster their claims that Barisone had in reality been quickly insane. “She drove him crazy. She gaslighted him and she drove him over the edge,” Dr. Steven Simring informed Battiste in his interview with “48 Hours.” The psychiatrist informed the jury that Barisone developed a delusional dysfunction by means of Kanarek’s focused use of social media, as well as to different occasions main up to the taking pictures.

The state’s professional psychologist, Dr. Louis Schlesinger, disagreed with Dr. Simring. During his testimony, Dr. Schlesinger stated Barisone’s capability to bear in mind every part aside from grabbing the gun, driving to the farmhouse, and taking pictures Kanarek is a “red flag.” He doubts Barisone’s story and doesn’t consider he was insane.

The jury deliberated for 4 days. They got here again with a dramatic verdict: Michael Barisone was “not guilty by reason of insanity.” He was not criminally answerable for his actions that afternoon at Hawthorne Hill. Overcome by emotion, Barisone collapsed weeping into his lawyer’s arms. His protection staff rejoiced, calling it “justice.” After a number of weeks, Barisone was transferred to a psychiatric facility.

Lauren Kanarek’s father Jonathan Kanarek believes the jury received all of it incorrect and that Barisone ought to “spend the rest of his life” in jail. He provides that Lauren was “shocked and dismayed” by the decision. Lauren has not given up her efforts to maintain Barisone accountable and has employed a civil lawyer to sue Barisone on her behalf.

In a listening to on September 7, 2022, a decide ordered Barisone be transferred to the less-restrictive Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital for psychological well being remedy, with a follow-up listening to in six months to examine on his progress. After years of surgical procedures and coverings, Lauren Kanarek is starting to journey horses once more.