Michael Barisone shooting case examined in Netflix’s Untold documentary

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• 🔥 Quick Facts
• A Rising Star Trainer and His Troubled Student Relationship
• Months of Escalating Conflict and Social Media Warfare
• The Violent Confrontation on August 7, 2019
• Controversial Verdict: Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
• Netflix Documentary Ignites New Controversy and Outrage
• Where Are They Now, and Could This Case Define Future True Crime Standards?
  • Sources

Michael Barisone’s 2019 shooting case emerges in new Netflix documentary. The controversial Untold: The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill episode premiered April 21, 2026, examining tensions between an Olympic equestrian trainer and his student. Both figures appear on camera, but the production already draws fierce criticism from the victim’s family.

A Rising Star Trainer and His Troubled Student Relationship

Michael Barisone’s credentials are stellar. He was an alternate on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team and won over 100 Grand Prix events during his competitive dressage career. In 1997, he captured a gold medal in the Nations Cup in England. His reputation extended beyond equestrian circles, famously appearing on The Colbert Report in 2012 to humorously explain dressage to comedian Stephen Colbert ahead of the London Olympics.

Barisone became a respected coach at Hawthorne Hill, his farm in Long Valley, New Jersey. When he met Lauren Kanarek in 2018 at a dressage clinic, he offered to mentor her. She paid $5,000 per month for training, boarding, and housing on the farm alongside her boyfriend Rob Goodwin. For Kanarek, this opportunity seemed like a dream come true.

Months of Escalating Conflict and Social Media Warfare

The professional relationship deteriorated rapidly. Staff members reported that Kanarek demanded more personal training time with Barisone rather than his assistants. In July 2019, tensions exploded publicly when Kanarek posted on Facebook: It’s about time to possibly go to war. Anyone who repeatedly kicks a resting beast will eventually wake her up!

Kanarek’s posts escalated, accusing Barisone of being racist, homophobic, and antisemitic. She alleged his girlfriend was preventing her from riding. Meanwhile, Barisone claimed Kanarek and Goodwin were harassing him, even filing a false child abuse report that brought protective services to his home where his fiancée’s two children lived. Barisone called police four times, but authorities did not intervene in the dispute.

The Violent Confrontation on August 7, 2019

Michael Barisone retrieved a 9mm handgun from his safe and confronted Kanarek and Goodwin. He fired twice at Kanarek, striking her in the chest. Goodwin subdued a badly beaten Barisone as police arrived. Kanarek, placed in a medically induced coma, required surgery to repair her left lung. She eventually recovered but bore permanent scars from the incident.

Key Detail	Information
Release Date	April 21, 2026
Platform	Netflix
Episode Length	73 minutes
Director	Grace McNally

Barisone was charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder. He faced up to 80 years in prison. Goodwin was also fired at but the shots missed.

“At the time of the shooting my client feared for his life. He was suffering from a mental disease and did not know what he was doing was wrong.”

— Edward Bilinkas, Michael Barisone’s Attorney

Controversial Verdict: Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity

During his March 2022 trial at the Morris County Courthouse, Barisone’s defense argued he was legally insane at the time of shooting. A psychiatrist testified he suffered a delusional disorder caused by Kanarek’s social media harassment. He claimed no memory of retrieving the gun or shooting her.

Prosecutors countered fiercely. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Schellhorn argued that harsh words and misbehavior never justify shooting someone. His opening statement emphasized Barisone’s premeditation: retrieving the gun from the safe, loading it, and firing. The jury deliberated and returned a stunning verdict on April 14, 2022, finding Barisone not guilty by reason of insanity. He was released from custody into psychiatric care.

Netflix Documentary Ignites New Controversy and Outrage

Untold: The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill features both Barisone and Kanarek presenting their competing narratives. But the Kanarek family fiercely objects to the documentary’s portrayal. Jonathan Kanarek, Lauren’s father, told NJ.com that Netflix chose commerce over compassion and that the filmmakers spent significantly more time with Barisone than his daughter, interviewing her for only about two days total.

The family’s attorney, Steven Beer, stated multiple times that important evidence supporting Kanarek was excluded. A disclaimer acknowledges both sides submitted documentation that didn’t make the final cut. Kanarek feels revictimized by coverage, and her family hopes other female athletes harmed by coaches avoid similar media exploitation.

Where Are They Now, and Could This Case Define Future True Crime Standards?

Barisone spent 30 days at Ann Klein Forensic Center in Trenton, then transferred to Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains, New Jersey. He was cleared for release in November 2023 after doctors determined he posed no threat. His fiancée, Lara Osborne, established a GoFundMe page that raised over $85,000 to help him rebuild his life.

However, in December 2025, Barisone was permanently banned by SafeSport from competing in U.S. Equestrian Federation events, citing sexual harassment and emotional misconduct. Despite his criminal acquittal, these sports sanctions remain active while he pursues appeals. The documentary’s release arrives amid these ongoing legal battles, raising troubling questions: Does Netflix’s framing favor wealth and celebrity over victim protection? Will other platforms follow its true crime approach?

Sources

• Biography.com – Comprehensive coverage of Michael Barisone’s case, trial verdict, and current life status following his acquittal
• Today.com – Recent interviews and background on the case, Barisone’s psychiatric treatment, and SafeSport ban details
• NJ.com – Family statement criticizing the Netflix documentary’s bias and Lauren Kanarek’s concerns about revictimization