Hearing For Long Valley Attempted Murder Case Aims To Admit Statements Made To Officers

LONG VALLEY, NJ — In an upcoming court hearing for former Olympic equestrian Michael Barisone, indicted in an August 2019 Long Valley shooting, the prosecution plans on a proceeding with the aim to admit statements Barisone made in the presence of three officers.

Superior Court Judge Stephen Taylor presided over a remote Zoom hearing at the Morris County Courthouse on Sept. 13, where the request was initiated, with Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Schellhorn and Barisone’s attorney Edward Bilinkas, both present.

Barisone, 57, took part in the hearing, though he remained silent throughout the less than 15 minute court proceeding, listening in by phone from the Morris County Correctional Facility.

He was indicted on two attempted murder charges and two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose on Dec. 18, 2019. On the day of the incident, Aug. 7, 2019, a then-unidentified woman made a 911 call to the Washington Township Police Department, stating she had been shot by Barisone. Both Barisone and a second then-unknown man at the scene, were also there when police arrived.

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Barisone has been accused of shooting the woman - now known as Lauren Kanarek - point-blank twice in her chest. He was also accused of attempting to shoot her fiancé Rob Goodwin, who wound up with a broken arm, both incidents at Barisone's farm during a dispute with the couple, who resided there, as tenants.

Schellhorn told Taylor that prosecutors were requesting to hold a “104 hearing,” which would permit the state to qualify witnesses and admit statements that Barisone had made “in the presence of police officers.”

Bilinkas reported to the court that the defense team had hired an additional expert, a psychologist, to review the discovery, as well as tests performed by the state.

Taylor asked Schellhorn for the number of witnesses prosecutors had, which he replied there were three, two Washington Township Police Officers and one from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

Schellhorn, however, said he had learned that one of the officers from Washington Township was currently on medical leave through September, having spoken to the police department before the hearing. That officer's return date in October was not definitive yet, Schellhorn told the judge. He confirmed for Taylor, that the remaining two officers were available for an upcoming hearing.

“I need to start moving this case, it’s one of the oldest cases on my docket,” Taylor said. “I know there’s a lot of expert reports involved, but it’s got a speedy trial release date in February.”

Bilinkas told Taylor that his expert needed a minimum of three months to complete the evaluation, which he said was a “fraction of the time” a prior defense expert took, stating the recently-retained expert is “critical to our defense.”

“That may be the case, but that doesn’t mean we can’t move forward with other aspects of the case,” Taylor replied.

Bilinkas said for the upcoming hearing, he would be unavailable between Sept. 17 and Sept. 28; and Schellhorn said one of the officers was not available until Oct. 4.

Taylor set the in-person hearing on Friday Oct. 8 at 11:30 a.m., asking that all witnesses are subpoenaed for the hearing as quickly as possible.

“I don’t want to hear on Oct. 7 that they are unavailable,” Taylor said.

Having been employed as an Olympic dressage rider and coach, there were about six 911 calls to Barisone’s horse farm on West Mill Road, between July 31 and Aug. 6, 2019, as well as one the day after Kanarek was shot, according to previously published Patch articles.

Barisone's then-attorney claimed in court Kanarek and Goodwin harassed Barisone and his family, Barisone reportedly telling police each time he called them that the couple were “guests” and “squatters,” rather than tenants.

Kanarek - an equestrian herself, who prosecutors reported in early court hearing she was clinging to life after she called 911 to say that Barisone had shot her - stated she and her fiancé were the ones being harassed by Barisone.

Barisone was suspended from competing in his sport indefinitely on Aug. 9, 2019, after he was accused of shooting Kanarek, his trainee.

Kanarek ended up suing Barisone, Sweetgrass Farms and a barn manager, her suit claiming that the manager of the barn and employees permitted firearms were allowed to stay on the property, which eventually escalated to the shooting, her suit asserting that the shooting was “without warning or provocation.”

The civil suit, which Kanarek filed in Oct. 2019, is in a holding pattern and “stayed,” according to a court order dated Sept. 10, 2021 from Superior Court Judge Louis S. Sceusi, until the criminal proceedings against Barisone have wound down.

Barisone's Civil Suit Against Police Officers

Barisone, in turn, filed a civil lawsuit himself on July 15, 2021 through attorney Christopher L. Deininger, against 11 Washington Township police officers. In it, Barisone claimed that Kanarek had a "history of domestic conflict" and a background that involved internet and social media harassment, making similar claims about Goodwin.

The suit claims that Barisone had suffered trauma in the past and was an "'egg shell' victim of future trauma, who was vulnerable and susceptible to sustaining injury from harassment, stalking, verbal assault and threats of violence;" and that he was being "psychologically assaulted and victimized by Kanarek and Goodwin," as of July 31, 2019.

Barisone's suit claims that the first police call on that date, two responding officers named in the lawsuit "intentionally disregarded the facts and circumstances being reported to them and intentionally failed to protect Barisone and others" who called the Washington Township Police Department.

He asserted in his civil suit that the issues continued to escalate and were ignored by responding police, on his subsequent calls to the department on Aug. 1, 2019 and other days leading up to the crime.

Barisone's civil suit alleged that Kanarek had a loaded firearm and threatened him with it.

On Aug. 5, 2019, Barisone drove to the police department, according to his suit, asking to speak to a detective and police chief; and said he was denied that ability. He reportedly told the receptionist, he "and others at the farm were in fear for their lives." In turn, Barisone said three of the officers named in the suit came out, intimidating him and "forced him to leave the building."

Barisone said that he spoke to the chief building inspector for Washington Township; and an order was issued for Kanarek and Goodwin to leave Barisone's property and on the following day, an individual entered the farmhouse where Kanarek reportedly stayed and was bitten by Kanarek's dog.

The civil suit additionally claims that at the time of the shooting on Aug. 7, 2019, Barisone had no recollection of it , with a psychiatrist siding that he had suffered a breakdown.

Barisone's suit is seeking compensatory damages for loss of his business income and his distress.

Editor's Note: This story was updated on Sept. 17, 2021 with information about the recently filed lawsuit that Barisone initiated against the Washington Township Police Department.

Reporting contributed by Russ Crespolini and Katie Kausch

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.