The Hawthorne Hill shooting refers to the August 7, 2019 incident at a 53-acre dressage farm in Long Valley, New Jersey, where former U.S. Olympic rider and coach Michael Barisone shot his student and tenant Lauren Kanarek twice at close range. Kanarek survived. Barisone was charged with attempted murder and, in April 2022, found not guilty by reason of insanity. The case returned to public attention in April 2026 with a four-part Netflix documentary, Untold: The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill.
What Happened on August 7, 2019
The morning of the shooting, a caseworker from the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency arrived at Hawthorne Hill Farm to investigate a complaint involving the children of Barisone’s girlfriend and assistant trainer, Mary Haskins Gray. Barisone interrupted the meeting, went to his office, and retrieved a pink and black 9mm Ruger handgun from his safe. He then drove to the farmhouse where Kanarek and her boyfriend Rob Goodwin were living.1CBS News. Lauren Kanarek Attempted Murder Michael Barisone Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
Barisone shot Kanarek once in the chest and once in the hand. Goodwin wrestled him to the ground, and Kanarek’s dog also joined the struggle. At 2:13 p.m., Kanarek called 911 herself: “I’ve been shot in the heart! Michael Barisone shot me.” When Corporal Derek Heymer arrived, Goodwin was on top of a badly beaten Barisone with the gun on the ground nearby.2Biography. Michael Barisone Now – Untold Hawthorne Hill Netflix Kanarek was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, underwent emergency surgery for a punctured lung, and spent four days in a medically induced coma before recovering.
Barisone was arrested the following day. He was charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder, one each for Kanarek and Goodwin, and two counts of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.3People. Where Is Lauren Kanarek Now
How the Coach-Student Relationship Collapsed
Kanarek, a rider who had taken up dressage seriously in her late 30s, started training with Barisone in March 2018. She paid $5,000 a month for coaching, horse boarding, and a farmhouse residence on the property, and Goodwin lived there with her.3People. Where Is Lauren Kanarek Now Barisone, a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic dressage team and coach to the 2016 Olympic dressage team that won bronze, operated his coaching business at Hawthorne Hill and had a second base in Loxahatchee, Florida.2Biography. Michael Barisone Now – Untold Hawthorne Hill Netflix
The relationship soured by the summer of 2019. Kanarek was frustrated that she was training mostly with assistants rather than Barisone himself, and she began posting on social media calling him “racist, homophobic” and “antisemitic.”4CBS News. Michael Barisone Lauren Kanarek Shooting Social Media On July 25, 2019, she wrote on Facebook: “It’s about time to possibly go to war. Anyone who repeatedly kicks a resting beast will eventually wake her up!” Barisone described the posts as “horrific” and said they left him in “complete and total panic.”
Both sides accused the other of harassment. Barisone tried to evict the couple, without success. Defense testimony at trial described Kanarek and Goodwin filing complaints with Washington Township, the U.S. Equestrian Federation, and SafeSport; placing hidden voice recorders in the barn; and sending a two-page letter to township officials that prompted health, fire, and construction inspectors to visit the farm the day before the shooting.5Chronicle of the Horse. Closing Arguments Presented in Barisone’s Attempted Murder Trial1CBS News. Lauren Kanarek Attempted Murder Michael Barisone Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
Kanarek’s SafeSport complaint alleged Barisone was “bullying” and “body shaming” her. On the form, asked whether the report involved child abuse, she checked “Yes” and specified verbal abuse. That triggered the Division of Child Protection and Permanency’s investigation into Gray’s children, which found no issues. Barisone’s lawyers later called that allegation the “final straw.”6People. Where Is Michael Barisone Now
Between July 31 and August 3, 2019, Barisone called 911 four times reporting stalking and harassment. In one call he said, “There’s a war and it’s going to be dealt with right now. I’ve had enough of these people. I need them gone!” Police did not intervene.1CBS News. Lauren Kanarek Attempted Murder Michael Barisone Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
The Trial and the Insanity Verdict
Barisone spent more than two years in jail before his case went to trial in Morris County Superior Court in March 2022, with Judge Stephen Taylor presiding. Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Schellhorn led the state’s case, and defense attorney Edward Bilinkas represented Barisone.7Daily Record. Michael Barisone Trial Former Olympian Found Not Guilty
The defense argued Barisone was legally insane at the time of the shooting. Psychiatrist Dr. Steven Simring testified that Barisone had developed a “persecutory delusional disorder,” a fixed false belief that Kanarek and Goodwin were conspiring to destroy his life, and that this left him unable to understand what he was doing. Barisone testified that he remembered entering his office but had no memory of retrieving the gun or firing it.2Biography. Michael Barisone Now – Untold Hawthorne Hill Netflix The prosecution’s expert, Dr. Louis Schlesinger, countered that a selective memory loss covering only the shooting itself was a “red flag.”1CBS News. Lauren Kanarek Attempted Murder Michael Barisone Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
Schellhorn argued that Kanarek’s behavior, whatever the jury thought of it, did not justify shooting her: “None of that is a justification to be shot. None of that creates a necessity to kill.”8Yahoo Sports. Where Is Michael Barisone Now Shooting The state also argued that the caseworker’s arrival at the farm that morning pushed Barisone to a breaking point, and that he feared following fellow equestrian George Morris, who had received a lifetime SafeSport ban two days earlier, on August 5, 2019.9ABC News. US Olympic Equestrian Team Coach George Morris Banned
On April 14, 2022, the jury found Barisone not guilty by reason of insanity on both attempted murder counts and acquitted him outright on the weapons charges.10ESPN. Jury Acquits Former Olympian Equestrian Attempted Murder Other Charges
Psychiatric Commitment and Release
In New Jersey, a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity verdict does not end in release. Barisone was first evaluated at the Ann Klein Forensic Center in Trenton and then transferred to Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris County.11Eurodressage. Michael Barisone Discharged Psychiatric Hospital
On November 17, 2023, after roughly 18 months in psychiatric facilities, Judge Taylor authorized his release following a Krol hearing, the New Jersey process for deciding whether a committed defendant can safely return to the community. The conditions were strict: stay in New Jersey, live at a friend’s home in Whitehouse Station, attend regular treatment with a psychologist, have no contact with Kanarek, possess no firearms, limit alcohol, and return to court every three months for review.12Chronicle of the Horse. Michael Barisone Released From Custody
Civil Suits and the Insurance Fight
Kanarek sued Barisone individually and Sweet Grass LLC, a business entity connected to the farm. The claim against Sweet Grass ended in a confidential settlement. Barisone countersued Kanarek, and the two eventually agreed to dismiss their claims against each other with prejudice, with no money changing hands, according to Barisone’s attorney Chris Deininger.13Nancy Jaffer. Another Milepost for Michael Barisone
Barisone also sued three insurers in Morris County Superior Court — Farm Family Casualty Insurance Company, American National Insurance Company, and Great American Insurance Company of New York — alleging they breached their contracts by refusing to cover his criminal defense costs. His lawyers argued that because the jury found his actions were not intentional, the insurers’ original grounds for denial no longer applied.14North Jersey. Michael Barisone Shooting Trial Morris County NJ Suing Insurance Companies
Federal Suit Against USEF and the SafeSport Ban
On July 31, 2025, Barisone filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Equestrian Federation, alleging that USEF failed to act on complaints he and three other people made about Kanarek’s behavior in 2017 and 2018. The suit claims USEF should have referred those reports to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and that if it had, Kanarek would have been investigated and possibly sanctioned before the shooting.15Chronicle of the Horse. Barisone Sues USEF for Failing to Report Kanarek Complaints to SafeSport He seeks compensatory and punitive damages, alleging he was forced to sell his farm at a “fire sale price” and incurred millions in legal fees.
The case was transferred to the Southern District of New York in September 2025 and assigned to Judge Edgardo Ramos. Barisone’s amended complaint, filed in November 2025, narrows the claims to breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and negligence. USEF moved to dismiss on December 19, 2025, arguing the claims are time-barred and unsupported. As of February 2026, briefing was complete and the judge had not ruled.16Court Listener. Barisone v. United States Equestrian Federation17Chronicle of the Horse. USEF Responds to Barisone Suit as SafeSport Bans Athlete Permanently
On December 15, 2025, the U.S. Center for SafeSport upgraded Barisone’s status from temporary suspension to permanent ineligibility, citing findings of “sexual harassment,” “emotional misconduct,” and violations of USEF policies.18Eurodressage. Michael Barisone Sues USEF Gets Permanent Ban SafeSport Barisone’s attorney Steven Tarshis characterized the underlying conduct as “causing emotional distress as a consequence of the shooting,” “telling an off-color joke,” and “yelling at a student,” and said none involved physical contact. A SafeSport representative said that even after a criminal acquittal, the agency “reserves the right to investigate and resolve the matter” under its own code.17Chronicle of the Horse. USEF Responds to Barisone Suit as SafeSport Bans Athlete Permanently Tarshis said Barisone intends to appeal. Under SafeSport procedures, respondents have 10 days to request arbitration before a sanction becomes final, and in early 2026 the ruling was listed as subject to appeal and not yet final.
The Netflix Documentary
Untold: The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill, a four-part series, premiered on Netflix on April 21, 2026.19World Screen. Netflix Slates Untold The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill Premiere Grace McNally directed, Ryan Duffy served as showrunner, and Chapman and Maclain Way developed the project for Propagate and Stardust Frames Productions. Both Barisone and Kanarek sat for interviews and offer conflicting accounts.
Kanarek’s family criticized the film publicly. Her father, Jonathan Kanarek, said the filmmakers left out “important evidence” and favored Barisone’s side, and noted that Lauren spoke with the crew for only about two days. The family’s attorney, Steven Beer, called the film a “classic and regrettable true crime documentary” and said the producers chose “commerce over compassion.”20NJ.com. NJ Family Says Netflix Got It All Wrong in Documentary About Olympic Equestrian Shooting The family did not sue. The film carries a disclaimer noting that both sides provided additional documentation that was not used.
Barisone and his partner Lara Osborne participated without payment and said they gave producers hundreds of pages of discovery material excluded from the criminal trial. Kanarek received an unspecified payment for her participation.2Biography. Michael Barisone Now – Untold Hawthorne Hill Netflix A Decider reviewer gave the series a “skip it” rating, comparing the viewing experience to watching a civil trial.21Decider. Untold The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill Netflix Review
Where Barisone and Kanarek Are Now
Barisone is living in Florida and continues to train horses, though he remains barred from USEF-recognized competitions while his SafeSport appeal is pending.2Biography. Michael Barisone Now – Untold Hawthorne Hill Netflix He is engaged to Osborne, and a GoFundMe to help him rebuild has raised over $85,000. He still returns to court for periodic mental-health reviews before Judge Taylor.15Chronicle of the Horse. Barisone Sues USEF for Failing to Report Kanarek Complaints to SafeSport His federal suit against USEF and his appeal of the permanent SafeSport ban are both unresolved.