Infamous Morris Co. Equestrian Shooting Explored In Netflix Doc

LONG VALLEY, NJ — A new Netflix documentary chronicles the infamous shooting of Long Valley equestrian Lauren Kanarak.

Netflix’s latest installment of its “Untold” series, “The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill,” explores what led former Olympic equestrian Michael Barisone to shoot Kanarak, his student, twice, point-blank in the chest in 2019.

Read More: Long Valley Olympian Indicted For Attempted Murder

The documentary has garnered some controversy since debuting on Tuesday, with Kanark’s father, Jonathan, telling NJ.com the retelling was “biased” and did not fully tell his daughter's side of the story.

The Shooting

On Aug. 7, 2019, Barisone, 54 at the time, shot Kanarak, then 39, twice in the chest, and tried to shoot her now-husband, Rob Goodwin.

Kanarak and Goodwin were living in a home on Barisone’s horse farm at the time of the shooting, and were reportedly in an escalating landlord-tenant feud. In the weeks leading up to the shooting, the police were called to the farm five times, mostly by Barisone.

Barisone complained of harassment against him and his family from the couple, whom he described not as tenants, but as squatters. He never stated he believed he was in immediate danger.

Barisone's defense attorney, Jeffrey Simms, said Kanarek also called the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) to the farm, alleging that Barisone was abusing his fiancée's children. Simms has said the call was a harassment tactic and denied that Barisone abused the children.

Following a lengthy investigation into the shooting, Barisone was indicted on two counts of attempted murder, crimes of the first degree, and two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, crimes of the second degree, in December 2019.

In 2022, Barisone was found not guilty on all counts by reason of insanity. At trial, his attorney claimed that Kanarek's harassing attacks temporarily drove Barisone insane before he snapped. He spent some time in psychiatric wards before being released in 2023.

The shooting prompted not just a criminal trial, but several lawsuits. Kanarak filed suit against Barisone, his farm, and a barn manager following the shooting.

Barisone had also filed suit against the Washington Township Police Department, claiming that Long Valley officers “failed to protect Barisone and others." It was later dismissed.

Barisone Today

A GoFundMe launched years ago by Barisone’s fiancé to support him and the “horse community” has raised more than $85,000.

Thanks to the recent documentary, the GoFundMe has garnered new interest, prompting an update from Barisone’s fiancée, Lara Osborne.

Osborne provides context on what a “not guilty by reason of insanity” finding means, saying that he had a “complete mental collapse” at the time of the shooting, but is not insane in general.

“I would like everyone to really think about that and how someone must feel when they have no memory of an incident but know that what the alleged victims are saying does not match what the evidence shows,” the fundraiser reads. "Thank you all for your continued or new interest and support! We still have battles to fight, and, despite certain claims, we did not receive any money from the 'Untold' show.”

“Untold: The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill” is available to stream on Netflix now.

Previous Coverage:

• Long Valley Olympian Indicted For Attempted Murder
• Long Valley Olympian Was Harassed Before Alleged Shooting: Lawyer
• 'This Is War:' Cops Called 5X To Olympian's Farm Before Shooting
• Equestrian Sues Long Valley Olympian Over Alleged Shooting
• NJ Olympian Found Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity: Reports
• Hearing For Long Valley Attempted Murder Case Aims To Admit Statements Made To Officers
• A Civil Lawsuit That Michael Barisone Filed Against Police In Long Valley May Be Dismissed